SCAM ALERT: Paul Mampilly’s $7 Tech Stock Gamble and Other Risky Businesses

 

 

So, you’ve got an “inside” tip from Paul Mampilly and “The Sovereign Society”  (now called Banyan Hill) that looks something like this?

It seems like pretty compelling stuff — and in all likelihood it will compel you out of a lot of money.    Are you prepared to follow his advice to “get in on the ground floor” of  “The Internet of Things”?  Our advice:  Don’t do it.   Here’s why:

First, about Mr. Mampilly:   Mampilly previously worked on letters for Palm Beach, Stansberry and Agora Financial over the past four years. These are all online investment “advisers” who we’ve critiqued in other blogs.   Now he’s running Profits Unlimited and Extreme Fortune newsletters, the former of which appears to be a new “entry level” newsletter for the Sovereign Society. That’s a lot of moving around, which typically seems to happen when newsletters are unsuccessful at quickly building a sustaining level of readership.  He’s closely associated with the notorious Bill Bonner and his stable of scare-mongering investment newsletters.   They publish newsletters and bulletins that litter the Internet:  Agora Financial, Common Sense Publishing, Insiders Strategy Group, Laissez Faire Books, Money Map Press, NewMarket Health, OmniVista Health, Opportunity Travel, Institute for Natural Healing, Oxford Club, Sovereign Society, Stansberry & Associates Investment Research, The Daily Reckoning, Banyan Hill.   These are all variations on investment schemes that promote expensive and risky investment propositions.

Second, his pitch is ridiculously overstated:  “The Greatest Innovation In History… 7-Times Bigger Than Computers, Tablets And Smartphones … COMBINED!  “Experts Predict 50 Billion Devices Will Utilize This New Technology By 2020. Early Investors Stand To Reap Tremendous Rewards As Its Growth Surges 8,000%…”   Really?   And Mr. Mampilly’s track record is far from stellar.  Note that Mr. Mampilly hawked Yahoo stock claiming it’d increase by 75% back in 2015 when Yahoo’s stock value was $37.3 billion. (published by Stansberry Research — a dubious investment outfit).   Mr Mampilly is quoted as stating that Yahoo stock “is still dirt cheap” and recommends that readers buy Yahoo stock.   But, as Yahoo Finance confirms, Yahoo stock was valued at about $50 at the start of 2015 and dropped to under $30 per share in one year.   Even today, on the eve of its purchase by Verizon, Yahoo stock is still below the $50 per share value.  Most of the investors who had followed Mr. Mampilly’s advice would have lost money — some by as much as 40% if they’d sold their shares in the intervening months.   This is the kind of dubious stock advice that leads us to question Mr. Mampilly’s overstated financial claims.

Third,  the Internet of Things is an important future technology which will have substantial growing pains.  Did you read about the October 21st denial of service attack that took down some very big Internet commerce sites and wreaked havoc on the Net.  It was caused by waves of attacks by a software virus that hijacked devices attached to the Internet of Things.  In other words, IoT is readily exploitable and will be scaled back, in the near term, because of this vulnerability.  The Dyn attack could act as a blueprint for smaller attacks as well. With the source code for the Mirai botnet getting released into the wild in early October, it could make it easier and cheaper for attacks like this one to be conducted. Using that code, or code from the Bashlight botnet will be significantly easier for these kinds of DDoS attacks to be perpetrated.   Until IoT device manufacturers are held to the same standards of security that we hold operating system and application developers to in the tech world, then IoT will not reach its potential.

Fourth, Mampilly has begun to promote geothermal and medical stocks.  Mampilly recently promoted an audacious claim of a possible 1000% return based upon, in part, a stock that is likely to do very poorly.  He states: “Anyone who joins my research service Extreme Fortunes, and invests $10,000 following my recommendations, will have the chance to earn a profit of $100,000… in the next year.”   His “guarantee” is a patently rash one that raises our concerns about his over-the-top marketing tactics.   Travis Johnson’s analysis of this particular stock is required reading for anyone thinking about jumping into this investment abyss.

