The BOTS app reviews: Wouter

Wouter

“Where 20 years ago you could still get 3–4% interest on your savings account, it’s now down to almost negative.” It remains silent for a while when Wouter continues: “So I started looking into other options. And that’s how I ended up at BOTS.” Today, Wouter talks about his BOTS app experiences.

Wouter’s son was born two years ago. A good time to think about creating capital. Wouter doesn’t like a savings account. After some research, he opens an automatic investment account at Binq Bank: “When I started, I had the idea to start small and just to wait and see for about a year, before drawing any conclusions. I have now been on the road for two years, and my return is 10%. I am more than happy with that result.”

The 32-year-old Wouter has no trading experience other than his account at Binq. “This is mainly because I always had savings accounts from home and did not come into contact with investing,” he laughs. “So, in that respect, everything is new.”

Wouter was born and raised in Amersfoort. He studies as a goldsmith in Schoonhoven. “It turned out that I didn’t like the work as a goldsmith as much as I had thought I would. I missed the social contact. You often find yourself at a jeweller, working in the back of the store.” After three years, during which Wouter had various jobs to discover what he wants, he started a new study in Antwerp as a watchmaker.

“And now I work at a medical company where I can set up a repair centre. Very challenging.” Wouter talks enthusiastically about the link between medical equipment and watchmaking: “In the end, repairs are often about fine mechanics and electronics, so it’s not that far apart.”

Wouter & BOTS

Meanwhile, Wouter lives with his family outside Amersfoort. “I want to create a nice life for my family so that we can have a good time together. And that includes earning a second income. You have to work without hassle, and that was exactly what appealed to me with BOTS.”

The first time Wouter encountered BOTS was through an advertisement on social media: “You should know that I was quite sceptical at first.” Wouter laughs: “I decided to study it more closely.”

About four years ago, Wouter had opened a Bitcoin wallet through a colleague: “That happened through a somewhat shady website. So I calculated the risk that something could go wrong. And it did.” It remains silent for a while. “So that may also explain my scepticism. I don’t know anything about crypto, but I do see it as a nice diversification of the portfolio next to the standard options of investments.”

Wouter decides to download the BOTS app and is enthusiastic straight away. “I want to try it for a year before concluding — just as I did with Bing. It’s way too early for conclusions now. But of course, there are things that I want to do.” Again, Wouter remains silent for a while: “And things that could be done better.”

What appeals to Wouter is the fact that he stays in control when it comes to the risk he is willing to take: “I decide which bot and associated risk level I choose. And I also choose how much money I invest. So I have most strings in my hands. I don’t have time to dive into the mechanics of trading itself. I have other priorities. So it’s great that a bot does this for you.”

When we ask about Wouter’s favourite bot, he indicates that he does not have a favourite bot — he has a favourite bot creator: Boosting Alpha. “That has everything to do with their visibility. Because Boosting Alpha is so visible and approachable, it gives me a lot of confidence in their abilities as a user of their bots. They answer everything. They also answer critical and very technical questions. And that’s what you want, as a user.”

Wouter is delighted with the BOTS app: “It’s very clever to offer something as complex as trading in crypto, almost simple. If, for example, the graphs are completely correct and regular investments are possible, I would recommend the app. I would recommend it to my parents, but at this moment, I think it’s a bit too early for such a recommendation.” Wouter also mentions being able to start quickly and the option to pay via iDEAL as significant advantages.

“But for me, the most important advantage is that it makes ‘saving’ really fun. I do not experience that at Binq. It is a bit of a sport to work with your money in this way. The BOTS app makes it fun to put money aside on a bot. You get the same euphoria of, for example, buying an electric bicycle, but in fact, you put money to work for later. That’s fantastic!”

Of course, Wouter also has several examples for us of things we could improve. For instance, he finds the display of the profit percentages in the app unrepresentative. “I would much prefer to see the total pure return since the bot started.” In any case, Wouter would also like to see the graphs of the current bots become more reliable: “The information displayed is often incorrect, and that creates a bit of mistrust. That is a shame and unnecessary.”

Wouter is a user of the BOTS app and a certificate holder and beta tester: a small club that tests new functionalities for us before they go to the live app. “I am naturally critical, and so is the app. From a positive perspective, of course. After all, you want a better user experience for everyone. That is why I would also find it valuable if we, for example, get more insight into a priority list of RevenYOU. Make use of the enthusiasm of your users, I would say.”

The future of BOTS

Wouter also has a good tip for us when it comes to the future-proofing of BOTS: “I believe that the bot creators should get the spotlight. Without these creators, there are no bots, and therefore there is no app.” Wouter proposes to give them a form of visibility: “And not only via the podcast, but also, for example, via the website or, if it is technically possible, in the BOTS app itself. Everyone wants more bot builders, including RevenYOU. Wouldn’t it be great if all that talent around would also commit to making bots? I’d rather see such talents earn money and perhaps even become famous via BOTS than via YouTube or Instagram.”

When we ask Wouter about the future of BOTS, he is moderately enthusiastic. “I can’t and don’t want to make any statements about that. I plan to see how things go for about a year or so. RevenYOU is such a young company; it could go either way.” Again, a moment of silence: “But I am hopeful. Otherwise, I would never have invested in BOTS itself, and I would not have become a certificate holder.” Wouter is overall positive about his BOTS app experiences.

There is no such thing as risk-free trading. It is possible to lose (part of) your stake.

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