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Forex traders with little experience can be deliberately targeted by unregulated and deceptive brokers, as well as other so-called industry professionals, attempting to fraudulently obtain their money.Regulation of this relatively new industry is continuing to improve and provide traders with protection and peace of mind. However, there will always be shady operators, setting traps and using tricks to manipulate unsuspecting clients. Traders always need to be on their guard and extremely thorough with their checks before handing over large sums of money to anyone in the industry.Here are common forex scams to look out for.1. Fake / Unregulated BrokersFake, unregulated brokers can lure traders in with promises of high and even guaranteed profits, zero spreads, or other unrealistic offers. As much FX trading is now done online, it is easy for fraudulent companies to put together a high-tech web presence that looks entirely plausible. It is therefore vitally important to perform stringent checks on the broker before entering into any trading agreement.Traders should check for a company address and verify it; check the website Whois information and make sure it is registered in the company’s name (or their parent company name); and only go for brokers that are authorised and regulated by the relevant industry regulator,2. Clone Broker FirmsSome firms may appear to be regulated at first glance, as they are registered on the regulator website and able to provide a registration number, however further investigation reveals that they are just extremely similar to a genuine, regulated broker. They may have just used a slightly different spelling or a variation of the registered broker’s name. This highlights the importance of carrying out detailed and thorough checks before entering into an agreement with a broker.3. Clone Regulator WebsitesAnother way a fake broker may convince a trader that they are legitimate is by publishing their regulatory status on their website and linking through to the regulator web page where their entry appears. Except that it isn’t the regulator website at all, and is actually a clone of the register that they have deliberately set up to appear authentic.To avoid falling into this trap, be sure to go to the actual regulator website and search the register for the broker from there, rather than trusting a link from the broker’s site.4. Signal SellersSignal sellers can be companies or individuals claiming to be able to identify the best trading opportunities, and when they are fraudulent, they often promise quick and easy profits.They may allege to have extensive experience and expertise, remarkable technical analysis abilities, or privileged access to news affecting the direction of the markets; and these statements are often backed up by glowing testimonials from numerous traders who apparently have made significant profits from the services. The information is provided for a fee, but of course, there is no way to recoup this outlay if it proves to be bogus. If a trader does want to go ahead and use a signal seller, they are responsible for vetting them and verifying their reliability before proceeding with the transaction.5. Trading Robot SellersAutomated systems, more commonly known today as ‘robots’, are also offered by scammers purporting to reward traders with high returns for little effort. They may claim that their robots examine price volatility and other factors in order to assess the best time to enter or exit a market. However, often the trades are simply random and absent of any kind of logic. Again, the sales page is regularly accompanied by numerous fake testimonials from traders declaring how the robot has earned them significant profits generating trades on their behalf. If a trader wishes to use an automated system as part of their trading strategy, then extensive research should be conducted to ensure scam robot sellers are avoided.6. Forex Ponzi Schemes or High Yield Investment Programs (HYIPs)Ponzi schemes are still one of the most well-known scams around and alarm bells should ring straight away if a forex investment scheme seems too good to be true. In a typical example, money is diverted from people entering the scheme to pay the exceptional profits promised to previous investors. The cycle continues: word spreads about the extraordinary scheme, and as more people join, more money becomes available to pay the alleged profits. Eventually, the scheme collapses and/or the scammer disappears with everyone’s money.7. Fraudulent Fund ManagersTrading forex can be intimidating, particularly for those entering into it for the first time, so when a fund account manager comes along promising high returns for minimal risk, it can be a tempting prospect. When investors start to receive additional demands for money as markets did not perform as predicted and the fund manager needs to correct the position, this is inevitably a bad sign. Some people can repeatedly fall for this scam, though, until eventually the penny drops (pardon the pun) and the money manager disappears, along with all the investor’s money.8. Overpriced Training & Education ProgramsTraders should be wary of education programs with a promise of profitable results. These are often sold for inordinate fees and are unable to deliver on their promises.Whilst training programs can be useful for learning the basic process and guidelines, any course declaring that it can teach someone to become an expert in no time at all is probably worth avoiding altogether.There is a wealth of free information available that may be just as or even more useful than a costly training program: YouTube videos; podcasts; webinars and demo accounts give a potential trader the opportunity to test their abilities before trading with real money; and so on.9. Manipulation of Bid / Ask SpreadsThis scam relies on the naivety of the trader, as it assumes that they are going to be more concerned with checking market movements than the commission being taken by the broker through their bid and ask point spread. The wider the spread, the more money is being pocketed by the broker, and this reduces any potential profits for the trader. The scam is not as common as it used to be thanks to better regulation of the industry and increasingly savvy traders, but it still exists, particularly with offshore, unregulated brokers.DID YOU GET SCAMMED??Have you any way fallen for this scam? you can still recover you lost funds contact Quiickrecovery, an online firm that helps to recover funds lost to Binary Option, Forex trade and Cryptocurrency scam to stand a chance to recover your funds.NOTE: Before you can file a case you need to gather all the information you have about the scam. Visit there official website to report your case today….Quiickrecovery.com

