"The Intelligent Investor"

Re: Intelligent Investor Share Advisor reviews

I have tried II in the past (using their free trial) and didn't think they were that useful personally. Maybe you could try their free trial and see if you like it?

Re: Intelligent Investor Share Advisor reviews

coolcup said:

I have tried II in the past (using their free trial) and didn't think they were that useful personally. Maybe you could try their free trial and see if you like it?

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Same experience, I think part of the problem is that because its a subscription service they are almost obligated to give buys and sells with great frequency so it looks like you are getting advice for your money! Problem is if like the OP says, you are more of a buy & hold FA type investor its too much noise.

I do keep my eye on what services like this tip, Motley Fools are another, and then do my own research and see whether they would rate a buy with me - rarely do their tips meet my criteria.

These guys are now starting to have quite a few free articles on their website now, as well as the paid subscription.

Been with them for many years.
Significant cost but so is stuffing up on a trade. I never liked the idea of a broker that earns money on you frequently trading so I prefer this type of pay for service advice and research.
For the type of investing you're referring to, ie buy and hold rather than frequent trading I think they're good value.

I don't agree that they're putting up too many buys or sells just to justify their existence its not what I've seen but then again I may be naive but you may find it useful to look at their growth and income portfolios as they reflect their type of trading which means holding long term in many cases. Buys often stay as a buy for quite a while as the stock that is in good value territory may still have more downside before the markets realize its value unless its a dog and it was a mistake. Maybe ask them for a couple of years of data on their two model portfolios and the number of buys and sells that they have acted on in their own portfolio. Should give you an insight into their approach.

They focus on purchasing undervalued stocks and selling these once they achieve or exceed full value if there is better value around. Occasionally mistakes are made such as QBE which hurt which was a buy for a number of years. Their portfolio tends to be quite large ie 30ish stocks so if you keep to their portfolio limits you should limit the damage of stocks that go bad which will happen.
They are not for you if you're into day trading or such but their emails will notify you of significant news on their portfolio changes or your watched stocks.

Also been with them many years. Under the new ownership, they've gone right off. The new website is lamentable - clearly the designer didn't understand his userbase, and clearly the management don't use it themselves. Their prognostications are littered with snippets they'll be able to quote back at you in the future to show how prescient they were, no matter what happens. More and more effort being expended to convince you how clever they are, rather than being clever.

I can't wait for my subscription to expire !

Ditto waimate01.

Very disappointed with their current service (Nov 2014 - Feb 2015), also the fact they keep trying to "up sell" you into their Premium package. New website is a shambles, and they miss the point on what is needed, and what is just fluff.

Will be seeking a refund.

(I did like the service a year ago and also liked the concept. Will search for another similar, hopefully more focused on its customers)