# How Autopilot connects to your brokerage, and whether it's safe URL: https://start.joinautopilot.com/journal/how-autopilot-connects Updated: 2026-10-09 I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. Open it in the Autopilot app. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=how-autopilot-connects&af_sub1=intro Open it in the Autopilot app. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=how-autopilot-connects&af_sub1=body When you connect your brokerage account to Autopilot, your money stays where it is. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to place trades in that account. It can't move or withdraw your money. That's how the connection works. Let me explain what that authority covers, what it doesn't, what can go wrong, how to stop, and what to check before you connect any app to your account. 1) What actually happens when you connect Step one, you enter into an advisory agreement with Autopilot Advisers, LLC, our SEC-registered investment adviser. You grant that authority through the agreement. Step two, you connect the brokerage account you already have. It has to be an individual or IRA account at one of our supported brokerages. Step three, you pick a Portfolio and allocate an amount to it. That's the money Autopilot can trade for that Portfolio. After that, when the Portfolio changes, we send the orders and your broker fills them. 2) What Autopilot Advisers can do It can place trades in your account, for the Portfolio you picked, up to the amount you allocated. Autopilot can only trade up to the amount you allocate and can't withdraw your funds. For those unaware, that authority is called discretionary. Autopilot can decide what to buy or sell, how much, and when, without asking you first. It does that in line with the investment strategy you selected. Public, our official brokerage partner, lists what connection allows: access to your account profile information, including your personal data and investing preferences, viewing your holdings, transactions, and balances, and buying and selling for your account according to your Portfolio. The same page says Public isn't responsible for the services Autopilot provides, including trades Autopilot makes for your account. To be upfront, Public pays us a referral fee when someone we refer opens and funds an account. It doesn't change what you pay us, and you don't have to use Public. At Charles Schwab, the connection runs on a limited power of attorney, or LPOA. 3) What it can't do - It can't move or withdraw your money. - It doesn't hold your money. Autopilot doesn't currently maintain custody of any client assets. We collect our fee by charging a credit card. - It isn't your broker. Your broker holds the account, fills the orders, and sends your statements and tax documents. The money stays in your account. 4) What SIPC covers, and what it doesn't For those unaware, SIPC is the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. It protects customers when a member brokerage firm fails. SIPC says the limit is $500,000, which includes $250,000 for cash. SIPC protection is limited: it only protects the custody function, meaning it works to restore the cash and securities in customer accounts when a brokerage firm's liquidation begins. It doesn't protect against a drop in the value of your investments. SIPC's intro page adds that protection is only available if your brokerage firm fails and SIPC steps in, and that you must file a claim. The SEC and SIPC say each separate capacity is treated as its own customer, and accounts in the same capacity are combined. So a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA at the same firm each get their own protection. SIPC membership belongs to your broker, not to us. Autopilot Advisers is an investment adviser, not a broker-dealer. You can check your broker on SIPC's member list. 5) What can go wrong I want to be honest with you. Connecting an app to your account has real trade-offs. - Connections break. The APIs that connect to brokerages can be unstable, and they can stop working without warning. That can leave your trades out of step with the Portfolio and your exposure different from what you intended. - Orders can be delayed. They can go out in batches over the trading day, and low liquidity, trading halts, or technical problems can hold them up. - Some accounts need you to approve each trade before it goes through. The longer the delay between a trade and your approval, the more your results can drift from the Portfolio. I cover where that applies in which brokerages work with Autopilot. - The investments can lose money. Some Pilots go up for years, some are flat for years, and some lose money. No connection changes that. 6) How to stop There are three different things people mean by "stop," and they do different things. Cancel the subscription. Cancelling doesn't sell your holdings or disconnect your brokerage, and Autopilot stops managing and rebalancing that Portfolio going forward. The stocks stay in your account. It stops renewing at the next billing date. If you end Premium Tier in the middle of a fee cycle, that takes effect at the end of the cycle, and you can email support@joinautopilot.com to ask for immediate termination. Uninstalling the app doesn't cancel anything. Delete the Portfolio. Its holdings are sold and the funds are returned to your brokerage, typically the same day, with exact timing handled by your brokerage. Deleting a Portfolio doesn't cancel your subscription. If you want to remove a Portfolio without selling, ask a person in the app chat. End access at your broker. You can revoke our access by following