This is really embarrassing.
I have an addiction. Like a serious, deadly (at least to my wallet) addiction. This weekend, while reviewing our taxes and our annual finances, I discovered that in the last calendar year alone I subscribed to no fewer than…
(drumroll, please…)
14 different financial newsletter publications!
(And that doesn’t take into effect some more recent “new” ones I’ve subscribed to, nor any financial newspapers or books! That’s just straight financial newsletters!)
Now, you may be thinking, “OK, so Kung Fu Girl subscribes to a few investment newsletters, no big deal, we all do, ho-hum”, but l am going to come REALLY clean with you today…
Last year, on a “cash-accounting” basis, I spent $4,487.98 on financial newsletters.
YIKES!
Now, those who sell the newsletters will tell you (and me) that really that’s not very much at ALL when you think about it, and the recommendation or strategy from just ONE issue can more than pay for your subscription…
Which is actually true.
HOWEVER, that does not give me a pass to continue to subscribe to the ones I don’t read regularly…(and even if I devoted four hours per DAY to reading these newsletters cover-to-cover I don’t think I could read them all in a year!)
It’s just too much information, and as my awesome mentor Bruce Lee continues to instruct (so cool that he has left such an amazing body of work behind him and can still teach me from the great beyond!),
“Hack away at the unessential.”
Word.
Which is exactly what I’m going to do this week!
Here is what I subscribed to last year:
| Name | Description | Annual Price |
| Weber Global | Chris Weber’s Newsletter | $249 |
| Butler Research | Ted Butler’s Silver Analyst Report | $34.95 * 11 = $384.45 |
| S&A Digest | Porter Stansberry’s “cheapie” newsletter | $69 (for 2 years) |
| S&A Retirement Trader | Doc Eifrig’s Service | $1500 |
| Some RichDad Broadcast Events | (Like the one last Friday) | $59.70 |
| International Living | (This is more “internationalization” than “finance”, but I’m counting it…) | $66 |
| Various Casey Research Pubs | Casey Report, Int’l Speculator | $1252 |
| Gonzalo Lira | Hyperinflation Report | $35 |
| Sovereign Man | Sovereign Man Confidential | $345 |
| Aden Forecast | The Aden Forecast | $174 |
| Richard Russell | DOW Theory | $300 |
| Kiplinger | Kiplinger Magazine | $4.33…I couldn’t stand it and canceled |
| Palm Beach Letter | Mark Ford’s New Pub | $49.50 |
Whew.
And this list doesn’t even count financial news publications like the Financial Times (I share a subscription to this with a good friend) and the Economist, and all of the other “free” publications and news outlets (ZeroHedge and others) out there.
Nor does it count some of my Casey subscriptions which were billed at the end of the year so weren’t technically “paid” until 2012…
Nor does it count financial books…and I paid for and read many of those last year, too!
Wow.
(Thanks for listening to my confession—I feel better already just getting that off of my chest!) 
But what’s an investment-junkie-yet-simplicity-loving-freak like me to do?
I really DO like all of these publications for various and assorted reasons, and yet there is absolutely no way I can read all of them and try all of the various strategies they recommend at the same time. No. Way.
So as painful as it is, let the chopping-block process begin…
Rather than go on about the ones I am leaving behind and why, I’m going to focus on the ones I am keeping:
1. Chris Weber
I love this guy. His is one of the few newsletters that I DO read cover-to-cover the day that it comes out.
He and I completely agree on the “sleep at night” factor, which I talk about often, and he is not a “trader” with 476 “new” recommendations each month.
On the contrary, he is one of the few people I know (actually I don’t officially “know” Chris—I have not met him in person) who is a lifelong investor and lives entirely off of his investments (he made a fortune in precious metals during the first precious metals bull in the 70’s, and then another fortune in bonds back when interest rates were sky high, and has just kept investing in major trends ever since).
He’s personal, interesting, and extremely knowledgeable. He is where I first got the tip to use Camino Coin Company, my favorite local coin dealer.
Chris stays!
2. Stansberry
Once you get past their marketing, which face it, all businesses need to do to remain in business, I love the information. In fact, I splurged and subscribed to the “Alliance” which includes all of their publications for life, so I guess I am keeping them! LOL.