In the case of geothermal,  touts in his “Profits Unlimited” newsletter an “untapped ocean of energy”.   According to Travis Johnson, Mampilly is pushing a  specific geothermal company (probably Ormat). This is a topic about which we are very knowledgeable and  Mr. Mampilly’s assertions are questionable, at best.  Geothermal power is a very challenging business that is, almost by definition, high risk.  Further, solar photovoltaic is now so cheap that it’s difficult for renewables which aren’t currently commercially mature to chase solar photovoltaic down the cost curve. The speed that solar PV has achieved in reducing in cost and improving battery storage capabilities are so significant, that industries like geothermal simply can’t compete.   This is not an investment to take lightly.

Finally, according to Stock Gumshoe Travis Johnson, Mampilly is hawking a company called STMicroelectronics (STM), which has been a slow-motion “train wreck” of a company for most of the past 20 years.   The company currently has a market cap of about $5 billion (according to YCharts, it was a $25 billion company at the IPO in 1994… over the past five years it has fluctuated between $4-9 billion). And it is trying to reorganize and restructure (as it has seemingly done almost continually over the past decade). Johnson reports that STM was very aggressively teased as the maker of the “one device to end all disease” by Michael Robinson back in 2013, and before that it was pitched as far back as 2007 as the company of “Geneva tech wizards” who would dominate the next tech boom (chips that would enable smart houses, the Wii, the first iPhone).

Another big red flashing light:  Mampilly does not appear to have written all the articles about his product.  These articles are called Google bombs. They’re flooding search engines with the results they want people to find. Legitimate companies almost never do that (especially not with a bunch of sites hosting basically the same article).  People who have the inside track on how to make a ton of money don’t sell it to anyone who has a credit card. They guard it carefully, sharing only with their most trusted friends and family. It’s human nature.

We note that websites linked to or touting Mampilly fail to include any type of disclaimer.  It is common practice by investment websites that include disclaimers when giving investment advice.   Interestingly, Mr. Mampilly’s past performance is touted at Stansberry’s web site.   All Sovereign needs to do is link his web advertisements or webpage to this, already existing, disclosure that makes it clear that the advice you get from Mampilly and other Bonner-funded “investment websites” can be wrong, can be risky and can involve conflicts of interest. But we’ve seen no evidence that he’s done so.  We strongly recommend that if any investment publisher fails to offer a fully-fleshed out disclaimer or disclosure, that you avoid doing business with that publisher.    For example, Motley Fool has a Plain-English disclaimer that could serve as model for an investment publisher’s notice.  Yet, we’ve not seen any links from Mampilly’s webpages to any such disclaimer, let alone the one that links to the Stansberry disclosure page.

Why are disclaimers important?   Because they let investors know that they are taking risks with the money!   Notably, Mampilly touts his investment performance at this site designed to make him a credible investment resource.   We note that the Securities Exchance Commission’s own guidelines encourage investment advisers to let  potential “investors” know what they realistically could expect to make.  The Stansberry disclosure appears to assert that because Mampilly et. al. aren’t investment brokers or fiduciaries, then they have no obligation to comply with SEC disclaimer guidelines.   We disagree.  But, more importantly, you want to be very skeptical of an investment publisher who feels that they have no moral or legal obligation to clearly disclose the limitations of the information they are selling to you.   Motley Fool, appropriately, says:  “The fundamental concept is that you should NOT rely upon the information or opinions you read. Rather, you should use what you read here as starting points for doing independent research on companies and investing techniques. Then judge for yourself the merits of the material that has been shared in our forum.”   Mampilly makes no such admission.

Mampilly didn’t want you to know about his tactics and unsuccessfully sued SDCAN in 2016.   Their case was thrown out of court by a Florida Federal judge on August 3, 2017.   They also don’t want you to know of the likelihood of an economic downturn in the foreseeable future that will trash many of Mampilly’s picks.   We’ve assembled a list of worrying 2017 economic indicators;  it is worth reading before you make any market equity purchases.

Do you really want to throw your money into ownership of a companies with  highly questionable track records in  very volatile technology niches ?    You don’t have to give us an answer to this question — but if you are seriously considering this investment, we strongly encourage you to take a moment and tear up $20 bills until the urge passes.  At a minimum, do your homework!

183 thoughts on “SCAM ALERT: Paul Mampilly’s $7 Tech Stock Gamble and Other Risky Businesses”

  1. All I can say is….wait! question yourself if is the right move for you? Or do you really want to take this massive risks that you could wind up just “BROKE”. BROKE!

