Dave Forest's Strategic Investor Newsletter is the entry-level advisory of Casey Research. It claims to tell you in advance what the next big trends are.
If we believe its claims, we can take advantage of investing in a company early. Of course, this means that we will earn more for more extended periods.
It is a promising proposition. Everyone wants to be in on the next big thing before others jump in. According to Forest, his recommendations are ahead of the media by two to six quarters.
If true, this is indeed impressive as it seems like he has a crystal ball into the future. The operative word here is "if." So our task here is to help you determine how he intends to deliver on his promise.
One prominent promotional anchor of the advisory is the 5G Master Key. A "tiny $10 company" is supposed to unveil this solution to an alarming tech snag.
The thing is, this promo has been around for quite a while.
In fact, we have already exposed it in July 2020 on our website. We stated on that 5G Master Key article that the company teased by Forest is Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT).
Before that, we wrote an expose of the same teaser, but that one is from another editor. Green Bull Research released that E.B Tucker article in May 2020.
So what is going on here?
Is Casey Research running out of credible companies to tease? Don't they have other explosive companies to promote? Why do they need to "recycle" old marketing materials?
These are examples of questions objective observers pose because of the seemingly repetitive push for GILT.
To be fair, one reason may be that it is that good. It could be that not enough people are still paying attention, thus the need for emphasis. Investors can still benefit from it leading to 2022.
The headline of the promotional page says that 5G Master Key is still the "last and biggest 5G story for 2022."
Are you convinced about it? What is your opinion on the matter? Is this a desperate push or a genuine effort from Casey Research? Are you inclined to subscribe to the newsletter because of this?
If you are not yet sure about which way to answer, that's perfectly fine. This review will help you see the fine print better so you can decide later on.
Overview
- Name: Strategic Investor
- Editor: Dave Forest
- Publisher: Casey Research
- Founder: Doug Casey
- Website: www.caseyresearch.com
- Service: Investment research advisory
- Cost: $199 annual fee
The newsletter is from geologist turned investment research editor Dave Forest. It contains research into companies that will be the next Amazon, Netflix, or Apple.
According to the website, you will access Forest's and Casey Research's knowledge on speculative investments when you subscribe.
This is interesting because all the services of the research company are anchored on speculation. It makes sense because many acknowledge the founder, Doug Casey, to be the best on rational speculation.
The term refers to the science being put on the research team's calls. These are supposedly not just based on out-of-nowhere predictions but research and field experience.
When you subscribe, Forest adds a bunch of bonus reports that change based on current trends. Based on the available links, you may get any combination of the following:
- The 5G Master Key: How To Cash In as 5G Sweeps the Globe:
- Two More 5G Stocks Set To Explode
- America’s Ultimate Tech Boom: 3 Moonshot Stocks
- The New Metals Manifesto: How to Profit from America’s Third Power Shift
- The Gold Investor's Guide
- Casey Research's Survival Handbook
If you are interested in this Casey Research newsletter, you will have to shell out $199 per year.
What is Casey Research?
Casey Research is the investment research firm of speculator, author, and investor Doug Casey. According to its page, the firm has been operating for about 25 years.
The goal of Casey Research is anchored on its focus on speculative investing. After all, this is Doug Casey's area of specialization.
Market Distortions
As an advisory company, it says that subscribers will earn "superior returns" because of "market dislocations."
We are no stranger to newsletters promising excellent returns when you adhere to their investing guidelines. This is the standard pitch of advisories, well above financial information and education.
But we are curious to know what exactly the term market dislocation refers to.
For Casey, governments should leave the markets alone. It does not have any business intervening in its processes because it will just do more harm than good.
Why? Because the government's primary go-to method for everything is control. This is entirely opposite of what the market needs, which is freedom.
With a free market, there is innovation, competition, and development. This is the ideal scenario.
However, governments cannot help themselves. In various countries all over the world, political forces introduce legislation and measures to intervene in markets.
Since this is the global political reality, investors thought of ways to still earn from such interventions. Hence, the rise of speculation.
According to Doug Casey, the term refers to maximizing market distortions caused by politics. Some considerations here include the effects of environmental regulations, red tape, and corruption on businesses.
Casey Research says that it is keenly observing these occurrences. Although these have adverse effects on the general market, those who are unaware will be affected the most.
But if you are a subscriber to its services, you will not only be safe. You can earn high returns and be wealthier than most.
Doug Casey and his team say that the advantage that they have over others is that they are very well aware of global events. There is an emphasis on their travels and business dealings in various countries.
This indicates that they have enough on-the-ground experience and do not just rely on mainstream news and updates. In fact, the claim is that they get crucial information even before it spreads to most people.
When you avail of its services, expect to invest in high-yield investments. The company philosophy is that mutual and regular money market funds do not yield significant rewards.
These are safe, but if you want to be among the top 1%, these are not the way to go. Casey Research says that if you want to go big, you might as well go for "investment sectors with significant upside potential."
But of course, such come with risks. If you are not careful, you might lose significantly instead of earning high profits. Entrusting your wealth to the recommendations of mediocre investors may even lead to bankruptcy.
The advisory company advertises that they base their speculations on tons of research unlike others. Their prescriptions are not just based on so-called experts' baseless predictions.
Eight Ps
Casey has come up with a way to evaluate investment prospects. Called The Eight Ps of Resource Stock Evaluation, he details this in a nasdaq.com interview.
These are people, property, phinancing, paper, promotion, politics, push, and price. We will discuss each of these in our How It Works section.
Basically, the message Casey Research wants to send is that they do deep research based on the company's fundamentals. In addition, its experts also study the environment where the business operates.
Strategy
If you want to see better returns for your investments, Casey recommends allocating a portion of them to speculative stocks.
For him, investing all of your money on slow-growing stocks is nonsensical. Why would you settle for something that will only give you 10% returns?
Instead, Casey Research advocates that you try investing at least a small percentage to speculative investments. When you do, you will see how lucrative it can be.
Even if you allocate a mere 10%, you will see that this can yield up to 1000% gains.
Of course, this claim is par for the course in any advisory marketing strategy. Should you believe Casey and Dave Forest? As you read this review further, you will get a better idea of whether the proposition is realistic.
Casey Research says that its subscribers will have an advantage over others. The team knows which companies will go big in the future.
As readers, you can get in on them early so that you can reap their benefits for an extended period. Its experts "give specific buy, sell, and take-profits suggestions." You never have to guess again.
How does the research firm do it? Well, aside from research, they have lots of contacts. Being in the industry for 30 years, its experts know whom to ask for significant market movements.
As a result, its subscribers will have access to legal insider information.
In addition, the combined experience of the leadership team allows them to be more discerning. Recent fads and shakings will not determine their next course of action.
On the contrary, they remain steady as long as they know their research is sound. The basis is and will always be credible information.
Another factor for their success is their integrity. The company says that all of its output is unbiased. These are data-driven, not agenda-imposed.
An interesting note here is the outright claim that they are not your average traders. The company says that it does not involve itself too much in buying and selling.
The focus is on "quality plays in companies and markets." It looks at trends and stays until there is a high yield already. If a more lucrative option appears, it is also a signal to move forward.
According to Casey Research, most of its recommendations are small, undervalued stocks. It is more interested in long-term gains over immediate returns.
However, since Dave Forest's Strategic Investor is an entry-level subscription, expect large caps in the newsletter.
Again, let us clarify that all of these are claims from Casey Research.
Services
There are currently four services under the research company.
- Casey Daily Dispatch
- A six-days-a-week newsletter from Kris Sayce
- Provides analysis on the goings-on in the financial and economic markets
- Strategic Investor
- A monthly newsletter from Dave Forest
- More about this in the following sections
- International Speculator
- Monthly explorers and mining stocks from all over the world
- Annual subscription fee is $3,500
- Strategic Trader
- Premium service that aims to find 1000% winners with minimal risks
- You may subscribe for $4,000 per year
At the moment, it seems like Dave Forest is doing much of the heavy lifting in Casey Research. He is the Editor of all its existing paid services.
