Stansberry Research Review – Are The Services Legit?

Overview

• Name: Stansberry Research
• Founder: Frank Porter Stansberry
• Publisher: Brett Aitken
• Website: www.stansberryresearch.com 
• Service: Investment research newsletters

The firm founded by Porter Stansberry provides a wide-ranging array of investment research. The team behind it analyzes market events as well and recommends companies and stocks.

It then supplies subscribers with such information through different types of investment advisory services.

There are various risk levels and investment types available for potential subscribers. If you decide to get their services, the firm promises excellent and comprehensive information.

These will help you make gains in the industry in which you are most comfortable. Naturally, this involves you trusting the team led by publisher Brett Aitken. 

You must entrust your email address and personal details. It also means allowing their input to sway your investing decisions. The question is, after reading all points, would you consider them trustworthy? 

Do stick with us till the end so you can find out more about Stansberry Research.

What is Stansberry Research?

Stansberry claims to be the investment research provider of choice by millions.

Its website says that two simple concepts guide its business. The first one is about providing consumers with knowledge that the team would want if they were customers themselves.

The second one is about the experts on the team. Stansberry only employs trustworthy analysts. The team must want to read and implement their recommendations and methods in their own households. 

The company believes in presenting a variety of viewpoints. This may be the reason why there is such a huge team behind it. The editors even designed their services to cater to as many people as possible.

They claim that experienced analysts with their own investment methods and philosophies lead their newsletters. Because of this, there is really no unified market perspective.

There are diverse opinions and strategies. As a result, subscribers will have a holistic experience with the analysis they read. They will have more choices.

On the whole, Stansberry says it is committed to managing risks and a contrarian approach to spotting investment opportunities. It also claims to focus on unwanted, disregarded, or unknown assets.

The firm's other principles include believing in:

• a long-term approach
• transparency and accountability
• unmatched customer service and no-risk subscriptions.

Leadership Team

As per its website, the firm's editors and analysts come from various financial backgrounds. They've worked for some of the world's largest money management organizations.

Some have experience in mutual funds and equities. Others have been stockbrokers, analysts, accountants, and hedge fund managers.

Also, The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and the Washington Post, among others, have already cited their work.

Moreover, Stansberry claims that CNBC, Fox Business News, and CNN Radio have featured its experts.

Surprisingly, its founder is absent in its roster of editors and analysts. Its website makes no mention of Frank Porter Stansberry on its Our Team page.

The founder

He founded the company in 1999. Its primary publication then was Stansberry's Investment Advisory. Plain and straight to the point.

The man also hosted a popular financial radio show. Broadcasted weekly, people tuned in regularly to Stansberry Investor Hour.

He was also Fleet Street Letter's first American editor. This is a big deal because it is the world's oldest English-language financial newsletter.

His advisories have become one of the most widely globally, his profile claims. It also adds that this is because of precise forecasts. Apparently, these have helped readers avoid disaster while making gains.

The founder is also the creator of The End of America, a 2011 web movie where he prophesied the US's impending demise.

Today, he seems to have entrusted the company to other people.

Top executives

The most prominent team members are Brett Aitken, Steve Sjuggerud, Dr. David Eifrig, and Matt Weinschenk.

Aitken, the publisher, is also in charge of all the group's services. He has spent the last 25 years working with top business executives on three continents.

Previously, he co-founded a debt-collection firm with a staff of 100 people. Blue-chip enterprises across Australia, large banks, and numerous government sectors were among his clients.

The website states that he is a global business expert. In the firm, he collaborates with more than 30 of the industry's "best editors and analysts" to deliver "high-quality, in-depth, and independent research."

Meanwhile, Sjuggerud, a lead editor, manages the True Wealth advisory series. He has a doctorate in finance.

Before, he held positions as a stockbroker and vice president of a $50 million worldwide mutual fund. He was also a hedge-fund manager.

The editor has spoken at numerous financial conferences in the US and the world. Many publications like Bloomberg and Forbes have also featured him.

Another editor is Dr. Eifrig. He has one of the most impressive résumés, according to Stansberry Research.

The man earned an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management after getting his BA from Carleton College in Minnesota.

Then, Dr. Eifrig went on to work for Goldman Sachs as an elite derivatives trader. 

In addition, he worked for a decade on Wall Street for companies such as Chase Manhattan and Yamaichi (formerly known as "Goldman Sachs of Japan").

Meanwhile, Weinschenk serves as the team's director of research. The website also says that he has been a CFA charter holder since 2014.

His past newsletter experiences are from The Oxford Club, White Cap Report, and Wall Street Daily.

Services

To say that the firm has comprehensive services would be an understatement.

It has 32 services overall. Stansberry has grouped them into three categories. These are Macro-Level Services, Specialized Investment Research, and Free Resources.

A helpful feature on the website is the Safety Rating. Even before clicking on any service, you would already see how "safe" the investment type is.

It ranges from Very Conservative to Very Speculative. We believe this feature is a step forward for the industry. Often, companies hide these details deep in their pitches, so you would read through pages of them.

Here, you can decide early on if a service is for you. The website also features a short newsletter description. At a glance, you can see what it is about.

A publication overview is also available online. Typically, it answers the following questions for each service.

• How often is this service published?

• How much capital should I have to get started?

• What will we be buying?

• Do you put on short trades?

• What’s a typical holding period?

The services are about different topics. Some are on global and emerging trends, safe stocks, and options. There are also newsletters on energy and metals, crypto, and ETFs. 

If gold and gold-stock investments and micro-cap stocks fancy you, they also have these. Stansberry also has advisory on growing retirement accounts and China investments.

Those into real estate, corporate bond market, and income markets will also find a service here.

Here is a list of the services on the website:

Macro-Level Services

• Stansberry’s Investment Advisory
• True Wealth
• Retirement Millionaire
• Extreme Value
• Commodity Supercycles
• Stansberry Gold & Silver Investor
• Stansberry Innovations Report
• The McCall Report

Specialized Investment Research

• Stansberry Venture Value
• True Wealth Systems
• Retirement Trader
• True Wealth Opportunities: China
• True Wealth Real Estate
• Stansberry Venture Technology
• Stansberry’s Credit Opportunities
• Income Intelligence
• Daily Wealth Trader
• 10X Investor
• Advanced Options
• Cannabis Capitalist
• Crypto Capital
• Crypto Cashflow
• Gold Stock Analyst
• Matt McCall's MegaTrend Investor
• Silver Stock Analyst
• Ten Stock Trader
• Visionary Investor

Free Resources

• Stansberry Digest
• Health and Wealth Bulletin
• Stansberry Investor Hour
• Daily Wealth
• Stansberry NewsWire

To help customers better appreciate its services, the firm also offers packages. Each one has a different set of advisory newsletters inclusion.

The Total Portfolio is a "hedged portfolio consisting of around 40 recommendations." These range from "safe income plays" to "riskier small-cap stocks."

Meanwhile, The Income Portfolio's goal is "to generate extra income" monthly. Here, you will find "income-generating stocks to fixed-income bonds and bond funds."

If you prefer the entry-level package, you may avail of The Capital Portfolio. Its goal is to beat the market and give you maximum capital gains.

The advisory firm also offers two by-invitation-only bundled memberships. These are The Stansberry Alliance and Stansberry Choice.

Again, we appreciate the variety of choices subscribers have. It seems like the company has a service for every type of investor.

Moreover, we commend the free newsletters available on its website. This is great for those who do not want to spend on their newsletters yet.

Controversies

Any investment research firm can come up with hundreds of services. In fact, many will even claim that experts lead them.

They claim to have the best information. As a result, you can trust their recommendations, for sure.

But the truth is, copywriters and marketing teams do most of the work in this area. They curate pitches and craft claims.

Of course, the intention here is to entice you to choose their company over countless others. The competition is fierce, so they are writing to catch your attention.

Never mind if there are sky-high, impossible-to-fulfill promises. If it makes you click that button, they will tell you what you want to hear. Of course, this is not always beneficial for customers like you.

But the sad reality here is that most get away with misleading claims or false advertising. Maybe, there are just too many of them that authorities cannot go after each one. This is unfortunate.

However, we do see some developments from time to time.

Protecting consumers

Enter TINA.org. 

Truth in Adveritsing, Inc. is a nonprofit organization set up by lawyer Michael Vlock. Its website states that it wants to empower consumers in protecting themselves.

From what exactly? TINA.org fights against false advertising and deceptive marketing.

As readers of investment research newsletters, we know how helpful this can be. Even if you have not heard about this group before, we are certain you could relate to its advocacy.

After all, most of us have heard about the complaints people have. Their stories anger us as we sympathize with victims. Some of us even directly experienced various hassles from research firms.

So for sure, you appreciate even the intent of the organization. 

The group says that it accomplishes its mission through various means. They include investigative journalism, education, and advocacy. TINA.org also heavily promotes truth in advertising on all its platforms.

To keep its operations unbiased, the organization asserts that it rejects advertising money. In fact, its funding comes from an independent source, which is the Seedlings Foundation.

As per the website, this foundation supports programs that inform, educate, and engage children and families.

TINA.org offers reportage on cases that they are looking at. It also gives updates on case resolutions. Moreover, people can file complaints online, and it will investigate claims.

Aside from these, another benefit here is having a community of consumers.

According to the nonprofit, anyone can share their horror stories and resolved cases. It is a venue where everyone encourages each other. In its view, empowered people protect each other.

Vlock, its founder, saw how the government couldn't control the number of scams in the marketplace. There are just too many cases of abuse.

Since he wanted to do something about these, he started the organization. The group's central platform is the Internet because of how pervasive the new media have become.

Specifically, the watchdog has four areas of concern. These are Multilevel marketing, Made in the USA, Influencer marketing, Health claims, and Negative-option offers.

TINA.org vs. Stansberry

On March 11, 2014, TINA.org sent a letter to Stansberry Research. The group addressed it specifically to the owner, Frank Porter Stansberry.

The letter informed the company that it looked into many promo materials and website text. Upon investigation, TINA.org has seen evidence of deceptive testimonials. 

The demand letter stated that Stansberry should remove them by March 18. Without such action, it will file formal complaints with the authorities.

In this case, the group will not hesitate to file a complaint at the Maryland Attorney General. It will also involve the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission if needed. 

In addition, the letter stated that the company should also include disclaimers on the risks of investing.

Of course, we had to look at the evidence the watchdog has. Based on the available information online, it appears to have a solid case. 

The significant findings are:

1. Testimonials on the site omitted vital information

2. Atypical investment results

3. Suspiciously similar results and quotes

4. Testimonials promoting retirement newsletters contain false or misleading information 

The group compiled an exhaustive list of examples. There were videos as well and their transcripts. It was also able to access archived pitches. Impressive, overall, for TINA.org. But for Stansberry, problematic.

Here are a few examples from the 43 pages of "problematic testimonials:"

"I made over $13,000 in January 2012 and about $75,000 last year with the help of this strategy." - Bill C.

"My favorite service is Retirement Trader. I am averaging over $10,000 per month since I started in November2011.” - Aaron G.

"I've only been doing this for 8 months and have already found over 160 ounces of silver bullion." - John C., Partham, MA

“I have been following Dr. Sjuggerud’s investments for several years. Only wish I had known him early in my life. My $600,000.00 is now worth well over a $1,000,000.00. I think that I am almost ready to retire." - Clyde Lafond

The result

As mentioned, it is comprehensive. It seems like even Stansberry realized this. Why? Well, a day before the deadline, it requested the evidence list.  

Upon granting the request, the advisory's founder admitted that there were indeed "a few mistakes" in their materials. He also thanked the nonprofit for the heads-up to improve Stansberry Research.

More importantly, the company's lawyers committed that it will be "making some changes to [its] marketing.”

It was indeed a huge win. By March 18, the research company removed all the problematic testimonials from their website and promo materials. 

In addition, it added a disclaimer stating that investing includes the risk of losing money. Stansberry also promised to "incorporate the changes and other improvements into its future promotions and testimonials."

A big win, indeed.

We are glad the nonprofit prevailed. We detest any scheme that deceives consumers. It's even more enraging in this case as it targeted the elderly and retirees. 

You know that we sound like a broken record here when it comes to this.

We must protect each other, especially those vulnerable to misleading claims. So even if there were changes promised, we must remain vigilant. Let us fight for truth and fairness together.

We must do so because companies would always take advantage of any loophole. That's why they always develop ways to go around existing parameters.

Pirate Investor issue

This is not the first official issue with Stansberry. 

There was a complaint already when he was still an editor under Pirate Investor in 2003. The SEC filed a case against him, Pirate, and its mother company, Agora. Surprise, surprise.

It alleged that the defendants "violated the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws." The agency also sought "disgorgement and civil money penalties" from the three.

Apparently, Agora, Pirate, and Stansberry sent unsolicited e-mails to Agora subscribers on May 14, 2002. The e-mails, which Stansberry allegedly wrote, claimed to sell inside information.

This was about the government approval of a contract that would generate billions of dollars in revenue for an unnamed company.

It would then allow investors to double their money on the announcement date. The said e-mails further allegedly indicated that the secret information was from a company official. The report will then be sold for $1000.

The complaint also said that about 1000 subscribers purchased copies of the study. This resulted in an income of $1,000,000 for Agora.

Finally, the complaint claims that the inside information was actually untrue. This was because the firm itself did not know when the contract approval was. The event did not even happen as promised on May 22.

After four years of litigation, the court reached a decision in August 2007. It ordered the defendants to "pay $1.5 million in restitution and civil penalties."

The penalty was for "disseminating false stock information and defrauding public investors through a financial newsletter."

According to the court, Stansberry willingly defrauded people. This is because he made untrue representations about a stock. He did not even have evidence for his claims. 

As a result, those who subscribed became susceptible to severe loss.

For the defendants' lawyer, his clients did nothing wrong. Stansberry and Pirate Investor "continue to stand by their reporting on the company and their view of the stock at the time."

Interestingly, Agora was removed from the case. According to the court, it was not involved in the specific newsletters.

We take special note of this because we know the reputation of Agora. We have written about its practices in a previous article here on this website.

The parent company of various newsletters has been a party to many past controversies. We said that you should not be too quick in trusting the firm. 

If ever you want to subscribe to any service, research first. There is a lot of advisory under it. Some deliver on promises, while others do not. A lot, though, practice false advertising, which is a shame.

Do check out all the pertinent details on our review. You will better understand our assessment when you read it. 

Implications

TINA.org also notes that Stansberry Research is exempt from specific SEC regulations. This is because the company is a newsletter publisher.

Strictly speaking, it isn't a "firm that handles individual portfolios and provides one-on-one advice." So the firm can still use testimonials despite SEC's ban. 

Despite this loophole, the watchdog still maintains that Stansberry should watch out. It is not exempt from laws about false and misleading ads.

Similar issue

As an advocate for consumer protection, we also strive to provide you with such developments. When you know about cases like these, you can protect yourself.

A past case we featured here is the Raging Bull fraud case.

The FTC said the investment advisory firm defrauded customers of $137 million. It misrepresented its services with misleading and unsubstantiated claims.

This is also a good read because of its case facts. It will help you see what your rights are in terms of dealing with such advisory services. So do check out our article on Raging Bull.

Track Record and Reviews

Since the firm has 32 services and 23 years in the industry, many reviews are available.

Obviously, we can't cover feedback for all of them. But we will try to cover as much ground as we can. It's vital that you get a sense of how people receive Stansberry's services.

Trustpilot

On Trustpilot, there are currently three reviews as of this writing. The three gave the company 1 star out of 5. This is under the Bad category rating.

Their reviews complained that the company acts like a scam.

User "Ken Lowes" narrates his experience in reading the firm's newsletter. He was not impressed, so he canceled his subscription. Unfortunately, the process was a pain.

The two other reviews were clear in branding the company as illegitimate. 

Commenter "Thomas" had no idea how Stansberry got his email address. When he tried to watch a pitch, he said it used tactics that played into people's fear.

Sitejabber

Sitejabber's Stanberry Research page only has one comment. We are showing the review below as it provides how important your email address is. So even if a service is free, it's not risk-free.

User "Iam T." also mentioned that instead of getting usable info, all he got was stories. 

These reviews are crucial as they give you information about more minor aspects of services. We are not saying you will have the same experiences. But at least you are aware that there are such issues.

Pissed Consumer

By the time we publish this article, there are 50 reviews for Stansberry on Pissed Consumer. Overall, its rating on the website is 1.8/5 stars.

Although the company was able to get a few 4 and 5 stars, the majority gave them 2 and 1. 

• 5 stars: 3 reviews
• 4 stars: 5 reviews
• 3 stars: 3 reviews
• 2 stars: 8 reviews
• 1 star: 31 reviews

We first examined the reviews of those who have a favorable view of the company. 

"Jayliah Jrm" seems to have only the best experience with Stansberry Research. The firm was able to make him money.

The other comments also appreciated its research. They said that if one is patient, they can see valuable information in the newsletters. In fact, another person said that subscribing was beneficial for their finances.

However, even the positive reviews stated that the advisory is not for everyone. Subscribers must also be patient with all the emails. They say that the company does send a lot of promotional materials.

Some also said that the process is pretty straightforward if you want to unsubscribe. Obviously, this observation is not what the others have experienced. Actually, many negative reviews were about this issue.

We looked at the 1-star and 2-star comments. You could tell by the review headlines that people are indeed pissed at the company:

• Angry at Stansberry Research
• Dont Walk - RUN from this company
• Bad business practices
• Avoid at all costs!
• Piece of ***
• I don't want others to get screwed
• Unethical Company/Practice

Do you see what we mean? This is just a tiny sample of what people had to say. Subscribers were agitated by how Stansberry Research treated them as paying customers.

"Corrinne Ati's" review above may accurately summarize what customers experienced.

First, she was not satisfied with the actual financial research. Second, the subscriber did not receive satisfactory treatment for someone who paid for a service.

Actually, this is what's unfortunate about the situation. There were only a couple of complaints about the newsletters' content. Most were really about customer service.

Of course, this does not mean that the research was outstanding just because people did not complain online. Maybe some did not bother to write a review.

In fact, this is also true for those who found the advisory acceptable. Many are not inclined to write complaints or commendations online. So do take caution when you read reviews.

However, it's logical to assume that the reviewers were dissatisfied with Stansberry. Why would they opt out if they are receiving quality recommendations, right? 

What's bothersome here is that there were reports of unauthorized charges. Also, some said the company did not remove them from the service even if they unsubscribed already. 

As a result, even if they wanted to leave, the subscriptions were even renewed. Subscribers also complained that the customer representatives were not helpful or ignored them altogether.

One reviewer even mentioned what seemed like another scam:

So I decided to cancel both of them before one month the trial period over. They do not cancel themselves. They appoint a 3rd party in the name of "cancelwizard" for a fee $37.00. I have never heard of paying for cancelation.

If true, what a shameful practice. Since there was a trial period, it should have been a breeze to get out. First, why would Stansberry not allow you to do that? Second, what's with the fee?

It is ridiculous. Unfortunately, the company did not even bother to reply to the complainant. If true, this is a despicable practice, and relevant agencies must look into it.

Have you seen similar policies before? Do you have experiences like this in the past? Do tell us below so we can discuss this further.

As we have said, this is unacceptable, of course. If the firm promised refunds before a specific date, it must comply. The company must address valid complaints. It must make things right.

We always emphasize this point because most victims are older people. Most of them rely on limited, fixed income. Of course, many are susceptible to false promises. 

Moreover, not all of them know how to reach organizations like TINA.org. So we could only imagine how many accept that they are victims. Maybe some think they cannot win anyway, there's no use in fighting.

This is the very reason why we write reviews like this. We include as much information as we can. When you see objective reviews like ours, you can be extra careful.

We also include relevant cases so you know that you can fight back. Others have done it in the past and won. Therefore, if you are right, you can win as well.

Or at least get your money back and expose them.

For this reason, we do encourage you to share our articles with your friends. We aim to help regular investors like you as we expose teasers and review newsletters. So do talk to others about our website.

Stock Gumshoe

Less than 40 reviewers rated Stansberry Innovations Report on Stock Gumshoe. Overall, the newsletter got 2.4/5 stars.

One comment said this about the service:

Stansberry newsletters are only advertisements for more $$$.
Never made a dime on these stale picks!

This sentiment seems to be a consistent sentiment about Stansberry. People observe that the priority is to promote or upsell. In this comment, we also see that the service was not helpful to the reviewer.

It is a common sentiment among customers. When they subscribe to free or affordable services, most updates are on other services. Publishers constantly bombard them with advertisements.