In the context of a legal agreement—which is what a term sheet is—a “schedule” is a list of things that are referenced in the agreement. Often, for complex agreements, there are many things that need to be listed. Examples might be:Names and salaries of employeesNames and ownership interests of shareholdersSoftware licensesPatents and intellectual propertyComputers and other owned equipmentLeases the company has signedEtc.Instead of putting all this directly into the agreement, they will instead be listed separately and attached to the end, with the agreement itself just saying something like “the employees as listed in Schedule A”.There is no particular order in which schedules are attached, although it is typically in the order in which they are referenced in the document. And for purposes of clarity, each schedule is numbered (or, more often, lettered, starting with “Schedule A”.)To give you an idea of the kind of schedules you might find in the actual closing documents of an investment (although likely not the term sheet), take a look at this typical due diligence list:A. Organization of the Company1. Describe the corporate or other structure of the legal entities that comprise the Company. Include any helpful diagrams or charts. Provide a list of the officers and directors of the Company and a brief description of their duties.2. Long-form certificate of good standing and articles or certificate of incorporation from Secretary of State or other appropriate official in the Company's jurisdiction of incorporation, listing all documents on file with respect to the Company, and a copy of all documents listed therein.3. Current by-laws of the Company.4. List of all jurisdictions in which the Company is qualified to do business and list of all other jurisdictions in which the Company owns or leases real property or maintains an office and a description of business in each such jurisdiction. Copies of the certificate of authority, good standing certificates and tax status certificates from all jurisdictions in which the Company is qualified to do business.5. All minutes for meetings of the Company's board of directors, board committees and stockholders for the last five years, and all written actions or consents in lieu of meetings thereof.6. List of all subsidiaries and other entities (including partnerships) in which the Company has an equity interest; organizational chart showing ownership of such entities; and any agreements relating to the Company's interest in any such entity.B. Ownership and Control of the Company1. Capitalization of the Company, including all outstanding capital stock, convertible securities, options, warrants and similar instruments.2. List of securityholders of the Company (including option and warrant holders), setting forth class and number of securities held.3. Copies of any voting agreements, stockholder agreements, proxies, transfer restriction agreements, rights of first offer or refusal, preemptive rights, registration agreements or other agreements regarding the ownership or control of the Company.C. Assets and Operations1. Annual financial statements with notes thereto for the past three fiscal years of the Company, and the latest interim financial statements since the end of the last fiscal year and product sales and cost of sales (including royalties) analysis for each product which is part of assets to be sold.2. All current budgets and projections including projections for product sales and cost of sales.3. Any auditors (internal and external) letters and reports to management for the past five years (and management's responses thereto).4. Provide a detailed breakdown of the basis for the allowance for doubtful accounts.5. Inventory valuation, including turnover rates and statistics, gross profit percentages and obsolescence analyses including inventory of each product which is part of assets to be sold.6. Letters to auditors from outside counsel.7. Description of any real estate owned by the Company and copies of related deeds, surveys, title insurance policies (and all documents referred to therein), title opinions, certificates of occupancy, easements, zoning variances, condemnation or eminent domain orders or proceedings, deeds of trust, mortgages and fixture lien filings.8. Schedule of significant fixed assets, owned or used by the Company, including the identification of the person holding title to such assets and any material liens or restrictions on such assets.9. Without duplication from Section D below, or separate intellectual property due diligence checklist, schedule of all intangible assets (including customer lists and goodwill) and proprietary or intellectual properties owned or used in the Company, including a statement as to the entity holding title or right to such assets and any material liens or restrictions on such assets. Include on and off balance sheet items.D. Intellectual PropertyList of all patents, trademarks, tradenames, service marks and copyrights owned or used by the Company, all applications therefor and copies thereof, search reports related thereto and information about any liens or other restrictions and agreements on or related to any of the foregoing (without duplication from attached intellectual property due diligence checklist).E. Reports1. Copies of any studies, appraisals, reports, analyses or memoranda within the last three years relating to the Company (i.e., competition, products, pricing, technological developments, software developments, etc.).2. Current descriptions of the Company that may have been prepared for any purpose, including any brochures used in soliciting or advertising.3. Descriptions of any customer quality awards, plant qualification/certification distinctions, ISO certifications or other awards or certificates viewed by the Company as significant or reflective of superior performance.4. Copies of any analyst or other market reports concerning the Company known to have been issued within the last three years.5. Copies of any studies prepared by the Company regarding the Company's insurance currently in effect and self-insurance program (if any), together with information on the claim and