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    • Save your money. IF you want to know what the “magical 1000% gaining stock” P.M. touts—simply google it. ask google–“what is P.M.’s BIG WINNER for 2020?” and you can get the info for FREE. for what it’s worth.

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  2. I’m a money manager running over $2B in assets in the northeast u it’s states. I will tell you first hand, Paul is not bad. He is a good stock picker with very solid ideas and a good head on his shoulder for
    Investing. He is not a bad resource to have as one of many. Like motley fool, a good starting point for ideas. His performance actually has been very solid. Better than SPY by a lot

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    • We thank you for the observaion that “Paul is not bad”, but we wish you’d read our articles about Mr. Mampilly. Our issue isn’t with him or his expertise, but with the way in which his service has been marketed — and targeted to seniors. The marketing has exaggerated Mampilly’s performance and has been misleading about the level of risk involved. Finally, rather than accept our observations and our right to engage in a conversation about how Mampilly is marketed, his publisher brought a bogus lawsuit to try to intimidate us. As we had predicted, the lawsuit failed miserably and was dismissed by a Florida federal judge. It is for these reasons that we have warned investors away from this particular investment scheme.

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  3. I subscribed to Profits unlimited in 2017. While it is true that Banyan Hill tries to sell you their expensive newsletters, I have done well following Mampillys advice. Better than when I did It myself. I have made back the cost of the lifetime subscription to Pfofits Unlimited and today The YTD portfolio is up 23%(2/23/2019)
    I have no complaints and any suggestion that Mampilly is somehow a scam is simply untrue. Does he have stocks that bomb ….yes! But he recommends stop loss and sends trade alerts when its time to sell. I simply like his approach and I have done well with him.

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    • I too have purchased Profits Unlimited newsletter. My account continue to make money and i have followed some of Paul’s basic rules of investment. I do agree that Paul will attempt to upsell you to newer services however I continue to focus on Profits Unlimited which is his basic service. Is Paul Mampilly a scam? No, he is not a scam. I would be cautious on buying in on some of his more expensive services until you use his basic service for some time. Your mileage may vary and Paul does have some stocks that are sideways. The STM mentioned here is in my portfolio and has made money but I did buy it at the market bottom on March 16, 2020. My Tesla has gone triple digit profits but this is a special situation stock. I have others that have made triple digit profits and continue to make money. I do not use all of Profits Unlimited list but only use 24 stocks in the list. 20 are profitable and continue to make money. 4 are sideways. Good luck in your investments portfolio and I am doing well following Pauls buy and sell advice and using his basic $79.00 newsletter.

      Reply
      • Before anyone continues to attempt to trade stocks, I strongly urge that they review this well written analysis posted on NASDAQ’s web site. Keep in mind that most of the large institutional investors have pulled most of their assets out of the market this year and the gains are being driven largely by speculators and the free money that the Fed is giving to large corporations. There are so many unknown risks in this market that individual traders are literally flying blind.

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  4. In December 2017 I knew absolutely nothing about investing, but I got suckered into the greed, wanting those 1,000 and 3,000 and 8,000 percent gains he touted. First I purchased Profits Unlimited, with tax it was $84.73. Then I got an email from him selling me a 2 year subscription to a “special” newsletter for $92.24. I guess then he figured I was a sure sucker, and he gave me a really hard sell to buy into his Alpha Stock Alerts, a Rules-Based pick of 10 top stocks that “couldn’t lose” for $4284, so I bought that. I still had not purchased any stocks when he sent me a hard sell for Ten Thousand Dollars to be a member of his “Inner Circle” for the best stock picks. That’s when I realized I was totally caught up in the greed and the whole thing gave me a sick feeling and could not pass the sleep test.. I had paid him $4,4460 and still wasn’t in his inner circle to get the best stock pics. But he had said that all of the purchases were backed by a money back guarantee at any time. So I decided to bail out without ever purchasing any stocks, and requested all my money back. It took a few emails asking for it, and reminding him of his money back promise, but to his credit, all my money was eventually refunded.

