St. Paul Research Review – Are They Trustworthy?

Overview

• Name: St. Paul Research
• Publisher: Aaron Gentzler, Matt Insley
• Website: www.stpaulresearch.com
• Service: Investment Research Advisory

The brand promise of St. Paul Research is simple. They want to help make you money so you can build your wealth.

To do this, they have an array of services designed for all types of investors. Whether you are looking at tech trends, high- or low- risk strategies, or options, they have it.

While they claim no magic formula, their "gurus" promise never-before-seen ground-breaking tactics.

As you read further, keep in mind that our comments section is open for your thoughts.

What is St. Paul Research?

The company aims to be a one-stop-shop for your investments. Providing the most effective strategies to create wealth is their number one goal. According to them, their methods are fast, safe, and trustworthy.

The team, who they say is composed of experts, can help just about anyone. A confused newbie and a veteran investor can achieve great gains from their strategies.

When you heed their financial advice, these are the perks they list to entice you:

• More than enough money to cover everyday expenses
• Ability to send your kids and grandkids to the school of their dreams
• Exotic vacations and other luxuries
• 100% worry-free retirement
• No more need for government handouts
• No more money woes

Who in their right mind would not want these, right? But how exactly will they make you experience financial freedom?

St. Paul Research says that they will show you:

• How to invest in stocks that offer the highest returns and send you regular cash payouts

• Secrets for maximizing your investment income using trading techniques the pros use

• Tools for beating market insiders at their own game, earning big returns in short amounts of time

• Social Security filing tips and tricks, ensuring you get everything you’re entitled to

Moreover, they have “unconventional, ground-breaking ideas that you aren’t hearing on mainstream news outlets”.

In 2021, St. Paul Research officially entered into a merger with Seven Figure Publishing. But this is not surprising as these two companies are connected.

The Privacy Policy page of the latter's website says so:

Seven Figure Publishing, a division of Saint Paul Research, LLC (“we,” “our,” or “us”) provides this privacy policy to describe how we collect, use, and share the information of individuals who visit our website at sevenfigurepublishing.com (the “Website”). 

From being a sub-unit, all the offers of Seven Figure are now lined up on the St. Paul Research roster.

But this is not all.

We are part of a larger publishing group known as The Agora Companies (“group companies”). You can learn more about Seven Figure Publishing, a division of Saint Paul Research, LLC in the “About Us” section of our Website.

Yes, you read that right. The Agora. What feelings does this brand evoke when you hear about it? Tell us in the comments section below.

Our regular readers would know more about them. This is due to our articles on the other companies under their umbrella.

George Gilder Report and Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence are newsletters we have recently reviewed.

Curious about the famed unsavory marketing tactics of The Agora? Read about them in our article on The Oxford Club's Alexander Green.

St. Paul Research Team

According to their website, the men and women in their staff are "gurus" in the financial world.

Though they did not identify who it is, one is a big-shot former hedge fund manager. S/he managed $40 million overall in the past.

The other mystery expert is a seasoned floor trader who appears on various news shows. Among the networks s/he graces are CNN, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, and CNBC.

Based on some articles, though, we could safely assume this person is Alan Knuckman.

Indeed, in one of his appearances, he discussed the performance of financial markets in 2019. This was in a show on Bloomberg.

Here are the other names you will be entrusting your investments to should you subscribe:

• Ray Blanco
  • The company markets him as their tech trends guru.
  • They also claim that he has made clients rich with both high-risk and safe tech investments.
• Jim Amrhein, Editor
  • He writes for the Whiskey & Gunpowder e-letter.
• Jessica Comitto, Editorial Director
  • Comitto has "over a decade helping everyday investors understand complex investment strategies".

• Jonas Elmerraji, Quantitative Analyst
  • St. Paul Research's in-house quantitative analyst has been with the company since 2009.
  • He also contributes to Technology Profits Daily.
• Aaron Gentzler, Publisher
  • Gentzler has over ten years of experience in technology and markets.
• Dave Gonigam
  • A former TV producer, he is the managing editor of The 5 Min. Forecast since 2010.

