Cognitor
Start Free 7-Day Trial

ETF Research That Goes Beyond What TD Direct Offers

TD Direct Investing has powerful screens, third-party commentary, and TFSA/RRSP/FHSA account access. It does not run six independent specialist frameworks plus five verdict layers on the same US-listed ETF evidence pack each Friday — Cognitor does.

Start Free 7-Day TrialCompare Free vs Pro
TD Direct Investing → Cognitor → YouExecution stays at TD Direct Investing. 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 TD Direct research gap

Bank-owned platforms bundle execution with house research and partner content. Cognitor adds six blind-to-each-other specialist analyses — macro, tech, geopolitics, EM, fundamentals, and market psychology — and five SENIOR deliberations, then maps the results with PRIME. No fund shelf, no order flow, no house products.
  • Useful when your ETF book spans Canadian-listed wrappers (VFV, XAW) and US-listed names — Cognitor provides one consistent research cadence for the US-listed layer.
  • TD's house research is produced by TD Securities analysts with distribution relationships; Cognitor has no fund shelf and no issuer agreements — the independence is structural.
  • FHSA (First Home Savings Account) holders at TD Direct can use Cognitor's macro and rates context (HELIOS) to inform the fixed-income and equity split decisions before contribution deadlines.
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 TD Direct Investing 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 — anchor for US equity exposure.QQQNasdaq-100 — growth sleeve narrative.VEADeveloped ex-US — international diversification.VWOEmerging markets — EM cycle context.IEFTreasury duration — rate sensitivity.PDBCDiversified commodities — inflation & macro cycle context.

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 — Export or note the US-listed tickers in your TD Direct book that appear in Cognitor's weekly set.
  2. Step 2 — Read Friday's dossier before changing weights in TFSA, RRSP, or FHSA registered accounts.
  3. Step 3 — Keep statements and orders in TD Direct; keep research timestamps in Cognitor as a dated audit trail.
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
Create free account

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
Start Pro trial

Full plan comparison →

Transparency — research layer only; execution and custody stay at your broker

Common questions

Canadian investors: how Cognitor complements TD Direct Investing without custody or order flow.

  • No — it complements them with a fixed weekly multi-lens protocol on ~40 US-listed ETFs, designed to surface disagreement as well as consensus. TD's house research focuses on TD Securities coverage; Cognitor's six-specialist Panel has no fund family and no issuer relationships.