If you wish to transfer funds into your StashAway account from a bank account based outside of UAE, regulations necessitate further checks to verify your identity.

Why do you ask which country my bank account is from?

Generally, non-PCs may have access to a limited range of financial products and services as compared to those available to a PC. Some of our products and services may not be available to persons who are non-PC. If you do not choose to opt in as a PC StashAway may not be able to provide financial advice and planning services available to StashAway Reserve clients. There will be no change to your existing account, investments or holdings with StashAway which are available for our general retail clients (if any).

What does it mean to be a non-PC?

As an individual investor, you can only qualify as a Professional Client if you meet the following criteria:<ul><li>Have ‘net’ assets of at least $1 million; </li></ul>AND<ul><li>Are currently, or have been, over the last two years, an employee in a relevant professional position of a regulated financial institution;</li></ul>Or,<ul><li>Appear, on reasonable grounds, to have sufficient experience and understanding of relevant financial markets, products or transactions and any associated risks.
</li></ul>Please note: the asset test is based on your net assets, deducting any mortgages or other charges held over the property from the value of the assets. When calculating your net assets, we must exclude the value of the primary residence, if you own it, unless you own more than one home; and, the assets can be directly held by you through legal ownership, or indirectly by beneficial ownership (for example, if you’re a beneficiary in a trust). Due to regulatory requirements, we would need to obtain sufficient evidence on your status as a PC.

How do I qualify for PC status?

What does it mean to be a Professional Client?

Professional Clients

Withdrawals can go to another bank account as long as the bank account has the same legal name associated with the account.

Can I withdraw to a bank account that is different from the one I originally made the deposit from?

There are absolutely no fees associated with opening or closing a StashAway account.

What does it cost to open and close a StashAway account?

If any of your personal details change for any reason, please contact our Client Experience team at support@stashaway.ae.

I have moved. What do I need to do?

Yes you can, as long as you are one of the account holders. Kindly remember to include your unique reference code when you make your deposits.Additionally, if you are not the principal account holder and your name is not reflected on the transaction, we will contact you to obtain a copy of your bank statement (dated within the last 3 months) indicating both account holders' names as proof of joint account for verification.

Can I deposit from a joint bank account?

Rebalancing:When a particular asset reaps significant gains relative to other assets in the portfolio, its market value weight increases above the target allocation. Without rebalancing, the portfolio is increasingly concentrated in the outperforming asset class hence raising risks. Our algorithm checks clients’ portfolios daily, and performs rebalancing when allocations deviate from targets by more than our "optimised" bands. This can happen weekly, monthly or quarterly, depending on the markets' volatility and performance.Re-optimisation:Returns and risks of each asset class change when the economic environment changes. For example, between January1982 and December2016, the S&amp;P 500 returned +16.4% year over year (YoY) in "disinflationary growth", -10.3% YoY in a "recession", +8.8% YoY in "inflationary growth" and 2.7% YoY in "Stagflation". To optimise clients' portfolios, StashAway builds portfolios that consist of a mixture of asset classes optimum for a given economic environment. <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">Our investment framework</a>, ERAA (Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation), identifies and signals a change in economic cycle and our technology automatically re-optimises portfolios’ asset allocations. This change in asset allocation is important because it allows us to manage risk and improve returns in different economic environments. This change is "strategic" (can happen once a year to once every few years) but may be as frequent as 2 to 3 times a year if there are a lot of economic uncertainties.

How often is my portfolio rebalanced and re-optimised?

If you wish to close your account, please contact our Client Experience Team at <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="mailto:support@stashaway.ae">support@stashaway.ae</a> to close your account.

How do I close my account?

You can make any changes to your account by logging into your StashAway account.To make changes to your goal or to delete it, you can do the following:Web App1) Select the Portfolio you would like to edit2) Click on “More actions”Mobile App1) Select the Portfolio you would like to Edit2) Click on the 3 vertical dots on the top right-hand corner of your screen3) You can make the changes you wantNote that if you choose to make changes to the monthly deposit amounts, you must also indicate those changes in your bank account standing instructions.

How do I make changes or delete my goal?

StashAway Management (DIFC) Limited is StashAway’s legal entity which is registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) pursuant to the DIFC Companies Law.StashAway is a brand of StashAway Management (DIFC) Limited (CL 3982), which is a licensed Authorised Firms as mandated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). You may view our DFSA license and status <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.dfsa.ae/public-register/firms/stashaway-management-difc-limited">here</a>.

What is Stashaway Management (DIFC) Limited?

Bank savings accounts earn very low interest. StashAway builds your personalised asset allocation, taking into consideration your specific needs and preferences, and helps you invest in those assets to accumulate wealth over time.

How is StashAway different from a bank savings account?

Not at the moment. However, we do have joint accounts in the pipeline.In the event of death of the account holder, your executor/administrator or legal heir will have to produce a Succession Certificate issued by the UAE courts before the account can be liquidated to a designated account as instructed by him/ her.

Can I add a beneficiary to each goal in case anything happens to me?

StashAway offers low-cost, intelligent, and personalised investment advice specific to your goals and financial situation, unlike traditional advisors who charge high fees and offer one-size-fits-all investment packages. We use advanced technology that maximises intelligence through complex algorithms that consider your personal goals, economic cycles, and market performance. Designed by expert investors to manage portfolios, StashAway is a more efficient alternative to a traditional advisor. Additionally, StashAway has no minimum deposit, no lock-up period, and no withdrawal fees, and offers an intuitive digital platform to keep track of your investments.

How is StashAway different from other financial advisors?