loss experience thereunder.6. Any of the following documents filed by the Company or affiliates of the Company and which contain information concerning the Company: annual reports on SEC Form 10-K; quarterly reports on SEC Form 10-Q; current reports on SEC Form 8-K.F. Compliance with Laws1. Copies of all licenses, permits, certificates, authorizations, registrations, concessions, approvals, exemptions and other operating authorities from all governmental authorities and any applications therefor, and a description of any pending contemplated or threatened changes in the foregoing.2. A description of any pending or threatened proceedings or investigations before any court or any regulatory authority.3. Describe any circumstance where the Company has been or may be accused of violating any law or failing to possess any material license, permit or other authorization. List all citations and notices from governmental or regulatory authorities.4. Schedule of the latest dates of inspection of the Company's facilities by each regulatory authority that has inspected such facilities.5. Description of the potential effect on the Company of any pending or proposed regulatory changes of which the Company is aware.6. Copies of any information requests from, correspondence with, reports of or to, filings with or other material information with respect to any regulatory bodies which regulate a material portion of the Company's business. Limit response to the last five years unless an older document has a continuing impact on the Company.7. Copies of all other studies, surveys, memoranda or other data on regulatory compliance including: spill control, environmental clean-up or environmental preventive or remedial matters, employee safety compliance, import or export licenses, common carrier licenses, problems, potential violations, expenditures, etc.8. State whether any consent is necessary from any governmental authority to embark upon or consummate the proposed transaction.9. Schedule of any significant U.S. import or export restrictions that relate to the Company's operations.10. List of any export, import or customs permits or authorizations, certificates, registrations, concessions, exemptions, etc., that are required in order for the Company to conduct its business and copies of all approvals, etc. granted to the Company that are currently in effect or pending renewal.11. Any correspondence with or complaints from third parties relating to the marketing, sales or promotion practices of the Company.G. Environmental Matters1. A list of facilities or other properties currently or formerly owned, leased, or operated by the Company and its predecessors, if any.2. Reports of environmental audits or site assessments in the possession of the Company, including any Phase I or Phase II assessments or asbestos surveys, relating to any such facilities or properties.3. Copies of any inspection reports prepared by any governmental agency or insurance carrier in connection with environmental or workplace safety and health regulations relating to any such facilities or properties.4. Copies of all environmental and workplace safety and health notices of violations, complaints, consent decrees, and other documents indicating noncompliance with environmental or workplace safety and health laws or regulations, received by the Company from local, state, or federal governmental authorities. If available, include documentation indicating how such situations were resolved.5. Copies of any private party complaints, claims, lawsuits or other documents relating to potential environmental liability of the Company to private parties.6. Listing of underground storage tanks currently or previously present at the properties and facilities listed in response to Item 1 above, copies of permits, licenses or registrations relating to such tanks, and documentation of underground storage tank removals and any associated remediation work.7. Descriptions of any release of hazardous substances or petroleum known by the Company to have occurred at the properties and facilities listed in response to Item 1, if such release has not otherwise been described in the documents provided in response to Items 1-6 above.8. Copies of any information requests, PRP notices, "106 orders," or other notices received by the Company pursuant to CERCLA or similar state or foreign laws relating to liability for hazardous substance releases at off-site facilities.9. Copies of any notices or requests described in Item 8 above, relating to potential liability for hazardous substance releases at any properties or facilities described in response to Item 1.10. Copies of material correspondence or other documents (including any relating to the Company's share of liability) with respect to any matters identified in response to Items 8 and 9.11. Copies of any written analyses conducted by the Company or an outside consultant relating to future environmental activities (i.e., upgrades to control equipment, improvements in waste disposal practices, materials substitution) for which expenditure of funds greater than $10,000 is either certain or reasonably anticipated within the next five years and an estimate of the costs associated with such activities.12. Description of the workplace safety and health programs currently in place for the Company's business, with particular emphasis on chemical handling practices.H. Litigation1. List of all litigation, arbitration and governmental proceedings relating to the Company to which the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees is or has been a party, or which is threatened against any of them, indicating the name of the court, agency or other body before whom pending, date instituted, amount involved, insurance coverage and current status. Also describe any similar matters which were material to the Company and which were adjudicated or settled in the last ten years.2. Information as to any past or present governmental investigation of or proceeding involving the Company or the Company's directors, officers or employees.3. Copies of all attorneys' responses to audit inquiries.4. Copies of any consent decrees, orders (including applicable injunctions) or similar documents to which the Company is a party, and a brief description of the circumstances surrounding such document.5. Copies of all letters of counsel to independent public accountants concerning pending or threatened litigation.6. Any reports or correspondence related to the infringement by