*** NOW UPDATED AS OF August 1, 2023***
Stock newsletters make getting stock market analysis and stock recommendations easy.
There are, however, so many stock newsletters to choose from that many investors become overwhelmed having so many choices. Some are free, some are relatively cheap at less than a few hundred dollars per year, and some are priced in the thousands of dollars per year.
With so many choices, how do you know which ones you can trust and which ones are worth your money? How do you know which newsletters CONSISTENTLY provide the best stock recommendations?
Keep reading and I will tell you.
Just so you know, over the last 30 years I have personally subscribed to 60+ investment and stock newsletters, various software screeners, and tested a variety of charting tools. My job here at WallStreetSurvivor is to give honest reviews of these services. When I do this, I stick to the facts and share my data. I am currently subscribed to about 20 stock and investment newsletters. I will share my experiences with the most popular and affordable services.
To test them, I set up virtual trading accounts here at WallStreetSurvivor for each of these stock newsletters and my team and I have diligently bought and sold all the recommended stocks in these virtual trading accounts.
A lot of services advertise how they have done over the last 10, 20 or 30 years. But keep in mind you already missed out on all of the returns from those stock picks. And who knows if it is the same analyst team now as it was back then. So it is important to review how the most recent stock picks from these stock newsletters are performing.
Here is a little peek at my analysis of the recent performance of some of the most popular and best stock newsletters:
In this chart, I am looking at the performance of the best and most popular stock newsletters’ for calendar year 2023 stock picks so far, and their last 12 months. A lot of services advertise how they have done over the last 10, 20 or 30 years; but you already missed out on all of the returns from those stock picks. And who knows if it is even the same analyst team now as it was back then. So it is important to review how the most recent stock picks from these stock newsletters are performing.
As you can see from that chart, the Average Return from all rows is positive except for one. We expect this given that the market overall is up. When we look at the Excess Return versus the SP500 for the same period, we start seeing some negative performers and the cream starts rising to the top.
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Newsletter, the Motley Fool’s Rule Breakers, and the Motley Fool’s Everlasting Stocks are the consistent performers for the last 6 and 12 months–easily beating the S&P500. These 3 services also have a high percentage of winning picks which provides for less volatility overall.
So, given the amount of data I have to share with you, I will tell show you what my analysis reveals and you can decide which stock newsletter you works for you.
These newsletters give us lots of advice and many stock picks each month. But which ones consistently outperformed the market and are worth the money?
Notice I keep saying “consistently outperform” the market? That’s because one newsletter might be a high flyer one year and then crash and burn the next. That won’t help me. So I am looking for newsletters that consistently beat the market year after year–and that is exactly what you should be looking for too!
Below I rank the Best Stock and Investment Newsletters based on the following criteria:
- Percentage return (including dividends) of all of their picks for each calendar year.
- Percentage of their stock picks that are winners.
- Average return for the last 4 years of their stock picks.
- Cost of the newsletter.
- Refund policy–Can you get your money back when you cancel?
- Customer service–Can you get hold of anyone that will answer a question?
Based on the above criteria…
The Best Performing Stock Newsletters are…
1. The Motley Fool Stock Advisor
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor ranks as our #1 Best Investment Newsletter for the fifth year in a row.
Their stock recommendations continue to beat all of the other newsletters we monitor and they maintain a very high accuracy of their picks.
You may have seen the Motley Fool’s advertisements like the one below that since inception their picks from the last 22 years are up more than 3 times the S&P500:
And then they have this chart which shows how their portfolio has grown over time:
Notice their curve has consistently been above the S&P500 and really spiked in 2019 and then corrected like most stocks did in 2020. But now the last few months the curve is moving sharply higher again. This is mostly likely to do the overselling of some of their picks like NVDA, SHOP, TSLA and more. Also, the surge in demand for AI stocks is benefitting the Fool’s picks.
Is The Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor really as good as they claim?
Over the years we have become so confident in the Motley Fool Stock Advisor stock picks that in December 2015 we opened up a dedicated ETrade account and actually started buying all of their stock picks. Starting in January 2016 we have purchased $1,000- $2,000 of every single one of their stock recommendations for over 6 years now.
As of the close on Friday, December 31, 2022, over the last 6 years their 144 stock picks from 2016-2021 are up on average 171% compared to the SP500’s 79%. Also, 73% of these 144 stock picks are up and 53 have at least doubled and 33 have at least tripled in price. ( I am ignoring their 2022 picks because they obviously don’t have a year of history yet.)
Read that again… The Motley Fool’s stock picks from 2016 to 2021 are up 171% and have BEAT THE MARKET by 93% over the last 6 years.
No other stock newsletter comes close to that.
How do they do it? They are really good at picking a few stocks that double or triple each year.
Even with all of the Trump presidency, pre-election, first half of Biden presidency, COVID volatility, inflation and threat of a recession you can see from the graph above their stock picks have really started accelerating up again:
- Since 2016, 73% of their stocks are up
- The average return of their 2020 stock picks is 73% , 4 have at least doubled and the best is TSLA which is up HUGE as you all probably know. See my Tesla trade below from my ETrade Account:
- From 2019, the average return is 85%, 9 have at least doubled and 4 have more than tripled. See my HUBS trade from December 2019 that is up 414% for me.
- The average of their 2018 picks is 217%, 11 have at least doubled, 7 have more than tripled, 6 have more than quadrupled, max is up 986%
- 22 of their 24 picks from 2017 are up, the average is 259%, 12 have at least doubled and 10 have more than tripled
- The average return of their 2016 picks is 402%, 17 have at least doubled, 10 have more than tripled and the max is up 4,162% (that was SHOPIFY).
What You Get When You Subscribe
When you subscribe, you will get two new stock recommendations each month and several BEST OF lists of stocks each year. Each recommendation comes with an in-depth (but easily understood) analysis that tells you why they recommend each stock. Note that our analysis only considers the 2 unique stock picks per month as the BEST OF lists are usually re-emphasizing previous stock picks that they still recommend strongly.
You will also get unlimited access to…
- All of their historical stock picks
- The Motley Fool’s list of “Best Stocks to Buy Now.” Best ideas chosen from all of the picks since the service started.
- The Motley Fool’s list of “Starter Stocks that should be in Everyone’s Portfolio.” Stocks that give you an excellent foundation for your portfolio.
- Their Knowledge Base and Community. Educational materials that will help you become an expert investor, and message boards to chat with other investors.
And in case you are wondering, yes, they do tell you when to sell a stock. They issue sell orders sometimes to lock in profits and sometimes to cut losses.
Motley Fool Stock Advisor Recap
So why is it our #1 pick for the Best Investment Newsletter?
- The Motley Fool Stock Advisor, according to the Fool themselves, is intended only for people that plan on holding stocks for at least 5 years.
- Its performance over the last 6 full years has crushed the competition.
- Lots of their stock picks double, triple, quadruple, and more!
- Older stock picks from 2016 and 2017 continue to outperform.
- The Motley Fool has an EXCELLENT success rate of profitable picks.
- The Motley Fool stock picks are still coming from the 2 brothers (David and Tom Gardner) that started the company in the early 1990s. So when you order the Fool service, you know that you can expect similar results because the stock picks are coming from the same 2 guys.
- The price is extremely reasonable AND they offer a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE and they have a toll-free number for support. They are so confident in their service that they encourage you to try it and get their next 2 stock picks–then you can cancel if you aren’t happy and get your money back. Normally it is $199 a year, but if you are a new customer you can get the next 12 months of their picks for just $79. Here is the link to their new customer discount page.
There is one thing you need to know about their service, however…. Because they have so many subscribers (750,000+), their picks tend to go up a few dollars they day their recommendations come out. So to get the best returns, you need to buy their stock picks as soon as you receive their alerts.
How Much Does Stock Advisor Cost?
For the last year 5 years we paid $199 a year for the service. But they just launched a new price promotion of $99 for new subscribers. Currently, new customers can subscribe for $79 per year on THIS New Customer Discount Page. Also you can cancel within 30 days and get our money back.
Stock Advisor Current Promotional Offer:
Subscribing is easy. They require your name, email and billing address–and, fortunately, they do NOT require a phone number so they won’t harass you with telemarketing campaigns like other services do.
PRICE DROP! MOTLEY FOOL STOCK ADVISOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY:
USE THIS LINK to get their next 12 months of stock picks for just $79 a year.
2. The Motley Fool Rule Breakers (Best for Growth Investors)
The Motley Fool’s “other” newsletter is a close #2 on our list as it’s still one of the best financial newsletters out there. The Motley Fool Ruler Breakers is a high-growth investing service and it has certainly lived up to those expectations.
Rule Breakers is similar to Stock Advisor, with a few twists…
With Rule Breakers, you still get two new stock recommendations each month. These recommendations are based on stocks that will become tomorrow’s market leaders.
Here are the six rules that differentiate “Rule Breaker” stocks:
- Emerging Industry. Innovative companies in emerging industries that are poised to change the world.
- Sustainable Advantage. Companies must show potential for long-term advantage over competitors.
- Past Price Appreciation. Rule Breakers have performed well in the past.
- Good Management. You want to invest in companies with vision and competent management.
- Consumer Appeal. Customers have to love the product or service.
- Grossly Undervalued. Wall Street may be underestimating the companies’ transformative value.
Each rule is considered when stocks are being chosen and recommended to users.
As I did for the Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor, in January 2016 I also subscribed to Rule Breakers and started buying about $2k of each of these stock picks. Take a look at the performance of my Rule Breakers stocks as of December 31, 2021 (ignoring 2021 stocks as they do not yet have 12 months of performance).