Beyond just changing how you can invest, we have made sophisticated investing frameworks available to the masses.We deploy a sophisticated and dynamic investment strategy that mitigates risk, and that withstands market fluctuations and economic cycle changes. To learn more about our investment strategy, click <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">here</a>.

How is StashAway different from other robo-advisors?

While our global portfolios consist of conventional ETFs that track a variety of indices, they are not strictly Shariah-compliant. The ETFs we have selected are not leveraged and do not use synthetic securities to track an Index.However, our cash management portfolio, Simple™ is Shariah compliant. Click here for more info: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/simple">Simple</a>

Are StashAway's portfolios Shariah-compliant?

As we can only trade when the market is open, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to sell your assets for cash at the exact moment that you opt to withdraw your funds. Therefore, the value of your portfolio may fluctuate within those few hours. In order to ensure that we have sufficient assets in the case of a market change, any withdrawal request that exceeds 90% of assets under management will result in a full withdrawal to buffer against sudden changes in the market.

Why is 90% withdrawal converted into a full withdrawal of the portfolio's assets?

You can reach out to us on any of the channels listed here:- Send us an email at complaints@stashaway.ae - Call us all at +971 800 032 0398 (Sunday to Thursday at 9am-6pm* and Friday to Saturday at 9am-2pm*)   *Except Public Holidays- Send us a Whatsapp at +971 52 288 0298- Send us a <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://m.me/StashAwayMENA">Facebook Message</a> Our response timelines are as follows:<ol>
<li>Written acknowledgement to customers within 1 business days from the date of receipt of customer’s complaint;</li>
<li>Interim response to inform the client that the complaint is being reviewed, if a final response has not been sent within 15 business days after the date of receipt of the client’s complaint;</li>
<li>sending to the client within 30 business days after the date of receipt of the client’s complaint –</li>
<li><ol>
<li>a final response; or</li>
<li>a written response informing the client of the reasons for the delay in the final response, an indicative reasonable timeframe, for a final response from the financial adviser, and the client’s right to refer the complaint to an approach dispute resolution scheme.</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>If you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, you may also raise the complaint with an external dispute resolution scheme, arbitration, the DIFC Court.

How can I make a complaint?

Yes, you can, if you have previously deposited USD in your StashAway account. If you have deposited AED in your StashAway account but would like to withdraw to a USD account, do note that your bank may charge you fees, such as exchange rate and transactional fees, for the transaction.

Can I withdraw in USD to a USD account?

General questions about how StashAway works

General Questions

You can download the StashAway mobile app and explore our features, portfolios, and how you can create or add goals. Alternatively, you can open an account via our StashAway Web Application, click on the “Get Started” button located on the top-right of our website.If you have any questions our support team will be happy to help! You can contact us at <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="mailto:support@stashaway.ae">support@stashaway.ae</a> or +971 800 032 0398 from 9am - 6pm on Sunday to Thursday** and 9am - 2pm on Friday to Saturday** **Excluding Public Holidays

How do I get started?

For identity verification purpose, two documents will be required;
<ol class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li>
Emirates Identification card (Front and Back) or Passport (minimum validity of 6 months)
</li>
<li>
Proof of residence in form of utility bill/ rental contract/ internet or phone bill/ bank statement dated within 3 months
</li>
</ol>
Based on your residence situation you will need to send different documents:
<ol class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li>
I own my home or am a registered tenant of a rental unit Kindly send us ONE of the following documents by replying to this message:  - Utility bill (DEWA, ADDC, SEWA, FEWA), or phone bill dated within the last 3 months; OR  - Registered proof of ownership or rental agreement (Ejari for Dubai, or Tawtheeq for Abu Dhabi); OR  - Bank statement or insurance policy dated within the last 3 months  .</li>
<li>
I share my accommodation and am not a registered tenant Kindly send us the following TWO documents by replying to this message:  - Utility bill (DEWA, ADDC, SEWA, FEWA), internet bill, a rental contract, or bank account under spouse, parent or flatmate's name dated within the last 3 months; AND - Bank statement dated within the last 3 months showing full, legal name.   
</li>
<li>
I’m staying in a hotel apartment for at least 6 months Kindly send us ONE of the following documents by replying to this message:  - Tenancy contract signed and stamped by the hotel management or landlord ; OR  - Letter from the hotel management team with your full residential address and accommodation tenure dated within the last 3 months. 
</li>
<li>
I live in company-sponsored accommodations Kindly send us ONE of the following documents by replying to this message: - Letter by the employer that confirms your accommodation dated within the last 3 months ; OR  - Bank statement with full residential address dated within the last 3 months. 
</li>
<li>
My residential situation isn’t listed here Kindly send us ONE of the following documents by replying to this message: - Utility bill (DEWA, ADDC, SEWA, FEWA), internet bill, a rental contract, or bank account dated within the last 3 months.</li>
</ol>
To send your documents via WhatsApp, you can WhatsApp them to us at +971 42 288 0298, or simply click the link below to open a direct chat with us.   <a href="https://wa.me/971522880298" target="_self">Open a chat in WhatsApp</a>

What document would I need to open an account?

No minimum deposit amount required and you have the option to deposit in AED or USD.You have full discretion on how much and when you want to invest, including no minimum balance to maintain the account. You may also skip a month or two, resume, and withdraw whenever you wish. All without incurring charges or penalties.

Is there a minimum deposit or fixed amount I need to invest?

Your personal information is collected primarily for the purposes of verifying your identity, customizing your investments (through understanding your investment knowledge, experience and needs) and meeting the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations including those pertaining to anti-money laundering and taxation.You may refer to our <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/legal/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> for more information.

