Best Stock Picking Services

January 2023 | Written by the Day Trade Review Team

Stock Picking Services

Advertising Disclosure

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone told you exactly which stocks to buy at exactly the right times? You would be able to sit back, relax, and watch your portfolio grow on autopilot.

That’s exactly what stock picking services are for. 

Of course, you need to choose a service that can actually beat the market. If you choose the right service, you can achieve exceptional returns with minimal work. If you choose the wrong service, you can actually end up losing money.

So, how do you know who to trust?

It can be difficult to differentiate between legit stock advisors and advisors that just talk a big game.

Fortunately, we’ve done the research for you. Our team has reviewed over 200 financial services. Below is our list of the 4 top-rated stock picking services.

1. Motley Fool Stock Advisor

Best Overall Picks, Performance, and Pricing

4.4

Total Rating (out of 5)

Motley Fool Review

  • Value
  • Quality of Research
  • Track Record
  • Credibility
  • Quality of Stock Picks
4.4

Summary

In this Motley Fool review, we do an in-depth analysis of the Stock Advisor service. The Motley Fool is arguably one of the most well-known online stock advisor programs. The company has been around for over 25 years and remains one of the most trusted names in the industry. The question is – should you shell out your hard-earned cash for their research?


Pros

15-year track record of beating the market

Stock picks have returned over 390% since inception

Members get instant access to a list of the best stocks to buy now

Members get 2 new stock picks every month

Affordable membership fee (only $99/year)

30-Day money-back Guarantee

Cons

Company can be aggressive with the marketing of other services

The Bottom Line

Motley Fool Stock Advisor is our #1 rated stock picking service for three simple reasons.

First, the service is credible. Motley Fool has been around for over two decades and the company has a stellar reputation for performance and transparency.

Second, the service has been beating the market for over 15 years. Total returns of the stock picks are over 3X the S&P 500. 

Lastly, the service is affordable. Many stock advisors charge a premium price for stock picks.

If you are looking for the best stock picking service, Stock Advisor is your best bet. Stock Advisor is credible, effective, and affordable.


New Member Discount

or Read the Review


Example Stock Picks

Motley Fool Stock Advisor Performance 2022

Motley Fool Stock Advisor (Our #1 Pick)

New Member Discount

2. Motley Fool Rule Breakers

Best Growth Stock Picks, Performance, and Price

4.1

Total Rating (out of 5)

Motley Fool Rule Breakers Review

  • Value
  • Quality of Research
  • Track Record
  • Credbility
  • Stock Picks
4.1

Summary

Motley Fool’s Rule Breakers program provides stock recommendations for investors aiming to diversify their portfolios. The program has consistently beaten the market for the past 15 years. Should you sign up? Read our review to learn more.


Pros

15-year track record of beating the market

Stock picks have returned over 190% since inception

Members get instant access to a list of the best starter stocks

Members get 2 new stock picks every month

Affordable membership fee (only $99/year)

30-Day money-back Guarantee

Cons

Some overlap in stock picks from the Stock Advisor program

The Bottom Line

Motley Fool Rule Breakers is another Motley Fool stock picking service that serves as a complementary offering to Stock Advisor.

Like Stock Advisor, Rule Breakers is credible, effective, and affordable. This program differentiates itself by specializing in growth stock picks.

This service is ideal for investors who want more stock picks every month. It is most effective when used in conjunction with Stock Advisor to diversify your portfolio.

If you are only choosing one service, choose Stock Advisor. If you are looking for more stock picks, consider subscribing to Rule Breakers as well.


New Member Discount

or Read the Review


Example Stock Picks

Motley Fool Rule Breakers

New Member Discount

3. Seeking Alpha

Best for Research-Driven Investors

4.1

Total Rating (out of 5)

Seeking Alpha Review

  • Price
  • Ease of Use
  • News Quality
  • Resources
4.1

Summary

Stock news and research platform, Seeking Alpha’s, goal is to give its users an easy way to watch their stocks. With features like unlimited portfolios, stock articles, strategies, and more is Seeking Alpha everything you want or is it too overwhelming? Read our in-depth review to find out.


Pros

Great stock picks for research-driven traders

Offers in-depth research reports

Includes access to stock screeners

Quant stock ratings available for all stocks

Trial period available

Cons

Requires some involvement and research (vs. direct recommendations)

The Bottom Line

Seeking Alpha is a stock market research platform that offers investors access to reports, news, screeners, and tools.

Seeking Alpha is one of the best services for investors who want to build a diverse portfolio of top-performing stocks. The platform features in-depth research reports, daily investment ideas, stock screeners, and much more.

While Seeking Alpha isn’t as simple as Motley Fool, it offers an impressive amount of data, reports, and research tools that are ideal for research-driven investors.

Seeking Alpha Premium

Free for 14 Days

More About Stock Picking Services

How are the stock picking service rankings determined?

We base our rankings on 3 key factors:

  1. How well do the stock picks perform?
  2. How credible is the company?
  3. How affordable is the service?

The first ranking criteria is obvious. A stock picking service needs to have exceptional performance (that’s what you are paying for).

The second criteria helps us determine who is legit and who is likely to continue to achieve exceptional results. A service with a 15+ year track record has proven itself whereas a service with a 1-2 year track record may have just had a couple lucky years.

Lastly, we want to make sure stock picking services are affordable. These services are only worth it if you make more than you spend. Accordingly, we factor subscription fees into our analysis. A service may be a great value at $99/year but questionable at $499/year.

What should you expect from a stock picking service?

As a member of a stock picking service, you should expect stock recommendations backed by research. It’s really that simple. The best services tell you which stocks to buy (and sell) and when.

You can then purchase those stocks in your brokerage account.

While stock picking services are effective and easy-to-use, it’s important for investors to have realistic expectations. Many services highlight their best picks and tout massive gains. While these picks are legitimate (in most cases), they are not typical. We encourage investors to focus on the overall performance of a stock advisor service.

How much work is involved in following stock recommendations?

Following stock recommendations can be done in as little as a few minutes. You simply read an alert, navigate to your brokerage account, and purchase shares. The best stock picking services will make it easy for you. They will tell you which stocks to buy and at what price.

While it’s easy to follow these services, you should always do your own research as well. You are putting your hard-earned money on the line so it would be beneficial to understand why you are buying a certain stock.

How do I determine if a service is a good value?

Ask yourself, “will this service make me money?”

It’s really that simple. If a service is charging $99/year, it should make you at least $99 more in investing returns. Your account size is relevant to this analysis. If you only have $500 to invest, $99 reflects ~20% in additional returns, which is achievable but may be difficult some years. If you have $10,000, $99 represents an extra 1%, which is definitely achievable.

Which stock picking service is best for me?

We recommend starting with the Motley Fool Stock Advisor service. At $99/year, it’s hard to go wrong. From there, you can choose to sign up for other services if you’d like additional stock picks