the Company or a third party of intellectual property rights.I. Significant Contracts and Commitments1. Contracts relating to any completed (during the past 10 years) or proposed reorganization, acquisition, merger, or purchase or sale of substantial assets (including all agreements relating to the sale, proposed acquisition or disposition of any and all divisions, subsidiaries or businesses) of or with respect to the Company.2. All joint venture and partnership agreements to which the Company is a party.3. All material agreements encumbering real or personal property owned by the Company including mortgages, pledges, security agreements or financing statements.4. Copies of all real property leases relating to the Company (whether the Company is lessor or lessee), and all leasehold title insurance policies (if any).5. Copies of all leases of personal property and fixtures relating to the Company (whether the Company is lessor or lessee), including, without limitation, all equipment rental agreements.6. Guarantees or similar commitments by or on behalf of the Company, other than endorsements for collection in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice.7. Indemnification contracts or arrangements insuring or indemnifying any director, officer, employee or agent against any liability incurred in such capacity.8. Loan agreements, notes, industrial revenue bonds, compensating balance arrangements, lines of credit, lease financing arrangements, installment purchases, etc. relating to the Company or its assets and copies of any security interests or other liens securing such obligations.9. No-default certificates and similar documents delivered to lenders for the last five (or shorter period, if applicable) years evidencing compliance with financing agreements.10. Documentation used internally for the last five years (or shorter time period, if applicable) to monitor compliance with financial covenants contained in financing agreements.11. Any correspondence or documentation for the last five years (or shorter period, if applicable) relating to any defaults or potential defaults under financing agreements.12. Contracts involving cooperation with other companies or restricting competition.13. Contracts relating to other material business relationships, including:a. any current service, operation or maintenance contracts;b. any current contracts with customers;c. any current contracts for the purchase of fixed assets; andd. any franchise, distributor or agency contracts.14. Without duplicating Section D above or the intellectual property due diligence schedule hereto, contracts involving licensing, know-how or technical assistance arrangements including contracts relating to any patent, trademark, service mark and copyright registrations or other proprietary rights used by the Company and any other agreement under which royalties are to be paid or received.15. Description of any circumstances under which the Company may be required to repurchase or repossess assets or properties previously sold.16. Data processing agreements relating to the Company.17. Copies of any contract by which any broker or finder is entitled to a fee for facilitating the proposed transaction or any other transactions involving the Company or its properties or assets.18. Management, service or support agreements relating to the Company, or any power of attorney with respect to any material assets or aspects of the Company.19. List of significant vendor and service providers (if any) who, for whatever reason, expressly decline to do business with the Company.20. Samples of all forms, including purchase orders, invoices, supply agreements, etc.21. Any agreements or arrangements relating to any other transactions between the Company and any director, officer, stockholder or affiliate of the Company (collectively, "Related Persons"), including but not limited to:a. Contracts or understandings between the Company and any Related Person regarding the sharing of assets, liabilities, services, employee benefits, insurance, data processing, third-party consulting, professional services or intellectual property.b. Contracts or understandings between Related Persons and third parties who supply inventory or services through Related Persons to the Company.c. Contracts or understandings between the Company and any Related Person that contemplate favorable pricing or terms to such parties.d. Contracts or understandings between the Company and any Related Person regarding the use of hardware or software.e. Contracts or understandings regarding the maintenance of equipment of any Related Person that is either sold, rented, leased or used by the Company.f. Description of the percentage of business done by the Company with Related Persons.g. Covenants not to compete and confidentiality agreements between the Company and a Related Person.h. List of all accounts receivable, loans and other obligations owing to or by the Company from or to a Related Person, together with any agreements relating thereto.22. Copies of all insurance and indemnity policies and coverages carried by the Company including policies or coverages for products, properties, business risk, casualty and workers compensation. A description of any self-insurance or retro-premium plan or policy, together with the costs thereof for the last five years. A summary of all material claims for the last five years as well as aggregate claims experience data and studies.23. List of any other agreements or group of related agreements with the same party or group of affiliated parties continuing over a period of more than six months from the date or dates thereof, not terminable by the Company on 30 days' notice.24. Copies of all supply agreements relating to the Company and a description of any supply arrangements.25. Copies of all contracts relating to marketing and advertising.26. Copies of all construction agreements and performance guarantees.27. Copies of all secrecy, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements.28. Copies of all agreements related to the development or acquisition of technology.29. Copies of all agreements outside the ordinary course of business.30. Copies of all warranties offered by the Company with respect to its product or services.31. List of all major contracts or understandings not otherwise previously disclosed under this section, indicating the material terms and parties.32. For any contract listed in this Section I, state whether any party is in default or claimed to be in default.33. For any contract listed in this Section I, state whether the contract requires the consent of any person to assign such contract or collaterally assign such contract to any lender.NOTE: Remember to include all amendments, schedules, exhibits and side letters. Also include brief description of any oral contract listed in this Section I.J. Employees, Benefits and Contracts1. Copies of the Company's employee benefit plans as most recently amended, including all pension, profit sharing, thrift, stock bonus, ESOPs, health and welfare plans (including retiree health), bonus, stock option plans, direct or deferred compensation plans and severance plans, together with the following documents:a. all applicable trust agreements for the foregoing plans;b. copies of all IRS determination letters for the foregoing qualified plans;c. latest IRS forms for the foregoing qualified plans, including all annual reports, schedules and attachments;d. latest copies of all summary plan descriptions, including modifications, for the foregoing plans;e. latest actuarial evaluations with respect to the foregoing defined benefit plans; andf. schedule of fund assets and unfunded liabilities under applicable plans.2. Copies of all employment contracts, consulting agreements, severance agreements, independent contractor agreements, non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements relating to any employees of the Company.3. Copies of any collective bargaining agreements and related plans and trusts relating to the Company (if any). Description of labor disputes relating to the Company within the last three years. List of current organizational efforts and projected schedule of future collective bargaining negotiations (if any).4. Copies of all employee handbooks and policy manuals (including affirmative action plans).5. Copies of all OSHA examinations, reports or complaints.6. The results of any formal employee surveys.K. Tax Matters1. Copies of returns for the three prior closed tax years and all open tax years for the Company (including all federal and state consolidated returns) together with a work paper therefor wherein each item is detailed and documented that reconciles net income as specified in the applicable financial statement with taxable income for the related period.2. Audit and revenue agents reports for the Company; audit adjustments proposed by the Internal Revenue Service for any audited tax year of the Company or by any other taxing authority; or protests filed by the Company.3. Settlement documents and correspondence for last six years involving the Company.4. Agreements waiving statute of limitations or extending time involving the Company.5. Description of accrued federal, state and local withholding taxes and FICA for the Company.6. List of all state, local and foreign jurisdictions in which the Company pays taxes or collects sales taxes from its retail customers (specifying which taxes are paid or collected in each jurisdiction).L. Miscellaneous1. Information regarding any material contingent liabilities and material unasserted claims and information regarding any asserted or unasserted violation of any employee safety and environmental laws and any asserted or unasserted pollution clean-up liability.2. List of the ten largest customers and suppliers for each product or service of the Company.3. List of major competitors for each business segment or product line.4. Any plan or arrangement filed or confirmed under the federal bankruptcy laws, if any.5. A list of all officers, directors and stockholders of the Company.6. All annual and interim reports to stockholders and any other communications with securityholders.7. Description of principal banking and credit relationships (excluding payroll matters), including the names of each bank or other financial institution, the nature, limit and current status of any outstanding indebtedness, loan or credit commitment and other financing arrangements.8. Summary and description of all product, property, business risk, employee health, group life and key-man insurance.9. Copies of any UCC or other lien, judgment or suit searches or filings related to the Company in relevant states conducted in the past three years.10. Copies of all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, state blue sky authorities or foreign security regulators or exchanges.11. All other information material to the financial condition, businesses, assets, prospects or commercial relations of the Company.

Short version: We turn over every stone, and keep turning before, during, and after an investment is made.Long version: I perform hedge fund due-diligence (DD) for family office and institutional investors so this topic is quite near and dear to me. I’m proud to have steered our clients away from several funds that turned out to either be fraudulent or blew up for operational reasons. We’re dealing with allocation sizes in the tens of millions so the stakes are obviously very high. I’ll try to be as detailed as possible but this will really only scratch the surface at best.There are several objectives to hedge fund DD (and it’s not all about making sure the manager isn't a Madoff.) It helps to recognize from the outset that each hedge fund is first and foremost a business, and for businesses to be successful they need to have a differentiated product, a repeatable process for creating that product, and as a potential client you need to evaluate your own need for the product. In other words, what is the manager's differentiating 'edge' (see Nate Anderson's answer to As a fund manager, what’s the best response to, "What is your edge?" when asked by a potential investor? I talk about the differentiated strategy approach and team experience. I’m not sure there’s a genuine structural edge in the investment business.), what is the process for exploiting that edge, and how does it fit into your portfolio?To answer these questions investors must gain a deeper understanding of all of the following: (a) the strategy, (b) the investment process, (c) the people involved in the fund, (d) the ‘business’ operations of the fund, and (e) the performance track-record.Initial ReviewTypically, the DD process starts with an initial document review to glean the basics and see if its worth taking the meeting. I generally start with the tearsheet, presentation, and recent investor letters. Every investor has their own limiting criteria, but depending on the investor some will pass right away due to