• Greg Guenthner
  • The average position in his Sunrise Fortunes portfolio "outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.65x".
• Matt Insley, Publisher
  • He is the "in-house specialist on commodities and natural resources".
• Byron King
  • Whiskey & Gunpowder's resident gold and mining specialist.
  • He is a "Harvard-trained geologist and former aide to the United States Chief of Naval Operations".

• Alan Knuckman
  
  • Media outlets like CNN, BloombergTV, and CNBC have guested him in the past.
  • He claims to have a trading edge over others that makes him "profit in all market conditions".
• Jonathan Rodriguez, Senior Analyst
  • St. Paul Research claims that the products he launched gave their readers triple-digit gains.
• Zach Scheidt
  • The income expert at St. Paul Research
  • He claims to have consistently provided readers 100% + gains 

• Amanda Stiltner, Associate Publisher
  
  • Her role in the investment research firm is to help retail investors digest complex investing concepts.
• Patrick Stout
  • A financial market analyst, the company describes him as an American patriot. 

Services

The investment research company has six divisions for its services. 

As a potential subscriber, you would find helpful how they organized their newsletters. You may easily explore all, or proceed to your preferred category. 

Another feature we found creative is their membership bundles. It is an innovative way of selling their newsletters, presumably for better value. 

Unfortunately, we do not get to see the price of all their newsletters and packages. It would have been a great way for readers to compare if they will indeed get better rates for the bundles.

Since we want to be your ultimate guide for their services, here they are. We also provide brief descriptions of each.

I. Technology Publications:

• Provides “speculative plays in tech and biotech innovation to safer tech giants”
• Editor: Ray Blanco

1. Breakthrough Technology Alert
2. Ray Blanco's Catalyst Trader
3. Ray Blanco's FDA Profit Alert
4. Technology Profits Confidential (Lifetime subscription: $500)
5. Technology Profits Confidential Pro (Lifetime subscription: $500)

II. Trading Publications:

• Details strategies for investors willing to take more risks
• Editors: Alan Knuckman, Greg Guenthner, Dave Gonigam

1. Alan Knuckman's Big Option Trader
2. The Profit Wire (Annual fee: $5,000)
3. The Weekly Fortune Alliance (Lifetime membership: $5,000)
4. Weekly Wealth Alert (Annual fee: $5,000)

III. Income Publications:

• Scours the market for the best income opportunities
• Editor: Zach Scheidt

1. Buyout Millionaires Club
2. Income On Demand
3. Lifetime Income Report (Lifetime subscription: $500)
4. Lifetime Income Report Pro

IV. Memberships:

Since they have a gazillion services, they have also come up with membership packages. Each one includes a set of newsletters designed for subscribers’ specific targets.

• Infinity Circle
  • Includes the newsletters of Zach Scheidt, Alan Knuckman, Ray Blanco, and Greg Guenthner
  • Access to Publisher’s Preferred Portfolio, a “Top 10 List” of fast-retirement profit recommendations
  • Membership Bundle:
    • Lifetime Income Report Pro
    • Lifetime Income Report
    • Income On Demand
    • Buyout Millionaires Club
    • Alan Knuckman's Big Option Trader
    • The Weekly Fortune Alliance
    • The Profit Wire
    • Weekly Wealth Alert
    • Ray Blanco's Catalyst Trader
    • Breakthrough Technology Alert
    • Ray Blanco's FDA Profit Alert
    • Technology Profits Confidential
    • Technology Profits Confidential Pro
• Family Wealth Circle
  • A 360-degree, comprehensive model for managing your family’s investments
  • A lifetime subscription to Scheidt’s three services (the exception on the list is Lifetime Income Report Pro)
  • Membership Bundle:
    • Lifetime Income Report Pro
    • Lifetime Income Report
    • Income On Demand
    • Buyout Millionaires Club
• Ray Blanco's VIP Tech Advantage
  • First-look access at all Ray Blanco’s work at Seven Figure Publishing
  • Analysis and actionable step-by-step instructions on technology profit trends
  • Membership Bundle:
    • Ray Blanco's Catalyst Trader
    • Breakthrough Technology Alert
    • Ray Blanco's FDA Profit Alert
    • Technology Profits Confidential
    • Technology Profits Confidential Pro
• Power Trading Network
  • Designed to give you all the tools you need to finally master the market
  • Raw, uncensored market insight straight from the trading floor
  • Lifetime subscription
    
