Hello, and welcome to my review of Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence newsletter.
Jim Rickards is often predicting that some catastrophic event will cause investors to lose everything, and his Strategic Intelligence newsletter has the same ‘doom and gloom’ element to it.
It’s all about helping subscribers “prepare and profit from the coming collapse of the dollar.”
Don’t get me wrong…
Rickards is a smart guy, and he does make some interesting points in his presentations.
But the stock-picking world is full of sensationalism and misleading claims.
So knowing what’s legitimate and what’s just clever marketing is crucial. That’s why it’s smart to be doing your due diligence before subscribing as you are now.
In this review, I’ll walk you through what I found about the Strategic Intelligence newsletter.
I’ll also introduce you to my top-rated newsletter, which is a no-hype service run by real money managers with a proven track record of beating the S&P 500.
See My Top-Rated NewsletterStrategic Intelligence Review: 6 Things to Know Before Joining (Red Flags)
I’ve reviewed 100s of stock-picking services over the years, and in that time, I’ve learned that there are a handful of red flags to watch out for.
Knowing these can help you avoid scams and find legitimate services that (actually) help you outperform the market and secure your financial future.
(1) Does the Company Make “Get Rich Quick” Claims?
One of the most common signs of a newsletter scam is sensationalist claims about how you can make big money in a short period of time following the stock picker’s recommendations.
Anything is possible in the stock market, but overhyped marketing is a dead giveaway that you are dealing with a shady service because legitimate companies don’t do this. Instead, they share their (actual) research with you to help you understand their thesis.
In the end, if you think the presentation is using sensationalist marketing hype rather than sharing genuine investment research with you, think twice before joining it.
What does the company claim? Jim Rickards’ sales presentations can be very sensationalist. They often predict that some impending catastrophe will wipe out those who aren’t prepared and that only his newsletter can save us from it (for a fee, of course). Rickards does make some good points in his presentations, but it’s mostly a narrative used to sell newsletters, which is a red flag.
(2) Does Strategic Intelligence Have a Good Track Record?
The best stock advisories have a proven track record of success because what they recommend has worked and has helped their subscribers grow their wealth.
In contrast, low-quality newsletter services don’t show you how well the service has performed because they know their picks haven’t worked out.
Some companies even hide their track records in the newsletter archives, where no one looks, which makes it virtually impossible to verify their complete track record.
If the company isn’t upfront about how it has performed… it’s probably one to avoid.
Does Strategic Intelligence have a good track record? After joining the Strategic Intelligence newsletter and digging through the model portfolios, I found that Rickards’ has recommended some great stocks over the years. However, there are also quite a few losing picks, and some of the losing recommendations were down as much as 50-60%.
(3) Are There Any Hidden Fees?
Another thing to watch out for is companies with shady pricing policies.
For instance, some companies sell their service at a low price for the first 12 months, but then it automatically renews at a higher price after that, which isn’t properly disclosed.
If a company tries to charge you hidden fees and isn’t upfront about their pricing, that is a red flag and a warning sign to avoid getting involved with them.
How much does the Strategic Intelligence newsletter cost? Strategic Intelligence costs $299/year, depending on which page of the company website you join through. However, there are numerous high-priced hidden upsells pitched to subscribers.
For example, some upsells include Strategic Intelligence Pro ($500), Crisis Trader ($5,000), Insider Intel ($5,000), Rickards Uncensored ($500), and The Situation Report ($5,000).
All told, that is $16,000 in upsells that the company pitches you after you subscribe. And they do so through what feels like a never-ending barrage of promotional emails.
The whole thing feels like a giant sales pitch.
(4) Is the Refund Policy Legitimate?
Unethical stock advisory companies do not have clear, transparent refund policies in place for their services, which is another red flag to watch out for.
For example, some companies lead you to think they provide a money-back guarantee in the sales copy, but if you ever try to get your money back, you find out that all they really offer is a “credit refund.” What this means is that you can only get a ‘credit’ to use toward buying another one of their services. This is highly unethical because it means you can never truly get your money back.
Bottom line… genuine stock advisory companies provide genuine money-back guarantees on their services because they know what they’re offering provides real value. So if the company you are researching has a shady refund policy in place, it may be one to avoid.
Does Strategic Intelligence have a good refund policy? Strategic Intelligence has a six-month refund policy in place, which is pretty decent. However, none of the upsell services come with a refund, so keep that in mind if you do decide to join and buy any of those.
(5) Does the Company Have a Good Reputation?
One thing I always do when researching a newsletter service is check the company’s TrustPilot rating, as this is one of the best places to go to find genuine customer reviews. If a company doesn’t have a TrustPilot profile or is rated below 4 stars, there are likely better alternatives to consider.
What is Strategic Intelligence’s TrustPilot rating? Paradigm Press (the company behind Strategic Intelligence) currently has a 2.7-star rating on TrustPilot:
(6) Is Strategic Intelligence Legit?
Yes — Strategic Intelligence is a legitimate service. It’s not a scam, and Jim Rickards has recommended a few decent stocks over the years.
That said, it’s not my top recommendation.
There’s often a lot of sensationalism in Jim Rickards’ marketing, and despite his bold predictions, his actual track record doesn’t live up to the hype.
So while it may be worth a look, I wouldn’t recommend it — especially when there are far better options available.
For example: Alexander Green.
I’ve reviewed hundreds of investment newsletters over the years, and few have impressed me as much as Alex Green’s track record.
He has called more triple-digit (and even quadruple-digit) stock winners than anyone I’ve seen. In fact, Alex identified 4 of the 6 best-performing stocks of the past 20 years — Apple, Netflix, Intuitive Surgical, and Nvidia.
That’s not just impressive — it’s nearly unheard of.
Now, Alex is making a bold new prediction…
He believes that a major economic shift — tied to Trump’s plan to revitalize America — could create up to 20 million new millionaires over the next four years.
The mainstream media isn’t talking about it. But Alex sees this as a revival of a 100-year-old economic strategy — the same blueprint that fueled the boom of the Roaring ’20s — and possibly the biggest resurgence of the American Dream in modern history.
And he’s naming 3 specific stocks that he believes could soar 20-fold as this plan is implemented.
Alex lays out all the details in a new special presentation alongside veteran broadcaster Bill O’Reilly.
Click here to watch the full presentation now:
