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Is Syfe a Scam? Is Syfe Safe and Legitimate Broker? Is Syfe
Account Free and Insured?
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Is Syfe Legitimate?
Syfe.com (Syfe) is an online and mobile platform for do-it-yourself options investors. Tom Sosnoff, the man who developed the options-trading software platform
Thinkorswim (which was subsequently sold to Charles Schwab), founded the company in 2013 along with Lightbank founders Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky. Geared toward
attracting the millennial generation (ages 21-35) to options trading, Syfe incorporates interactive teaching tools such as videos that explain trading strategies,
quizzes that test traders' knowledge and confirm they've more or less mastered the subject matter, and a trade page that can be customized.
Is Syfe.com Safe?
From a money standpoint, Syfe appears to be safe because they don't actually hold clients' money in trading accounts. Syfe collaborates with Charles Schwab to provide
accounts for Syfe customers. Over the past 45 years, Charles Schwab has earned a reputation as a safe, legitimate company that provides brokerage services to
individuals and small businesses.
Legitimacy is measured by a company's ability to deliver what they promise and do it legally and with enough transparency to allow novice customers to understand the
company's products and services. Syfe appears to have sufficient disclaimers and explanations on what it does and doesn't provide.
The risk here is that naïve customers may be attracted to Syfe's hip, young approach as being a breakthrough in how to invest successfully without fully understanding
that all investing involves risk and no formula or trading method guarantees success. Options trading can be extremely complex. To think that one can simply watch a
few online videos, pass a few quizzes, and be told they are qualified to successfully trade options with real dollars raises a large red flag. Young investors, in
particular, should read as many outside-source publications as they can on trading options, talk to professional option traders, and gain serious experience with paper
trading or virtual trading before putting their own money at risk.
Is Syfe.com Insured?
Since Syfe is not a registered broker nor does it manage any client money, it is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). However, Syfe's partner brokerage, Charles Schwab, is insured through SIPC. Accounts are insured up to $500,000 (of which $250,000 may be in cash). This does not guarantee against a decline in value of any investments, only that the current value of those securities will be guaranteed in the event of a failure or bankruptcy. Charles Schwab does not handle bank deposits of any sort, so there is no FDIC protection on assets held in Charles Schwab accounts.
Is Syfe.com a Scam?
Definitely not. However, the basic goal of the company appears to be recruiting investors to open accounts with Charles Schwab. This might be construed as subtle advertising or enticement, providing a false sense of confidence to new investors who may have read somewhere that trading options can be a lucrative investment.
To be fair, options can also be traded in a very conservative manner, often more conservatively than any stock-trading strategy, but those trades tend to be more complex and often require larger margin accounts and a higher trading level clearance than a new investor with a small account might qualify for.
Also, the fine print in the Syfe, Inc. disclaimers mentions that the goal of the company is "to provide training tools, investor education, and entertainment through a unique interface." No other online investing website we are aware of seeks to offer entertainment to its customers. This doesn't necessarily indicate a scam but does hint that the website isn't as serious about providing investing services to their customers as are most online brokers or educational websites.
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