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  5. Thank you for the information. I started to listen and I stopped since I wanted to do some research first. I found your article and it is helpful. Keep up the good work

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  6. 25 Oct 2018. Much about STM. Yep, it’s a dud. As for Mampilly, I still have very ambivalent feelings. Las few months have been disastrous for Extreme Fortune n even more so for recent Rapid Profit Trader. For one thing, when you feel like you get all the best option subscription deal he offers, here pops up a new one that’s supposed to be Nirvana. That’s most irritating and it won’t be long before this guy gets dragged to court by some real upset people.

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  7. Does anyone know about any refund policy for their services? The customer service desk said there is no refund. Instead, I was told that I could get another year at no cost if the guarantee is not fulfilled. When I asked how they calculate the gains, the person couldn’t tell me.
    Also he did say that the remainder cost of the subscription can be transferred to another one of their services, BUT it would nullify the guarantee of possibly getting another year at no cost.

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  8. i agree about sitting and listening to this for 25 minutes and then you find out
    his selling and wants 47.00 $… not sure about him now but the stock he sells
    has a good a chance as any I suppose…

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  9. I paid $2,997 for Mampilly’s Extreme Fortunes service in Feb 2017. He claims he will find at least 12 stocks per year poised to eventually gain 1,000%. His guaranty is that if you don’t have any 1,000% gains after one year, he will give you a second year for free. I just started my free second year. I invest about $3,000 in each of his picks. Fortunately, I have sold some shares of the stocks at various times for a total of $3,000 in Realized Gains, so I’ve made back the $2,997 subscription fee. Now for the bad news. He reminds you continually through weekly reports that the recommended stocks are very small cap and they are easily manipulated by market makers. Whether the market makers are the problem or not, I do not know. But, these stocks have some insane levels of volatility. In July, 2017 I was up about $3,500 in unrealized gains, but by the third week of August, 2017 I was at negative $600. Then in late January, I was up about $8,500 in unrealized gains which crashed to about negative $800 by February 9th. My portfolio did MUCH worse during the correction than any of the indexes. But now, just four days later, on Feb 16, 2018 I am back up $5,200 in unrealized gains. That is a crazy level of volitility!! These micro-cap stocks are not for anyone with a weak heart. I agree with everyone who has written complaining about the constant bombardment of email trying to get me to buy other Banyan Hill services. The videos are always too long with no time indicator or fast forward control. Also, they only talk about the winners. You don’t get to know anything about the losing picks until after you subscribe. I seriously doubt I will ever see a 10 bagger (1,000% gain) in any of these stocks. After one year (when the volitility meter is pointing the right way), the best stock in his Model Portfolio is up about 200%. He has told us to sell four of the 2017 positions so far using a 30% stop loss. Obviously those four stocks will not gain 1,000%.

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  10. I paid money for and got access to Mampilly’s site. I however was turned off by the continual bait and switch tactics plus the continual offers to ‘invest’ in a lifetime membership. I sprung for a few offers but stopped after I realized the tactic of sending out more requests for money once stocks start to rise.

    I did well on these investments but we were in a bull market for just the type of stocks he is promoting. So am letting my memberships expire.

    What Mampilly and the others at the same publisher do not do is to tell you when to sell. In order to make money I had to install sell rules. Rules that if violated would have put me into the category of no gains. These are volatile stocks. Without comprehensive sell strategy recommendations are almost worthless in my personal opinion.

    Overall I agree with your statement this is a scam, even if I made for me lots of money. The reason is that people are led down a rabbit hole and held up for more money based on the flimsy excuse that he opened a new newsletter. The original newsletter was suppose to be his best work intended to make you rich. With this new offer, of even greater gains, therefore you need to pay for access to more stock picks because his first service did not cover this other group of stocks. Selling the same product three times and selling lifetime memberships in a bull market is nothing but a scam.

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  11. I cannot thank you enough for this post. Really helpful in trying to figure out whether this newsletter is worth the money they are asking.

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  12. May I just ѕay what a гelief it is to find a consumer site that genuinely knows what they’re talking about and giving us really useful information. The discussion about Mampilly was very revealing. Thanks all. I feel like I’m going to look elsewhere for investment advice.

    Reply
  13. if you dont want to watch such videos (which do not have a forward or stop buttons options), then try to close the TAB or the browser window and then a pop-up will ask you: “Do you want to STAY or LEAVE??”

    select the “STAY” button and then it will show you the transcript of the video…

    so instead of watching the video, just read through the transcript and then try to google for news/info from the transcript…

    Reply
  14. Hi,
    I have seen the video around March last year (2017) . It was susspicios but I have started toresearch about what he is talikng about and came to a comment which was about STM. so I looked at STM and thought I could rick it a about $10 . Today STM is about $24 and is doing well. First I hope this is the stock of IOT goes up. But les say it has to correct it self or as scam get dump! now the question is IF I CAN USE PUT OPTION AS A INSURRANCE and if yes which put would be the best to go for it
    Thanks everyone with allready posetive and negative comments about Paul since we learn from those comment as well. GOOD luck to everybody withtheir investment and hope everyone get rich:-)
    I hope some one will answer me with best solotion for insuring the hols of STM. I am holding 1000 share of that

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  15. I first came across Paul Mampilly’s video’s a year ago and was very cynical. I did some research and felt that Paul’s service was credible. I put together a portfolio of 11 different stocks based on Paul’s recommendations. That portfolio is now up a little over 37%. It may not be the windfall that some of you are seeking, but its far better than anything else I have had presented to me.

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  16. Much of this is truly pump and dump. I got out of one last week after one of these recommendations. It went up 45%, in 2 days. Perfect sign for a pump and dump. I got out and the next day I was fortunate as it went down 19%. Honestly, the best way so you don’t lose your hair is to let the pros do it. A perfect example is Blackrock. Very good investment firm who controls more money than any other company in the world. They do thier research and are very good. I have been in their funds for many years and on avg do 20%-30% for the last 5 years. Last year was incredible at 49%. BGSAX is a great fund to look at with Blackrock. We don’t have time to do this unless it is your job. By the time you hear something, the news has already circled the globe. For the fairest playing field for all in investing, currency is the way to go. 1.7 trillion a day traded and only the banks control the moves, not back door secrets. It is very technical and takes many months to truly learn the mechanics, however, it has been the best investment for me over the last 15 years.

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  17. saw his video, i’ve been on internet long enough to know that it’s a scam. i just had to make sure just for kicks. every scammer seem to have the same type of video, promoting urgency and anxiety in people. they will start out boasting about how good their stuff is….without even telling what it is first. then they will claim that they’re not boasting the results. if it seems too good to be true, it is.

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  18. Hello,

    Can someone tell me what stock Paul Mampilly says could net 8000% return?

    I am afraid of the whole “pump and dump” aspect of buying any stocks someone like Mampilly recommends, even if advice offered weren’t a scam. I worked as a stock broker, years ago, for about 1 year. I didn’t learn much in my training and working as a broker, but I have some confidence and interest in personal investing from having studied some basic economics in graduate school.

    Having said that, I have lost tons of money with two stocks. One was from a pump and dump scheme–lost maybe about $70K, a fortune and my then life’s savings at the time (I was about 29 years old). I also recently lost money in a biotech stock (again, about $60K). For this biotech stock, I have joined a class action lawsuit–the company was putting out possibly false information. At best, I will get back a fraction of what I lost if the suit gets settled to our favor. The first stock company was a boiler-room classic “pump and dump” scheme and they got away with it and I didn’t get any money back.

    I have made money in mutual funds however/have never lost money with mutual funds. I bought TRowe Price Health Sciences mutual fund shares in 2013 and sold at the height (around August 2015) and have also made money from TRowe Price Science and Technology fund in the last 12 months. I just pick something good, and ride it up. I know no other way. I am not a sophisticated investor, far from it. I am willing to learn but I don’t really know if picking stocks is something that I can do.

    I still don’t know too much about the stock market. I don’t know terms like “alpha” or any other jargon thrown out by some of the posters here. Yes, I had a Series 7 at one point but you get the idea that that doesn’t mean much as I said. When buying mutual funds, I buy within my IRA also, and so the money does rack up pretty quickly as I buy in tens of thousands and now in hundreds of thousands in both mine and my spouse’s IRAs.

    I haven’t bought Paul Mampilly’s program but I did watch/listen to his video. I hope he is correct about the bull market run to come but as he said, there will be downturns but he is probably right about the run up that will happen with the Dow at 50,000. But, I think what can happen is that if you could pick a few stocks and dump tons of money and what if they tank? You could lose your shirts, while trying to get “rich quick” as individuals stocks are volatile when you have no real or true information about a company. It’s such a gamble when we just don’t know. On the other hand, professional money managers at big mutual funds pick stocks for a living and that, you can rely on better.

    I am now trying to get 25 to 30% in the next 12 months and am looking at some international Vanguard mutual funds. If I can make 25% to 30% for the next 3 years, I will be in great shape.

    Even as I am tempted to buy individuals stocks, I have to be disciplined and remember my past mistakes….

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  19. Regarding “warnings” about investing. This is on all the emails: “Disclaimer: Futures, Options, and Currency trading all have large potential rewards, but they also have large potential risk. You must be aware of the risks and be willing to accept them in order to invest in these markets. Don’t trade with money you can’t afford to lose. This is neither a solicitation nor an offer to Buy/Sell futures, options, or currencies. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those discussed on this web site. The past performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily indicative of future results.”

    Please note, I do not work for or am affiliated with Banyanhill, other than as a subscriber. I don’t like their advertising techniques, but I do like the product, Profits Unlimited. Other than an annoying phone call, it is easy to cancel. When I cancelled a different subscription, they gave me to a closer who sounded basically pissed off with my cancelling, but did so without any difficulty.

    Reply
  20. I don’t think it’s a scam. I think the advertising is ridiculous, the fake math make me almost skip this, however, with the money back guarantee it tried it. I’ve had very good luck with Paul Mampilly’s profits unlimited. I initially used my broker and ran everything by him for the first 4 months. Had good success, so I opened a self directed account and have used it to buy those recommendations that make sense, check the point and figure charts, doing independent research, etc. No he doesn’t have 100% success rate, but my portfolio is up 10% since September using the recommendations from Mampilly. He has outperformed my manager by 1%. I don’t recommend his other products, but Profits unlimited has done well for me, and is reasonably priced. Like any investing I recommend doing your due diligence and take responsibility for your choices. BTW, I did try another Banyanhill product and cancelled within the trial period and it took 5 days to get my money back.

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  21. Interesting proposition ‘video’ today from Mr Paul. It took an annoying while to get to the transcript to fast forward. (Who actuallys listen ( I hardly mean watches) these ‘Video’ auto-cue reads at 10 words-a-fortnight?) The eventual bottom line for a ‘free’ life subscription ( of course is not free) is $14,500 limited to the first 500 ‘inner Circle’. €14500 x 500 = $7,2500,00 which is a nice little lump if you can get it. These ‘infomercials follow a set format which is so painfully obvious. Start with a ‘Teaser’ to promise something which opening the pitch will get ‘the viewer’ some useful information after a ‘short’ video ( never less than 20 minutes though it’s a long time since I did watch one in full, out of curiousity). Of course it never does, and believing it will give something for free is fairly naive anyway. Next is to promise some ‘exciting’ stuff with outrageous claims, coming ‘in a short moment’ if you stick with the video. Then a ‘Let me introduce myself’ section… not that there is any fast-forward option. if you don’t want to listen to the boasting. Then a rake of ‘testimonials’ then … well it gets really tedious at this stage. Then finally the order form, which of course offers a huge discount off a ‘regular’ price… Then a P.S. Then a a PPS .. It’s a formula template !! Yep these tipsters can pick winners… and losers, but it is seeming a bit like a stopped clock ( analogue of course) being right twice per day. I picked a 200-1 winner on the track last week in a 7 horse race. The problem for me is that if I do relent and order what seems like a new angle or good or interesting stuff, once they have your e-mail, it breaks out like a rash and the in-box spam assault begins. I ‘missed’ getting in on STM @ €7 ( if those of you who said you did are being truthful), because I had already block-blocked the e-mail blizzard. One thing is for sure .. If you are thinking of subscribing to any of these type pitches, always have and use an extra e-mail account which you can dump when they pollute it.

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  22. It’s kind of funny, I came here and pretty much had my suspicions confirmed, but then I couldn’t help taking note of the second to last paragraph and the suggestion:

    “They also don’t want you to know of the likelihood of an economic downturn in the foreseeable future that will trash many of Mampilly’s picks. We’ve assembled a list of worrying 2017 economic indicators; it is worth reading before you make any market equity purchases.”

