Welcome to Stock Gumshoe!

Welcome, new readers! Here’s what we do here, read on and decide if you want a free subscription:

We all get email ads and see online ads for newsletters and investment services. Often, these ads tempt you with promises of great ideas in store — usually specific companies or mutual funds or similar investments.

But they don’t tell you the name of it — for that, of course, they want your $1,000 a year subscription payment first.

“I’m a retired (well, almost) portfolio manager for a small investment advisory, and I really appreciate your obvious integrity and your skills as a forensic securities analyst. In this business, it’s rare to find people who have BOTH qualities.”
P. V., California

Want some examples? Here are just a few popular ones from the hundreds we’ve sniffed out in the last six months:

Oil Investment In Somalia (Taipan)?

801K Plans — Twice the Returns of 401Ks (Stansberry and Associates 12% Letter)

USG-4 Tip Sheets — Secret Government Stock Tips (Stansberry and Associates)

The New American Super Brand (Motley Fool Stock Advisor)

and the American Oil Pension

You could always subscribe to one of thousands of investment newsletters to find out what stocks they’re touting …

… but the Stock Gumshoe knows sometimes all you want is a good investing idea …

… and a little discussion about whether or not it really is all they say it is. Sometimes you really do want to subscribe to a newsletter … but get the facts first.

So that’s what we do.

We sleuth out the investments being teased, and track them in the spreadsheet so we can see, over time, whether it would have made sense to buy any of these stocks based on the teaser ads we all receive.

And we talk, in the comments here and over at the separate Stock Gumshoe Forum (also free), about whether these or other investing ideas are any good. We review newsletters for other potential subscribers, comment on teaser ads, and generally share good (and bad) investing ideas.

The Stock Gumshoe is not an investment adviser and I can’t give you personal advice, I’m just a thoughtful individual investor, like you, who likes exploring new ideas and opening closed doors.

The rules? I always strive to be fair, and don’t believe that investment newsletters (most of them, at least) are evil. I don’t give preferential treatment to any adviser or newsletter. And I try to have a sense of humor about everything — hey, sometimes even the most ridiculous or borderline-fraudulent ad will give someone a great, money-making investment idea. You can read my disclaimer at the bottom to see the details of my personal rules.

We’ve built up a nice community of like-minded souls here — come along and join us as we look for the next great investment, and look to avoid the next scam or dud idea.

Subscription is free. Voluntary contributions are always accepted — the site is supported both by contributions and by advertising. And if you’ve got a good email teaser ad for an investment service, send it along so we can sniff it out.

Enter your email in the box at the top right to subscribe, or check out the archive on the right or use the search box up top to see if we’ve investigated any newsletters you like.

The author will always disclose any direct long or short equity, debt or option position in any stocks written about as of the day of publication, and will not trade in any stocks mentioned for three days (72 hours) after publication. Full disclaimer is at the bottom of the page.

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1. HOW DO I SET UP ONE OF THESE 801K PLANSFOR MY FAMILY AND I THESE LOOK VERY INTERESTING?

   [Reply]

   Posted by Anonymous | September 25, 2007, 2:08 am

2. The most difficult task of investing in an 801k is choosing which company you would like to invest in. Once you choose you may have to purchase at least one share of stock (many require this) go to oneshare.com and get your certificate. Then complete the required application for the company you have chosen & then decide how you will fund it.. EITHER one initial deposit only. OR an initial deposit and set up an auto debit on your checking acct. for a minimum of $10 or nore. TGhen…l watch it grow!
   Dari Justice

   [Reply]

   Posted by Dari Justice | September 26, 2007, 11:22 pm

3. dear Stock Gumshoe:

   This stock pick is not the result of spam; rather something I read in Popular Science. Ticker is STHK. Startech Environmental. The underlying energy conversion technology seems like the greatest invention ever. In a nutshell, it turns just about any waste material into heat (to produce electricity) and hydrogen (which can be used to power cars, etc.) In essence, garbage in, $$ out. Stock seems to be hammered by shorties and manipulators. I have stayed away but am itching to buy thinking it COULD be the next Microsoft x 10. What say you, Gumshoe?

   [Reply]

   Posted by Michael | January 11, 2008, 8:32 pm

4. Interested in thoughts on Steve Sarnoff and his options picks. On “sale” for $500 per year though May 14.

   [Reply]

   

   2B Reply:
   July 30th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

   I set aside $5000 to try OptionsHotLine by agorafinancial. Only took a little over 3 months to loose it all! They claimed to have not had a loosing recommendation the year before I subscribed. But as I watched their reporting, I saw that the gains they reported were not realistic for the average investor since they reported highs that had only lasted a few seconds or buy prices that had been before market institutional buys, etc. Do not know if anyone actually does profit from their recommendations, but my only profit was educational! Wish I had gone to the Gumshoe discussion boards first, then I’d be $’s ahead in my Roth!

   [Reply]

   Posted by Paula | April 28, 2008, 12:15 pm