The Basics

What is Guided Investing, and how does it work?
Guided Investing is an automated digital tool that professionally manages your investments based on your risk tolerance and time horizon to help you reach your financial goals. Based on your answers to a short list of questions, your money is invested in a diversified portfolio aligned with your investment goals. Your portfolio is monitored on an ongoing basis and rebalanced as needed to stay on track with your goal.

Who is eligible to invest through Guided Investing?
To open a Guided Investing account, you must be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. Citizen. You must also be an existing CommunityAmerica member. If you are not a current member, we invite you to open a CommunityAmerica account.

What kinds of investment accounts are available?
You can open Taxable Individual and/or Joint accounts; the investments in these types of accounts can be used for any reason. Tax-advantaged Traditional and Roth IRAs are also available if you are saving for retirement.

How do I fund the account?
After opening your Guided Investing account, you can transfer funds from your CommunityAmerica account.

What is the initial minimum investment required to open a Guided Investing account?
The minimum required investment to open a Guided Investing account is $200.

How will my account be invested?
Your account will be invested in a portfolio of professionally managed exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) based on the information you share with us about your time horizon, risk tolerance, and financial goals.

What are the fees / costs associated with Guided Investing? (e.g., management fees)?
There is a .25% annual management fee for assets under management. For example, if you have an account balance of $10,000, your management fee would be roughly $25 per year. For IRA accounts, there is an annual $20 retirement account maintenance fee. Additionally, there is a $95 retirement account termination fee should you decide to close your IRA account.

Please also see our Brokerage Fee Schedule for information on additional account servicing and maintenance fees that will also apply to your account. The ETFs in your account are also subject to expenses charged by the manager of the ETFs.

See the Guided Investing Wrap Fee Program Fee Brochure for a full discussion of all associated fees and expenses.

How will my account be invested?
Your account will be invested in a portfolio of professionally managed exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) based on the information you share with us about your time horizon, risk tolerance, and financial goals.

What should I expect in terms of returns for my investments?
Your account has the potential to gain or lose value on a daily basis. Returns depend on market fluctuations and are not guaranteed. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of money you invest in your account.

How do I know if Guided Investing is right for me?
If simplicity and cost are your primary drivers in choosing how to invest, Guided Investing may be a great choice for you. Conversely, if you are interested in a high level of personalized service and direct management of your investments, a traditional wealth advisor might be better suited to your needs.

Are my accounts insured?
Your account is an investment account and is not a CommunityAmerica account. Any insurance you have on your CommunityAmerica account (e.g., NCUA) does not apply to your investment accounts. Your investment account is offered by Copper Financial, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CommunityAmerica. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) does offer insurance on investment accounts, but only in the event the financial firm fails. SIPC coverage does not apply to market losses in your investment account. Click here for more information on SIPC coverage.

What is the minimum amount for subsequent investments?
For subsequent investments into Guided Investing accounts, the minimum amount is $25.

What is the minimum account balance requirement?
Accounts must maintain at least a $150 balance to remain eligible for a Guided Investing account. Withdrawal requests resulting in a balance of less than $150 will be prompted to either reduce the withdrawal amount or submit a full account balance withdrawal request.

Who can I contact if I have questions about Guided Investing?

You can contact our Digital Wealth Team at [email protected] or 833.542.6509.

Getting Started

Can I have more than one investment account?

Yes, you can have multiple investment accounts.

What information do I need to create an investment account?

We'll ask you a series of questions upon opening a Guided Investing account, such as income, net worth, and employment status. You will also complete a brief questionnaire to gather information regarding your financial situation, risk tolerance, and time horizon, which we will use to determine your recommended portfolio.

You will have the option to name a Trusted Contact for your account. If you choose to do so, you will be asked to provide contact information for that individual such as a phone number, email address and/or physical address. 

What is a trusted contact and how do I add one to my investment account?

A trusted contact is a person you appoint for us to contact if we need to address possible financial exploitation, to confirm the specifics of your current contact information, health status, or the identity of any legal guardian, executor, trustee or other holder of a power of attorney, or as otherwise permitted.

To add or change a trusted contact on an existing account, please email [email protected] or call 833.542.6509.

Transfers and Funding

How can I fund my investment account?

You can select “Move Money” from several places. The Move Money button is available from the main menu, the overview page, or from the Guided Investing account page. You will select “Deposit” to fund your Guided Investing account.

How do I transfer money into my investment account?

From the “Move Money” page, you will select “Deposit” and select which Guided Investing account to move money to and which of your available credit union accounts to fund the account from. Only eligible credit union accounts will be listed as available “From” accounts.

How will I know when my deposit is complete?

You will see an on-screen confirmation stating “Deposit in progress…” When the transfer is complete, you will see the transaction in the account history of the Guided Investing account. You will also receive email notifications regarding your deposits.

How long does it take for a deposit to show in my account?

If you make a deposit into your Guided Investing account, the funds will typically show in your account within 1-2 business days from the date of your request.

How do I change my linked bank account for deposits/transfers?

You can select any available credit union account when you are requesting a new deposit. If you have established a scheduled transfer and wish to change the bank account that is established for that request, you will need to cancel the existing request and set up a new scheduled transfer.

When will funds be invested?

Trades will typically take place the business day after funds are deposited in your Guided Investing account.

Can I cancel a pending transfer?

