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Better ETF Research for Questrade Investors

Questrade makes ETF buying cost-efficient with free purchases and competitive FX rates. Six Panel lenses, five SENIOR verdicts, and a weekly PRIME synthesis on the same evidence stack — that is still your research job, and it is what Cognitor delivers every Friday.

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Questrade → Cognitor → YouExecution stays at Questrade. Research: six Panel lenses, five SENIOR verdicts, PRIME — each week the methodology assesses the macro scenario against the same ~40 curated US-listed ETFs, then the dossier deep-dives those selected for that edition (theses, validations, invalidations)—not a full standalone report on every ticker every Friday.

The Questrade research gap

Questrade eliminated ETF buy commissions — a massive benefit for cost-conscious Canadian investors. What it did not change: the need for independent, multi-lens research on which ETFs to hold and why. Six specialists and five SENIOR verdicts do that work without any stake in your choice, no fund distribution agreements, and no house products to recommend.
  • Execution and custody stay at Questrade; Cognitor never sees your balances, routes orders, or accesses your registered accounts.
  • TFSA and RRSP investors at Questrade benefit from the macro and valuation context before periodic rebalancing — Cognitor's research layer supports that process without crossing into IIROC-regulated advice.
  • US-listed ETFs held in a Questrade RRSP are generally exempt from the 15% US withholding tax on dividends under the Canada–US tax treaty; for TFSA and non-registered accounts, that withholding typically applies — Cognitor provides the macro context; confirm tax treatment with your adviser.
Validation mindset — structured research next to your brokerage execution

ETFs in the Cognitor universe

The fixed universe is ~40 curated US-listed ETFs—not the whole market. Each weekly dossier focuses on the subset selected for that week's scenario (deep research with theses, validations, and invalidations). The Panel still grounds the process in the full universe scan. Below are examples Questrade investors often hold or can map from their menu; each card opens that ticker's overview page. Inclusion is informational, not a buy or sell recommendation.

SPYS&P 500 — read-through for many Canadian S&P 500–linked ETFs (e.g. VFV, ZSP).VEADeveloped ex-US — international equity sleeve inside XAW-style portfolios.VWOEmerging markets — EM beta many global allocations embed.IEFIntermediate Treasuries — duration and Fed-cycle context.GLDGold — cross-asset stress and real-rate narrative.QQQNasdaq-100 — growth and tech-cycle depth.

Examples below are US-listed tickers in Cognitor's weekly dossier. Canadian-listed wrappers (VFV, ZSP, XAW, XIC, etc.) often map to similar economic exposure — use for narrative read-through, not tick-for-tick replication. Holdings, MERs, and hedging status differ.

How it fits your workflow

  1. Step 1 — Read Cognitor's Friday dossier for the US-listed tickers that match your Questrade ETF sleeves.
  2. Step 2 — Note where SENIOR verdicts split — that tension belongs in your TFSA/RRSP investment journal.
  3. Step 3 — Trade on Questrade when your own policy says so; Cognitor does not issue buy/sell signals.
Research at Cognitor, execution at your broker — connected workflow

Start free. Upgrade when it matters.

Free tier follows the same cadence with delays; Pro unlocks same-week dossiers, briefings, and Mon–Thu daily podcasts. About CA$ 5.95/month with the current offer after a 7-day trial.

At checkout, Stripe shows the exact amount and currency for your billing country — no surprises.

Free

$0

  • Full dossier on a 7-day delay; briefings after 24h vs Pro same-day
  • Great way to explore the Panel → SENIOR → PRIME workflow
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Pro

7-day trialMost popular

US$9.90 / month

US$4.95 / month

  • Weekly dossier deep-diving the ETFs selected for that week from ~40 US-listed names
  • Same-week briefings and Mon–Thu daily podcasts
  • Cancel anytime
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Transparency — research layer only; execution and custody stay at your broker

Common questions

Canadian investors: how Cognitor complements Questrade without custody or order flow.

  • No. Cognitor is a separate research subscription. You log in here for the dossier; you execute on Questrade. There is no account linking, no portfolio sync, and no data shared between the two platforms.