factors such as:Size of the fund. Some investors want the sense of ‘safety’ from a large fund, while others prefer smaller funds due to their higher return potential. (My diligence is generally focused on smaller funds, which may have higher operational risk, so the research burden tends to be higher.)Undifferentiated strategy or an unfavorable strategy for the market environment.Lack of a track record. Many institutions and investors require 3 years of track-record or a ‘portable’ track record from a manager's previous firm in order to get comfortable with their historical ability to perform. Again, I have some investors who are comfortable being 'day-1' money which raises the due-diligence threshold.Poor relative or absolute historical performance.High volatility or large drawdowns.Poor quality of investor communication. The only thing that differentiates a 'black-box' from a transparent fund is communication. If the communication from managers is sparse or uninformative it is tough to get comfortable with a strategy. We generally like to see monthly performance updates with quarterly commentary. Anything more frequent may mean the manager is spending too much time writing, and anything less means we are in the dark for too long.Lack of credible third-party service providers (auditor, independent fund administrator, prime broker, legal counsel.) Third-party service providers are the checks and balances on a manager's operations. Investors do not get compensated for taking on unnecessary operational risks, so if we don't see auditors, administrators, and prime brokers in place we will pass immediately.MeetingIf the manager passes our initial document review we'll take a meeting. The first meeting(s) are usually the standard pitch, a walk-through of the presentation, and a high-level Q&A. Though we'll have an idea going in on what we want answered and what we'd like to discuss, we let the manager start with their pitch and always end up free-forming after a while. The idea is to get a sense of the manager, personality, and to probe on different areas of interest or concern and get a sense of whether it holds up.If the strategy, performance, fund structure, and people all pass the initial smell test and merit further interest, due-diligence begins in earnest. An initial document list is requested which generally includes:Marketing materials:Investor letters since inception. These give us a sense of the quality of communication, investment ideas, research, and insight into the manager’s personality and approach.Relevant PR such as interviews, press releases, and published articles.Due-diligence questionnaire aka the ‘DDQ’. This is a key document that asks 100+ detailed questions about the fund. The AIMA (Alternative Investment Management Association) version is the most common DDQ. We review the DDQ provided by the manager and compare it with the AIMA DDQ to see if the manager deleted any questions from the list. Usually, when a question is missing from a DDQ it's because it was irrelevant to the strategy, but sometimes a deleted question can be HIGHLY relevant and show what questions the manager doesn’t want to answer. (Here's a random completed DDQ off Google in case you’d like to get a sense of what that document looks like: Page on opcvm360.com)Research samples. Again these give us a sense of the depth and focus of the investment process.Legal:Private Placement Memorandum. This is the legal doc outlining key terms of the fund. This is generally where all the nuances on fees and fund structure are found. See How do you describe, calculate, and interpret management and incentive fees and net-of-fees returns to hedge funds? for more detail on nonsense to be aware of surrounding hedge fund fees.Subscription documents. We review to make sure everything is consistent with the PPM.Partnership agreements. These detail terms of the business structure and can also detail nuances of the fund structure.State certificate of organization/LP certificate/state registration doc, IRS W-9 tax ID form. These are mostly just confirmatory documents.Other:Audits since inception. The independent auditor’s report is of critical importance, as it will reconcile assets, portfolio balances, performance, and often provide insights on portfolio construction, liquidity of underlying assets, and back-office protocols.Independent prime brokerage report as of last completed audit. This allows us to see even more detail on the portfolio from the time of last audit and allows us to reconcile the audit with the actual portfolio. If anything doesn’t line up with the audit it means either we or the auditor are missing something.Reference list. They will all obviously be glowing references, but the choice of references can be very important. Who they leave out of the reference list is often more instructive than who is included. That being said, sometimes good information can be found through the references.Service provider contact information. We verify the relationship with each service provider, and perform due-diligence on the service providers to get an understanding of the terms and length of the relationship with the fund.Any external or internal risk reports. These give us a sense of how they measure risk, what risks they control for, and how they fall within those parameters.Regulatory registration documents such as form ADV for advisers. This is more confirmatory information but can also show critical pieces of information such as assets under management as of a particular date, key principals, number and type of clients, and compliance with the law.Once the document review is completed, you’ll likely have a better understanding (and many new questions) about key issues surrounding the 3 P’s: people, process & performance. The next step is to dig on areas of interest or concern to learn more on each of these three areas.PeopleOne of my favorite stories on manager due-diligence came from a well-known investor who passed on a hedge fund because of a raincoat:The investor wanted to get to know the manager better, so they agreed to go on a hike. Halfway up the mountain it began to downpour. Unfortunately, the manager hadn’t checked the forecast and spent the latter part of the hike completely drenched. The (dry) investor realized at that point that the manager was a little too focused on the adventure ahead of him and not at all focused on managing the predictable risks along the way. The investor passed due to concerns over risk management.We haven’t passed on any managers over rain gear, but I think the point is relevant. In poker, you must observe everything about a player; betting patterns, style of play, tolerance for risk, and personality. You piece together an understanding of the person from the data in order to get a sense of their tendencies. The same applies to due-diligence on people. Fortunately we have a lot more data to work with than at a poker table:Background checks. We use a service that looks for criminal, regulatory, and civil infractions, including Anti-Money-Laundering checks on all principals and key employees of a prospective firm.Regulatory checks. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has a very comprehensive database of brokers and investment adviser firms that shows whether individuals or firms have had any regulatory infractions, their registration status, whether they’ve had any arbitration awards issued against them, and the full employment record of registered individuals (among other things). It also ties into the SEC database which is often relevant for larger firms. All of this is obviously extremely valuable background information. One little trick we use is to match up the employment record of the principal with the bio in their marketing materials. Often they will leave firms out of their bio if they had a bad experience there, though they'll include it on their regulatory filings. It may bring up points that require further digging: BrokerCheck: Research Brokers & Investment AdvisersBack-channel reference checks. This is probably one of the hardest things to do effectively, particularly for industry outsiders, but this can be a source of absolutely critical information. This is the scuttlebutt; the “I’ll talk to my guy who worked in this manager’s Deutsche Bank division when he was a portfolio manager...” This approach is often how you get the ‘real’ story behind a manager.Regular ol’ reference checks. You have to cut through the glowing praise and ask the right questions to really get a sense of the truth, but these can be helpful.Direct interviews with the manager. This doesn’t have to be a cross examination but during the meetings there should be a component of confirmatory questions along with getting a sense of the manager’s personality, background, and approach.Google. (Never underestimate!) I was asked by a family office to diligence a manager and I googled the manager before anything. Past investors had posted on a forum that the manager lost 90%+ of their money by making risky bets then doubling down when the original bets didn’t work out.Skin in the GameAlso worth noting is that it's incredibly important to know that the manager has invested in their own fund, and that they are risking their assets alongside yours. Most investors want to know what percentage of the manager's liquid net worth is in the fund, and will often request documents to prove it.Operational and Investment ProcessNow that you understand more about the people you’re working with, you want to understand the structure and processes that constrain them.A hedge fund, like any other business, creates a product (a portfolio). In order to generate consistent portfolio performance you need to understand the sausage factory, including both the investment process AND the operational processes in place.I know what you’re thinking—operations are boring. The sexy stuff is how people come up with their brilliant investment ideas. Unfortunately, the operations and business side of the fund are not trivial matters; research has shown that over half of all hedge fund blow-ups occur due to operational issues that have nothing to do with the investment process. As unappealing as it is to try to figure out the nuances of how Net Asset Value is calculated and reconciled with the fund administrator, it’s even less appealing to lose a billion dollars because you didn’t take the time. (Yes, turning over every stone means turning over the ugly ones too.)I’ve seen institutional investors pass on funds for reasons which may not be immediately obvious problems to a new hedge fund investor. Below are some examples. If you can think through the issues or potential issues with each real-life scenario below then you are off to a good start:A small fund required a single signatory on cash transfers.A fund had legal entities for their marketing, deal sourcing, and investment divisions of the firm.A large, well-known fund has used a big-4 firm as their auditor since inception, and worked with several offices of the firm over the course of their relationship.The same fund in #3 managed their fund administration internally.A fund was down 3% one month.A fund had rehypothecation agreements in place with their Prime Broker, a major, well-respected Wall St. bank.I imagine some of the above might not even sound like English. So what does it mean and why were these all problems for the prospective investors?Single signatory. Like any other business, embezzlement can be a problem for hedge funds. Requiring a single signatory to move cash, particularly for a small fund, means that a founder/key employee can potentially loot the place without limits. It’s not unheard of for a business owner to get served divorce papers then decide it's time for an early retirement in a tropical, non-extradition friendly country. On a less major scale, an employee may embezzle smaller amounts systematically over time. Hedge funds generally have much higher asset liquidity than traditional businesses, and therefore cash stewardship is of utmost importance. For these reasons, institutions usually require double signatories on cash transfers, often with one signatory being a credible, independent fund administrator.Multiple legal entities. Separate legal entities are put in place to limit liability (and potentially transparency) between entities. Whenever a manager puts legal shields in place between different operational aspects of a fund the investor should have a very clear understanding of why that is the case. In this case the reasons didn’t pass the smell test, and were likely in place to obscure important information for investors.Using several offices of the same accountant. Accountants understand the concept of multiple legal entities all too well. For example, each office of PWC may have its own separate legal entity which protects the greater organization and other offices from shared liability. In other words, working with 3 different offices of the same firm can be like working with 3 completely