    
  • Membership Bundle:
    • The Weekly Fortune Alliance
    • Alan Knuckman's Big Option Trader
    • The Profit Wire
    • Weekly Wealth Alert

VI. Free Publications

• In The Money Trades
  • The newsletter’s goal is to “spoon-feed you the best opportunities in the market weekly”. It is written by Alan Knuckman with the help of Greg Guenther.
• Rich Retirement Letter
  • Zach Scheidt will deliver retirement advice that will “protect and grow your nest egg”. 
• The Rundown
  • This email delivers analysis that will help you digest market news and movements.
• Technology Profits Daily
  • A subscription promises to provide you with the most up-to-date tech trends. Ray Blanco will coach you on how you can profit through them.
• Whiskey & Gunpowder
  • The name is from the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1970s and Guy Fawke’s attempt to blow up England’s Parliament using gunpowder. With these, the writers will bring you insights inspired by those events' patriotism.

VII. Special services:

• Income Underground
  • Zach Scheidt, a former hedge fund manager and income specialist, started this project. His goal is to reveal the secrets that have made millionaires and billionaires rich.
  • To elaborate, this private group provides secret news, income ideas, and investment possibilities. Income Underground also releases exclusive video material. 
• Rich Retirement Letter
  • This free e-newsletter covers both the financial and non-financial elements of retirement. 
  • In particular, topics include social security, investments, and IRA restrictions.
  • For six days a week, Beau Henderson and his colleagues will provide you crucial retirement information. Henderson is a certified success coach and financial adviser.
• What is the Daily Edge?
  • Current readers love the straightforward approach of The Daily Edge. When it comes to saving money for retirement these daily letters help you cut through the noise.
  • The members of the team search the world for the finest income possibilities and then report them to you.
• The 5 Minute Forecast
  • This premium free e-newsletter summarizes the day's financial news. Only St. Paul Research subscribers have access to the service.

Track Record and Reviews

Here on this website, there have already been reviews on St. Paul Research. 

We have exposed two of their teasers. These are Zach Scheidt's "Trump’s 5G Cash" and Alan Knuckman’s “Penny Contracts”.

The former is actually about cell tower REITs. We acknowledged in our review that these can be good investment opportunities. 

Our disclaimer, though, is that investors should not expect the returns Scheidt was promising.

Now, on the issue of Penny Contracts, we said then that what he was referring to are actually weekly options.

More than these, we had a bigger scoop in both reviews: the use of fake photos.

We found out that the pictures of people's so-called testimonials are from stock photos.

These are from the teaser review of Trump's 5G Cash:

Meanwhile, here are the photos in the "penny contracts" article.

Like what we said back then, "What is going on here?"

The profile page of Agora Financial, LLC in Better Business Bureau has more reviews. 

The complaints have been consistent, it seems. They range from comments on unauthorized charges to relentless spam emails.

The thing is, customer service agents do reply to these reviews. In fact, they seem to easily refund money to irate subscribers. They even remove them from mailing lists on the spot.

So if these can be done, why have they not devised easier ways for their readers? What happens to those who do not turn to BBB? Since they feel helpless, do they just accept these charges?

Maybe it is naïveté on our end, but we continue to hope these companies will have customers' best interests in mind.

Read this complaint from someone who does not find the company trustworthy. To be fair, we have also included the action of Agora.

Based on the review above, you could feel how frustrated the subscriber was.  But the answer of the company is also telling.

Though apologetic, they made it sound so plain as if it is no big deal. It's just business as usual.

The complaint below, meanwhile, is for subscriptions which could amount to thousands of dollars.