Why do you need to collect my personal information?

Yes, you can withdraw at any time and any preferred amount.

You can do so through:1) Web AppGo to your name on the right top of your screen &gt; click on "Withdraw/Transfer" &gt; click the intended portfolio &gt; adjust the slider according to your desired withdrawal amount and click "Continue" to proceed.​​2) Mobile AppClick the "More" at the bottom of your right hand corner &gt; select "Transfer" and choose "Take money out" &gt; click the intended portfolio &gt; enter the amount according to your desired withdrawal amount &gt; select your bank account number and click "Continue" to proceed.​​

Can I withdraw at any time?

During the account opening process, we ask questions about your preferences to gain an understanding of your current financial situation. In the financial assessment that customers are required to complete before opening an account, we ask about risk preferences, goals, current financial situations, and investment experience. We use this information to make recommendations for you. For example, based on the information you provided when filling out your profile, our algorithm may cap your risk limit.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

How is my portfolio personalised for me?

If you're using the Web ApplicationTo make changes to your goal(s), kindly log into your account and click the "Investments" tab &gt; click on "Goals" tab &gt; click on the investment goal you would like to change &gt; go to the "Portfolio" tab &gt; click "Adjust Risk".If you're using the Mobile ApplicationTo make changes to your goal(s), kindly log into your account and click "Home" tab &gt; "Your portfolios" &gt; click on "&gt;" arrow next to your investment goal(s)&gt; click "Assets" tab &gt; click "Adjust Risk".

How do I make changes to my Investment Goals?

Typically, the restrictions on employee investments are related to insider dealings or conflicts of interest concerns. Therefore, it is not uncommon for companies to have confidentiality policies to restrict dealing securities in which one has possession of material non-public information concerning such securities, or to require employees to disclose or obtain approval for trades in certain securities.StashAway invests solely in Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs), and deploys a passive management strategy through automated technology to execute trading decisions. Click <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-etf-selection">here</a> to see our ETF selection and <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/how-stashaway-selects-etfs">here</a> to read more about our ETF selection criteria.It is quite common that ETFs may be excluded from such trading restrictions, on the basis that the employee does not have control over the underlying basket of securities for each ETF. This is, of course, subject to specific company policies, which may differ, and some employers have restrictions on ETFs for particular employees. Therefore, we still recommend that you verify with your control room prior to investing with StashAway.Additionally, we will be happy to provide a signed discretionary letter for customers working in financial institutions to fulfil their compliance requirements.If you have any questions, or need more information, please contact us at <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="mailto:support@stashaway.ae">support@stashaway.ae</a>

I work at a bank; can I invest my money with StashAway?

If you are a corporate, or an individual with tax liabilities in your country of domicile or citizenship, you can find your tax registration number or tax identification number on your tax returns. However, we understand that not all nationalities, or residents of certain countries (such as, the UAE), have a taxpayer identification.

How do I find my taxpayer identification number?

Yes; anyone can open an account with us.

I am not a citizen of UAE; can I open an account?

There is no lock-in period. You can close your account or withdraw part of your assets at any time.

For how long am I locked into my StashAway account?

Your unique reference code is for linking all of your deposits (to any and all goals) to your StashAway account. Including your reference code in all deposits (one-time or monthly) will expedite this process, allowing us to invest your money more quickly.For detailed instructions on how to set up transfers and where to include your unique reference code, please refer to "Transfer Instructions" under Transfer Information in Transfer page.Your funds will be allocated to your portfolios based on the amount(s) you enter on Deposit Plan in your StashAway account. In the case that we receive an amount different from your deposit plans, we will allocate the funds proportionally based on how much you indicate to go towards each portfolio, first to one-time transfers, then to monthly transfers.

I have multiple portfolios. How should I use my reference code?

We ask you explicitly about your risk preferences during the initial financial assessment. Additionally, we give you the option to adjust the risk index for each portfolio as you wish.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

How do you understand my attitude towards risk?

Understanding your risk profile will guide our algorithms towards building a portfolio composition that best fits your preferences and reaches your goals.

Why do you need to assess my risk profile?

Your unique reference code can be found on the “Transfer” page for the Mobile Application and under “Manage Deposits” tab when you log in via a Web Application. A copy of the transfer instructions is also available.

Where can I find my unique reference code?

You are free to monitor your portfolios whenever you wish, and we recommend that you do this at least as frequently as you deposit funds.Your Net Asset Value (NAV) is updated every business day. But, since we also monitor your portfolios 24/7 and perform adjustments (such as rebalancing and/or re-optimisation) when necessary, you don't have to check in if you don't want to.

How often should I monitor my portfolios?

StashAway chooses the best-in-class ETFs on your behalf. We chose the largest, most liquid, most tradable, and most cost-effective ETFs with the lowest tracking error to the index and a sufficiently long track record. We choose simple ETFs, which means they have no leverage or complex payoffs and have no ETNs to avoid credit risk of issuers. You can read more about our ETF selection criteria <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/how-stashaway-selects-etfs">here</a> and the list of funds that we use <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-etf-selection">here.</a>

How did StashAway choose the funds that are in my portfolio?

If you're using the Web Application: Log in to your StashAway account, click on "Your Name" &gt; "Settings" &gt; “Security”If you're using the Mobile Application: Log in to your StashAway account, click on “More” &gt;  "Settings" &gt; “Security”For your security, we will require two-factor authentication.

How do I change my password?

We will automatically allocate the funds to the one-time deposits (if any) first, followed by the monthly deposits based on the monthly deposit amounts you indicate to us in each of your portfolios. In the case that we receive an amount different from your deposit plans, we will allocate the funds proportionally based on how much you indicate to go towards each portfolio. So, if one portfolio has monthly deposits of $1,000, and another has $2,000, we will allocate any funds we get in a 1 to 2 ratio.

