Question 1

What is SmartSwing?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing is an AI-powered micro-investing platform that autonomously manages a portfolio through short-duration swing trades on fractional US equities. Every trade comes with a plain-English explanation of why the system made the decision.

Question 2

How does SmartSwing work?

Accepted Answer

Each trading day, multiple strategies scan the market for opportunities. Signals pass through an AI validation gate that generates a trade thesis. Approved trades execute through Alpaca with automatic risk controls including stop losses, circuit breakers, and drawdown halts.

Question 3

What stocks does SmartSwing trade?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing trades fractional US equities from the S&P 500 universe, filtered for liquidity. It uses market orders for fractional shares through Alpaca, a commission-free brokerage.

Question 4

How long are trades typically held?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing executes swing trades, typically held for 2-10 trading days. Mean reversion positions have a 5-day time stop. Momentum positions use trailing stops with no fixed time limit.

Question 5

What is the trust ladder?

Accepted Answer

The trust ladder is a four-stage progression (Observe, Verify, Partial, Full) that lets you watch the system trade with simulated capital before committing real money. Every transition is user-initiated and reversible.

Question 6

Can I pause trading at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An emergency pause button on the dashboard halts all trading immediately. You can also revert to a safer trust ladder stage at any time.

Question 7

Do I have control over what the system does?

Accepted Answer

You control when to start, when to progress through trust ladder stages, and when to pause. The system operates autonomously within the parameters you set, but you always have the ability to intervene.

Question 8

Can I lose money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Investing in securities involves risk of loss. While SmartSwing implements multiple risk controls (stop losses, circuit breakers, drawdown halts), no system can eliminate all investment risk. You should only invest money you can afford to lose.

Question 9

What are the risk controls?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing uses position-level stop losses (3-4%), a daily loss circuit breaker (3%), a drawdown halt (8% from peak), a 30% cash reserve requirement, correlation screening, AI fail-safes, and an emergency pause feature.

Question 10

What happens in a market crash?

Accepted Answer

During severe market declines, the daily loss circuit breaker and drawdown halt will trigger, pausing all trading. The conductor layer also detects crisis regimes and reduces exposure. However, losses can still occur within stop-loss parameters.

Question 11

What AI does SmartSwing use?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing uses FinBERT for news sentiment analysis (runs locally, free), Claude Haiku for signal validation and trade thesis generation, and Claude Sonnet for daily market briefings. Total AI cost is under $1 per month.

Question 12

Is SmartSwing a black box?

Accepted Answer

No. Every trade includes a plain-English AI-generated thesis explaining why the system entered, what the exit conditions are, and what the risks look like. Daily briefings and nightly reviews provide additional transparency.

Question 13

Is AI making all the trading decisions?

Accepted Answer

No. Trading strategies use deterministic technical indicators (RSI, Bollinger Bands, EMA crossovers). AI validates signals that fall in a grey zone and generates explanations. Risk controls are rule-based, not AI-dependent.

Question 14

What is Alpaca?

Accepted Answer

Alpaca Securities LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC that provides commission-free trading with API access. SmartSwing connects to your Alpaca account to execute trades.

Question 15

Do I need a live brokerage account to start?

Accepted Answer

No. You can start with a free Alpaca paper trading account. Paper trading lets you observe the system with simulated capital and zero financial risk.

Question 16

How do I connect my Alpaca account?

Accepted Answer

During onboarding, you enter your Alpaca API Key ID and Secret Key. These credentials are encrypted using AES-256-GCM and stored securely. You can update them anytime in Settings.

Question 17

How much does SmartSwing cost?

Accepted Answer

Paper trading is free forever. Live trading with the full strategy ensemble is $15 per month. No AUM fees, no hidden costs, no credit card required to start.

Question 18

Is there a free tier?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The free tier includes paper trading, two trading strategies, AI trade theses, daily briefings, and the full risk management engine. You can use it indefinitely.

Question 19

How are taxes handled?

Accepted Answer

Alpaca provides standard 1099-B forms for all realized gains and losses. SmartSwing does not provide tax advice. Frequent trading generates short-term capital gains taxed as ordinary income. Consult a qualified tax professional.

Question 20

Does SmartSwing track wash sales?

Accepted Answer

SmartSwing tracks potential wash sale events for informational purposes. However, for official tax reporting, refer to your Alpaca brokerage statements and consult a tax professional.

Question 21

How are my API keys stored?

Accepted Answer

Your Alpaca API keys are encrypted using AES-256-GCM before storage. They are never stored in plaintext. The encryption key is derived from the application's auth secret.

Question 22

Who can see my data?

Accepted Answer

Your portfolio data, trades, and API credentials are accessible only to your authenticated account. SmartSwing does not share, sell, or expose individual user data to third parties.

Question 23

Is SmartSwing a registered investment advisor?

Accepted Answer

No. SmartSwing is an automated trading research tool operated by Adretix Inc. It is not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or financial institution. It does not provide personalized investment advice.

Question 24

Does SmartSwing provide financial advice?

Accepted Answer

No. SmartSwing is a software tool that executes algorithmic trading strategies. It does not provide, and should not be relied upon for, investment advice, financial planning, or personalized recommendations.

Frequently asked questions

Product basics

Trust and control

Risk

AI

Brokerage and account

Pricing

Taxes and reporting

Security and data

Compliance

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