When you are just getting started investing, it is extremely important that you start with the best stocks for the foundation of your stock portfolio.
For the last 5 years, the Motley Fool has been the BEST source of stock picks as they have beaten the market by over 60% the last 5 years. Learn more about their service by reading our Motley Fool Review.
Then, once your know what stocks you want to buy, you will need to open a real brokerage account (click here to get FREE stock when you open this commission-free broker account).
STOCK INVESTING 101 STARTER GUIDES
What Are Stocks and How Do They Work?
Learning about stocks and how they work is essential to achieving strong investment returns and will allow for significant financial advantage.
Buying stocks can be intimidating, learn the best tips and practices you need to apply when purchasing these investments.
The stock quote gives plenty of insight into the company. Understand how to read this information in order to make better purchase decisions.
Investment strategies is the game plan to your portfolio. Use one that’s right for you and significantly increase your chances of success.
Picking the right stockbroker is as important as picking the right stocks. Ensure you conduct the proper research.
MUTUAL FUNDS STARTER GUIDES
A mutual fund pools money from a bunch of investors to purchase securities. Mutual funds come with advantages and disadvantages – learn the ins and outs here
Investments are managed by a portfolio manager – they decide when to buy and sell investments. Learn about how mutual funds work and how to make money off them.
Thinking of investing in mutual funds? It’s critical you know the advantages and disadvantages of investing in a mutual fund over a single stock.
Thinking about investing but not sure how to buy mutual funds? The selection process is actually easier than you think. Learn how and where to buy mutual funds
Need a quick-and-dirty opinion on a fund? Get familiar with mutual funds ratings. It’s important to know how a fund has performed before investing in it.
BONDS STARTER GUIDES
What Is A Bond? How Do Bonds Work?
Bonds are seldom as sexy as those wild-ride shares, but they’re reliable money-makers. Learn about bonds and how to match them to your personal investing style.
Bonds may be lower risk, but they are not risk-free. You should research bonds just as you would stocks before purchasing them. Learn how and where to buy bonds.
The bond market is where participants can issue new debt or buy and sell debt securities to provide long-term funding for public and private expenditures.
A bond index is a method of measuring the value of a section of the bond market. Investors use it to describe the market and compare the return on investments
A bond quote is the price at which a bond is trading. It’s expressed as a percentage of par value. A bond quote above 100 means the bond is trading above par.
PENNY STOCK STARTER GUIDES
What are Penny Stocks And How Do They Work?
Penny stocks may sound enticing but do you know what penny stock are and how they work? Find out if these riskier investments are right for your portfolio.
The penny stock market is significantly different from that of regular stocks. Before investing in them, find out more about how the market works.
There is no shortage of places that offer a shopping cart full of penny stocks. Finding them is easy, picking the right ones is the tough part.
Thinking about investing but not sure how to buy penny stocks? The selection process is actually easier than you think.
How To Trade And Invest In Penny Stocks?
Learn how to trade in the penny stock market and arm yourself with these essential tips to increase your chances of success.
Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks as of August 16, 2025
We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock and option newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share our results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Return vs SP500" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on August 16, 2025 prices:
Best Stock Newsletters
| Rank | Stock Newsletter | Picks Return | Return vs SP500 | Picks w Profit | Max % Return | Current Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Alpha Picks | 74.7% | 51.1% | 78% | 969% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Save $50 |
| Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See complete details and analysis in our Alpha Picks Review. | ||||||
| 2. |  Moby.co | 52.5% | 18.1% | 73% | 2,406% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:Next pick free! |
| Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review. | ||||||
| 3. |  Zacks Top 10 | 33.0% | 15.1% | 73% | 170% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:$1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 10-25 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 4. |  TipRanks SmartInvestor | 18.6% | 7.6% | 65% | 386% | Current Promotion: Save $180 |
| Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review. | ||||||
| 5. |  Stock Advisor | 41.7% | 6.1% | 76% | 299% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Get $100 Off |
| Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Review. | ||||||
| 6. |  Action Alerts Plus | 25.9% | 4.9% | 65% | 210% | Current Promotion: None |
| Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short-term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review. | ||||||
| 7. | Rule Breakers | 35.6% | 1.2% | 78% | 273% | Current Promotion: Save $200 |
| Summary: 2 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review. | ||||||
| 8. | Zacks Home Run Investor | 3.5% | -1.3% | 44% | 200% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:$1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 9. | IBD Leaderboard ETF | 11.4% | -1.8% | n/a | n/a | Sept, 2025 Promotion:Save $129/yr |
| Summary: Maintains top 50 stocks to invest in based on IBD algorithm; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Investors Business Daily. | ||||||
| 10. | Stock Advisor Canada | 23.5% | -4.6% | 69% | 378% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Save $100 |
| Summary: 1 pick/month from the Toronto stock exchange; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review. | ||||||
| Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their 2024, 2023, 2022 stock picks' performance as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF. Performance as of August 16, 2025. | ||||||