But seriously, I love what apparently (at least to hear Porter tell it!) all of the other subscribers “hate”—the Friday educational essays and a lot of the education that comes along with the newsletters. I actually “take action” on only a very, very small number of their recommendations (they publish something like 12 newsletters covering everything from stocks and options to bonds to mining stocks to short strategies to penny stocks to….you would be insane to actually DO all of it.)
But I love the education, and again, I appreciate the “personality” of the business—I feel like I “know” Porter (which is crazy—I’ve never met him in person either, although I’ll have a chance at the upcoming Casey Conference at the end of the month) and some of the other guys, and for financial info their stuff is actually somewhat entertaining to read (I like dry humor and sarcasm).
Porter stays!
3. RichDad
Robert Kiyosaki stays, too…despite his mouth (which probably bugs other people much more than it bothers me—my own isn’t too spectacular either) his information is still terrific and I always learn something whenever I listen. He has stayed on-message and on-values for twenty years, even when everyone thought he was crazy (like for example in 2004 – 2006 when the world thought he was nuts for saying “your house isn’t an asset!!!”).
I also love his focus on cash flow, because that reminds ME to stay focused on cash flow and not just try to keep up with the capital gains “this stock is sure to DOUBLE in the next 6 months!” crowd.
Robert stays!
4. Casey Research
Stays…heck, I like them so much I’m going to their “Recovery Reality Check” at the end of this month in Florida, and I can’t wait! (It’s another one of those great events I harp about where you can connect with other interested investors and just generally fascinating people…speaking of which, if you are going please let me know so we can connect!).
I still faithfully read The Casey Report and The International Speculator each month, and enjoy some of their other pubs, too.
Casey stays! (Heck, we bought a homesite in La Estancia…we’ll be neighbors one day!)
5. SovereignMan Confidential
Stays! Simon’s is one of the few free newsletters that I read daily, and I love the “Confidential.” This year internationalization has been a big focus for me and Simon’s advice and contacts have been indispensable.
Simon stays!
6. Palm Beach Letter
Stays! To be honest, this one is so new it deserves more of a chance, and I really enjoy Mark Ford’s essays on wealth building (I’m not as interested in their week-to-week stock recommendations).
Mark stays! (At least for now)
As for the others, it really HURTS to let them go! Like a true addict, I will probably feel shaky picking up the phone (or clicking online) to cancel, especially since I have read some of these for years and each of them have helped get me to where I am today!
But I have simply stopped reading them or read them less frequently now and SOMETHING must give to reduce my financial clutter (plus, Kung Fu Guy pointed out that we could take a pretty killer family trip for all of the money I spend on investment newsletters!).
So in the interest of fun family experiences and making way for the new generation of investment newsletters…the rest GO.
(sniff)
But I’m sure that by this time next year, my list will be full to the brim again… (I need a 12-step program!)
How about YOU? How many newsletters do you subscribe to and which ones do you think are worthwhile? I would love to hear what you think so please let me know in the comments…thanks!
To your spring cleaning and financial success!
— Kung Fu Girl
“Why can’t you do it, why can’t you set your monkey free? Always getting down to it, do you love your monkey or do you love me?” — George Michael, and Kung Fu Guy this weekend when mentioning the possible fabulous family trip…
About the Author:
Susan Fujii, aka kungfugirl, is an SEC Accredited Investor who believes that anyone can learn to be financially independent.
Susan has authored 199 posts on Kung Fu Finance, and you can connect with her on Google+.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree 200% with your strategy. I like big picture stuff so I can position myself strategically and take more of a long term stance. This frees me up to do stuff I like better than reading about investing – am I allowed to say that here
So, Hubby subscribes to many letters and I dip in every once in a while to take the pulse. Casey Research, Sovereign Man and Dollar Vigilante are in the top 5. Awesome to see what you’re reading and what you’re cutting. Thanks so much for the confession!
-B
Hi Benay,
Thank you! Yes, like you I need “the big picture” to make sure I’m even moving in the right direction before I dive down into the specifics of “how to actually profit from the trend”.
And it’s TOTALLY fine to like to do other stuff besides investing! LOL!
I think most people do…(I’m just a super-dork!). But honestly, there is lots more that I like doing besides investing, too, which is why I’m not a day-trader….don’t know how those guys do it!