How does my money get allocated if I have multiple portfolios?

To see your portfolio details, log in to your StashAway account, and select the portfolio you wish to see. There, you will be able to see your asset allocation, the ETFs in which we invest, your deposit plan, and your risk settings. You can also edit these settings at any time.

Where can I see my portfolio details?

Yes, you can! There is no limit to the number of goals and portfolios you can have in your StashAway account.Do note that once you made a full withdrawal from one of your portfolios, the portfolio. it will be automatically deleted.

Can I have multiple goals?

Frequently asked questions about opening an account and the app

Getting Started

Our Investment team periodically assesses the fair value of the ETFs we invest in. When one is overpriced, it is excluded from all portfolios. When this ETF is fairly valued again, it will be re-introduced into the appropriate portfolios.

Why doesn't a particular ETF get picked for my portfolio, regardless of risk level?

We don’t qualify our portfolios based on expected returns. Instead, we qualify them based on how much risk to which you’ll be exposed. Every StashAway portfolio is defined by the StashAway Risk Index, which indicates the potential loss of a given portfolio. <ul><li>Core Portfolios have a StashAway Risk Index between 6.5% and 22% </li></ul><ul><li>Higher-risk Portfolios have a StashAway Risk Index between 26% and 36%</li></ul>

What’s the difference between Core Portfolios and Higher-risk Portfolios?

Rebalancing a portfolio involves adjusting the composition of a portfolio by buying and/or selling specific assets in order to re-align a portfolio to its target composition in the case that market changes influence the asset allocation of your portfolio.Learn more: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/what-is-rebalancing">What is Rebalancing?</a>Were you looking for reoptimization instead? Click here for <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/faq/115007036267-what-is-re-optimisation">Reoptimization</a>.

What is rebalancing?

Absolutely!For Web App users:Simply log in to your Account &gt; "Investments" &gt; "More option" tab &gt; click on "Edit portfolio".Make changes to the portfolio as you wish by moving the slider and finally, click on "Confirm" to update the portfolio.For Mobile App users: Simply log in to your Account, select "Your portfolios" &gt; click to the 3 dots on your top right screen and select "Adjust risk".Make changes to the portfolio as you wish by moving the slider and finally, click on "Confirm" to update the portfolio.

Can I change my investment plan later?

Yes for General Investing and Goal-based portfolio; all currencies are converted into USD to be invested as USD.AED to USD conversion is done at the spot rate and the only cost associated is the currency conversion fee, which is charged by our vendor, at 0.08% on top of the spot rate. This preferential rate, which StashAway has negotiated with the bank, compares favorably against the significantly higher currency conversion fees charged by commercial / retail banks (can easily be in excess of 1% depending on transaction size).

Are all currencies invested in USD?

We invest in the most liquid and most cost-effective ETFs in the world, and those are listed in the US markets and denominated in USD.

Why do you invest in USD-denominated ETFs?

Trades are executed every business day.

How often does your investment team make trades?

StashAway’s Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation (“ERAA”) is a systematic, algorithm-based investment framework focused on strategic asset allocation. Some observers may think that the fact that it is purely systematic and does not include any element of human judgment is a limitation to this investment approach; to this, we disagree and argue that avoiding human bias is a key element of successful long-term investing that can only be achieved through a systematic approach. StashAway’s Investment Committee meets once a month to review the system’s recommendations and has an oversight function on the investment framework.StashAway does not invest in single securities (e.g stocks), but rather focuses on indices (e.g. ETFs) that track the entire market. Some observers may think that an exclusive focus on asset allocation reduces opportunities to achieve higher returns; we disagree as it has been demonstrated that more than 80% of return differentials across portfolios of similar risk is driven by asset allocation, and in the last 15 years, the greater majority of active managers that select single securities have underperformed their relevant benchmark indexes.StashAway does not use leverage and does not take short positions, limiting the amount of investment opportunities available. This limitation is an active choice of StashAway, as we prefer a more straightforward investment style that targets medium-to-long term wealth accumulation while keeping risks under control.As with any model, StashAway’s ERAA is data-dependent. It assumes that the data of average returns and risks of asset classes observed in past economic regimes would repeat itself. In reality, no models can guarantee that history will repeat itself.

What are the limitations of ERAA, StashAway’s investment framework?

StashAway always ensures that the best interests of our clients are considered in the generation and execution of orders.For example, in the execution of customers’ orders, StashAway will consider multiple factors with the aim of achieving the best possible execution of all customers’ orders, including but not limited to:<ul>
<li>Unit Price</li>
<li>Execution-related costs</li>
<li>Speed of execution</li>
<li>Probability of full order fulfillment</li>
<li>Order size</li>
<li>Nature of the access to the applicable brokers and execution venues</li>
<li>Any other relevant characteristics of the investment product</li>
<li>Potential conflicts of interest</li>
</ul>What constitutes an Acceptable Tolerance Threshold (ATT)?A Shortfall/Excess Discrepancy will, in respect of a portfolio, fall within the ATT where it meets both criteria below:(a) The absolute value of the Shortfall/Excess Discrepancy is not more than USD 0.01 (or its equivalent in AED); and(b) The absolute value of the Shortfall/Excess Discrepancy, when taken as a percentage of the value of the relevant portfolio's contribution in the Bulk Settlement under which the Shortfall/Excess Discrepancy arose, is not more than 0.0001%.More details can be found in our Order Execution Policy <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/order-execution-policy.pdf">here</a>.