If you need to cancel a same day request, please call 833.542.6509. Cancellation requests must be received the same day as the request was made but are not guaranteed for cancellation. If you need to cancel a scheduled transfer, go to “Manage Scheduled Transfers” on the menu, locate and cancel the scheduled transfer. Keep in mind this will cancel the entire request, not just the next scheduled transfer date.

What if I don’t have sufficient funds in my credit union account for a deposit I submitted?

If you don't have enough funds in your bank account to deposit, your transfer will be returned and you will be charged an ACH return fee.

How do I withdraw funds from my investment account?

To withdraw funds from your Guided Investing account, please contact [email protected] or call 833.542.6509.

If securities are sold in your Guided Investing account, the soonest the proceeds of the sale will be available to withdraw is two business days after the trade date (T+2).

Please note, deposited funds are subject to a six-day hold from the date of deposit and may not be withdrawn prior to that time. If the funds are subject to multiple holds (such as a trade and deposit), the longer of hold periods will apply.

How long does it take for a withdrawal to show up in my credit union account?

When you request a withdrawal from your Guided Investing account, trades will occur within one business day of the request being received. Funds will typically show in your credit union account within 4-6 business days.

Account Management

What are my holdings?

Your holdings are the investments in your account and your cash balance. You can view your account holdings by going to the Account Portfolio page within the online banking site.

How do I track the performance of my investment account?

Within the My Investments section of the CommunityAmerica online banking site you'll see a chart that tracks the value of your account over time and the dollar amount change during that period. This information can be viewed for all your investment accounts combined on the Overview tab or you can see the same information for individual accounts on the Accounts tab. Additionally, investment account specific holdings and other information is also available. You will also receive a quarterly report that will provide performance information. These quarterly reports are available on the Documents tab within the site.

How do I update my personal information?

To update your personal information (e.g., name, address, phone number, email, etc.), please email [email protected] or call 833.605.8133.

How do I add or update my beneficiaries?

You can manage beneficiaries for Guided Investing Traditional IRA or Roth IRA accounts when you are logged into the site.

How do I close my investment account?

If you would like to close your investment account, please email [email protected] or call 833.605.8133.

Please note, availability of funds is subject to deposit and trade holds.

How do I find my investment account history?

You can find the history of your deposits, withdrawals, trades, and other activity from the Accounts tab within the site. You will also receive an official account statement from Apex Clearing (the custodian where your investment account is held) on either a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the activity in your account.

Technology and Security

Yes, after 10 minutes of inactivity or 60 minutes of being logged in, you'll receive a prompt to stay logged in if you're still using the site. For the security of your account, we strongly recommend you log out as soon as you are done.

What browsers do you support?

We support Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari from your desktop. For mobile devices, we support mobile Chrome, Safari, and Samsung Internet. We suggest you always use the most recent version of your browser for the best experience. You may experience issues if accessing the site from an outdated or non-supported browser.

Is my information encrypted?

Yes. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for your browser access to this site. You can verify the digital certificate that confirms the encryption and security of this site by clicking the icon to the left of the site URL (depending on your browser, it might be a padlock, key, or company logo). Make sure the URL on the certificate matches the site URL, that it is signed by a trusted certificate authority, and that the date is current. In addition, data is encrypted during transmission and at rest.

Taxes

What investment accounts receive a Form 1099?

A Form 1099 will be provided as required by the IRS for any taxable account, such as an individual or joint account, depending on the activity in your account. Activity such as withdrawals, receiving dividends, and sales of investments in your account, can trigger a Form 1099. Consult with a tax professional if have questions about the tax implications of opening an investment account. A Form 1099 is not provided for Traditional IRAs or Roth IRAs.

How can I access my Form 1099? When will it be available? 

You can access the form via Documents in the online site. Tax forms are generally available by the end of February in the year they should be filed. You will receive an email notification when your tax documents are ready for you.

What is cost basis?

Your cost basis is the original value of your investment, typically what you paid for it. This is used to calculate your gains or losses if you are monitoring performance or when you sell the investment. This is also used to calculate taxes owed on a taxable account (e.g., individual or joint accounts).

Will I receive tax forms with an IRA?

If you withdrew from your Traditional or Roth IRA in the tax year, you'll receive a Form 1099-R, typically by the end of February. If you made contributions to your Traditional or Roth IRA, you'll receive a Form 5498, typically in May, which reports the contributions made for the prior year. If you didn't withdraw from or contribute to your Traditional or Roth IRA in the tax year, you won't receive any tax forms.

What if I have other questions about taxes?

If you still have questions about taxes, please speak with a tax professional. Copper Financial or any of our partner Credit Unions do not provide tax advice.

Guided Investing is an investment advisory service offered by Copper Financial Network, LLC (“Copper Financial”), an SEC registered investment adviser. Brokerage services for Guided Investing are offered by Copper Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Copper Financial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CommunityAmerica Credit Union (“CommunityAmerica”). Wealth Management by CommunityAmerica is a marketing name used by Copper Financial. CommunityAmerica and Wealth Management by CommunityAmerica are not broker-dealers or investment advisers.  

See the Guided Investing Wrap Fee Program Fee Brochure for a full discussion of all associated fees and expenses. Account minimums and fees for products available through a Wealth Advisor vary by product. Please speak with a Wealth Advisor for detailed information.

All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest. Past performance is not a guarantee or indication of future performance. For additional information on Copper Financial and Guided Investing please see our Customer Relationship Summary, Guided Investing Wrap Fee Program Brochure, and our Guided Investing Disclosures.

If you have questions about Guided Investing, please contact us at [email protected] or 833.542.6509.

Investment products offered by Copper Financial: