Ultimate Guide: Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence Review

Overview

• Name: Strategic Intelligence
• Editor: Jim Rickards
• Publisher: Paradigm Press
• Website: www.paradigm.press
• Service: Monthly research newsletter
• Cost: $79, $149, $199 (special discounted offer: $129)

Strategic Intelligence relies on the track record its writer has built over the years. Will his expertise in various areas rub off on his investment advice? 

Let's answer this question together.

Who is Jim Rickards?

A person like Jim Rickards demands attention. His persona and his ideas scream very loudly, it is impossible to ignore the guy. 

Some people might call him a provocateur. His insights spark interest, controversy, and/or action. Further, you are bound to think about his ideas for a long while once you hear about them.

Others might refer to him as a doomsayer. After all, he has been predicting a new Great Depression after the pandemic.

According to his estimate, it will take at least thirty years before we experience 2019 economic levels again. That's three long decades.

But what is it about Rickards’ background that allows him to make such pronouncements?

In a promotional pitch for his newsletter, he used President Joe Biden as his anchor. The host of The Great Biden Swindle, introduces Rickards as “one of America’s most respected financial authors”.

There seems to be merit to this. 

Since his books will also show us his worldview, we will briefly describe them to you. 

Amazon lists down his highly-rated books:

• The New Great Depression (2020)
  Wall Street Journal and national bestseller

  • Reveals the true risks to our financial system and what savvy investors can do to survive -- even prosper -- during a time of unrivaled turbulence

• Aftermath (2019)
  Wall Street Journal bestseller

  • Shows why and how global financial markets are being artificially inflated -- and what smart investors can do to protect their assets

• The Road to Ruin (2016)
  National bestseller

  • Reveals the global elites' dark effort to hide a coming catastrophe from investors

• The New Case for Gold (2016)
  USA Today and Wall Street Journal business bestseller

  • Steps forward to defend gold as both an irreplaceable store of wealth and a standard for currency

• The Death of Money (2014)
  New York Times bestseller

  • Shows why money itself is now at risk and what we can all do to protect ourselves

  • Explains the power of converting unreliable investments into real wealth: gold, land, fine art, and other long-term stores of value

• Currency Wars (2011)
  New York Times bestseller

  • Untangles the web of failed paradigms, wishful thinking, and arrogance driving current public policy

  • Points the way toward a more informed and effective course of action

The author also boasts that the Pentagon and the CIA have gotten him in the past as an adviser.

According to his World Bank profile, he was an “adviser on the international economics and financial threats to the Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community.”

It also adds that Rickards “served as facilitator of the first-ever financial war games conducted by the Pentagon.”

Further, his introduction paints him as someone deeply embedded in halls of power. To prove the weight the publishers put on his credentials, we will quote the following based on the transcript.

The Great Biden Swindle says this about Rickards:

• Spent 40 years building high-level contacts both in Washington and on Wall Street

• Advised on a Presidential campaign and befriended four-star generals

• Was on a first-name basis with members of Trump's cabinet

• Negotiated the $4 billion bailout for Long Term Capital Management in 1998

• Called by the CIA when they wanted his help uncovering anomaly investing patterns on Wall Street, just before the 9-11 attacks

• Plugged into the Washington, DC machine since the late 1970s

• Fraternized with four-star generals and NSA director, Michael Hayden

• Made friends in Donald Trump's cabinet

• Advised John McCain when he ran for President

If the goal is to show the extent of his experience, the pitch is effective.

But the unintended message is this. It appears that he takes advantage of every association he has for clout. Or in this case, for sales.

Aside from the collapse of the dollar, the pitch claims something more. It says that he warned the US Treasury about the certainty of a market collapse in 2006.

Further, Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump did not come as a surprise to him because he has foreseen them.

In summary, we could say he has been around. He is an analyst, lawyer, economist, op-ed contributor, and inventor, among others.

The editor of Strategic Intelligence has also attended prominent schools. He holds an LL.M. (Taxation) from the NYU School of Law and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Moreover, Rickards has an M.A. in international economics from SAIS and a B.A. (with honors) from Johns Hopkins.

Our goal with this lengthy profile is not to promote the man and his newsletter. We merely want to show you that the person himself has a long list of credentials.

But this does not always guarantee a great newsletter service.

In our experience, even the most well-established personalities get ugly reviews. Usually, the comments revolve around the marketing tactics employed or credit card issues.

Of course, there are those dissatisfied with the actual investment advice. Some say the recommendations made them lose money. Others do not find anything special with the advice given.

So even if he is impressive on paper, we will still encourage you to read further. This article will discuss more details about his newsletter and how it works.

What is Strategic Intelligence?

Since the collapse of the dollar as we know it is inevitable, Jim Rickards wants to help you prepare. He wants you not just ready, his goal is to make sure you will profit from it.

This is the thesis of Strategic Intelligence.

The author has created a unique way of looking at the financial system and stock markets. This allows him to securely direct your investments.

He knows exactly how the dollar's depreciation will play out. Moreover, the analyst can predict which equities would plummet. The economist adds that he is able to tell which assets might skyrocket in value.

Rickards refers to this prediction technique as "complexity theory". It will alert you well ahead of the impending collapse. According to him, this is a unique and unrivaled instrument in the financial world.

This is what he will use to assist you in establishing secure investing positions. With his help, you can still invest in “stocks, bonds, cash, art, land, precious metals, and other hard assets.”

Through his monthly advisory, you will regularly get direct updates from him. Rickards will give his regular insights on:

• how the dollar’s collapse and replacement is unfolding
• the potential triggers that may set off the coming crisis
• specific investment recommendations
• wealth protection strategies during the meltdown

The author is no stranger to big, bold claims and predictions.

He even has a teaser that we previously reviewed here at Green Bull Research. We tackled Rickards' "#1 silver mining stock" that could have "gains of up to 1,000%".

How it Works

The strategy, according to the lawyer-investor, is the very method he uses for his family’s wealth. It also works with whatever amount you have in your bank account.

He arrived at his formula through more than 4 decades of market analysis. Moreover, it is a result of 19 years of studying risk algorithms.

To ensure its efficacy, he has also collaborated with special advisors. His consultants include Nobel Prize winners and former heads of the Federal Reserve.

When you subscribe, you will access this information.

In addition, he will reveal why one of his prized strategies involves gold. The former hedge fund manager believes it could soar to at least $14,000 an ounce.

He believes this could happen in 2024. Since this is already very near, you need to know about it right now: how much gold to buy and in what form.

We have documented Rickards’ leanings towards investing in gold. In our article on his “10x Gold Script” teaser, we discuss his claims on “the biggest gold boom ever”.

The investor also lists three steps that you need to do to protect and grow your wealth.

• Step One:
  Own Physical Gold Before It Hits $14,000 Per Ounce
• Step Two:
  Go Beyond Gold For Gains as High as 2,000%
• Step Three:
  Brace Yourself For Joe Biden's America

Of course, these are broad statements. To maximize his advice and get instructions, you need to subscribe.

It is laudable that there is a lot of information from the newsletter.

But, the majority of these are about the author and his prognosis. We expected more insight into how his process works so subscribers would get a better idea.

Without this, all the other information just becomes fluff.

For sure, Rickards stands by his predictions. But since you will spend on his advisory, you need a clearer picture of his formula.

What you get

Jim Rickards claims that what he will share in the newsletter used to be unavailable to the public. This information was only for his high net-worth clients and members of the U.S. intelligence community.

But now you have a chance to learn from him.

When you click on the publisher’s website, it will lead you to his regular basic package. For a one-year subscription, prepare to shell out $199.

Strategic Intelligence Includes:

• Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence delivered directly to your inbox monthly
• Free Monthly Live Intelligence Briefings with Jim Rickards where he will answer your questions
• Private access to the Members-Only Website
• Master Archives of all Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence newsletter issues and report library
• Free daily e-letters
  • The Daily Reckoning
  • Agora Financial Executive Series, featuring the 5 Min. Forecast 

You would know by now that publishers always come up with promotional offers. Rickards has special deals included in The Great Biden Swindle.

Here are the inclusions in different price points:

• Special PLATINUM Offer: $129 (from $199)
  • Digital and print issues of the newsletter
  • Weekly updates and other regular benefits
  • Free report library and free Master Class series
  • 10 Winning Trades For the Post-Pandemic World
    • Twenty Stocks to Dump and Five to Own
    • The $4 Company Behind the World's Last Pure Silver Mine
    • Biden Survival Master Class
  • Free copy The New Great Depression: Winners and Losers in a Post-Pandemic World
    • A new hardcover copy of Rickards’ national bestseller
    • Discusses the hidden costs of the lockdowns, post-pandemic boom, and the best way to invest in the five to thirty-year fallout
  • Free copy of The New Case For Gold
    • Shows proof for soaring gold prices for years to come
      Includes secrets on gold: buying, storing, investing
• SILVER Level Offer: $149
  • Digital and print issues of the newsletter
  • Weekly updates and other regular benefits
  • Free report library and free Master Class series
  • Free copy of The New Great Depression
• Bronze Level Offer: $79
  • Digital-only issues of the newsletter
  • Weekly updates and other regular benefits

Will you get your money's worth when you subscribe? Are you going to benefit from his perspectives?

A close look at his credentials reveals that he has interesting things to say. He even writes opinion pieces for the Financial Times, Evening Standard, New York Times, and Washington Post.

Media like BBC, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, and The Wall Street Journal also frequently have him as a guest.

Cost and Refund Policy

Cost

Regular one-year subscription: $199.

The Great Biden Swindle offer:

• Special PLATINUM Offer: $129 (from $199)
• SILVER Level Offer: $149
• Bronze Level Offer: $79

Refund Policy

In our reviews, we always strive to be fair and give credit where credit is due.

We want to highlight this refreshing refund policy that seems to give subscribers a great deal. Strategic Intelligence gives its readers a full six months to change their minds.

If you think the investment advice is not worth your money and time, call them. Then, they will give you a full refund. On top of that, you get to keep all the freebies and reports, including the editor’s books.

This is a reassuring gesture. We hope many investment advisory publishers will follow suit.

Reviews

This will be interesting for you. If you are already leaning on subscribing to Strategic Intelligence, read further.

It's important to note that you will also see frequent mentions here about Agora. The reason for this is that its publisher, Paradigm Press, is under The Agora.

You may also read more reviews of newsletters associated with the company here. We recently wrote about Nomi Prins’ Rapid Growth Opportunities and The Altucher Report.

First, we looked at the website of Pissed Consumer. We did find some comments on Jim Rickards under Agora Financial. But these were reviews of his other newsletter services.

Reports there were mostly negative. But we can expect this from a website documenting customer complaints. To be fair to the specific newsletter at hand, those were not included in this article.

Second, in the Better Business Bureau, we have also looked at reviews. There was one comment that specifically mentioned Strategic Intelligence under Agora Financial.

The images below show an irate subscriber complaining about the whole ordeal. Even after a reply from Agora, the customer threatened to bring this up with the Attorney General.

Third, in Stock Gumshoe, you will see different points of view on the newsletter service. It is not shocking as Rickards’ entry-level advisory received a 2.5 out of 5 stars from more than 300 voters.

Moreover, the comments below give a balanced view. They acknowledge that the author is credible and smart. But what they have issues with is his competence in investing.

This is the reason why we want our readers to have a deeper understanding of each newsletter. One aspect may be good, such as an accomplished investor, a proven publisher, or some other factor.

But when seen as a whole and it does not deliver, would you still spend your money on that service?

This commenter below has some harsh words for Rickards and his advisory. It seems the person experienced trauma from the experience.

The next one is a constant complaint with The Agora. Often, even if the services seem legit, their reputation suffers because of bad customer service.

Also, everything today is digital, why can’t they respond better to subscribers? In the first place, why are there sketchy credit card charges? This can all be frustrating for the regular consumer.

On one hand, we commend their great refund policy. But on the other hand, if it will not be implemented well, it will be useless.

We also want to point you to these next comments, which to us are sober and fair.

They seem to understand Jim Rickards and his limitations. But they still see the value in what he brings to the table.

One even says that he reads the newsletters more for the information than the financial advice. Despite this, he still calls out Agora.

Pros

• Jim Rickards is among the most prominent and experienced of the editors we have reviewed
• Compelling arguments for his worldview
• Has affordable options

Cons

• Negative reviews
• Uses fear to drive sales
• Makes outlandish claims and predictions
• Lacks details about the newsletter's methods

Conclusion - Will Fear Drive You to Subscribe?

What kind of an investor are you?

Interestingly, the editor uses doom and gloom as a strategy to get more subscribers.

It might be effective in driving you to action. But how will this affect you in the long run? As investors, we often hear the adage that we must not act on impulse like fear.

Of course, for Rickards, he does not believe he employs scare tactics. What he preaches is the truth. And this argument holds water if you believe in his predictions.

What's clear is that there seems to be a consensus on his track record. It is impressive.

But still, the question is: can he give credible investment advice?

Based on this review of Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence, what do you think? Let’s talk in the comments section, we would love to hear your take.