OUR APPROACH
How Capitol Ledger turns disclosures into monthly research
Our sources, House coverage, disclosure timing, model allocations and research limitations, explained in plain language.
Capitol Ledger publishes research based on delayed public U.S. House financial-disclosure filings. Its monthly model portfolio is a rule-based interpretation of eligible records. It is not a reconstruction of every member’s brokerage account.
Source records and coverage
The source is the House Clerk’s financial-disclosure portal. The collection process retains source documents and retrieval information. Parsing and eligibility rules determine which rows can enter the research. Missing documents, unclear securities and exclusions can limit coverage. Current product coverage is House filings; Senate coverage is not promised.
For covered transactions, the filing deadline is the earlier of 30 days after awareness or 45 days after the transaction, as described by the House Committee on Ethics. Public availability and retrieval may occur at different times. The model’s decision timestamp uses filing availability rather than substituting the original transaction date. Historical timestamp quality remains a limitation to examine when evaluating results.
Three different views of the information
- Monthly disclosed purchases: a research view of eligible purchases disclosed in the reporting window. Reported amount-range midpoints are estimates used to rank and scale this basket. They are not exact transaction amounts.
- Practical model portfolio: accumulated modeled holdings and cash, with monthly changes. Recorded model trades describe activity inside that model, rather than personal account orders.
- Disclosure ledger: Premium’s separate synthetic view based on reported ranges. It is distinct from the practical model and its performance chart.
Allocations and minimum amounts
Paid editions include the complete available model allocation and recorded changes. The fresh-$1,000 illustration applies model weights with a $50 minimum buy and retains the remainder as cash. It differs from the full portfolio and is not the portfolio behind the historical chart. The optional purchase-allocation file is a separate illustration of relative disclosed purchase amounts.
The practical performance model skips modeled trades below $150 and includes modeled commissions and slippage. Those are model assumptions, not a promise of the costs or share quantities available in your account. Your holdings, broker, prices and taxes affect your own calculation.
Reading the historical chart
The website compares practical and cost-free versions of the strategy with an S&P 500 reference. The benchmark shown excludes dividends. Treat the comparison as a comparison under the stated assumptions, not a total-return comparison. Model history is hypothetical and is not a live subscriber return record.
Before relying on any historical result, examine the reporting period, execution timing, benchmark, costs and sensitivity to modeling choices. The SEC’s performance-claims bulletin explains why hypothetical performance and selected historical results need context. This overview does not establish an independent audit, complete historical coverage, survivorship-free data or out-of-sample validation.
What each plan supplies
Free previews three companies with estimated purchase amounts, transaction counts and filing context where the underlying records can be matched to the saved edition. Weekly adds up to ten trade highlights each week, plus the monthly practical allocation, recorded changes and supporting files. Premium adds daily filing digests, including quiet-day confirmations, and a separate monthly disclosure ledger. Daily filings do not trigger additional model rebalances.
The public example edition is illustrative. Its fictional demonstration figures should not be read as current filings. Check the dated edition and file descriptions when reviewing an actual report.
Inspect, then decide
Read the public research, inspect the sample and compare the information with your own needs. A disclosed trade does not establish a motive, and a model allocation does not account for your financial circumstances. About Capitol Ledger explains the purpose of the service and how to report an error.
Educational research based on delayed public disclosures. Model allocations are not personalized investment advice. Hypothetical performance does not establish future returns.