The newsletter overseen by Doug Casey himself is no longer on its roster. Even the previous editor of The Casey Report, Nick Giambruno, is not affiliated with the company anymore.
We wonder why the service stopped. However, our Casey Report review is still available on our website if some of you are curious about the advisory.
Aside from Casey and Forest, the other experts are John Pangere and Kris Sayce. The former is a Senior Analyst, while the latter is the Editor of the free newsletter.
What is Strategic Investor?
The Strategic Investor newsletter promises to give you exclusive research from its editor, Dave Forest. Since it is under the umbrella of Casey Research, it also banks on the expertise of Doug Casey.
The advisory, it claims, will give you advance information on which companies will go big. Your advantage is that you can get in early since Forest is ahead by almost one and a half years.
He adds that you can trust him as he has made legit calls in the past. Some of these include the "renter trend, legal marijuana boom, and blockchain explosion."
Apart from these, there really isn't much to discuss about the newsletter, to be honest. We are not sure if the company really made an effort in building this advisory.
The descriptions are pretty generic. What Casey Research claims that Strategic Investor could do, you could say about any other newsletter.
We do not wish to be too harsh here, but we believe it is a fair assessment. You could even go and check the website on your own and tell us if you agree with our opinion.
It seems like much of the effort in promoting the newsletter went into the marketing material for The 5G Master Key. We will not get into too much detail about it.
As mentioned, we have already written about it here on this blog already. One teaser is from E.B. Tucker and the other from the current editor, Dave Forest.
If you want to know more about the company teased, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT), refer to our past articles.
Since you are here mainly for Strategic Investor, this review will focus on available information about the newsletter.
Who are the People Behind Casey Research's Strategic Investor?
Doug Casey is an investor and author with 30 years of financial sector experience. As founder of Casey Research, he specializes in speculation.
In fact, his website says that he is the authority when it comes to rational speculation.
Crisis Investing is his most popular book to date. A #1 New York Times bestseller in 1980, it details how one can still earn high yields in difficult economic times.
Today, he no longer edits a newsletter in his company. The three paid services have Dave Forest as the main editor.
Forest has an interesting background. He is (or was) mainly a geologist for more than two decades, specializing in mining and petroleum.
Now, he edits for Casey Research. The newsletters he handles are International Speculator, Strategic Investor, and Strategic Trader.
According to his profile, Forest founded several mineral exploration and development companies in the past. His experiences and various travels give him an edge in the financial research business.
How it Works
As an advisory that advertises itself as having the leading experts on speculation, Casey Research also emphasizes the science behind its recommendations.
According to Doug Casey, their research is based on The Eight Ps of Resource Stock Evaluation. As an entry-level newsletter, Dave Forest's Strategic Investor relies on these principles.
The first P is people. This is the single most significant factor in evaluating a company.
The leadership team must be comprised of people who have a long track record of success. They should be competent, honest, and credible business leaders who know how to lead a company.
The advisory studies the composition of the board and other leaders before it recommends the company. Only when it is satisfied in this area will it recommend a company's stocks.
Another crucial aspect of a business is connected to its property. It is so vital that there are instances when the team hires geologists and engineers to help them in this item.
Strategic Investor wants to ensure that a company has the real estate necessary to expand its operations. This can be a physical infrastructure or a digital space.
Some examples here include oil fields, mining areas, new technology, cloud storage, and the like.
The third P is a wordplay on financing. Will the business have enough phinances to sustain its efforts for the long haul? Do they have enough resources for expansion and development?
The thing is, even if a company is promising and its products revolutionary, it will be a dud without enough money. So credit and cash are essential.
Paper is the next significant factor for Casey Research. Yes, its team members are expert speculators. But they still need to see how sound the company's share structure is.
Crucial here is the number of restricted shares and trading volume, as these provide invaluable insights to investors.
Another vital criterion is promotion. A company must effectively get its message across so that people, the media, and investors can get excited about its prospects.
These days, public relations and marketing communications help a lot in drumming up interest in an investment.
As we have already mentioned, politics play a role in the behavior of supposedly free markets.
Casey's book, Crisis Investing, is all about making money through investments during times of political and economic disturbances.
