# Subscription advice services: Who do people rate?



## nikkothescorpio (13 September 2007)

Hi,

I was just reading over the 'Fat Prophets' thread and having signed up a for a few trial services lately I wondered what people thought of any other particular  PAY advice/expert recommendation services they've trialled or paid for?

I've looked into a few myself.  Nothing much has really impressed me that much.

One mob that really kinda disappointed me - based on their tips - or the rough over view of them that I did was 'The Intelligent Investor'.

I know they're more a buy & hold - and income investor site - but I tell you what I'd be a tad annoyed with the recent tips they seem to doll out to members.

Nearly every single BUY is down in price - often well down.

Also seems quite a few tips where they admit they stuffed up their analysis or when they're wrong they say...."Oh you just have to be patient'.

Some good reading material on there but I find their advice on buys quite questionable.

THOUGH to be fair their SELL's are nearly all well down on when they gave the advice - so go figure.

Huntley's is so so - you seem to get most of it on Etrade so dunno the value in it.

Found TopStocks.com.au to be absolute rubbish. Really poor....not even worth a trial.


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## Whiskers (13 September 2007)

nikkothescorpio said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was just reading over the 'Fat Prophets' thread and having signed up a for a few trial services lately I wondered what people thought of any other particular  PAY advice/expert recommendation services they've trialled or paid for?
> 
> I've looked into a few myself.  Nothing much has really impressed me that much.




Yeah mate, I have to agree. Looked at a few, got free trial etc, but couldn't see the value. 

I think they tend to be a self fulfilling prophecy by ramping a stock.

I decided on a portfolio of stocks and do my own fundamentals and technical analysis and talk to the companies directly on occassion to get a better feel for them.


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## CFD (14 September 2007)

The Chartist will not give a free trial but you can pay by the month with no committment. Would cost you $77- to find out.


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## ROE (14 September 2007)

nikkothescorpio said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was just reading over the 'Fat Prophets' thread and having signed up a for a few trial services lately I wondered what people thought of any other particular  PAY advice/expert recommendation services they've trialled or paid for?
> 
> ...




You better off read stuff like AFR and use free research available on comsec, etrade and with patient and time and truly understand the business you probably doing much better than these guys.

Why the hell do you sell these services if you can truly make money out of investing in the market, just become warren buffet and invest full time and become rich. So the conclusion is these guys has just as much luck as you at picking stock  so why give them your hard earned cash?

and as for the intelligent investor they called themselves the value investing expert hmmm .. I can tell you some of their recommendation isn't expert opinion at all and I question some of their recommendations.

How can you called yourself an expert when you don't invent the techniques in the first place? they just rehash Warrent Buffett and Benjamin Graham teaching and called themselves an expert??? what the %^&*?
better go and read the intelligent investor by Ben Graham 
Phillip Fisher common stock, uncommon profit and save a few hundred bucks a year and put that toward a stock and you will earn even more $$$..

Having said all that these guys can provide short,simple, plan English easy to read paper where you wouldnt be bother looking up how company XYZ doing with their ROE/ROC and Profit Margin and Cash Flow etc...

As for me I'm my own man and I do my research and I read my AFR and I watch lateline business and come to my own conclusion ..that way I'm better informed, have a broad market knowledge and a few hundred bucks better off each year.
and I enjoy the sh*t  and I get a kick out of it.


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## ers_6 (13 June 2010)

Bumpin this old thread.

Interested to hear peoples thoughts?
I have signed up to a few trials and havent come across anything that I would pay for... understand most are going to say do your own research but if that isnt an option I was hoping these could provide some value.

cheers


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## sorcar (7 September 2010)

an accountant i went to see uses a subscription and he follows it and does very well. He makes 100k + a month and pays 200/month for the subscription.


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## Julia (7 September 2010)

sorcar said:


> an accountant i went to see uses a subscription and he follows it and does very well. He makes 100k + a month and pays 200/month for the subscription.



To say he makes X amount per month is meaningless without telling us the capital base from which he makes that.  More useful to express it as a percentage.

