Please note: GorillaTrades is a registered trademark of GorillaTrades, Inc. Neither WealthJunkies.com, its publisher, nor the authors of these articles have any affiliation with the GorillaTrades service.
In recent months, I have stumbled across many web sites that will pick stocks for you. These are not just a star rating like Morningstar. Most actually send you e-mails recommending when to buy, sell, and short stocks. It is like a stock trader’s version of “paint by number”.
There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of sites that do this. These sites include:
- Shortpicks.com. This site, as the name implies, mainly focuses on stocks to sell short. The resident stock picker, named Varlin, is an M.D. that focuses on biotech companies that are stretching their potential. Cost: $20/month, or $150/year. No free trial, but you can see their results online.
- GorillaTrades.com. This web site’s jungle theme boasts a stock-picking “gorilla” that sends an e-mail to you every day. (My hunch is that it is just a computer program, and that they do not really run a sweat shop full of gorillas.) I have seen them advertised in magazines such as Smartmoney, but that might only explain their price. Cost: $599/year, or $995/ 2 years. 30 day free trial (must sign up and cancel prior to the 30 day mark).
- BefriendTheTrend.com. This web sites offers two separate newsletters. One (”Befriend The Trend”) offers e-mail and instant message alerts for swing traders/day traders, and claims a 815% return since inception in 2002. The other (”Master The Trade”) offers e-mail alerts and claims a 362% return since inception in January 2003. Cost for each: $50 per month, or $130 per quarter. The “Befriend The Trend” newsletter offers a $10 trial for the first month. You can also sign up for their free mailing list.
I have not personally tried any of these services. Although I am curious, I cannot convince myself that any of them are worth it. From what I have seen, each one of these stock-picking web sites picks both winners and losers. But even I can pick losers– so what makes them any better?
Does anyone have any experience with these or any other stock picking services?
(Editor’s Note: We are thinking about trying several of these services for a month and reporting our findings and opinions. If this topic interests you, please let us know.)
Anyone can charge hundreds of dollars per month for their own “premium” stock picks - and not offer a money-back guarantee. It is a great business idea because all they have to do is write a nice disclaimer and send you their picks. They get paid whether or not you lose your money.
Someday, I might even share my stock picking goldfish with the world. But, first - I need to teach it how to write.
April 19th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
Yes I would be interested .
April 21st, 2005 at 11:44 am
Very interested. I’ve been researching these services myself and I can’t help but be skeptical. Also, the fact that I can’t seem to find any real User feedback online is unsettling. I only came across your site after Googling every possible keyword left in my head. Crazy.
April 25th, 2005 at 10:58 pm
Count me in! I’d love to see some reviews of these services.
April 26th, 2005 at 11:45 pm
Please! I am trying to convince a relative that spending a signifigant portion of their savings on gorillatrade won’t turn them into a millionare. (or at least, not be any more likely than using various free sources). If you could provide any real information, that would be great.
April 27th, 2005 at 12:53 am
FYI, I know that Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine did an article about GorillaTrades at some point. From my understanding it was not good. You can view it on the Kiplinger’s web site but must pay to get it.
April 27th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
Yes, very interested! The concept of GorillaTrades is compelling, but it’s so expensive. Could you give some guidance on how much starting capital (assuming “typical” returns) might be required to at least break even on the subscribers’ and trading fees?
September 16th, 2005 at 1:40 am
Let’s face it! If I knew a sure-fire stock picking method, first of all I wouldn’t tell YOU, and second of all, I’d soon have all the money I wanted!
November 3rd, 2005 at 5:35 pm
No, two things to remember about your money.
1.) No one will every watch or invest your money better than you will.
2.) 10 times more money is made selling financial advice than is applying that advice.
People love to make you think they are financially smarter than you. For example they will always tell you they just made 20% gain in one day on one stock but most people will not tell you is they lost 30% on 5 other stocks the month/week before.
