Question 1

What is FactorBench?

Accepted Answer

FactorBench is a research workbench for equity investors. It allows you to build factor screens, backtest investment ideas on point-in-time data, and turn them into live, reproducible watchlists. It's designed for independent quants, portfolio managers, and serious retail investors who want a transparent, rigorous path from hypothesis to evidence to actionable stock lists.

Question 2

Who is FactorBench for?

Accepted Answer

FactorBench is built for independent quants, portfolio managers, and serious retail investors who demand transparency and rigor in their investment research. If you want to test factor-based strategies without black-box magic and need point-in-time data to avoid look-ahead bias, FactorBench is for you.

Question 3

Do I need a credit card to try FactorBench?

Accepted Answer

No credit card is required for the free plan. The free plan includes full access to the screener with multi-factor ranking and formula builder. If you want to unlock backtesting capabilities, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan, which requires a credit card but includes a 7-day free trial.

Question 4

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All paid plans include a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime during or after the trial period. There are no cancellation fees or penalties.

Question 5

What is point-in-time data and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Point-in-time data means we use only the information that was actually available on a given date-no look-ahead bias. We enforce a configurable fundamental lag window and pin runs to a common effective price date. This ensures your backtest results are realistic and trustworthy, not inflated by hindsight.

Question 6

How do backtests work?

Accepted Answer

You design a factor screen (e.g., P/E < 15 AND ROE > 15%), select the top X% of stocks, and choose equal-weight or cap-weight portfolios. FactorBench runs the backtest on historical point-in-time data, showing you hypothetical performance over your selected time period (7, 15, or 25 years depending on your plan).

Question 7

What is the formula language?

Accepted Answer

FactorBench includes a safe, AST-validated Domain Specific Language (DSL) for creating custom metrics. You can compose formulas like "(ROE + ROA) / 2" or "MarketCap * PriceToBook" without worrying about security issues-no eval() or exec() is used. The language is allow-listed, so only safe operations are permitted.

Question 8

Can I save and share my screens?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can save your factor screens and export the selected tickers as watchlists. This makes it easy to monitor your strategies over time or share them with colleagues. Every screen is reproducible-run it again later and you'll get consistent results pinned to the same methodology.

Question 9

What metrics and factors can I use?

Accepted Answer

FactorBench provides common fundamental metrics like P/E, ROE, market cap, revenue growth, and more. Each metric reports its source/basis (e.g., TTM for trailing twelve months or MRQ for most recent quarter). You can combine these with our formula language to create custom factors.

Question 10

What data sources do you use?

Accepted Answer

We use professionally-sourced fundamental and price data with transparent provenance. Every metric reports its source and basis (TTM/MRQ), and we handle NaNs and stale data defensively. We also provide diagnostics showing survivor counts, weights, and per-factor values for full auditability.

Question 11

What are the pricing tiers?

Accepted Answer

Free: Full screener access with multi-factor ranking (no backtesting). Starter ($29/mo): Backtest up to 7 years. Pro ($49/mo): Backtest up to 15 years. Ultimate ($99/mo): Backtest up to 25 years. All paid plans include a 7-day free trial with credit card required.

Question 12

Why do different plans have different backtest periods?

Accepted Answer

Longer historical backtests require more data storage and processing power. By offering tiered backtest periods, we can provide affordable entry-level options while giving serious researchers access to decades of historical data for more robust testing.

Question 13

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We use bank-level encryption to protect your data in transit and at rest. All connections use secure HTTPS, and we employ multiple layers of security to protect your screens, backtests, and watchlists from unauthorized access.

Question 14

Who can see my screens and backtests?

Accepted Answer

Your screens, backtests, and watchlists are private to your account. We never sell your data or share your investment strategies with third parties. Your research stays yours.

Question 15

Do you share data with third parties?

Accepted Answer

We never sell your data or share it with third parties for marketing purposes. We only use trusted providers for essential infrastructure (like hosting), and they are bound by strict data processing agreements that protect your privacy.

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