How does StashAway execute my orders?

Our Chief Investment Officer, Freddy Lim who leads our investment team, has over 15 years of experience in cross-asset investing and portfolio management. Freddy joined StashAway after years of investment expertise as MD and Global Head of Derivatives Strategy at Nomura. He gained his strong background in cross-asset portfolio at Millennium Capital Management and as APAC Head of G10 rates strategy at Citi. After his Bachelor’s Degree in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Monash University, he started his steep career as Head of Interest Rate Strategy at Morgan Stanley Japan.

How much experience does your investment team have?

Time-weighted Return is the most commonly-used return calculation in the financial industry, and is an easy metric to compare returns between different portfolios. By tracking the portfolio’s performance from your first deposit, a portfolio’s TWR removes the distortions that various cash inflows and outflows create. In essence, TWR measures the portfolio manager’s ability to generate returns, not the effects of an individual’s deposit and withdrawal behaviours.

What is Time-weighted Return?

Goal-based &amp; General Investing portfolios - our system automatically reinvests any dividends you may earn.All dividend payments are reflected in your "Transactions" tab.

Where do dividends go?

A single return figure (Time-Weighted Returns vs Money-Weighted Returns) does not tell the whole story of how well a portfolio performs.Returns are one thing but the level of risk exposure your portfolio has in achieving those returns is an entirely different matter. Remember to consider how much risk your portfolio manager exposes your money to in the name of getting your returns.

How should you compare your StashAway returns to the returns of your other investments?

Money-weighted Return (MWR) assigns a weight to each of your deposits and withdrawals. So, a deposit of $1,000 has a lesser effect on your portfolio’s return figure than a deposit of $100,000. This approach helps to gauge the effectiveness of the individual’s timing of deposits and withdrawals. As a result, MWR may also overweight or underweight the returns you see as a result of factors unrelated to the performance of the portfolio manager and their investment strategy. It will potentially inflate your returns when you deposit while markets are going up and understate your performance when you deposit while markets are going down. It will also give your lump sum deposit performance a larger weighting when calculating the money-weighted return.So, unless your portfolio manager determines when to deposit or withdraw funds from your portfolio, MWR doesn’t effectively measure your portfolio manager’s performance. You should only use MWR to compare two different portfolios if you have the exact same deposit and withdrawal behaviors for both portfolios.MWR’s merit lies in that it clarifies the impact of the individual investor’s investment decisions (e.g., when you deposit and withdraw).

What is Money-weighted Return?

To find out about your returns, you can log into your StashAway account. Select "Investments", click on the "Performance" tab. The "Performance" tab will show you the breakdown of your returns in USD and AED.

How much have I earned from the funds I have invested so far?

The risk-adjusted return of an investment is the risk involved or required to generate that level of return.If two investments have the same level of return, then the lowest risk investment will have better risk-adjusted returns.

What is risk-adjusted return?

Yes; with a goal-based approach, we analyse your personal financial situation. From there, we recommend a specific goal target, a specialised portfolio, and savings plan to reach your goal.

Do you give investment advice?

Cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and therefore, not appropriate for a passive investment platform such as StashAway.

Why don't you invest in cryptocurrencies?

Based on your risk preferences, selected goal, and current economic regime, our algorithm carefully picks the ETFs most suitable for your goal. This allows us to provide the most optimal diversification personalised to you. As such, it is not possible for a customer to handpick the ETFs or the allocation.

Can I choose which ETFs or securities I invest in?

To see your total assets and returns:Step 1: Log in to your StashAway account.Step 2: Select your portfolio.Step 3: Click on the “Assets” tabTo see your transaction history:Step 1: Go to “Transactions” tabStep 2: Click on the drop-down arrow labeled “All-Account transactions”Step 3: Select your portfolio and you may view all transactions (buy order, sell order, and/or dividend received) made for the respective portfolios.Your Monthly Statement is found under the "Statements" tab.

Where can I see all my investment activities?

Technically, the ETFs are owned by Saxo, our broker. StashAway Management (DIFC) Limited (our legal entity) is a beneficiary of Saxo. Similarly, you are a beneficiary on our ledger. So in short, you are the owner of the ETFs in your portfolio(s).

Who is the legal owner of the ETFs in my portfolio?

Inside a portfolio, you can only adjust the composition of your portfolio for a goal by adjusting the recommended risk/return target level. You cannot change the individual ETFs inside a portfolio because our algorithms select them and design the portfolio allocation based on your risk preferences.

Can I change the portfolio composition or the asset allocation within my portfolio?

The financial advisory algorithm relies on your inputs to help you select the right level of risk for your investment portfolios. The only way the system can provide an appropriate recommendation is if you submit complete and accurate responses.

What are the limitations of StashAway’s financial advisory algorithm?

StashAway’s Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation (“ERAA”) framework builds and manages portfolios by targeting different levels of risk and attempting to maximize net investment returns at each risk-point.The framework is dynamic and strategic in nature, and it is built on 3 pillars: (i) Economic Regimes, (ii) Risk Shield and (iii) Valuation Adjustments.The First Pillar (Economic Regime) is at the core of ERAA’s portfolio construction logic, and uses economic data to adjust the target strategic asset allocation at each risk level. The main assumption behind this pillar is that the economy ultimately drives medium term markets’ returns.The Second Pillar (Risk Shield) is the risk management layer of the framework, tasks with identifying cases in which economic data either are unclear or are not driving market behaviour. When the Risk Shield’s thresholds are breached, ERAA immediately recommends adjusting portfolio composition to an All-Weather strategy, with the target of protecting capital during unpredictable times.The Third Pillar (Valuation Adjustments) takes into account each asset class’ valuation to under-weigh overvalued assets and discover opportunities to over-weigh undervalued assets. Valuation Adjustments are based on economic regressions, and therefore are anchored around ERAA’s main assumption that the economy ultimately drives medium term markets’ returns.If you want to know more about ERAA read our <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">white paper on StashAway’s investment framework</a>.

