# PerceptFolio: full context

> PerceptFolio is stock research software for people investing their own money in US stocks and ETFs. It checks each company on 36 points against rules the user sets, gives one verdict (buy, hold or sell) with every check shown, warns before too much goes into one stock, and marks every verdict against the S&P 500 on fixed dates in a record that cannot be quietly edited. Made by NorthBridge Financial. Not investment advice, not a broker, never places a trade. Seven days free with no card, then from $4.99 a month. 18 or older.

Site: https://perceptfolio.com
Shorter summary: https://perceptfolio.com/llms.txt
Guidance for agents: https://perceptfolio.com/agents
Public API: https://perceptfolio.com/openapi.json

## Who it is for

Busy people investing their own money who want to invest without doing the analysis themselves. Often new or occasional investors, more likely to know Apple than AAPL, using a phone as often as a laptop. Company names work wherever a ticker does.

## The problems it solves

| The person says | What PerceptFolio does |
|---|---|
| "I want to invest, but I have no time to analyze stocks." | Checks every company on 36 points and gives one answer: buy, hold or sell. |
| "I don't know what to buy." | Find stocks walks the market and shows only the names that clear the person's bars today, each with its reasons. |
| "I can't tell if my picks are working." | Growth shows from the first buy, and every call is marked against the S&P 500 on fixed dates. |
| "I sell too early, or hold too long." | A hit stop or a sell signal goes to the top of Today. History shows what each sale did after it was sold. |
| "I'm scared of putting too much in one stock." | Five limits check the size before a buy. Any one of them can say no. |

## Plans and prices

| Plan | Price | People | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 for 7 days, no card | 1 | Everything |
| Basic | $4.99 a month | 1 | The 36 checks and scores; the warning before too much goes in one stock; your rules and flags when a holding breaks them; portfolio, growth chart and read-only broker sync |
| Pro | $9.99 a month | 1 | Everything in Basic plus BUY, HOLD and SELL on every stock; Find stocks and what to sell; ETF verdicts, alerts and the graded record |
| Duo | $14.99 a month | 2 | Pro for each person |
| Family | $24.99 a month | Up to 4 | Pro for each person |

- Billed monthly, in USD, by card. Tax added where it applies.
- Refund within fourteen days of any payment, no questions, including a renewal the person meant to cancel.
- Cancel any time in the terminal: Settings, General, Billing, Open billing. The export stays theirs.
- Support by email on weekdays, US Eastern, answered the same or next business day.

## The 36 checks

| Group | Checks | What it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | 12 | Is the business sound: margins, returns on capital, debt, cash flow |
| Price | 6 | Is it cheap or dear against its own earnings and cash |
| Momentum | 4 | Is the price trend with it or against it |
| News and partners | 11 | What was said about it, and who it trades with |
| Wall Street | 3 | What analysts and insiders are doing |

Each check names what it measured, the bar it had to clear, and whether it cleared it. Failed checks are always shown. The person can set their own bars, and rule changes are versioned.

## The record

| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| A call is made | BUY, HOLD or SELL, with the price and the index at that instant |
| It is marked | At 30, 90 and 180 days and a year: the stock against the S&P 500 over the same days |
| It is chained | Each mark carries the hash of the one before; the chain head is posted daily and stamped by a server clock |
| Anyone can check it | Export the record and run it through the verify page, no account needed |

The record reports expectancy with its interval, never a win rate, and says when there is not enough evidence yet. The terminal's own public record began in October 2026, at https://perceptfolio.com/record: its first 30-day grades land about 18 November 2026. It is graded the same way, in public, as it builds.

## The five size limits

| Limit | It stops |
|---|---|
| Concentration | One stock taking more of the portfolio than the person's cap |
| Cash | Spending below the cash they meant to keep |
| Market exposure | More in stocks overall than they allowed |
| Liquidity | A position too big for how much the stock trades |
| Thesis deadline | Holding past the date they said they would review it |

Shown on Add holding (cost, cash before and after), Analyze (the most that could be added without breaking the cap) and Portfolio (a flag on any holding that breaks a rule).

## The screens

| Screen | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Today | Where do things stand today, and what needs me first? |
| Portfolio | What do I own, at what cost, against which limits? |
| Lists | Which of the names I watch clear my bars? |
| History | How do I actually behave, and how did my past trades do against the S&P? |
| The market | What regime is the market in, and how is my record marking? |
| News | What was said about my holdings, and which headline says it? |
| Supply chain | Who does this company depend on, and who depends on it? |
| Find stocks | Which names on a list clear the rulebook? |
| Analyze | How does one company do on the thirty-six checks? |
| Risk | What does a bad month do to the book? |
| Projections | What range of outcomes is plausible, under stated assumptions? |
| Alerts | What crossed a line while I was away? |

An assistant inside the terminal gives the terminal's own verdict on a named company. English and Spanish.

## How it compares

| | Spreadsheet checklist | Broker statement | PerceptFolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulls the numbers | By hand, from EDGAR and Yahoo | Not applicable | When you type the ticker |
| Same rules every time | If you remember | Not applicable | Yes, versioned when changed |
| Failed checks shown | Easy to skip | Not applicable | Always |
| Graded against the S&P 500 | Only if you build it | No, gain or loss in dollars | Every call, on fixed dates |
| Why you bought | If you write it down | Not kept | Kept with the call |
| Size check before buying | No | No | Five limits |
| Places trades | No | Yes | Never |

## What it refuses to do

- **It never places a trade.** A broker can be connected read-only; that connection cannot place, change or cancel an order. Moving money stays the person's act.
- **It never quotes a win rate.** A win rate hides the size of the wins. The record reports expectancy with its interval.
- **It never edits the past.** Marks are hash-chained and the head is stamped daily by a server clock, so a rewrite would show.
- **It is not advice.** Research software, not investment advice, not a broker-dealer. NorthBridge is not a registered investment adviser.

## Getting started

1. Create an account at https://perceptfolio.com: name, email, age and a password. 18 and over.
2. Seven days free. No card.
3. The terminal opens straight away.
4. Four quick questions set the rules; pick a plan when ready.

No demo, no queue, no quote. Market data (prices, fundamentals and news for US stocks and ETFs) is built in; every price says whether it is a quote or a close. Works on a phone and a desk with the same email and password.

## Common questions

**Is PerceptFolio a broker or robo-adviser?** No. It is research software. It never places a trade and gives no personal advice.

**Does it beat the market?** It makes no such claim. Every call is marked against the S&P 500 and the result is shown whether or not it flatters. The record is new.

**How much does it cost?** Seven days free without a card, then Basic $4.99 or Pro $9.99 a month. Duo $14.99 for two people, Family $24.99 for up to four.

**What is the difference between Basic and Pro?** Basic has the checks, scores, warnings, rules and portfolio. Pro adds BUY, HOLD and SELL verdicts, Find stocks, what to sell, ETF verdicts, alerts and the graded record.

**Can I connect my brokerage?** Yes, read-only. The connection carries no trading rights.

**What markets does it cover?** US-listed stocks and ETFs.

**Can I get a refund?** Yes, within fourteen days of any payment, no questions.

**Do I need to know tickers?** No. Company names work wherever a ticker does.

## Pages

- https://perceptfolio.com/ : front page
- https://perceptfolio.com/subscription : plans and terms
- https://perceptfolio.com/stock-checklist : the automated 36-point checklist
- https://perceptfolio.com/track-picks-vs-sp500 : tracking picks against the S&P 500
- https://perceptfolio.com/position-size-limits : size limits before buying
- https://perceptfolio.com/help : help and support