November 8th, 2005 at 7:47 pm
I love the idea of trying these services. Maybe we could all put our heads together to figure out their screening criteria, (and get there before their subscribers.)
You have to admit, the Gorilla picks do make a big move the day after they are suggested.
November 9th, 2005 at 7:43 pm
I just read all about how great Gorilla Trades is in (Investors Business Daily). They listed names of those who have invested with Gorillas advice and realized HUGE gains. I looked these people up on http://www.usa-people-search.com and all of them were listed, even down to the city and state was correct. Check out IBD for Nov. 9th. Don’t know much more than that, but it seems way TOOOO EZ for my taste, there has to be a catch and a lot of losers they didn’t interview.
November 10th, 2005 at 2:08 pm
So, back to CAN SLIM, how do you learn it without going to the expensive seminar?
November 14th, 2005 at 11:30 am
Does anyone have any idea how the Gorilla comes up with the first and second target numbers?
November 14th, 2005 at 11:45 am
Gerch:
CAN-SLIM is basically a checklist. You can use their characteristics to create a screen in Morningstar or your other favorite financial software. To learn what the list is:
http://www.investors.com/learn/c.asp
As far as how the Gorilla comes up with numbers, the best link I can point you to is:
http://www.gorillatrades.com/technical.php3
November 14th, 2005 at 11:47 am
We’ll be testing out shortpicks.com next. Stay tuned for that.
November 30th, 2005 at 7:27 pm
I downloaded a copy of the trading summary (EXCEL), which shows (I believe) all of gorilla trades’ trades (entries, exits, confirmations, gains, etc.). If you’d like a copy, let me know and I’ll try to email (current through last week). I’m not sure whether they “glossed” any of the figures or have any “conditions, stipulations, limitations and/or exclusions” that might aid in interpreting their results.
December 19th, 2005 at 10:19 pm
I read extensively as much as I could about Gorilla Trades and decided at the very least it was worth the “Free 30 Day Trial”. The website that is provided to subscribers is full of information, but in the end, you have to rely upon the recommended picks of the Gorilla based upon a proprietary technical analysis system. Of the 5 stocks that I have invested in so far, two have fallen low enough to trigger a “stop loss” sell for a loss of approx $500.00, two are slightly ahead, and one is up 5%. Right now, I am leaning towards cancelling my subsription prior to the end of my free 30 day trial period. If you are interested, I would recommend at least trying out the free 30 day trial, but if you don’t like it, be sure and cancel before you are billed for your entire subscription cost at the end of your 30 days.
December 21st, 2005 at 6:54 am
It would be very interesting to know how GorillaTrades picks it’s stocks.It does seem like a magic black box where your 600 dollars a year goes in and hot stock picks come out.That in a way is much of the allure of it, the secrecy, the sense of being in a specialized,exclusive club of members who have the sole access to these trade secrets.Of course nobody gets that without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for it(I’m suprised it’s not $600 a MONTH).In an attempt to seem special and differentiate themselves they have adopted the whole gorilla motiff which has absolutely nothing to do with stock picking (GorillaThis,GorillaThat,MonkeyTrades,BananaMarketMonitor,hey while were still on primates why not have LemurLongs while they’re at it?)I wonder if their picks realy do as good as they say they do.If anybody really knew a genuine way to generate infalliable stock predictions then of course they would just keep them a secret and use them to get rich.Why charge people for it?I got an offer to see their site for free for one week but the promotional login name and password openhouse/special they gave me didn’t work.(scam?)However if anybody out there knows someplace you can get the stock picks for free then I would like to know where (my e-mail adress is j.chagall@yahoo.com)
It’s already bad enough that you have to take the risk of buying stocks that someone elses picks for you,they shouldn’t make it worse by charging you for the “privilage”
December 25th, 2005 at 5:31 pm
W#hich is the better of two:
Beleive a Gorilla or a junkie?
