Account Partitions

Account Partitions


A new paradigm for individual traders and investors that offers the best of both worlds: the benefits of professional portfolio management, with the ability to monitor and trade your own account.
When it comes to portfolio management, investors generally choose between two mutually exclusive approaches:


That of the independent, self-directed trader who manages their own trading account and diligently monitors and rebalances their portfolio as needed.

OR

That of the trusting investor who relies on a professional to invest for them, and who meets with them quarterly to discover the state of their own financial health.



But what if your inclinations fall somewhere in between?

Enter IB Account Partitions



With Account Partitions, you allocate cash and/or positions from your current IB account into a newly created "partition" which is then managed by the professional Advisor or Broker of your choice. While this partition is traded by a professional, as the primary account holder you can log into your TWS account at any time to monitor the performance of the partition, see all of its positions, check account activity, and review margin and available balances - just as you currently do with your account. Additionally, all activity in the partition is labeled and reflected in your monthly statements, and you retain the ability to trade the non-partitioned segment of your account.

To get started, you first need to find a professional broker or advisor to manage your partition. You can do this easily from within the Mosaic interface in TWS. From the Account menu, select Create a Partition with an Advisor. This brings you directly into the Investors' Marketplace where you can search our database of hundreds of Advisors and Brokers to find the one whose services and credentials are right for you. When you do, link your account to theirs as an Account Partition.

Your new partition will be open and ready for you to transfer in funds and/or positions by 6:00 pm the same business day (or 6:00 pm the following business day if your request was made after 4:00 pm). Use the Fund Transfers and/or Position Transfers function in Account Management to fund the partition. Once the partition is funded, your part is complete. Let the professional do the rest, and check in on their activity and performance any time you want.

For detailed instructions and to find out more, see the Account Management Users' Guide.


Notes:

  • Once the partition is linked, fees may be debited from your account as specified by the Advisor or Broker.
  • At this time, you can create one account partition with an Advisor or Broker.
  • The relationship between your primary account and a linked partition is a parent/child relationship. The trading permissions for your account are passed down to the child partition (note that any permissions to which the Advisor or Broker is not entitled will be removed).