Notice that for the 120 stocks from 2016-2020 they are up 292% compared to the market’s 90%. Also note that 82% are up, and that 53 have at least doubled. But look at the 2nd to last column on the right showing the MAXIMUM return. One stock (ticker: TTD) from 2017 is up 12,572% and one stock (ticker: SHOP) from 2016 is up 6,453%. They actually picked SHOP in Rule Breakers BEFORE the picked it in Stock Advisor so that is why the return is higher here.
Over the last 5 years, the stock picks from the Motley Fool Rule Breakers service have actually outperformed their Stock Advisor service, but their returns are more volatile so for that reason we marked it down a bit. This means that if you had missed just a few stocks over the last 5 years, your returns would not have been a strong. Also their Rule Breaker picks are a lot more volatile and they seem to take longer to go up in value. So I find this service to be more hit or miss since they are really trying to pick high growth stocks in newer industries. If you do subscribe to this service, you definitely need to buy EVERY pick that comes out so that you don’t miss on the few that skyrocket.
For example, in January 2018 they picked AYX which is up 117%. They then picked MDB in February, 2018 which is up 1,543% and HUBS in Mat 2018 which is up 460%. In July 2018 it was DOCU which is up 174%which is up 338% and TWLO in Sept 2018 which is up 208% and their Dec pick of BILI is up 217%. Their March 2019 pick of ROKU is already up 269%, April 2019 pick SWAV is up 362%, and their Oct and Nov 2019 picks of DDOG and ETSY are up 448%, 423%.
So….. to summarize on the Rule Breakers service, over the last 5 years ON AVERAGE it has performed better than Stock Advisor, but with more volatility and bigger losers.
How Much Does Rule Breakers Cost?
So, do you want to add high growth stocks to your portfolio and do you have at least a few years to let them gain in value? Do you have the cash to buy EVERY one of their 24 recommendations per year, then you should subscribe to Rule Breakers while it is still on sale for $99 a year or $29 a month . I paid $299 a year for it in 2020 . As with all of the Fool products, you can cancel anytime (read our full Rule Breakers review).
Not sure which Motley Fool service to buy? Then consider the Epic Bundle and buy both of them at a discount. Or you can read the Stock Advisor vs Rule Breakers comparison.
Current Promotional Offer:
Subscribing is easy. They require your name, email and billing address–and, fortunately, they do NOT require a phone number so they won’t harass you with telemarketing campaigns like other services do.
MOTLEY FOOL RULE BREAKERS NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY:
USE THIS LINK to get their next 12 months of stock picks for just $99 a year.
3. Everlasting Stocks
This is relatively new service of the Motley Fool featuring Tom Gardner’s analyst team that has done so well over the last 20 years. What is unique about this service is not only do they show you what stocks to buy, but with this stock newsletter they also tell you how they are weighting each stock in their recommended portfolio.
This service is $299 a year. But the best way to get this is with their Epic Bundle package that gives you 4 services in 1: Stock Advisor, Rule Breakers, Everlasting Stocks, and Real Estate Winners ALL for $299.
Here is our full review of Epic Bundle.
4. Seeking Alpha’s Alpha Picks
This is a new service that Seeking Alpha launched in July 2022 that tells you their top rated stocks.
Since this stock newsletter is so new it doesn’t have much track record, but it has picked a few BIG winners since it’s launch. One of their picks is already up 246% and they are beating the S&P for the last 12 months, but their 2023 picks have struggled as you can see from my chart above.
Still, it is a very promising service and it is reasonably priced at $199 but it is often on sale for $99. Read our full Alpha Picks review here.
5. Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research has a few research tools that have also withstood the test of time. But Zacks is for a different type of investor. Zacks is more for the investor that has their own stock ideas but wants to get another opinion of a stock before they buy it.
Zacks doesn’t give stock picks on a monthly basis like the Motley Fool does.
Instead they do a fantastic job at analyzing about 10,000 U.S. stocks and ranking them on a “Zacks Rank” score of 1 to 5. Stocks that are ranked “1-Strong Buy” have consistently outperformed the SP. The average stock ranked “1-Strong Buy” has an average ANNUAL return of 24.2% compared tot he SP 10.7%. On the other end, stocks that are ranked “5-Strong Sell” have consistently done the worst as you can see below. The nice smooth chart is exactly what you would expect if their ranking works.
So, if you are doing your own stock research and you want to see how Zacks ranks them, or if you want to know what Zacks thinks of stocks in your currently portfolio, it is a great tool. But Zacks will not tell you what stocks to buy today.
They also have a few free investment newsletters that you can subscribe to for free. This newsletter is e-mailed each weekday morning and summarizes the market, what the market means for investors, and what you should do next.