different firms. Another fact about accountants: If they find a problem with a fund (or a company) they will often resign rather than report their suspicions. In this particular example, 3 offices of the same accounting firm resigned over the course of the life of the fund. Unfortunately, most investors just thought: "Well, the manager has used a credible firm since inception, therefore it’s all kosher." Wrong.In-sourced administration. Approximately 90% of all hedge fund frauds would be eliminated through use of a credible outside fund administrator to manage valuation, NAV reporting, subscriptions/redemptions, and the back-office functions of a hedge fund. Madoff (again) in-sourced his administration. He couldn’t have reasonably pulled off his fraud had he used a credible outside administrator.Fund down 3% in a month. This by itself isn’t a problem. Some funds have high volatility and +/- 5% or more in a month isn’t unusual. The problem was that this particular fund’s investment strategy was expected to generate a slow, consistent half percent a month. A drawdown in one month of 3% in the context of that strategy was a red flag. The next month the fund was down 9% and subsequently lost another 20% before shutting down.Rehypothe-what?? Rehypothecation is when the fund lends their securities to their prime broker. The broker can then use the securities as collateral to lend against, and will generally pay the fund a small fee in return, which helps lower the fund’s brokerage expenses. Here’s bottom line: When Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, this small distinction determined who 'owned' the assets. It was the difference between blow-up or solvency for many funds. (Literally billions were lost or saved over this nuanced operational detail.)In addition to operational processes, the investor must understand the investment processes in order to get a sense of how the fund’s portfolio is constructed. How does the manager source ideas, and what does their own research consist of? What kind of risks does the fund take? Risks such as currency, security, sector, market, interest rate, volatility, and countless other risks can be a part of the portfolio construction process. How does the manager make sure they are adequately compensated for those risks? How do these risks fit into the investor’s broader portfolio? Professional portfolio managers must account for all of these factors with the funds they invest.Performance.On every disclaimer on every document you will read from a hedge fund it will say: "Past performance is not indicative of future results." I'm generally not a fan of legalese but this bit should be taken as gospel. Historical returns are in the past, and without understanding them in the context of the strategy, the risks taken, and the changing nature of the strategy in the market then those returns are meaningless. Statistics lie. At the very least they can mislead: Did you know that the Vatican City has 5.9 Popes per square mile? True fact.Lets go through another quick example. If a manager tells you “we returned 100% last year.” Are you:(a) Excited(b) Interested(c) Skeptical/unsure(d) Overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority over your own lousy returnsIf the answer is anything other than lots of ‘c’ with a little bit of ‘b’ then you need to learn more about what performance means. (If your answer is ‘d’ I suggest yoga.)Performance needs to be understood in context. What risks did you take to make 100%? What is the volatility an investor can expect on those kinds of returns? (No matter how great your returns are, you only need to lose 100% once to wipe it all out.) Statistics like Sharpe ratios, maximum drawdown, correlation, and volatility can only really be helpful in the context of the market and the strategy that contributed to that performance.I once met with a manager who returned 142% in 2009 and 55% in 2010. Those were eye-popping returns, and they had all the right service providers and statistical ratios to ‘prove’ how credible and great they were.The manager told me that their whole strategy was to analyze momentum price signals, because “when you focus on one thing all day you get pretty good at it.” They were a complete black box as far as their model and their investment process, but the manager shared one aspect of the model: “When the market goes up we are able to capture those returns, but as soon as the market starts to drop, the model shuts down in order to mitigate any losses.” Classic baloney. (Explanation: Unless you know whether the market will continue to go down or up you can't determine when to turn the model on or off. He was basically implying that they could perfectly predict the direction of future price action in the market.)I passed on the fund, and it literally blew up the next month. (To be fair, I didn’t realize it would blow up so soon, though I did know that it would inevitably blow up with those returns coupled with no credible explanation of how they produced them or why they would persist.) The moral is that it's hard to find an edge and generate consistent returns, and historical performance (whether good or bad) has to be understood in full context.OverallThis overview really just scratches the surface but hopefully the framework and actionable tips are helpful. Many institutions view their due-diligence process as proprietary, but personally I’d rather see all investors have a deeper understanding of the process. It’s bad for the industry when charlatans run around with impunity, and quality diligence helps lift the entire profession. Most hedge fund managers are good people (honestly), but even among good people there can be a lot of average performers and undifferentiated strategies. A good due-diligence process can be both informative and collaborative-- in addition to learning about the managers our DD process often leads to operational improvements among funds we work with.Take your time, and don’t be afraid to ask even seemingly stupid or awkward questions. The best questions are often a little bit awkward. Always keep in mind that the next stone you turn over could be the difference between gaining or losing everything. If a manager seems reticent to provide information or answer your questions its generally a sign of what the relationship will look like going forward. Investments in hedge funds are ultimately partnerships and the good managers will understand and appreciate your need to learn before investing. Good luck!