Have you considered he might be talking it up in order to persuade you to subscribe to the same tipsheet?  Have you further considered he's in a position to make this recommendation to dozens of clients/potential clients, possibly receiving a commission for each new person who signs up?

If you are genuinely persuaded that  he's being factual, then it might be a good idea to ask him to show you the actual trades he has made which make up the profit he claims.


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## Logique (8 September 2010)

I like Charlie Aitken (Southern Cross), he is at times contrarian, and surprisingly bullish sometimes. An independent thinker.

And Alan Kohler (Eureka Report) knows his stuff too.


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## Jako (8 September 2010)

Logique said:


> I like Charlie Aitken (Southern Cross), he is at times contrarian, and surprisingly bullish sometimes. An independent thinker.




Yeah, me to.

I subscribe to "Under the Southern Cross", it only costs $375 (a little under $1.50 per day ) per year & I use it as a second opinion.

I like the fact he can be a contraian, it can sometimes make me think in different directions.


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## Agentm (8 September 2010)

Whiskers said:


> Yeah mate, I have to agree. Looked at a few, got free trial etc, but couldn't see the value.
> 
> I think they tend to be a self fulfilling prophecy by ramping a stock.
> 
> I decided on a portfolio of stocks and do my own fundamentals and technical analysis and talk to the companies directly on occassion to get a better feel for them.




same for me..

i dont follow the likes of fat or brokers at all. they are paid  to make a report for a company..  i like their reports when a company i have invested in pays for them

DYOR,, talk to directors, research their form, its critical, as your transferring your wealth into a share of what they manage.. and follow the ebbs and flows, ups and downs closely of the market they are trading in..

eventually you see value, be it too high or too low.. and eventually you make better decisions to move into the value of companies that are tipped in your favour.. usually for me after more and more research and understandings of what it is that your transferring your wealth into..


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## waza1960 (8 September 2010)

> And Alan Kohler (Eureka Report) knows his stuff too.



  Agreed I think Alan Kohler is the pick of the financial journalists.


> I like Charlie Aitken (Southern Cross), he is at times contrarian, and surprisingly bullish sometimes. An independent thinker



.
  Charlie Aitken IMO is always bullish thats why he seems contrarian ATM.
 Have a look at some of his comments re mining companys before the correction a few years ago.


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## sorcar (8 September 2010)

Julia said:


> To say he makes X amount per month is meaningless without telling us the capital base from which he makes that.  More useful to express it as a percentage.
> 
> Have you considered he might be talking it up in order to persuade you to subscribe to the same tipsheet?  Have you further considered he's in a position to make this recommendation to dozens of clients/potential clients, possibly receiving a commission for each new person who signs up?
> 
> If you are genuinely persuaded that  he's being factual, then it might be a good idea to ask him to show you the actual trades he has made which make up the profit he claims.




I know him personally. He didn't tell me that i should take that subscription - just that I needed to 'educate' myself. And that it is as simple as doing some research and possibly signing up to a subscription service that is good.

His investment was 2 million


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## greebly24 (8 September 2010)

As a first-time trader, I stupidly bought $10k of "no brainers", so-called blue-chip stock from a young inexperienced broker at the peak of the market in November 2007 and suffered major losses in the GFC. A couple of years later, after saving more money to invest, I was hesitant to re-enter the market.

However, I found both "Diggers & Drillers" and "Small Cap Investigator" to be very good. Occasional losses, but more winners.

I am sure you would probably be better off educating yourself and doing your own research. But if you're a time-poor newbie like me, and don't have time to meet directors, visit businesses and attend meetings, then paying a small fee for this service might be the go.


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## sorcar (8 September 2010)

greebly24 said:


> As a first-time trader, I stupidly bought $10k of "no brainers", so-called blue-chip stock from a young inexperienced broker at the peak of the market in November 2007 and suffered major losses in the GFC. A couple of years later, after saving more money to invest, I was hesitant to re-enter the market.
> 
> However, I found both "Diggers & Drillers" and "Small Cap Investigator" to be very good. Occasional losses, but more winners.
> 
> I am sure you would probably be better off educating yourself and doing your own research. But if you're a time-poor newbie like me, and don't have time to meet directors, visit businesses and attend meetings, then paying a small fee for this service might be the go.




Like you, I invested 7k in 2007 and lost in the GFC and im wary about going back in. But as i was getting some advice off my accountant he was all about property and shares. I already have 2 houses and have the equity to go again, but I'm wary about both property and shares with the current economic condition overseas


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## aom (24 November 2010)

I want to give invest 4 profit a go, but first I need to come up with the spare cash for the subscription fee, and have significant cash to do some of the buy recommendations.


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## capotine (27 December 2010)

Morningstar isn't bad. I like the emails, they're well timed and not bad for a semi-infrequent trader. Two to three times a month. It means that I don't let prices run away too much and ensure that I take profits.


Some of the recommendations have been well under stated and paid off quite nicely. I use it as a second opinion to my own criteria and tests. Some meet the standards and others don't, but they're pretty good for general market research


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## Market Depth (27 December 2010)

I've looked at a few over the years. At best they are OK, but for me most have been quite bad. You still need to learn how to make business decisions for yourself, and don't rely on a tipsheet analyst to do it for you. It's not their money afterall. Even if you decide to buy stocks from a tipsheet, your stop loss rules still apply if the stock moves against you. The tipsters will tell you to be patient and hold. But this is just fancy jargon for 'We won't admit we made a mistake'. Mistakes happen in trading, that's the nature of the business, for any business for that matter. learning to realize the mistake early and moving out of a bad situation, is what seperates the good from the wannabe's. It's far easier to sell at a small loss and buy back in latter than to sit on a larger loss hoping it will return to where you bought it.


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## Miner (27 December 2010)

My rating is based on perspective

From short to medium term TRADING ONLY perspective and rating of newsletter - Diggers and Dealers and Small Capitl - same publisher with different flavour. Rating is 8 out of 10

From medium to long term INVESTMENT perspective - Southern Equity Newsletter 8.5 out of 10

From philosophical long term investment - Marcus Today - 8 out of 10

From philsophical, short term trading (David H), conflicting articles on economy scneario within the same newsletter so that newsletter always wins about its prediction, posh articles with no headway by Alan Kohler / Robert G -Eureka Report 6 out of 10 ( I was subscriber for 3 years and now discontinued- they are like driving 7 series BMW with relatively lower value for money compared to driving SAAB 9-5 or C 190   Mercedes )

Bulls Monday Newsletter - a real BS one with no consistency and highly confusing - 2 out of 10

Morningstar news letter - medium term investment - 6 out of 10

slipstream trader - highly short term trade - for CFD only - very risky one 2 out 10. not value for money.

Trident Newsletter - 5 out of 10

Every one has different angle to measure. It is subjective analysis from me as how I see it and pay for subscription


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## titl4 (27 December 2010)

Market Depth said:


> I've looked at a few over the years. At best they are OK, ................... You still need to learn how to make business decisions for yourself, ..................




That about sums it up for me.  IMO the 'educative' ones - Guppy, Berg, Nicholson, etc. - have a useful role.


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## Bilbo (2 January 2011)

I no longer sub to Eureka Report. Nobody in that team saw the train wreck of the GFC coming, not even Gerard "The Bear" Minack. They're supposed to be experts. If that was expertise then I'm no longer prepared to pay for it. Some of the same team are on "The Business Spectator" which is good for business and political comment. I like "Marcus Today" for his no bull**** approach to the market, His book "Stockmarket Secrets" is a laugh a minute and really tells you what the market is REALLY like from an 'insiders' pint of view. However, whilst Marcus does have an education section on his site, one does need to understand at least the basics of tech analysis. e.g. Relative Strength, MACD, VWAP etc But all in all, it's simple, inexpensive and down to earth stuff.


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