January 10th, 2006 at 11:17 am
Jeramie I appreciate if you send the summary. I am interested in gorila trading. Please also suggestion for Gorilla services.
Kailash Gupta
Jeramie says:
I downloaded a copy of the trading summary (EXCEL), which shows (I believe) all of gorilla trades’ trades (entries, exits, confirmations, gains, etc.). If you’d like a copy, let me know and I’ll try to email (current through last week). I’m not sure whether they “glossed� any of the figures or have any “conditions, stipulations, limitations and/or exclusions� that might aid in interpreting their results.
May 19th, 2006 at 10:51 am
I’ve been using Gorilla Trades for about 18 months. My biggest issue is that the Gorilla reports a but at the “trigger” price and a sale at either a trailing stop or the “target”. This looks good in the stats but doesn’t square with my experience. I buy at the “confirmation” price which means that I typically pa 2-3% more than “trigger”. That’s my cost of a little more security. If a sale because the security stops out my return is usually less because by the time the brokerage resonds the price has dropped even further. A sale is usually triggered by a spike and by the time the system or I can respond the price has settled back. The net result is if the Gorilla reports a gain of say 15% on a transaction my experience is more like 5-10%. That’s not bad but I can do as well making my own picks using Ameritrade tools. Given the market results of the past few days I’m taking my trading account $ out of play for awhile and when I get back in I will not be following the Gorilla. Too much work for not enough return. And yes the newsletter might as well be computer generated. I have never gotten anything out of it that I could really use.
May 26th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
A took the opportunity to visit the “openhouse” 7 day tour of the jungle which just ended yesterday. In this time 3 picks were confirmed and one already sold at a five day 6% adjusted profit. Adjusted by me in a paper-trade scenerio of when I actually would have bought and at what price. The Gorilla claims a profit of 10 % (the trigger price).
Also, I took a whack at back analyzing all picks that were both bought and sold since Jan 2006 (assuming I would have subscribed then). Long story short, I would have made money but I would have made 117 buys/sells which isn’t recommended by the Gorilla per se or by any sane person. The only real value I can find is to use the picks as a menu (as Gorilla suggests) and then counter screen with other tools/sites etc. What I struggle with is this worth $599/Yr. If they offered a 3mo trial for say $149.99 it would give me the trail and error time to find ways of screening through the picks. The 30 day free trial just isn’t long enough.
June 6th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
I think this website makes a lot more sense http://www.insiderreview.com You buy stocks based on what the insiders are buying. Lots of these insiders have good track records in their previous purchases. Hold for six months. The results have beaten the market consistently.
July 1st, 2006 at 8:37 pm
The Gorilla should be used with caution. I’ll tell you why.
A few years ago, a Forex representative came to Philadelphia to tell everyone of its virtues. I dropped around $3197 for the software. In exchange, I was given a 30 day trial. After the trial, I returned the software and was given a full refund. Why you may ask did I return it? The prime reason is that I lost almost $8,000 in what I called “Monopoly money� that the company included in the software. It wasn’t my money, just play money, so nothing was out of pocket losses. Also, the monthly fee to keep the account active was $100.00!! When I told the rep that I wanted to return it, he looked hurt and offended. I told him that I work during normal trading hours and that the only profits I made on the system was when trading in the Australian Dollar and the Japanese Yen. Their markets were available since there is a 12 hour difference between there and Eastern Standard Time. When he told me to use my company computer during my work hours (which is unethical and in some places illegal) I barked, “I am a field service technician. Since my butt is glued to my company’s truck seat all day long, how can I do what you just suggested?� He immediately refunded my money.
What of trading with the Gorilla? It is obvious that someone came up with proprietary software that works. However if I invented this software, I would probably do the same thing; sell the rights to “lend out� the info and make a killing in rental fees instead of using it myself to make a much smaller monthly profit. This is a no-brainer. I imagine that some people succeed in the Gorilla. They probably do not have a full time job during normal business hours when the NYSE and the NASDAX are active.