Remember, we are not referring to just a couple of dollars here. Subscribers spend substantial money from their savings for services they often find subpar.

Read the review below and tell us if this does not make you emotional.

While we are aware that business is business, our concern here is valid. An honest study on their customer profile would reveal common pain points.

From there, if Agora is sincere about addressing concerns, they would adjust their business practices. But for years they have been aware, and for a long time, still no significant improvement.

So it would be justified to wonder if such ambiguity is in fact a tactic to lure more unsuspecting customers.

Meanwhile, the following comments talk directly about their experience with the advice of St. Paul Research.

They have followed the strategies but were not convinced. The conclusion they reached was that the claims were not possible to achieve. 

Though indeed, there are always risks, some blame rightly lands on the company's shoulders. They keep on making huge promises. Naturally, their subscribers would expect even a fraction of the claims.

To show fairness to St. Paul Research, we included some of their responses.

If you have friends who have positive experiences with their services, do tell us. Maybe there also are people who have benefited from their research. 

The prudent thing to do is to check for yourself if they are a good fit for you. It is always better to hear different kinds of feedback.

How it Works

As we have discussed earlier, all the services of St. Paul Research are divided into sub-groupings. Arranging them all this way just makes the website easier to navigate.

For each of their premium services, they show you a brief description as well as a risk profile.

These are not enough information, so they will also bring you to another page.

Unfortunately, the details we need are still not there. We get a general description of the newsletter and some promises. Beyond that, they give no further information.

Such data would have been helpful. Considering the number of their services, it would be better to learn more about investment delivery details.

Moreover, not even all newsletters have pages that tell you what features you will get. Some do not even give the price.  For potential subscribers, we think this is a major concern.

We will not be able to go through each service one by one. But to give you an idea, we will look at one newsletter that has a bit more information compared with others.

If you pay $500, you will already get a lifetime subscription for Technology Confidential Profits Pro. The service from Ray Blanco offers these:

• Technology Profits Confidential
  • Market-leading technology research newsletter 
  • Contains the biggest new technologies you can invest in
  • Shows you how to grow your wealth
• Pot Timer Pro:
  • Includes information on pot to help you position yourself and earn
• Hype Cycle Insider:
  • One of his "most guarded secrets"
  • Shows you how to be the very first to invest in the biggest new tech
• Private Inner Circle Meetings:
  • Closer access every month to the biggest tech trends 
• Access to “Direct Dial,” VIP Customer Support Team:
  • A direct number to your very own VIP team of customer care representatives
• Enrollment in their “Legacy Program”:
  • You may pass the subscription to your family
  • "Your loved ones will continue to receive income generating ideas for life, even after you’re gone"

These are already all the information they provide. You will get no details on how they will do it or how their process works.

Cost and Refund Policy

Cost

Not all their newsletters show us the price. Here are the ones that are available on their website:

• Technology Profits Confidential
  • Ray Blanco
  • Lifetime subscription: $500
• Technology Profits Confidential Pro
  • Ray Blanco
  • Lifetime subscription: $500
• The Profit Wire
  • Dave Gonigam
  • Annual fee: $5,000
• The Weekly Fortune Alliance
  • Greg Guenther
  • Lifetime membership: $5,000
• Weekly Wealth Alert
  • Alan Knuckman
  • Annual fee: $5,000
• Lifetime Income Report
  • Zach Scheidt
  • Lifetime subscription: $500

Refund Policy

We have checked and can confirm this. Officially, they do not offer refunds because of a flimsy excuse, in our opinion.

This is among very few companies we have reviewed who flat out say they will not return your money if you are dissatisfied.

It is almost an unacceptable policy at this point. With the kind of shady marketing tactics that advisory firms employ, you should have the right to cancel. 

Of course, albeit a longer route, you may complain about them and hopefully, they will respond.

Pros v Cons

Pros

• Many newsletters from various editors to choose from
• Diverse investment types

Cons

• Negative reviews
• Promises too much
• Lacks useful details on their investing strategies
• Will not give you a refund (at least officially)

Conclusion - Should You Trust St. Paul Research?