Investing in stocks isn’t easy. I can point to many investments I’ve made that seemed to check out for me in terms of analysis, secular trends, management team, charts, and much more that simply didn’t go my way. Around the year 2015, I started looking for investment newsletters and hoped they would help me gain an edge in my trading and investing. Eventually, I found The Motley Fool, and today I’m going to share with you my experience following their stock picks.
My Motley Fool Stock Advisor Experience
Feeling overwhelmed and tired of being indecisive on how to invest in my retirement portfolio, I eventually decided to join the Motley Fool and used their stock picks as an arm of my Self Directed IRA. I found their affordable price of only $99 for the first year to be an easy price to pay for everything they offer upon becoming a member.
There’s a lot to like about their services, but my favorite one is Stock Advisor. That’s the one I’m subscribed to as that’s the data I wanted to get. They also offer Rule Breaker and Rule Your Retirement. The latter is premium content guided by Robert Brokamp, CFP, and he helps people navigate the muddy waters of when to retire, and how much retirement income you need, so I’ll most likely be checking out that content soon as this is a blog geared towards helping people retire early.
Overall, I haven’t found a more well rounded company to help me beat the market and maximize my returns.
Whether you find yourself to be an investor with a little experience, enjoy passive investing, or are simply looking to better your returns, The Motley Fool Stock Picks can help you manage your portfolio by giving expert advice and storylines about every recommendation they offer.
As mentioned, this is my personal Motley Fool Review based on my experience of being a member at Fool.com. In fact, this is my Motley Fool Dashboard and you can see I’m a paid subscriber to the Stock Advisor service.
Who Runs The Motley Fool?
David Gardner, Tom Gardner, and Erik Rydholm were the Founders, but the website and company is largely run by David Gartner. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, it was founded in 1993. You know you are working with a legit company when they have their own Wikipedia page and employ over 300 people across the world.
Motley Fool Investing Reviews
The whole object of paying for information is to get information that will get you a solid return. That may make me sound like “Captain Obvious,” but I put that out there as a type A person who will quickly quit paying for something that doesn’t generate a return for me. I’m not a Fool. (Wait, actually, I follow the Fools so maybe I am?)
One of the epic picks the company gave out during my membership was Shopify. (SHOP.) It was recommended around $100 and trades today at over $1400. It went absolutely parabolic within the span of just nine months. Here’s a look at the chart over the last five years.
While I am a full disclosure person, I also respect that this is a for-profit business and I have decided not to list a full list of recommendations that they have given over the years. However, what I will tell you (again as a full disclosure person), is that I continue to pay for their services and that they have given out picks that have altered my portfolio for the better. Every pick is given with the assumption that you can hold it for five years, so this may not be the best stock advisor for swing traders.
Overall, the site’s content and stock pick feature equities traded in the U.S.A. but they will often compare the markets to commodity markets as well as make comments about gold and silver investing from time to time.
Pro’s and Con’s of The Motley Fool Subscription
Like any other product or service I dive into, it’s only fair to highlight the good and identify the bad so you know what you can expect.
Pros
- In business since 1993 and highly respected
- Detailed reporting and analysis
- Affordable price point
- First year is only $99
Cons
- Not every pick will be a home run. (Duh.)
- There are many up-sells you’ll be presented
I haven’t signed up for any of the up-sells, but perhaps I will one day and then I’ll be able to come back here to update my Motley Fool Review.
Other Features on Fool.com
The Motley Fool Pre-Market briefing is where they break down market movers as well as break down what they will talk about on Motley Fool Live (premium content.)
Is the Motley Fool Worth it?
I can only speak to the question of is The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Worth It? (As I haven’t tried the other products.)
In my professional opinion as an Entrepreneur who tries to put his money to work every single day, that answer is a resounding YES.
The platform has stood the test of time and the commentary is second to none. It’s highly personable, easy to digest, and focused on long-term success. Have their been road bumps along the way? Of course. Have there been picks that didn’t pan out? For sure. However, I’ve seen this be an incredible asset to myself and my family as we are always looking for new areas to invest in passively. The incredible track record of the founders and the popularity of the newsletter speaks volumes, especially in a very turbulent environment where fickle investors will certainly take to social media to call out a company that may not be on the up and up.
If you invest in stocks, this is a must have and you no longer need to ask yourself, is Motley Fool legit? The answer is crystal clear today…