Zacks offers the following account options:
- Free Registration. Resources that will help you profit with no obligation to purchase.
- Zacks Investor Collection. Bundle of top subscription services for long-term investors.
- Zacks Ultimate. All private buys and sells from all exclusive recommendation portfolios.
You should review each account options to determine which one will help you achieve your financial goals.
Zacks Current Promotional Offer:
TRY ZACKS HOME RUN INVESTOR for 12 months for only $149.
You can get that list FREE by following this link to Zacks.
6. Jim Cramer Action Alerts
Finding the top stocks requires focus, discipline, and most importantly, homework.
Luckily, Jim Cramer’s Action Alerts take those steps out of the equation for you!
Jim Cramer offers his alerts as a subscription service available through TheStreet.com.
The service will send you an e-mail when Cramer has recommended a buy or sell for any stock.
You will also receive additional analysis such as…
- Detailed information on the stock
- The action being taken
- Why that action is being taken
At the end of each week, Cramer will do a weekly roundup of all the shares that he currently owns.
We like this service because it allows everyday traders to get inside the head of an industry expert.
With this, you will have the tools necessary to make well-informed decisions for your own investment portfolio.
There is even a 14-day trial of Action Alerts so that you can see if the service is right for you.
7. Tim Sykes Penny Stock Alerts (Best for Penny Stocks)
Tim Sykes is the most popular, and probably the most successful penny stock trader. On his web site he claims to have turned $12k into $7 million.
He even shows you a chart of his portfolio over the years and lists his trades (if you become a paid member.)
He has turned that success into a series of books, newsletters and even TV appearances.
When you register you can get access to his trades in real-time and follow him.
You will also get updates throughout the day on trades that Tim Sykes makes.
But who is Tim Sykes, anyway?
He is a trader that turns thousands into millions and has set out to teach others how to do the same!
Tim Sykes Current Promotional Offer:
Tim has a variety of plans. CLICK HERE to see his various price points and offers.
8. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Kiplinger’s is a monthly magazine that aims to satisfy all of your money management and investing needs.
This publication covers things like homeownership, vehicle purchasing, and retirement saving.
Additionally, Kiplinger advocates for long-term investing and low-cost investing which is perfect for young investors.
Each month several columnists cover a variety of topics, which include:
- Latest financial trends
- Individual stocks
- Mutual funds and ETFs
- Bond investing
- Retirement planning
- Real estate
- Bank accounts, credit cards, automobiles, and technology
Kiplinger is definitely one of the most broad and comprehensive financial newsletters.
And, the best part is…
…this magazine covers all areas of finance, and you can sign up for just $12 a year!
9. Stansberry Research
Stansberry Research specializes in providing actionable investment recommendations and research for individuals self-managing their portfolios.
Stansberry promises to bring “the safest, most profitable investment ideas in the world, no matter what’s happening in the markets.”
You can check out any of the following entry-level newsletters:
- Stansberry’s Investment Advisory
- True Wealth
- Retirement Millionaire
Each stock trade newsletter uses a different investment strategy, so it will be up to you to determine which is best.
You can sign-up for a stock market newsletter for $199 annually.
But you can often find discounted subscription prices with a little research of your own.
10. The Speculative Investor
The Speculative Investor combines technical analysis with macroeconomic analysis.
This analysis covers equities, gold and gold stocks, currency exchange rates, commodities, and bonds.
Subscribers receive two commentaries per week covering the financial markets mentioned above.
Additionally, you will receive stock picks and other trading ideas to boost your portfolio.
You can sign-up for $25 per month or $240 per year.
11. Other Niche Investing Newsletters
- Discovery: Everlasting Portfolio
- Motley Fool Options
- Extreme Opportunities: Augmented Reality and Beyond
Best Investment Newsletter Conclusion
There are hundreds of services out there claiming they can help you find good stocks and beat the market. We subscribe to a few dozen and update this list quarterly so you can see which ones are performing the best.
Over the last 7 years, the stock picks from the Motley Fool Stock Advisor have consistently outperformed the overall market. by double digits per year. That is far and above all of the other newsletters we track. If you are still not convinced, then read our full Motley Fool Stock Advisor review.
While every stock pick of theirs does not go up, they always pick a few stocks that double and triple each year–that is how they get their amazing returns.
Not only did the Fool’s Stock Advisor have the best returns for the last 7 years, but it is also the most affordable newsletter at just $79.
We don’t guarantee future results, we are only sharing our historical results. If you want to get a year of their next stock picks, for just $79, CLICK HERE.
If you have cash available every month to invest, the Rule Breakers newsletter is our second best performer. On average their 24 picks for each of the last 7 years have outperformed Stock Advisor’s , but their variance is much more. The Stock Advisor has fewer losing stock recommendations, but Rule Breakers has more super-returns on a few stocks.