the prompts in your brokerage. The screen is different at each broker, so ask your broker's support and our in-app chat what's connected to your account. One more thing. Selling the stocks yourself doesn't stop it. The app will try to buy back what you sold. 7) What to check before you connect any app FINRA's guidance is written about data aggregators, the apps that connect to your financial accounts to pull your data. Several of its tips work for any connected app, us included: - Read the agreement and know what rights you're granting. - Check that the app only accesses the information it needs for what it does. - When you stop using a service, end the access you granted. Deleting the app on your phone may not do it. The SEC's April 2026 bulletin adds a few more: - Turn on two-step verification at your broker if it offers it. - Check your statements and trade confirmations regularly. - If you see a transaction you didn't authorize, contact your firm in writing right away. And tell us. If a trade doesn't look right, use the in-app chat or email support@joinautopilot.com. You can look us up, too. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is CRD 331749 on the SEC's adviser search. Then research the person and the Portfolio. If you're still choosing a broker, here's which brokerages work with Autopilot. TLDR: Connecting your brokerage to Autopilot gives Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, limited authority to place trades for the Portfolio you pick, up to the amount you allocate. It can't move or withdraw your money, and it doesn't hold it. Your broker does. If a SIPC-member broker fails, SIPC's limit is $500,000 per customer capacity, including $250,000 for cash, and it doesn't cover market losses. Connections can break, orders can be delayed, and some accounts need you to approve each trade. Cancelling keeps your stocks. Deleting a Portfolio sells them. Frequently asked questions Is it safe to connect my brokerage account to Autopilot? You give Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, limited authority to place trades for the Portfolio you pick, up to the amount you allocate. It can't move or withdraw your money, and it doesn't hold it. Your broker does. Risks include connections breaking, orders being delayed or needing your approval, and the investments themselves losing money. Read the agreement, turn on two-step verification at your broker if it offers it, and check your statements regularly. Can Autopilot withdraw money from my brokerage account? No. Autopilot can only trade up to the amount you allocate and can't withdraw your funds. Autopilot doesn't currently maintain custody of client assets, and we collect our fee by charging a credit card. Your money stays at your broker. Does Autopilot hold my money? No. Your cash and investments stay in your own brokerage account, at a broker like Public or Charles Schwab. Autopilot Advisers has limited authority to place trades there for the Portfolio you follow. Your broker holds the account, fills the orders, and sends your statements and tax documents. Is my account SIPC protected if I use Autopilot? SIPC protection depends on your broker being a SIPC member, not on Autopilot. SIPC says it protects customers of a failed member firm up to $500,000, including $250,000 for cash, by working to restore the cash and securities in their accounts. It doesn't protect against investments losing value, and you have to file a claim. A traditional IRA and a Roth IRA at the same firm are each treated as a separate customer. How do I disconnect Autopilot from my brokerage? You can revoke Autopilot's access by following the prompts in your brokerage. The screen is different at each broker, so ask your broker's support and Autopilot's in-app chat what's connected to your account. Revoking is separate from cancelling a subscription, which keeps your stocks, and deleting a Portfolio, which sells them. If you want to stop without selling, ask a person in the app chat. What happens to my stocks if I cancel Autopilot? They stay in your brokerage account. Cancelling a subscription doesn't sell your holdings or disconnect your brokerage, and Autopilot stops managing and rebalancing that Portfolio going forward. The subscription stops renewing at the next billing date. Deleting a Portfolio is different: it sells the holdings and returns the cash to your brokerage account, and it doesn't cancel your subscription. How often should I review the permissions I've granted to a connected trading app? Neither the SEC nor FINRA gives a set interval. FINRA says to end the access you granted once you stop using a service, which can take more than deleting the app. The SEC says to check your statements and trade confirmations regularly and to report anything you didn't authorize to your firm in writing right away. So review what's connected whenever you stop using a service, and read every statement and confirmation. Open it in the Autopilot app. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=how-autopilot-connects&af_sub1=end "Autopilot" refers to Autopilot Holdings Corp and Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Investing carries risk-including possible loss of principal-and past performance is not indicative of future results. Figures current as of 10/09/26. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important info at joinautopilot.com/disclaimer. Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (Public) and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. are each a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC, and separate companies unaffiliated with Autopilot.