Risk Disclosure: Automated Trading and Financial Markets

1. Introduction & My Role

Please read this Risk Disclosure carefully before purchasing any trading software, Expert Advisors (EAs), or custom MQL5 development services from Donaldson R F. I am an independent software developer and IT specialist, not a registered financial advisor, wealth manager, or broker.

All software, scripts, indicators, and educational materials provided on donaldsonrf.com are designed strictly for software execution and educational purposes. I do not provide personalized investment advice, and nothing on this Site should be construed as such.

2. The High Risk of Forex & Algorithmic Trading

Trading foreign exchange (Forex), indices, commodities, and other financial instruments on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to participate in the financial markets, you must carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite.

Leverage: The high degree of leverage available in Forex trading can work against you as well as for you. A small market movement can lead to a proportionately large impact on your deposited funds, meaning you could sustain a total loss of your initial margin funds and any additional funds deposited to maintain your position.
Market Volatility: Financial markets can fluctuate rapidly due to unforeseen economic, political, or social events. No algorithmic strategy or Expert Advisor can predict these “Black Swan” events.
Total Loss of Capital: You should only invest risk capital—money you can entirely afford to lose without jeopardizing your financial security or lifestyle.

3. Risks Specific to Expert Advisors (EAs) and Risk Management Software

Using automated trading systems, including products developed by me, introduces specific technological and operational risks that you must fully accept:

Limitations of Risk Management Tools: Even software explicitly engineered for capital preservation and strict risk management is bound by the physical limitations of the market and broker infrastructure. While the internal logic of my risk management code is exact, external forces completely beyond the code’s control can occur. These include weekend or news-driven market gaps, severe slippage, extreme spread widening, sudden VPS instability, or broker-side server freezes. If the broker’s server does not accept or process the command sent by the EA due to these external factors, the protective measures may be delayed or bypassed. Therefore, I cannot be held financially responsible if these inescapable market realities prevent the software from halting a drawdown as intended.
Backtesting vs. Live Performance: Past performance, whether derived from historical backtesting or live track records, is absolutely no guarantee of future results. Backtests often assume ideal liquidity and zero slippage, which is impossible to replicate constantly in real live market conditions.
Custom Development Risks: If you hire me to build a custom EA based on your proprietary strategy, my responsibility is limited strictly to translating your logic into accurate MQL5 code. I am not responsible for the profitability, logic flaws, or market viability of your specific strategy.

4. Risks Specific to Trade Signals and Copy Trading

In addition to software development, I may offer Forex trade signals or copy trading services. I want to be completely transparent about the nature of these products: they are simply a means of granting you paid access to view and mirror the executions I am taking on my own personal account. I do not manage your funds, I have no access to your brokerage account, and I cannot control your risk settings. By subscribing, you are merely paying for a window into my personal trading activity, and there is absolutely no guarantee of profit.

Full Account Responsibility: You maintain absolute control over your own trading account at all times. The decision to connect, the lot sizes you choose to trade, and the leverage you employ are entirely your responsibility. I am merely making my trades public; the financial risk of choosing to copy them rests entirely with you.
Account Size and Leverage Discrepancies: Your trading account may have a different balance or leverage limit than my master account. A proportional drawdown that is entirely manageable on my account could easily trigger a margin call on yours if your account is undercapitalized or if you over-leverage your copied positions.
Execution Delays and Slippage: Copy trading is not instantaneous. The milliseconds it takes for a signal to travel from my server to yours, and then to your broker, can result in slippage. You may enter or exit a trade at a worse price than my original execution.
Broker Differences: Different brokers have vastly different spreads, commission structures, and price feeds. A trade that hits a take-profit on my broker may result in a loss on yours simply because your broker’s spread was wider at that exact moment.

5. Web Hosting, Email, and Data Loss Risks

If you utilize my web hosting, server management, or email infrastructure services, please be aware that while I implement strict security measures, digital environments are never entirely immune to technical failures. My system performs automated daily backups of your site files and emails, and retains them for a period of one week. However, you acknowledge that:

Client Responsibility: It is ultimately your absolute responsibility to maintain your own independent, off-site backups of all your critical business data, website files, and email communications.
Unforeseen Failures: Hardware malfunctions, severe cyber-attacks, or unforeseen software corruption can result in data loss. I cannot be held financially or legally liable for any data loss, business interruption, or damages resulting from such events.

6. Technology and Infrastructure Risks (Trading)

Automated trading requires continuous and stable infrastructure. As an IT professional, I build robust code, but I cannot control the broader technological environment. You are exposed to:

Hardware and Software Failures: MetaTrader terminals can freeze, crash, or restart unexpectedly, leaving positions unmanaged.
Internet and VPS Connectivity: Disconnects between your Virtual Private Server (VPS) and the broker’s server can prevent an EA from opening, modifying, or closing trades, potentially leading to unprotected exposure in the market.
Broker Updates: Brokers frequently update their MT4/MT5 server builds, which can occasionally cause previously stable EAs or custom indicators to malfunction.

7. Third-Party Brokers, Prop Firms, and External Links

Any mention of third-party brokers or proprietary trading firms (“prop firms”)—such as IC Markets, IC Trading, FTMO, or others—on my Site is for informational, affiliate, or compatibility purposes only. I have no control over their execution speeds, server stability, margin requirements, evaluation rules, payout policies, or business practices. I am not responsible for any financial losses, slippage, failed prop firm challenges, or server disconnections caused by your chosen broker or prop firm.

8. Final Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

By purchasing my software, following my trade signals, or utilizing my custom coding or web hosting services, you explicitly acknowledge that trading and digital infrastructure involve inherent risks. You agree that Donaldson R F shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential losses, margin calls, account blowouts, failed evaluations, or data loss resulting from the use, misuse, configuration, or malfunction of any Expert Advisor, script, copy trading signal, or technical infrastructure provided by me.

If you do not fully understand the risks involved in algorithmic and manual trading, please seek the advice of an independent and registered financial advisor before using any products or services from this Site.

Last updated: June 2026