Thanks for your comment!
– KFG
Aloha KFG,
That was brave – to bare your newsletter/subscription soul to us. Maybe I need to do that too – add up last year’s programs and subscriptions (but I still won’t tell Uncle how much I spend).
Well, your $4,487.98 was income tax deductible I hope. So in a way you got them for $3,000, and that’s a bit better. I also believe that if you get one noodle of good information that helps you achieve your goals, then the price paid is worth it.
I subscribe to Early to Rise which used to be Michael Masterson’s newsletter, his current Palm Beach Letter, Sovereign Man (after learning about it from you), Rich Dad stuff, ProphetMax (FOREX trading but also lots of personal growth material), Raymond Aaron’s Monthly Mentor Program, Boom and Bust (or Doom and Dust), BOSS Office (attorney and tax support), Rev-n-U (real estate joint ventures), and others that aren’t on the tip of my tongue right now.
I will be culling through these soon because it seems I have less and less time to devote to reading these thoroughly, and sometimes they sound the same.
Mahalo for the confession. Misery loves company, or a better way to look at it this is how you make me feel better about my junkie habit.
Aunty
Hi Aunty,
Thank you! Yes, I totally agree…I absolutely will not give up the vast majority of them because I *do* receive great information, education, and strategies from them that make them worth the price, just as you say.
I subscribe to ETR, too, but I didn’t count that here because I don’t think they really focus on investing– more on how to build a successful web business, but the free version of ETR has all kinds of great information on “A Life Well Lived”…health, wealth, and success… I really enjoy it.
I haven’t tried ProphetMax nor Raymond Aaron nor Boom and Bust nor BOSS Office, but I *did* do the Rev-N-You real estate bootcamp about a year ago and LOVED Julie and Dave!
Thanks so much for sharing what you’re reading! I’ll look into some of the ones I don’t subscribe to yet!
Plenty’s mahalos Aunty!!!
– KFG
Wow. I only Subscribe to 2 Newsletters
. Stansberry and PalmBeachLetter. They give me some good insight into Stocks I should be looking at and they go along the style I like to Invest and that is great Companies with Great Dividends!
I just do not have enough time to read everything else so it stays at 2
Tim,
You are awesome.
I bow to your magnificent simplicity! (I am being serious here– not trying to tease you– I’m seriously impressed and wish I could cultivate more simplicity in all areas of my life!).
I’m a work in progress.
I do love Stansberry and PBL, and I love your strategy of great companies with great dividends! I’ve got to do a “back to basics” article soon on the basics of wealth-building, because without a strong foundation all of the more “exciting” and “alternative” investments won’t mean a thing!
Thanks for your comment!
– KFG
Is there anonymous program for newsletter addict? Lol.
I subscribe Sovereign Man Confidential, Porter, and Casey Research. I really love Sovereign Man. Simon Black should charge his newsletter over thousand dollars but he offers it at decent price and the advices is amazing.
For Porter, nice thoughts although I am going to unsubscribe. The reason of unsubscribing is Porter can’t stop sending annoying marketing message. It made my day unproductive blocking out annoying message just to get an access to his thoughts. He is good what he do but he have difficult time covering up his shady past.
Casey Research. Solid writing and able to back up his claim. My great uncle who is an accredited investor and told me he gambled going aganist Casey’s recommendation because he felt he had better strategy. He was wrong. He told me if he followed what Casey outlined and he would make $600,000.
Those are newsletters you can recoup the cost of subscription as long the action is being taken. And, I believe you can learn lot more and make more from those newsletter than you waste money going to college to learn some baloney theories (disclosure: I am a graduate).
I am going to check out Chris Weber. I can’t help it because I am a newsletter addict and my love for learning will never end.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your great comment! (And sorry it’s taken me so long to reply– I moved on to writing the next batch of articles and missed it until now!).
I think you will really like Chris Weber– he is very knowledgeable and cautious at the same time, and also quite humble. Let me know what you think!
Like you I’m a lifetime learner– there is always so much more to learn and do and know!
Thanks so much for your nice comment!
– KFG
Hello KFG,
Thanks for the excellent critique of the investment newsletters. I’m either a current or past subscriber to many of the same newsletters, and like you, I have cut back on the number of paid subscriptions, but not necessarily on the consumption of investment information.
