Every smart Oregonian knows that you need to invest your money in the markets. When your money works for you, you are setting yourself up for a comfortable retirement. Picking stocks, on the other hand, is difficult for the uninitiated.
Maybe you are not the type of person who wants to spend hours researching individual stocks. Perhaps you never had that mentor who could teach you about dissecting the potential of a company.
That is where the Motley Fool comes in. You may have heard of this platform as a way of guiding your investments. At just $99/year, it offers you a chance to receive stock picks from an organization that has been making picks for over 25 years.
With so many similar services across the country, you may be wondering whether the Motley Fool can truly offer what you are looking for. The good news is Motley Fool reviews are overwhelmingly glowing about this service. Here’s what you need to know about this platform.
What Does the Motley Fool Stock Advisor Service Offer?
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor bundle is the platform’s entry-level program for paid subscribers. If you decide to sign up for an annual subscription for $99, you gain access to the following benefits:
- Access to two brand-new monthly stock picks from the Gardner brothers (the owners of the platform).
- The Best Buys Now list. This is a list of ten of the best stocks you can make money from right now. These are not random penny stocks but household names with lots of potential.
- Recommendations for starter stocks. These are the foundation of any portfolio and include names like Amazon, PayPal, and Apple.
- Access to a community of smart investors and educational resources.
These resources are updated regularly. However, if you want to see what the Fool has recommended previously, you also get full access to their previous recommendations.
Does the Fool Have a Good Track Record?
The Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor program has been making stock picks since February 2002. In the interests of full transparency, the platform shows the performance of both Tom and David Gardner, when compared to the S&P 500 index.
Their performance is pretty impressive:
Tom – +322.1%
David – +874.2%
S&P 500 – +120%.
These figures are based on all stock picks made since February 2002, so if you followed every single monthly recommendation this is what you would have gained.
Can I Save Money by Managing Your Own Investment Portfolio?
This is a question many Central Oregonians may have. The fact is you can save money by managing your own portfolio, but $99 for 30 stock picks and all the educational resources offered by the platform is nothing. One win will make back your subscription fee, and then some.
The Motley Fool is not one of the many roboadvisors on the market today. It is run entirely by two human investors with decades’ worth of experience in the business.
The ongoing costs of Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor subscription are minuscule compared to how much you could grow your portfolio.
Is My Money Protected?
Profitable advice does not protect your portfolio. For example, if someone called you at the start of the year and urged you to invest in GameStop, your investment would have grown 30 times over by the end of the month.
Does this make it a smart investment? No, nearly all those gains were lost as quickly as they appeared.
The Motley Fool does not deal in ventures like the GameStop short squeeze. Its recommendations focus on safe, stable investments. It does not cater to the day trader or the short-term investor. It is aimed at an audience looking to build a portfolio that supports them in the years and decades to come.
While there are no guarantees in stock picking, the Fool looks to recommend strong stocks with real long-term potential.
Can I Try Stock Advisor Before Committing to a Purchase?
Ultimately, if you are not convinced, Stock Advisor does offer a 30-day free trial. You will be required to enter a valid credit card, but if you are not satisfied with the newsletter, just cancel after 30 days and get your membership fee back.
Is it Worth It?
This is the number one question. For the majority of investors, Stock Advisor is a worthwhile purchase. Long-term investors looking to invest in blue-chip companies for the future will be satisfied with the service offered by the Fool.
There are other services available in a similar vein to the monthly stock recommendations offered by the platform.
For example, if you are someone who is actively planning to become independently wealthy in time for retirement, there is the Rule Your Retirement newsletter. This is more expensive at $149 per year, but it focuses more on index funds and ETF investing.
If you live in Central Oregon and you need a little help picking stocks, we highly recommend the Motley Fool. For newer investors who are still unsure, they can check out the free trial risk-free.
