Choosing stocks is certainly not easy. It could even be a full-time job. That’s why investment newsletters can be useful. With these newsletters, you’ll receive stock picks straight to your inbox, potentially saving you a lot of research time.
But investment newsletters generally do more than just mention a few stocks, and usually back up their suggestions with research. Some are better suited for expert investors, while others are for beginners. Wherever you are on that spectrum, one of these newsletters will likely meet your needs.
1. Motley Fool Stock Advisor
The Motley Fool offers several stock picking services, but Stock Advisor is the company’s most popular. Stock Advisor works by offering two new stock picks every month, accompanied by market research and investment trend analysis. Those who sign up will also gain access to the message board, where you can chat with other Stock Advisor members.
Stock Advisor allows investors to take a hands-off approach. This is perfect for buy-and-hold investors who prefer a ‘set it and forget it’ style of investing. It costs $99 per year.
2. Search Alpha
Seeking Alpha has a service called Alpha Picks that helps investors build a portfolio designed to beat the market using a data-driven approach, which the company says sets investors up for long-term success.
Also similar to Stock Advisor, you get two new stock picks per month. This means the service is also best suited for buy-and-hold investors, and you’ll receive sell alerts if a pick falls out of favor. This service is more technical, so what you get is a quantitative analysis that takes into account company fundamentals, valuation, momentum, forward-looking analyst estimates and profitability.
Alpha Picks costs $199 per year. However, you only pay $99 for the first year.
3. Morning Star
Morningstar offers several investing newsletters, most of which are free. The Morning Digest newsletter provides market news, research and in-depth features from Morningstar’s editorial staff. The Smart Investor newsletter provides an overview of the trends driving the market, and the Improving Your Finances newsletter focuses on managing your portfolio.
Unlike the previous two newsletters, these are not focused on stock selection. Instead, they give you the latest insights on stocks and ETFs, and leave it up to you to decide what to do with that information. Therefore, it is a more intermediate level service.
To access Morninstar’s premium newsletter, called Stock Analyst Notes, you must be a member of Morningstar Investor. The service costs $34.95 per month or $249 per year. A 7-day free trial is also available. Stock Analyst Notes gives you insights from analysts on news affecting the biggest stocks.
4. Kiplinger
Kiplinger’s newsletter is called The Kiplinger Letter and has two subscription options: weekly and bi-weekly newsletters. The newsletter covers a wide range of topics – from the economy to music and even topics like immigration. You can also view a recent version of the newsletter for free to get an idea of what’s in it.
When you sign up, you can choose print, digital, or print and digital copies. However, the price is the same for all three, so all you really have to decide is whether you want 52 or 104 copies per year. The new member price for 104 issues is $174.95 per year, while the price for 52 copies is $99 per year.
5. Destraat
TheStreet also offers several free newsletters. These include 5 Things to Know Before the Market Opens and TheStreet Daily, which delivers market and investment news to your inbox.
If you want access to more exclusive information, TheStreet also offers three subscription services: Quant Ratings, Action Alerts PLUS and Real Money Pro. The prices for these services are $49.99, $199.99, and $799.99 per year, respectively. Action Alerts PLUS is the most popular of the three, even though it’s not the cheapest service – probably because Jim Cramer is the founder.
Each paid service from TheStreet has different things to offer. Here are some features you get with each:
- Quantitative assessments: Stock rating screener, research over 4,100 stocks and letter grades for each
- Action Alerts PLUS: Real-time alerts for every buy/sell decision from the AAP team, 24/7 portfolio access and monthly calls only for members
- Real Money Pro: Daily trading floor moves, access to portfolio managers, stock ideas from contributors
Like some other options on this list, TheStreet isn’t necessarily suitable for beginners. Whichever newsletter you choose, you’re sure to find a lot of useful information.
In short
With the average investment newsletter costing between $99 and $199, you might be wondering if it’s worth the money. As is usually the case, these newsletters are what you make of them. They have a lot to offer, including insights, expert analysis and exclusive information. Most importantly, they can save time for some. Ultimately, however, you must take the initiative and put the recommendations into action. If you do, investment newsletters can be worth every penny.