Finally, here is a conversation between 2 people.
- I can give you some free advice.
- Great. What is it?
- May I have your credit card please?
- Wait a minute. I thought you said this was free advice?
- Let me give you some free advice. Nothing in this world is free.
October 14th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
You mentioned Befriend the Trend Trading above. I am a big fan of Dr Stoxx and his team there. Took his first and second seminar, bought his swing trade and daytrading manuals, and have subscribed to his main newsletter (”BTTT Swing Trade”) for nearly 6 months now. He went through a bad patch earlier this year, and I took about a 20% drawdown (ouch!) but that was partly my fault for not using stop losses on several trades. Now I do on every trade. About 2 months ago he revised his screening system and he’s been picking some great winners lately. We’ve had great rides in PD, NIHD, CME, GOOG, a couple of steel stocks. He just went long the gold sector, too, which looks very promising. He no longer does the emailed alerts but that is fine by me. I’m also trying his new Index newsletter, which is running $1 special right now. He’s also very responsive to questions. Did I say I was a big fan? Ok, enough for now. Anyone else try them?
December 27th, 2006 at 2:15 am
I get so much of this crap in my email and snail mail. One I don’t see mentioned here is Don Fishback. Super expensive ($5000/yr) but that would be cheap -IF- it’s good info. He seems to lean mostly to credit spreads (options) which I know from experience can create a consistent modest profit. Anyone tried him yet? Or have any other options newsletter success stories?
December 30th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
i would love it if someone would sort out all of these pay site weeds to see if any of them really bear fruit
February 20th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I tried Gorilla Trades for about a month in 2005 and lost several thousand dollars. He was advising people to go long when the market was selling off. I should have known better. I may try BeFriendtheTrend to see how it does-you can get a one month trial for only $19.99
March 24th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Check out http://www.superstockpicker.com
Its a free site that sends you emails before they trade.
Their performance claims are misleading, since they calculate them based on an even distribution of money in each stock.
More realisically, you put in the same dollar value into each stock. Roughly, they have doubled your money over two years.
March 27th, 2007 at 2:42 am
While Googling Gorilla Trades, TradeGuru and similar companies, I found a relatively new stock picking service:
NorthStar StockCompass northstarstrategic.com
These guys report solid performance and look to be low on hype and gimmicks.
I’m considering trying their 30-day money-back subscription.
March 27th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Sorry, the URL didn’t format correctly in the last comment.
http://northstarstrategic.com
April 7th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Check out this free site. Several good picks and track record compiled for you.
http://www.prostocksystems.com
April 25th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Responding to emails, for one thing, is not in real time. This scheme would work if for this subscription GorillaTrade also gave a blackberry or a pager at least and sent updates in real time.
There is no substitute for hard work.
In the good days before 2001 crash I used to rely on earnings calendar and play short term options. Worked out reasonably well until I got too greedy and of course the market tanked.
Keep watching earnings calendars, financial web sites, Cramer (no flames!) and what not, you ought to get one or two good trades every so often.
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:26 am
I ended up trying NorthStar StockCompass. First with a 30-day free trial and then with a regular subscription. In the past two months their recommended portfolio went up nearly 10% so I’m happy so far.
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:38 pm
does anyone use the fool? montley fool has been around forever.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I am interested in seeing a compartive analysis that covers 1 - 3 - 5 year period of time, former comments were very useful in looking beyond the gorilla
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
Now that the year has turned, is anyone using any of the stock pick helpers during this recession we are going in?
February 13th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I have been using the Gorilla since April 2007. Just before the market started heading south. Since that time, I lost almost $200 in 2007 and so far in 2008, I’ve lost $300. My experience with the Gorilla is consistent with the comments I’ve read to this point. I just figured I picked a bad time to jump into the market. However, I plan to stay in, riding out this valley, hoping I will be in play when the market picks up again. I don’t know if I’ll be using the gorilla again, though, when my subscription expires.