Investors

Twelve things to check before you trust an OTC company.

Each one can be answered from public sources in about ten minutes. Each one links to our own answer, so you can start with us.

This is a list of things to check, not advice about what to buy or sell. It is here because we would rather be checked than believed.

  1. Is the company current in its filings?Late or missing reports are the first sign of trouble, and the easiest to check.Our filings →
  2. What disclosure tier is it quoted on, and did it choose it?OTC Markets tiers reflect how much a company discloses and whether it verified its profile.Our OTC Markets profile →
  3. Can you find the CEO's history in public markets?Officer roles at prior public companies, and how those companies ended.Our leadership page →
  4. Does it publish the number of shareholders of record?Companies that avoid this number usually have a reason. It is also the number that decides most uplistings.The shareholder letter (holder count) →
  5. Has it done a reverse split, and did it explain why, before or after?A reverse split can satisfy a bid-price standard. What matters is whether it was explained.Our note on bid price →
  6. Does it pay anyone to introduce investors?Finders' fees appear in filings if they exist. Ask directly, in writing.Our policy: no one is paid to introduce investors →
  7. Does it label its claims, and can you find a date on its numbers?A figure without a basis date cannot be checked.How we label claims →
  8. Does it report the same measures every period, including the misses?If the metrics change each quarter, they are chosen after the fact.The six measures →
  9. Does it name the exchange standards it measures itself against, or just say "uplist"?"Uplist" is a word. The standards are a list.Our listing standards tracker →
  10. Is the product something you can see?A live product, a named type of first customer, a source-verified codebase.SolvixLMS →
  11. Is the governance adopted, or promised?Independent directors, an audit committee and a code of conduct are adopted before an application, or not at all.Our governance page →
  12. Does it name competitors to make itself look better?A company that needs to disparage its peers is telling you something.How we differ, without names →

If you want the answers as they change

The monthly note is where they are reported. One idea a month from the CEO, the shareholder letter each quarter, nothing else.

Monthly, plus the quarterly shareholder letter. Unsubscribe in one click. We never share your details, and no one is paid to introduce investors to the company.