Your article on “Confessions of a Newsletter Junkie” and the investment strategies you outlined in “What Do You Mean, Life Isn’t Fair?” has inspired me to share some of my thoughts on the relationship between consumption of quality investment information and the development and application of investment skills.
I got hooked on newsletters covering non-conventional investments nearly 40 years ago while reading books on economics, investing, and the role of government by Harry Brown, John Pugsley, Howard Ruff, Robert Ringer and others. Over the years I have probably subscribed to over 100 different investment newsletters, many of which are no longer being published. Now I’m down to subscribing to just a few: several Casey Research publications, Sovereign Man Confidential, and Paul Rosenburg’s Free-Man’s Perspective, which is technically not an investment newsletter but an excellent read.
The change in my viewpoint that led to the cutback in newsletter consumption involved several key factors:
1. I learned that you can’t outsmart the market by having more information unless it is truly insider information that the market doesn’t have. This is because everything that is known by the market is reflected in the market price. Everyone contributes to the market price of an asset by being either a buyer, a seller or a non-participant. Bullish information about an asset turns sellers and non-participants into buyers which causes the market price to increase depending on how many sellers or non-participants become buyers. Likewise, bearish information acts in reverse to reduce market prices. In other words, in an efficient market, all market participants do your research for you to establish a “fair market price”. This is assuming that markets are always rational; however …
2. Short-term market prices are not established based on knowledge (i.e. information) about the asset regardless of how relevant or accurate the information is. That is to say, short-term prices are not rational. To illustrate this, simply look at the daily price movements of any highly liquid market. Take gold for example, one day it drops $20/ounce, the next day it recovers the full $20. Analyst will always try to establish some correlation to explain the price movement (“Gold futures fell off sharply upon news of reduced tensions in the Middle East”), but these price movements are not based on fundamentals or discernible technical data. To put it simply, day-to-day prices are determined by one thing—the number of buyers and sellers. Fundamental are valuable for assessing long-term price movements, but for daily or weekly price movements, they are meaningless.
I’m not saying that information is not important. Knowledge of how markets work is essential to being a successful investor. However, I think time spent on detailed research in an effort to be smarter than the market is seldom worth the effort. Rather than spending my time gathering data, I prefer to educate myself about the psychology of the markets so that I can then learn to recognize large distortions in prices. When prices are stable or moving moderately in one direction or the other, I prefer to be on the sidelines. When a market becomes irrational, that’s the time to take notice and take a position.
It’s far easier to recognize distortions or irrationality in market prices by understanding what causes them. I look for two things: fear and greed, which are two sides of the same coin, and government intervention. Trying to take advantage of government intervention can be tricky. Governments have no business involving themselves in markets, but when they do, it is for only one purpose, to distort the prices from levels that would naturally occur in a free market. The more successful the government’s actions at distorting the market, the more severe the backlash when the government intervention inevitability fails. Savvy investors position themselves accordingly.
It may be easier to recognize market distortions caused by fear or greed than those caused by government intervention, but only the courageous investors are successful at acting on this knowledge. In fact, if more than a small percentage were successful, the strategy would not work. It seems irrational for most investors to sell at the bottom and buy at the top, but it takes a lot of sell orders to push prices to ridiculously low levels and just as many buy orders to make something ridiculously overpriced. Fear causes investors to sell when prices are low, and greed (fear of missing out) causes investors to buy when prices are high. We owe thanks to the few courageous investors who help subdue the panic by buying at the bottom to keep prices from falling further and selling at the top to deflate the euphoria.
Hi Kent,
What can I say, you are awesome.
Your insight always blows me away! I’m so sorry to be just reading this now– I have GOT to come up with a better way of reading/responding to comments, as sometimes they just pass me by and I don’t even see them until weeks later! I will work on my technology skills. 
May I use this as a guest post or to help me answer a QnA sometime? Please say yes….
I hope all is well and thank you so very much for your awesome insight!
– KFG
Hi Susan,
Thanks for the positive feedback. I am encouraged by the outstanding service that Kung Fu Finance provides. Of course, you may use anything from my previous posts as you see fit.
Kent
Thank you Kent!
I really appreciate it. Thanks very much! I look forward to seeing you in July at FreedomFest!
– KFG
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