His team travels the world to know the implications of various local, regional, and global events on the economy. Using their knowledge, they help people navigate challenges brought by government interventions.
Push is the next significant P. The team examines what events may come up that will drive the share prices higher.
The eighth P is price. Casey studies internal and external events that may influence a company's market cap.
This process separates the kind of speculation they do from others'. The selling point here is that there is a thoughtful consideration of investments.
Clearly, this is not the same with gambling, according to Casey Research. Its founder also wishes to dispel the notion that speculating is a form of high-risk investing.
According to him, though there are risks, these are manageable. He knows what he is talking about because his process mitigates these risks.
Casey says that their analysis will help your odds immensely. It is not just about reducing thousands-to-one into hundreds-to-one. With the advisory, you will get a 50-50 chance of success.
In some instances, your odds will even be greater than 50%. When you win, you can get up to 100-to-1. Such will be more than enough to offset your more minor losses with speculative investments.
So what do you think so far? Is this a convincing argument? Now let's go beyond the persuasive techniques of Casey. Would you say that he is presenting a realistic projection?
From our end, we do appreciate his emphasis on science and process. He seems to be most convincing on this end.
In fact, people regard him as the leading expert on rational speculation because of his contributions to the field.
But when it comes to the promises of such high yields, these remain to be proven.
What You Get
According to the current offer on its website, your subscription will avail you of the following:
- Twelve issues of Strategic Investor newsletter
- The New Metals Manifesto: How to Profit from America’s Third Power Shift
- The Gold Investor's Guide
- Casey Research's Survival Handbook
Note that the bonus reports change depending on what the firm deems relevant to its subscribers.
Cost and Refund Policy
Casey Research, unfortunately, does not offer cash refunds. Instead, it will give you credits that you can use for its other services.
Green Bull Research frowns upon these kinds of arrangements. To protect consumers, we believe advisory firms need to issue cash refunds.
If a subscriber feels unsatisfied with the service, why would they shift to another newsletter? What if they feel like the company does not fulfill promises as advertised?
With a cash refund, the reader can decide on their own whether they will subscribe to other services or other companies.
Track Record and Reviews
We have already given our sober assessments on the main teaser for Strategic Investor in our past articles.
Our May 2020 5G Master Key article says this about E.B. Tucker's claims:
Don't fall for the hype. It is a well-positioned company but don't expect to see 16,000%+ gains like he hints at.
Meanwhile, this is what we had to say in our July 2020 Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) exposé:
Should You Expect 9,000% Gains? Don't count on gains of this size, that's for sure. This is a pretty far-fetched prediction.
The Strategic Investor review page on Stock Gumshoe gives the newsletter 3.1 stars out of 5. This is from about 60 readers of the website.
On the Trustpilot feedback page, Casey Research has a "poor rating," getting 2.7/5 stars as of this writing.
The comments are varied. Some of the positive reviews indicate that the advisory company provides quality services.
The negative reviews have been overwhelmingly harsh. Commenters say that the firm is an outright scam.
Before subscribing, take these comments into account. However, you should still decide on your own in the end.
As you can see, the feedback has been mixed, so you do not really know what your experience will be.
A good indicator here is how comfortable you are with the services, given these kinds of comments.
Pros v Cons
Pros
- Doug Casey and Dave Forest have extensive on-the-ground experience
- Speculative investments have the potential for high yields
Cons
- Lacks details on the newsletter's process and system
- Does not offer cash refunds
Conclusion - Would Subscribing Be A Strategic Move?
This newsletter promises in-depth research that will point you to returns that will make you rich. According to its editor, he can give you advanced information on which companies will make it big.
The reason why he can do this is because of Casey Research's expertise in speculative investments. With Doug Casey as the company's head, the claim is that a thorough study was made before recommending stocks.
Although we know what Casey's general process is, we lament the lack of details in this newsletter. The editor does not give us the unique selling proposition of the advisory.
We have shown you all the details you need about Dave Forest’s Strategic Investor Newsletter. At the end of the day, it will still be up to you if you will subscribe or not based on our discussion.