    So yeah if you take Paul Mampilly’s advice you’re probably going to take a bath, but if you took this site’s advice wrt 2017 you definitely missed out on one of the biggest run ups in equities on record and a whole lot of other opportunities created by the economic growth of the past year … now revised by the FED to surpass 4%

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    • You apparently missed a major component of our blog about economic indicators; it is looking long-term into the future and was not predicting 2017 or 2018 economies. We were sharing observations by authoritative sources about some pronounced structural problems with the U.S. economy. As we said at the commencement of the article, we aren’t economic forecasters and we weren’t and don’t suggest an imminent economic crisis.

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  23. Update: The day after my recent post I got a message from Paul Mampilly disclosing the Internet of Things stock projected to increase 8,000 percent in 4 years. I won’t name it, it has already been guessed by others on this site. A few numbers: the model portfolio he presents has 3 categories. The first category is recommended positions to hold, and has 13 stocks that he recommended from 6/2016 to present. They all have double digit total returns from 12% to 85%, except one at 0.39%. The average is 37.12%, no negative numbers. I might do well to follow that model. The second category is “Special Reports” of 9 stocks to buy, including the “big one”, that from 6/2016 to present has a total return of 263.72%. Of those 9 stocks, 2 have single digit total returns, 4 have double digit total returns, and 2 single digit negative returns. Not counting “the big one”, the other 12 stocks have an average of 6.9%. The third category is past positions, a list of 8 stocks, that gives me reason for concern. The total return for the 8 past positions is a NEGATIVE 20.09%. It looks like when they were dropping he held on to them for too long before selling, which is always the big question for any investor. So there you have it, make of it what you will.

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  24. I too, spent way too long watching this video! My GE stock plunged only a few months before I am retiring (2/18), and I am still stinging a bit from that. So, I watched Mark and thought maybe I could make some of this back in a short time. Glad I came here to read the comments, and not thrown any of what I have left at this promise. Appreciate all the insight.

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  25. I fell for Mr. Mampilly’s sales pitch last night, and got my login for his website today.
    For those wondering just what company Mr. Mampilly was going to let us in on that makes that little IoT chip that is projected to go up 4,000 percent in 4 years, the company is …….., (Drum Roll Please) ……., Heck, I still Don’t Know. I searched his website, and his model portfolio, and it may be on there somewhere, but he makes no mention of it.
    I wish I had found this and other websites warning that he may be a scammer before I put $79 on my credit card.
    I also was suspicious of the fake math that he takes all his gains and adds them up to be over 6,000 percent.

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  26. As enticing as “the internet of all thing” might be, I thought it had the stench of a scam, so came to this site. “If it sounds to good to be true…” and most of you know the rest. Thank you for giving me more details about this hoax. The Internet is saturated with scams, so before putting any money into a new product or idea I would urge people to check it on other sites.

    Reply
  27. What’s all the hype with “the next stock market windfall” ? he talks about 5 stocks. Does anyone know what they are?

    Reply
  28. In his first table he shows 11 stocks and how much they gained.
    Did he recommend these? Where is it documented? The verified buy and sell points?
    Then he plays a sensational game. “Cumulative returns” of 6,220% – this is where you can scream BS!

    There is no such measurement:
    If you had 11 stocks and doubled your investment in each (up 100%) then your “cumulative returns” would be 1,100%, but in actuality you made only 100% on your money.
    So if you you had 22 stocks each of which doubled (up 100%), the “cumulative returns” would be 2,200%.
    But again you only doubled your money – that’s 100%. Gee, how about 100 stocks – too outrageous I guess.

    So if you invested $100,000 in each of his 11 stocks, the average return is 565.45% (6,220% / 11).
    Assuming he actually made these investments, the $1,100,000 would have made profits of $6,219,950.
    A tidy sum if true. I suspect it was not – without verifiable proof.
    Now consider this: these positions were overlapping and over varying periods of time.
    So how many are currently in play now – just STM?
    [as with others, if you cannot fast forward, it’s likely a fraud]
    So only 1,000 subscribers @79 per month is a nice living.

    Reply
  29. “unlimited income potential”, “the time to get is now”, “no time to delay.” Hey Paul, why the unholy rush. He’s sitting in a window showroom, and yapping about how much he’s made and what you could do with all that pie in the sky(get dysentery?). Typical Wall Street freak coming across like he=s so much smarter than you and spouting recycled ideas. Nothing new here.