What are the assumptions of ERAA, StashAway’s investment framework?

Your TWR is negative because your portfolio’s return has decreased in value since your first deposit.Here’s an example of when this might be the case:Let’s say you deposited $100 to start your StashAway account in January and the market goes down 10% by September. You’ve lost $10 (out of $100 invested) in your portfolio and you’re down to $90. You then have an unexpected windfall (lucky you!) and decide to make an $1,000 deposit in September. By December, the market goes up 5% after the second tranche of investment.<figure class="ImageWithDescription__Figure-tvsb3c-0 bJeOQK"><img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/rscarh2t43r9/1yJcOhIKOSZxJAOYZQJKMQ/a4b6cea98618634c91c75428177906f0/Screenshot_2020-11-06_at_3.49.14_PM.png" alt="Negative time-weighted return FAQ" class="ImageWithDescription__StyledImage-tvsb3c-1 kGrIiF"></figure>What are my returns like now? Well, you would have positive dollar gains because you just gained about $44.50 on a total of $1,100 invested.But this wasn’t because the portfolio has performed exceptionally thus far: it went down 10% then up just 5%. However, most of your money was invested right before markets went up.The time-weighted return is negative because the first deposit of the investment performed poorly between January and December, but your simple dollar return is still positive because of when you made your deposits.

Why do I have a negative time-weighted return, but positive dollar return?

This is the measurement we use to determine how much risk our system should expose you to, which then determines your portfolio’s asset allocation. We gave it our own name not to be fancy, but because it’s a specific application of a fairly common risk metric called Value-at-Risk (VaR).To calculate the potential loss of a portfolio in a year, we use Value-at-Risk (VaR). At StashAway, we use 99%-VaR, meaning a portfolio has a 99% probability of not losing more than a given percentage of assets in a year.Here’s an example: a StashAway portfolio with $100,000 and a StashAway Risk Index of 10% has a 99% probability of not losing more than 10%, or $10,000 in a year. In other words, there is a 99% probability that your portfolio’s value won’t decrease below $90,000 if you select a 10% StashAway Risk Index.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

What is the StashAway Risk Index?

The basis of our investment strategy is to build portfolios with particular asset allocations that are optimal for 4 different economic cycles. When our investment team identifies and signals a change in economic cycle, our technology will automatically re-optimise all portfolios' asset allocations. To learn more about our investment methodology, visit: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">ERAA</a>. You have the option to opt out of auto re-optimisation. If you opt in, we will re-optimise your portfolio(s) automatically and inform you via email after. Otherwise, we will send you a recommendation to re-optimise and you can choose whether to follow our recommendation or not.Were you looking for rebalancing instead? Click here for <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/faq/what-is-rebalancing">Rebalancing</a>.

What is re-optimisation?

With a goal-based approach, we analyse your personal financial situation and risk selection. Firstly, using this information, our investment team and the algorithm will select the most suitable portfolio. Secondly, we also use historical and live data to track market conditions to determine when major economic cycle shifts will occur. Combining these factors, we then design portfolios with medium-to-long-term outlooks that withstand the short-term fluctuations of the markets to yield long-term wealth.We detail our strategy here: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">StashAway's Asset Allocation Framework</a>.

What is your investment strategy?

We are constantly looking to add more ETFs into our list of investment options. Click <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/how-stashaway-selects-etfs">here</a> to see our ETF selection criteria.

Will you be adding more ETFs to the list?

It is entirely possible to have a positive TWR but negative total return.Your TWR is positive because your portfolio’s return has increased in value since your first deposit. You can see that in the graph of the “Performance” tab in your app.However, in this case, you could still have negative dollar returns if you deposited the majority of your funds in this portfolio when the market was higher than it is now.Here’s a quick example of when this might be the case:Let’s say you deposited $100 in January in your StashAway account, and then the market goes up 10% by September. You’d have $110 in your account. Then, you get a $1,000 bonus and decide to invest it all at once, but the market goes down 5% over the next three months. In this scenario, your portfolio value would be $1,054.50 by December for a total of $1,100 invested. So you’d have lost $45.50.<figure class="ImageWithDescription__Figure-tvsb3c-0 bJeOQK"><img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/rscarh2t43r9/1IQBTUP6ZVitFv8klz8VG4/ea4ee1b729ed7ab2237dacfae148e407/Screenshot_2020-11-09_at_4.44.07_PM.png" alt="negative dollar return FAQ" class="ImageWithDescription__StyledImage-tvsb3c-1 kGrIiF"></figure>But this was not because the portfolio has performed poorly thus far- it went up 10% between January and September and then it went down just 5% between September and December. However, most of your money was invested right before markets went down.Your time-weighted return is positive because the performance of the first deposit of your investment has performed well between January and December, but your simple dollar return is still negative because of when you decided to make your deposits.

Why do I have a positive time-weighted return, but negative dollar return?

Questions about our portfolios and investment framework

Investments

We display Total Returns, Time-weighted Returns (TWR), and Money-weighted Returns (MWR). The multiple ways of viewing your returns give you the flexibility to understand the performance of your individual portfolio(s) depending on how you wish to evaluate your portfolio(s).What is Total Return?Total Return is the simple return of all your portfolios’ returns in the currency terms you select to display.What is Time-weighted Return?Time-weighted Return (TWR) is commonly-used in the financial industry, making it an easy metric to compare returns between different portfolio managers. TWR measures the portfolio manager’s ability to generate returns, not the effects of an investor’s deposit and withdrawal behaviours. It does this by tracking performance from the first deposit made into a portfolio.What is Money-weighted Return?Money-weighted Return helps to gauge the effectiveness of an investor’s timing of deposits and withdrawals. It does this by including the effects of multiple cash flows by assigning a weight to each of your deposits and withdrawals. In other words, a deposit or withdrawal of $1,000 has a lesser effect on your portfolio’s return figure than a deposit or withdrawal of $100,000.

How are my returns calculated?

We will simply process the amount you deposit.If you have more than one portfolio, we will allocate the funds proportionally based on how much you indicate to go towards each portfolio, first to One-time deposit plan, then to Monthly deposit plan.

What if I deposit more or less than what I have indicated in my deposit plan?

Both portfolios are investing in USD-denominated and US-listed ETFs, which are globally diversified portfolios. The difference is ;<ul><li>General Investing: Invest in long-term by enduring economic changes </li></ul><ul><li>Goal-based Investing: Similar to General Investing but with a personalised investment plan to achieve a particular financial goal</li></ul>

What is General and Goal-based Investing?

Questions about our General Investing and Goal-based portfolios

General & Goal-based Investing

Absolutely! We were founded on the belief that high-quality financial advice should not come at a prohibitive price, and that low fees are a key ingredient to our customers' long-term financial success. We are committed to keeping our fees low.

Will prices always remain at these low levels?

Not at all!If you choose to deposit or withdraw in AED, there will be a currency conversion fee charged at 0.08% on top of the spot rate. This fee is embedded in the exchange rate.If you'd like to deposit or withdraw in USD, kindly check with your bank for any additional charges they may have.

Are there fees for transferring money in or out of the account?

At StashAway, we know that high fees significantly reduce investment returns. That's why we leverage advanced technology to lower our costs of serving you. In turn, we offer these savings back to you as lower fees. Our technology automates repeated tasks to create sophisticated reporting to monitor investment performance. With traditional advisors, customers are paying for the inefficiencies of the wealth management industry, and that shouldn’t be the case! We know that if you do well, we'll do well too.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

How can StashAway charge lower fees compared to other banks and financial advisors?

Fees are paid monthly with the 1% cash allocation in your account. Each of your portfolios will be charged proportionally for the fees owed by them. We charge an annual management fee, as a percentage of assets managed that we charge monthly. The other fee included is the low fee associated with the ETF.

How do I pay fees?

Nope! It’s your money, and you should be able to access it easily. StashAway will never charge you if you want to withdraw money from your account. However, if you are withdrawing your money to an international account outside of UAE, your bank may charge you conversion fees. Additionally, your bank may also charge you a fee for receiving overseas telegraphic transfers - this fee varies from bank to bank and will be automatically deducted by your bank from the received amount.

Do you charge a fee if I withdraw funds from my StashAway account?

If you have investments on our platform, you will be charged the appropriate fees, regardless of whether or not you sign in. We designed it this way so that you can spend more time doing what you love and less time worrying about your investments.

Am I still charged a fee even if I don’t log in often?

At StashAway, we know that high fees significantly reduce investment returns. That's why we leverage advanced technology to lower our costs of serving you. In turn, we offer these savings back to you as lower fees. Our technology automates repeated tasks to create sophisticated reporting to monitor investment performance. With traditional advisors, customers are paying for the inefficiencies of the wealth management industry, and that shouldn’t be the case! We know that if you do well, we'll do well too.To learn more about how StashAway can charge lower fees, click <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/how-stashaway-can-charge-low-fees">here</a>.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

The annual management fee is calculated as a percentage of the total assets under management, ranging from 0.2% to  0.8%, and is charged monthly on a pro-rata basis. For example,  if you invested on the 15th of a particular month, we will not charge you for the first 15 days. The other fee included is the low fee associated with the ETFs, averaging 0.15% to 0.25%.Additionally, there is a currency conversion fee charged by our vendor, at 0.08% on top of the spot rate. This preferential rate compares favourably against the significantly higher currency conversion fees charged by commercial or retail banks (can easily be in excess of 1% depending on transaction size).Unlike most traditional financial managers, we do not (and never will) charge for withdrawals or account closures.More details on how StashAway can charge low fees can be found <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/how-stashaway-can-charge-low-fees">here</a>.

What are the fees associated with StashAway?

Fees are calculated as a percentage of your assets in your StashAway account.It is charged monthly, prorated for the number of days you're invested with us.Learn more: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/pricing">StashAway Pricing.</a>

How are the fees calculated?

We break down your annual fee into monthly payments and we do this at the start of every month. For example, we’ll charge you January’s fees in the first week of February. We’ll also include the management fee charges in Monthly Statements, available in your account. Learn more: <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/pricing">StashAway Pricing</a>.

When does StashAway bill me for the fees?

Fees

For non-US tax residents, a 30% withholding tax (subject to QII rule) is applied on all dividends earned. Capital gains are taxed according to tax regulations of the country of your tax residency. A statement issued by StashAway at the end of the year can be used for your tax filing. We recommend that you consult a tax advisor for tax-related questions.

How do the securities in my portfolio get taxed?

Capital gains are taxed according to tax regulations of the country of your tax residency. We recommend that you consult a tax advisor for tax-related questions.
 
