Agora Financial Review – How do Their Stock Newsletters Stack Up?

Agora Financial Introduction 

Agora Financial is an international publisher of finance and investment newsletters providing everything from general macro-economic analysis to special situation small-cap investment ideas. Agora is the parent company of 10-independent “imprint” subsidiaries which publish their own brands of newsletters catering to varying demographics and degrees of risk-oriented investors and traders in the U.S., Brazil and France. Agora Financial itself is a subsidiary of the Agora Network, which also produces films through its Agora Entertainment subsidiary. Each subsidiary has a definitive style and set of high-profile contributors and writers producing financial, political and investment insights. The site continues to publish one of their oldest free newsletters The Daily Edge for visitors to get a ‘taste’ of the site.  

There’s a good chance you’ve come across one of Agora’s products at one point. The company operates an impressive amount of investment services, all of which have a unique flair to them. Here’s an example of one of the sales pages:

Other sales pages may include intense videos and time-sensitive calls to action.

There’s no doubt that Agora Financial knows how to market. It seems that companies like The Motley Fool and Stansberry Research have started utilizing strategies similar to Agora.

The goal of our Agora Financial review is to find out if they can actually deliver on the bold claims they make.

History of Agora Financial 

Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Agora Financial  was the brainchild of financial journalist Bill Bonner, co-author of books with a “bearish” perspective including Empire of Debt, Financial Reckoning Day, and Mobs Messiahs and Markets which were parlayed into financial e-letters. Agora Financial, LLC was launched in 2004. His uniquely critical perspectives of collapsing financial markets and impending doom for economies is a thought-provoking theme that resonates throughout many of Agora’s newsletters. Former co-author Addison Wiggin runs the operations as the executive publisher overseeing the editors of each publication service. Unique insights and unconventional perspectives are what set Agora products apart from mainstream publications, sometimes to the levels of sensationalism, but attention grabbing and entertaining nonetheless. 

Agora Financial – The Marketing Machine

Agora Financial is a marketing machine (and I don’t use that term loosely). The company is behind many multimillion dollar product launches and successful investment services. Crunchbase estimates that the company generates $41 million in annual revenue but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were higher. The company has launched services with big names like Timothy Sykes and Robert Kiyosaki. Here are just a few of the company’s subsidiaries:

Agora Financial Pricing

Agora Financial is an investment newsletter giant. The success of the company is partially attributed to the breadth of their publications. Agora Financial does not have a singular offering – they have a range of different investment services that are sold separately. For all intents and purposes, these may as well be different services sold by different companies.

Services can range from a few bucks to a few thousand dollars, so it’s important to find a service that fits your budget. It goes without saying that a $100 service and a $1000 service cater to different types of investors.

Agora Financial Publications

Agora Financial lists over 40 different publications on their website and they have even more one-off launches and short-term publications. Here are just a few:

It wouldn’t be feasible for us to review every single publication in a single post, so we will go over a few of the most popular services. If you’re curious about a specific publication that we haven’t covered in this post, leave a comment and we may be able to take a closer look in the future.

5 Min. Forecast

This is a nice summary of financial events, analysis and market commentary published free every day. Editors Addison Wiggins along with Dave Gonigam and Emily Clancy put together this tidy and streamlined content packed newsletter in a streamlined format marked by little timer symbols adding up to 5-minutes. I like to read this every morning to get a snapshot of the impending events to watch for the day along the various themes and sentiments posed by the editors. This compact and tidy newsletter is part of the morning ritual for me. 

Top Imprints for Traders and Investors

With over 35 publications, services vary from market commentary, e-newsletters, educational content and or trading alert signals. Some authors operate multiple e-newsletter services and it can be overwhelming and confusing distinguishing between products. Here’s some of the products geared more towards traders and active hands-on investors.     

Greg Guenthner’s Rude Portfolio

This service outperformed the S&P 500 by 14-percent in 2018. As a 13-year veteran at Agora, Guenthner is a licensed Certified Market Technician (CMT) that’s been through bull and bear markets. The service provides access to all Seven Figure Publishing experts. Seven Figure Signals puts out a trade alert every Wednesday based on a computerized trading system that’s been tested to outperform the S&P 500 by 100X. Geunthner’s products are geared towards portfolio managers and swing traders. 

Ray Blanco’s Technology Profits Daily

As a nine-year veteran with Agora, Ray Blanco operates many technology and healthcare services including Technology Profits Confidential, Breakthrough Technology Alerts, Ray Blanco’s FDA Trader, Penny Pot Profits, Pot Stock Mastermind and Technology Profits Daily. These services are suitable for traders and risk-tolerant short-term investors seeking momentum trades and able to manage the accompanying volatility. He closed out his technology portfolio for a 100-percent gain. His newsletter subscriptions cost $3,000-per year. 

Zach Scheidt’s Lifetime Income Report

Former Wallstreet analyst Zach Scheidt provides dividend income strategies and value investing ideas through his Lifetime Income Report, Income on Demand, Buyout Millionaires Club, Weekly Squawk Box and Contract Income Alert. The Family Wealth Circle is a lifetime subscription to all his newsletters for a one-time payment of $7,500. His newsletters are best suited for self-directed investors with a medium to longer-term holding periods. His content is published under the St. Paul Research, LLC “imprint” subsidiary of Agora Financial. 

The Rich Dad Network Lifetime Subscription

Paradigm Publishing’s the Rich Dad Network provides lifetime access to all the newsletters and services under Paradigm Publishing. These products provide a full range of content that includes economic forecasts, commodities trades, wealth building income strategies, speculative stocks picks and options trading ideas. This includes Tim Sykes’ Weekly Fortunes, The Rich Life ATM, Tim Sykes’ Weekend Profits, Jim Rickards’ Project Prophesy,  Gold Speculator, Strategic Intelligence monthly research and Currency Wars Alert, Nomi Prins’ Dark Money Millionaires, Alpha Shark’s 7-Day Spikes, Real Estate Trend Alert and Nilus’ monthly Rich Life Letter. The total retail value of these subscriptions is $29,297-per year. A lifetime subscription to the Paradigm Press’s Rich Dad Network is a one-time fee of $14,995. 

Timothy Sykes and Paul Scolardi

We did in-depth reviews of Tim Sykes and Superman Trades (Paul Scolardi) in the past. Both of these traders now have services under the Agora Financial network of publications. These include:

• Tim Sykes Morning Profits
• Paul Scolardi’s $100k Insider
• Paul Scolardi’s IPO Fortunes

These are just the programs that are publicly listed on Agora’s website. There may be more, as I’ve seen a few other “Agora-style” promotions on Facebook. It also appears that Paul Scolardi’s programs may be temporarily closed.

In full disclosure, I haven’t personally tested these services, but I’m not sure what they would offer that you couldn’t get from Profitly. Sykes and Scolardi already have trading courses, chat rooms, and trading alert services for reasonable monthly costs.

What Type of Trader is Agora Financial Best For? 

The various newsletters cater to mostly swing traders, portfolio managers and self-directed investors. However, intraday traders can still trade around the stock ideas, but shouldn’t expect too many intraday signals. The political commentary and analysis products are rooted in Libertarian philosophies, so like-minded users who share Libertarian political views are best suited for those products.

Check out some of our other stock newsletter reviews to find out which service is best for you:

• Motley Fool Review
• Oxford Club Review
• Gorilla Trades Review
• Forbes Investor Review
• Fidelity Investor Review
• Nate’s Notes Review
• Action Alerts Plus Review
• Stansberry Research Review
• Profits Unlimited Review

Is Agora Financial Legit or a Scam?

This is a common question and there are a few angles we need to consider. First, Agora Financial is a publishing company with multiple authors and investment advisors. While these advisors are held to standards that adhere to the company’s guidelines, they are all individual people. Each service should be assessed individually.

As for the question of whether or not the company is a scam, I think it comes down to one key consideration. Does the company deliver what they promise? All of Agora’s services are centered around investment advice and the company delivers on their promises. If you sign up for stock picks, you will get stock picks. While this transaction seems simple, there is another component: subscriber expectations.

Agora uses bold marketing tactics to promote their services. You’ve probably seen something along the lines of “the one investment strategy that can change your retirement forever.” These sensational claims can be used to increase sales but they can also misalign expectations. Investors may buy into the hype and take the hyperbole quite literally. While Agora is responsible for their messaging, the onus is still on the individual investor to make smart financial decisions. If you think a $100 service is going to make you an overnight millionaire, you’re not thinking clearly. If you are considering signing up for an Agora Financial service, let the decision be guided by logic, not emotion.

Is Agora Financial a Good Value? 

There’s no doubt, these are some of the more expensive newsletter products. Paying $3,000 up front is a heavy pill to swallow, but if the ideas are generating multiples of that fee then it’s worth it. I would say the lifetime products are a good value and some of the trading alerts-oriented services are also worth it.

You should approach every buying decision as a diligent investor with an ROI-mindset. For example, if a product sells for $3,000, you need to make at least $3,000 more in investment returns than you would have without buying the product. For a $100,000 account, that equates to a 3% increase in annual returns, which is feasible. For a $10,000 account, a $3,000 increase in returns would equate to a 30% increase in annual returns, which is far less likely.

Be realistic and don’t get carried away with the marketing messages. It’s Agora’s job to sell; it’s your job to buy a service that’s right for you. Shop within your budget and sign up with realistic expectations.

Pros   

• Diverse library of independent financial investment newsletters serving swing traders and investors.
• Lifetime memberships gain more value with time.
• Libertarians will enjoy like-minded political core themes in publications
• Stocks, ETFs, options, commodities, real estate, fixed-income and commodities asset classes are covered 
• Around the clock customer service by phone and e-mail 
• Uniquely fuses politics and finance in a frictionless manner that’s both compelling and potentially profitable

Cons 

• Expensive subscriptions that can range from $99 to over $14,000 for lifetime access
• Gimmicky “hype” nature of marketing materials sensationalizing monster returns feels too much like a ‘pitch’