40% a month? First ask: “Where does this number come from?”

A screenshot of an account with a beautiful rising curve takes ten seconds to make; but your capital took months to gather. The distance between those two is exactly where most losses happen. The saving question is: “Where does this number come from?” If a manager or account talks about verified returns, they must be able to show the source of the figure; and if the number is only “declared”, you should trust it exactly as much as a claim deserves. This article teaches you to read a return figure like a professional reviewer.

Three kinds of numbers, three levels of trust

1. Declared returns. The account manager states the number themselves. It may be accurate, it may not; you have no way to measure it. At PAMM Iran these figures are always shown with a “declared” label so they are never mixed with reviewed numbers.

2. Statement-verified. The manager sends the official MetaTrader terminal statement. The system matches the account number inside the file with the registered account, separates deposits and withdrawals from profit, and an expert reviews it. This level is firmer than declared, but it is a photograph of the past, not a live stream.

3. Live data. The account is connected to the platform with the investor (read-only) password, and balance, equity and trades are read directly from the account itself. Nobody types the number, and no file changes hands. This is the highest level of trust, and serious rankings must be built on exactly this level.

What exactly do verified returns mean?

Verified returns mean a figure that a system independent of the manager has read from a source the manager cannot manipulate, and calculated by a defined method. It has three parts: the data source is clear (live or a reviewed statement), deposits and withdrawals are separated from the return, and drawdown is visible beside the profit. Whenever you see a big number anywhere, ask these same three questions: what is its source? How were deposits separated? What is the drawdown beside it? A figure that answers all three clearly is a verified return; the rest is decoration.

What is the investor password, and why is it safe?

Every MetaTrader account has two passwords: the master password for trading, and the investor password only for viewing. With the investor password you cannot trade, withdraw money, or change any setting. That is why a professional manager has no reason to hide it from an evaluation system.

If a manager is not willing to give even read-only access, that itself is a piece of data.

The mid-month deposit trap

Suppose an account starts with 1,000 dollars, makes 100 dollars of profit, then another 9,000 dollars is deposited. The balance has gone from 1,000 to 10,100; someone who only sees the balance sees tenfold growth! The real return is 10 percent.

PAMM Iran calculates returns with the time-weighted method: every trade is measured against the balance of that same moment, and deposits and withdrawals never become account return. This is the same method the world professional funds report with. Any figure built without this separation can turn an ordinary performance into a “stunning growth” with a few well-timed deposits; that is why separating deposits and withdrawals is the heart of verified returns.

How to check a manager number in practice

1. Find the data source label on the account page: live, statement, or declared? In the trading accounts list this label is shown beside every figure.
2. Read the maximum drawdown beside the profit: high return with a 60 percent drawdown means luck, not skill.
3. Look at the sequence of months: profit landed in one month differs from calm profit over twelve months; the first usually came from one large risk.
4. Review behaviour change: if trade sizes suddenly multiply, the risk personality has changed and the earlier record no longer represents today.
5. Check authenticity independently: for accounts and claims outside the list, use the verification page and the data connection and performance verification guide.

Why is an exact number more important than a big one?

Suppose you have two managers. The first claims 120 percent profit last year, but their only evidence is a few terminal images. The second has 35 percent profit with every month recorded by live connection. The first choice is tempting, but in reality you are choosing between “an unknown number” and “a known number”. A verified figure also gives you three things a declared figure never gives: the real drawdown (if the same event happens tomorrow, how much of your capital is at risk), the sequence and continuity of months, and seeing the manager behaviour change at the very moment it happens — not in an image they selected themselves. That is why at PAMM Iran account ranking and comparison are done only on data whose source is clear, with the source label always visible beside the number.

How to tell a good number from a good-looking one

Suppose you see two accounts side by side: the first shows 90 percent profit last year but its label is declared and its drawdown is nowhere; the second has 42 percent profit on live data with a worst drawdown of 12 percent. The rule-of-thumb of most beginners picks the first, and professionals pick the second; because the first is a “claim” and the second is “information”. The practical rule is this: count a source-less number as zero until its source appears; then compare numbers only among their own level — live with live, statement with statement. And at any level, never read profit alone: return gains meaning beside drawdown. An account that made 90 percent through a 50 percent drawdown had to pass through a valley where most investors brake and exit halfway; meaning that profit, even if real, would not have been repeatable for you.

The stricter questions: since when, and in what market?

Even a verified number needs two more questions. First, when does the record start? An account that began in the middle of a bull (rising) market has not yet seen a bear (falling) season, and half of its personality is unknown. Second, how large was the account during that record? A manager who shone with small capital is not necessarily the same with large money; bigger volume in shallow markets moves the price itself. That is why on PAMM Iran account pages the record length, data source and historical drawdown sit together, and in our choosing an account manager guide we have given the reading order of exactly these three, step by step. Verified returns are necessary, but not sufficient; the start of the review, not its end.

Red flags; when should you walk away?

• The only evidence is screenshots and source-less curves on social media.
• A “fixed monthly profit” is promised; no such thing exists in a real market.
• Drawdown is never mentioned, or does not get a clear answer even to a direct question.
• To see the record, you must first deposit money or hand over your account master password.
• The record is short but spoken of with the confidence of several years.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know whether an account number is verified or declared? At PAMM Iran the source label is shown beside every return figure on the account page: live means a direct read-only connection, statement means a reviewed official file, and declared means the manager own statement without independent review. Outside the platform, ask any claimant the same question and demand the source evidence.

Is giving the investor password dangerous? The investor password only allows viewing the account; with it you cannot trade, withdraw, or change a setting. Giving it to an evaluation system is safe; the master password, however, must never be given to anyone.

Why did the account balance grow tenfold but the return is 10 percent? Because most of that growth came from depositing fresh money, not from trading profit. The time-weighted return removes deposits and withdrawals so only trading performance is measured; the “mid-month deposit trap” section of this article is its numerical example.

How many months of record are enough for trust? The longer, and across different market seasons, the more trustworthy. Three excellent months can be luck or one suitable season for the manager style; for a serious decision look for at least several different seasons and a clear drawdown.

What if a manager has no verified record but an acquaintance recommended them? An acquaintance recommendation does not replace a data source. Either ask them for a reviewable record (live connection or an official statement), or start with a very small test amount and a clear drawdown cap; and in any case complete the choosing an account manager checklist first.

The bottom line

A beautiful number is cheap; a verified number is expensive. When choosing a manager, before asking “how much profit did they make?”, ask “where has this number come from?”. Verified returns mean a clear source, deposits separated from profit, and drawdown made visible; any figure missing one of these three is not enough for an investing decision. The next step: compare accounts only by their source labels.

To go deeper: why a screenshot no longer convinces anyone and the guide to choosing a trading account manager.