CapIntel FAQ

CapIntel Features

Will there be comparisons available for alternative investments?

The data feed for alternative investments will be provided by Preqin hopefully before year end (2025).  Prequin provides financial data and information within the alternative asset marketplace. However, the automated comparison for exempt products is on the roadmap for 2026.

Will there be comparisons available for stocks?

Yes, we anticipate that automated comparisons for stocks will become available in the future. 

Do the product comparisons have to be provided to the client?

No, the comparisons are part of the advisor’s suitability requirements and must be recorded in a manner that will show they were completed prior to a recommendation/trade.

Will assistants have access to CapIntel?

Yes, advisors will be able to have up to 2 delegate accesses. 

If there is a team of advisors, is there an ability to link access among them?

Yes, there is an ability to link the access which will create a toggle button that will allow you to access clients of the other advisor(s) on your team. This would be considered delegate access. 

Is there an additional cost to advisors?

No, CapIntel is part of the existing tech fee.

What are the metrics used to compare products?

The following are the metrics used for comparison for mutual funds and ETFs:

• Share Class
• Risk
• Classification (Fund Category)
• Type (Product Type)
• Separate Manufacturer 
• Closest MER
• Return/Performance

Once the automated process is built for stocks, we will include the key metrics used for stock comparisons. In the meantime, the following list provides some possible metrics that may be used to bring up comparable stocks: 

• Sector
• Risk Rating/Beta
• Market Capitalization
• Price to Earnings Ratio
• Earnings Per Share
• Revenue Growth
• Debt to Equity Ratio 

Is CapIntel mandatory? 

No, this tool is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended. If you are using a different system/method for completing your reasonable range of alternatives and KYP, please ensure to work with your CE Team to ensure your process is in line with the CapIntel process. You need to ensure your current process includes a comparison against at least 2 other comparable products based on key metrics that are outlined above. Ensure that your comparison is time stamped, and there is a note for your justification for the recommendation. 

You may also document your notes and justifications outside of CapIntel, as long as the notes are fulsome, consistent, and time stamped. 

Is there an ability to save model portfolios that can be used for new prospects?

Yes, there is an ability to create and save model portfolios which can be used for comparisons or for sending them to clients/prospects in a proposal.

Advisors can input a prospect’s current portfolio and compare it against the advisor’s recommended model portfolio.

Does the tool support advisors with pooled funds?

Using the above model portfolio option, advisors will be able to complete their comparisons for the products within their pooled funds. For pooled funds that contain stocks, comparisons are anticipated to be available in 2025 and for those with alternatives, projected availability is 2026.

What does the “confirm shelf” mean when you hover over the grey check mark on products? 

Currently CapIntel does have products within the tool that ACPI may not have approved for trading. ACPI does have an open shelf when it comes to mutual funds, ETFs, and stocks (except for leveraged and inverse products). However, for exempt products, you must refer to ACPI’s  shelf to see whether a product is approved prior to recommending it. 

What is the most efficient way to search for funds? 

The most efficient way to search for funds and ETFs is using the fund code versus the name. 

What is the most efficient way to save manual stock comparisons or justification notes? 

The most efficient way to save manual comparisons or justification notes is by naming these comparisons/notes by the fund codes, fund name, or stock tickers. This will let you easily type in a fund code, fund name, or ticker in the search bar to quickly pull up the comparisons/notes. 

Guidance to Meet Your Requirements

Do I have to redo the comparison work for a product each time I recommend it to a client?

No, not unless there have been significant changes to the product.

How often does the product comparison have to be done on a single product?

Consideration of a reasonable range of alternative products must be completed prior to any investment action or recommendation, etc. 

However, your comparison only needs to be completed prior to your initial investment action or recommendation. If your previous comparison is still applicable and valid, and there have been no significant changes to any of the products used in the comparison, you only need to reference your past comparison as opposed to re-doing the actual comparison. 

However, please note currently in CapIntel your completed comparisons on products will re-set after a year turning the green checkmark (which indicates a comparison was done) back to the grey check indicating a new comparison must be completed.  

Does a comparison need to be completed on the different series of each fund? 

Yes, if you are recommending a series F fund to one client, and the series A of the same fund to another client, there would need to be a comparison completed on each series.

What are some examples of significant changes to products? 

Some examples of significant changes to products include the following:

• Change in the risk rating; 
• Change in cost/fee structure;
• Change to withdrawal terms that may affect the liquidity of the product;
• Credit rating change; 
• Major financial performance shift (quarterly earnings largely above or below expectations; significant changes in profit margins); 
• Corporate actions (mergers, acquisitions, share buybacks, new equity issuance); 
• Regulatory/legal events (major lawsuits or legal settlements);
• Leadership changes (that may affect the strategic direction);
• Market or sector shifts – (technological advancements affecting the industry);
• Change in economic conditions (interest rate changes, inflation/recession; announcements, currency volatility); 
• Price volatility (unusual price movements).  

What are some possible justifications for choosing my product?

Below are some examples of commonly recorded reasons for choosing a product over others:

• Lower Expense Ratio
• Lower Drawdowns
• Lower Volatility 
• Manager Experience
• Investment Sector
• Turnover Ratio
• Multimanager/Strategy
• Downside Protection Focus
• Access to Concentrated Mandates
• Blend of Specialized Growth Managers 
• Economic Condition (i.e. market conditions/interest rates)
• Costs/Fees

If I am using a different system/process to meet my suitability requirements, how do I know if I am meeting all the requirements? 

Please reach out to your CE team to review your current process to ensure that all requirements are met. The following criteria would need to be reviewed:

• Comparing product against at least 2 other products; 
• Using consistent metrics each time to bring up comparable products:
  1. Share Class
  2. Risk
  3. Classification (Fund Category)
  4. Type (Product Type)
  5. Separate Manufacturer 
  6. Closest MER
  7. Return/Performance
• Time stamping your comparison 
• Recording a justification for your recommendation; as well as recording whether the comparison is still valid/applicable each time you continue to recommend/trade the product 
• Monitor for any significant changes to products, that may require a new comparison