Yes, we understand the need to entice readers to get premium offers. Maybe they do reserve more crucial information on these. However, publishers still need to provide them with value. They're still subscribers.

However, commenter "Randolph Smeds" defends the company:

What are these guys wining about? The reports are full of information, maybe even too much detail. His recent picks as of early May have done great! At $49 it is a great bargain!

Maybe he had a different experience, so good for him. At least we see that there are people who benefit from the newsletter.

Stansberry's Investment Advisory fared better on Stock Gumshoe. It received 3.8/5 stars from around 460 votes.

As of this writing, there are 165 comments on eight pages of the site. This volume is understandable because this is Stansberry's first advisory. It was already there since 1999.

Obviously, many people know about it and have experienced subscribing. Porter Stansberry was the first editor. Today, the company credits Alan Gula as editor.

Going through the comments, we do see many positive comments. They like the writing, perspective, and recommendations.

The comment above looks like a credible statement. Since user "Leo m" has subscribed for eight years, he has a lot of experience with Stansberry. So he must know what he is talking about.

There is indeed value in comments from long-term subscribers. We can assume they have experienced highs and lows.

Be that as it may, we also cannot dismiss the experiences of others. Even if they are subscribers for a few months, they still have legit concerns.

For "Chris," you're better off without it. He did not see the point of subscribing. What he wanted was substance, but what he got was, in his words, "recycled crap."

As we have pointed out before, this is the downside of having misleading claims. When you set high expectations, you better deliver. Unfortunately, many do not.

Naturally, subscribers will be disappointed. As a result, some will register their anger online. We can't blame them for using harsh words. 

The positive thing that we see here is that they serve as a warning for others. If potential subscribers are on the fence, they can help by giving legit reviews.

What has been your personal experience with this? Have you ever experienced leaving reviews as well? Were they positive or negative? Has there ever been an instance when a review saved you money?

We hope you do diligent research before subscribing to any advisory.

Stock Gumshoe also has a review page for Stansberry Gold & Silver Investor. This one has 3.1/5 stars from 65 votes as of this writing.

Meanwhile, Stansberry Venture Value received a rating of 2.1/5 from around 20 votes.

For Stansberry Venture Technology, the consensus from more or less 40 votes was that it deserves 2.8/5 stars.

Among all that we checked, True Wealth received the highest rating: 4/5 stars. By the time we publish this, 624 reviewers had contributed to the score.

Again, we reiterate that such ratings are subjective. So we suggest that you weigh all the information available about a service, not just reviews.

Conclusion - Is This A Legit Firm?

Frank Porter Stansberry seemed to have a genuine desire to help others when he started his career. People would not have supported him and his services if there was no value in them.

This could also be the reason why it still exists today. Along the way, there have been subscribers who saw genuine returns. As a result, the firm has survived all these years. Twenty-three years is no joke.

So we are wondering what happened to the company. It is disheartening to read the kind of comments about its services. We sympathize with the founder and his legacy.

But we are all the more concerned about the aggrieved subscribers. Nobody deserves to be fooled, ignored, or even scammed. Unfortunately, these words came from subscribers themselves. 

A lot of them feel Stansberry victimized them. Based on the cases we mentioned, it appears that it is aware of its shortcomings.

But it seems like it only acts when threatened by legal action. This is not right.

Whenever we read cases like this, we also appreciate nonprofits and government agencies' role in protecting consumers. They do try their best to help subscribers get fairness and justice.

However, it is also clear that these efforts are not sufficient. There are just too many problematic publishers around. So we believe a community of proactive, brave, and vigilant subscribers would really change the tide.

If we flag each other on illegitimate services, we can help others stay away from them.

When we complain about abusive firms, we hold them accountable. As we stand against false advertising, we act as retardants to such schemes.

To be fair, we also discussed that the company has staunch defenders. Some services also received decent marks from subscribers. So it seems like there are helpful newsletters among the bunch.

But in the end, you must determine if it is worth the risk, given its history. If you think a service will help you get great returns on your investments, go for it. But if you are uncomfortable, don't do it.

Do follow the links we included in this Stansberry Research Review. They will help you better appreciate all the information we provided. You may share this article with others as well so they will also be better informed about the firm.