All dividends of US-listed securities are subject to 30% dividend withholding tax (subject to QII rule). These taxes are applicable as long as you own US listed assets, regardless of whether the assets were bought through StashAway, or via your own broker. The WHT is held at source and the rest of the dividends are redistributed back to your portfolio(s) and reinvested automatically.

I have multiple tax residencies. How do I get taxed?

Questions relating to capital gains and dividend taxes on your portfolios

Taxes

For deposits, as part of DFSA guidelines, we may have to reach out to ascertain your source of funds.Unlike the banks, who may have your transaction and salary details, the verified documents we have from you are only your identity and address proof documents.For withdrawals, if it has been flagged in our system, we may have to reach out to you for your proof of bank account ownership.

Why have you asked me for additional verification documents for my deposit or withdrawal?

You may, at any time, withdraw your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal data from us. One of the ways to withdraw your consent is to click on the “Unsubscribe” option available on all marketing/ newsletter emails that you may receive from us.Otherwise, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="mailto:dataprotection@stashaway.com">dataprotection@stashaway.com</a>, should you require more assistance.We will strive to process your withdrawal request within 10 business days and will inform you accordingly should we need more time.We also strive to inform you of any likely consequences as a result of your withdrawal request.

How do I withdraw consent previously given in relation to my Personal Data?

We do not outsource customer service to third party providers. All our staffs are trained in-house so that we have tighter controls over the onboarding process, and our Client Experience team does not forward customer documents to any other department in the company.Access to our corporate network is only for authorized personnel and specific devices.  We practice the Principle of Least Privilege, where we only assign just enough access for a staff to perform his or her job. Hence, only very limited staff has access to customer information.We have to be compliant with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Data Protection Law and Dubai Financial Services Authority’s (DFSA) Conduct of Business Module Rulebook to attain and maintain our DIFC license and DFSA authorisation.

Who has access to my information?

The categories and suggestions below, many of which may apply to your home as well as your office, are some suggestions which you can and should adopt to ensure a secure online experience: Protect your computer<ul>
<li>Install anti-virus software and the latest security patch on the computer you use to access StashAway</li>
<li>Set it so that it performs automatic updates</li>
<li>Remove file and printer sharing, especially when connected to the Internet</li>
<li>Consider the use of encryption technology and perform regular backups to protect critical data</li>
<li>Only allow trusted USB drives into your computer</li>
<li>Get in the habit of locking your account whenever you step away from your computer</li>
<li>Only use trusted devices and access trusted websites</li>
<li>Do not install or run programs that are not from trusted websites</li>
<li>Delete junk or chain emails</li>
<li>Do not access sensitive online sites or perform financial transactions over public Internet</li>
<li>Clear browser cache after each online session</li>
<li>Log off after each online session</li>
</ul> Protect your mobile device<ul>
<li>Always update your device to the latest available OS version; these patches normally carry security and bug fixes that will help secure your device and the information stored on it</li>
<li>Do not attempt to ‘jailbreak’ or ‘root’ your device</li>
<li>Keep your laptop, mobile phone, and other portable devices that contain sensitive information with you at all times</li>
</ul> Protect your network<ul>
<li>Set a strong password for your WiFi network </li>
<li>Do not allow anyone to connect to your network without permission</li>
</ul>You can also learn more about protecting your data and finances in our article <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/r/12-ways-to-protect-your-data-and-finances-">here</a>

How should I protect my Devices and Computer Systems?

As a fully regulated investment advisory and asset management firm, we are obliged to obtain verification of identity of customers as part of our customer due diligence requirements. Documents are requested only via our corporate WhatsApp number which is connected to our secured StashAway network, protected by firewall and requires multi-factor authentication to access. It is a VPN, just like your bank’s intranet.WhatsApp also has end-to-end encryption, while other channels like emails do not.

How secure is WhatsApp?

Your money is kept entirely separate from StashAway's finances. To ensure that we never touch your money, we use custodian banks that hold your money, whether it's in cash or in securities.StashAway has made it a top priority to work with global, reputable banks for these purposes. Our custodian bank for receiving your deposits is Citibank while Saxo Capital Markets Pte Ltd holds our custodian account for your investable cash and securities.In these custodian institutions, your assets are always in a segregated account-- one that is separate from StashAway's operations and assets. This means that you will always have full access and claim to your assets no matter what happens to StashAway.

What happens to my money if StashAway gets acquired, goes public, or closes?

Your money will always be segregated from StashAway's finances, and your assets will always be held in large institutions. Your cash deposits are held in  a Trust Account at Citibank while your investable cash and securities are held in a custodian account through Saxo Capital Markets Pte Ltd.<div class="VideoPlayer__PlayerWrap-sc-1x47tsz-0 eiwVtK"><div style="width:100%;height:100%"></div></div>

Where is my money kept?

Yes; StashAway is a licensed Authorised Firms as mandated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). This means that we have been compliant and met the criteria of the highest standards. We have been audited, and provide full disclosure.<a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.dfsa.ae/public-register/firms/stashaway-management-difc-limited">Our License</a> (StashAway Management (DIFC) Limited is our legal entity).

Is StashAway DFSA-regulated?

Yes; StashAway maintains Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) coverage that complies with the requirements as a licensed Authorised Firms as mandated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

Does StashAway have any Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) coverage?

We have taken every possible measure to protect your assets, from requiring two-factor authentication for any changes and identity verification for withdrawals, building a secure server infrastructure to protect you from cyber attacks, and partnering with large international banks with custodian accounts to store your assets. To learn more, please visit <a target="_self" rel="" class="styles__ATag-sc-13s6wwe-0 iKPPDk" href="https://www.stashaway.ae/security">this link.</a>