isDiscretionary

IsDiscretionary is a term used across domains to indicate that a decision, action, or allocation is subject to personal choice rather than being mandated by rules, contracts, or automated processes. In practice, something labeled discretionary can be approved, altered, or canceled at the discretion of an authorized actor, rather than being automatically fixed or required.

In finance and investment management, discretionary arrangements grant a manager authority to make investment decisions on a client’s behalf without seeking client approval for each trade. Discretionary accounts contrast with non-discretionary or advisory accounts, where the client must authorize every transaction. The discretionary status can influence service expectations, fiduciary duties, and fee structures.

In software and data models, isDiscretionary typically appears as a boolean property or accessor indicating whether a feature or action is optional or subject to user or policy discretion. For example, a workflow step might be discretionary, meaning it can be skipped or reordered with appropriate permissions, whereas a mandatory step proceeds automatically or requires intervention.

In security and access control, discretionary access control (DAC) describes a model in which the owner of a resource decides who may access it, as opposed to mandatory access control. A corresponding isDiscretionary flag, if present, would suggest that access decisions are governed by the owner's discretion rather than a centralized policy.

Etymology and usage notes: isDiscretionary follows common boolean naming conventions, typically using the is prefix. Because meanings differ by domain, documentation should clarify what constitutes discretion in each context.