    Reply
  30. STM is at $23.78 today, November 1, 2017 and it is green lights all the way for a nice run up in terms of ratios and indicators that my algorithm uses (my own system for active trading, no AI or auto-trading.) A shame you didn’t buy at $7; you would have already profited nicely. It gapped up today too.

    Reply
  31. Well that stock he suggested that was $6:00 is now over $23 a year later. I bought in and have seen nothing but growth! Can’t expect anyone to get it right… but do your own research and invest for yourself…. but I agree all the extra in the report was a waste of time if not annoying… Just tell me about the stock and let me move on! lol

    Reply
  32. Been with all of Mampilly’s services since inception at Banyan Hill. Paid for the Fellowship membership which is a one time fee that entitles you to everything Banyan puts out for life, which includes all of his premium services (along with many others).
    I am a big believer in the “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t “ but all I can tell you is that I have made back my investment 3x+ so I am so to speak “playing with house money”. If you read his premium service stock alert recommendations, you will find them well supported. He is not going to bat 100%. I recommend him to my closest friends with the caveat that each has to do their own due diligence. I do and I have done very well with his suggestions. It’s suspicions like the ones in this blog that keep his access reasonably priced in my humble opinion so keep up the good work.

    Reply
  33. Glad I found your Web Site today as I’ve been seeing so very many of these “Snake Oil Salesmen” out there that I might just need to buy some Snake Oil.
    Sounds like you people have had access to a
    lot of people who perform the same acts and those are extremely plentiful.
    Over the years, I have noticed that even though most of those programs that promise to make people millions DO USE a very careful selection of verbiage such as “you could” it is possible to make” “we cater to thousands of clients” etc etc etc. They rarely ever make DEFINITE COMMITMENTS and only a few of them will insert the statements re the possibility that you might lose all of your money.
    Thanks for your EYE OPENER which just went to confirm what my feelings were and now that you have done so, I am not sorry that I’ve been following my GUT FEELING for a long time. Keep up the good work on behalf of the 10’s of thousands of people out there who don’t really catch on too easily or until they’ve been SNAGGED and have lost most or all of whatever money they had.

    Jim Petersen

    Reply
  34. I very rarely fall for scams, and I will share something “Negative” about his services below.
    Here are “my” facts. I listened to his pitch and bought a 2 year subscription to Profits unlimited for about $80. I signed up in March and more or less took every stock suggestion he has provided. Usually at about a $5000 investment point. His newsletters are well written and his reasoning for investing is laid out in a folksy kind of way. No “Cup and Handle” or “Secret 500 year old formula”. No options, no shorts. I’ve taken his suggestions on 16 stocks, with 4 current open positions. One stock pick gave me a 30% return in a matter of weeks, so I was convinced he was a gift from heaven. As of the end of September, I am up 6%. Had I invested in IVV (S&P500 ETF) I would be up 4.5%, so in all that’s a sold 30% gain over the S&P. Earth Shattering? Nope. But fair. Some stocks faring better than others, and 4 stocks were down and he suggested that the positions be sold. He is up front about not investing 100% in any pick, and I have a decent faith in him. So much so that I went ahead and used profits from MBLY to get into True Momentum. In that case I again came in to each trade with about $5,000 and I currently have invested in 8 stocks. Two positions were closed at a loss (at his urging-Sell at market), 1 is currently at a small loss (4.9%). 5 Remain open. Overall, as of yesterday, that portfolio is up 16.6%, compared to 3.4% had I invested same amounts/same days in IVV.
    So I am pretty satisfied. More then Satisfied really. The profits Unlimited Stock will probably fare better in a downturn than the True Momentum, but one stock is killing it, and the rest are doing well above the market.
    I get regual communication, and it is fast and easy to read/understand. I will admit that my first big loss with his advice, I felt ‘cheated’, but he is pretty upfront about the fact that they are not all going to be winners.

    Here is what I dont like: In Profits Unlimited, a few “Positions” in the E portfolio suddenly appeared, showing an entry date of 2 months prior, and decent returns. It inflates the portfolio results. I called and was told that it was from bonus reports to new subscribers, not existing. I call it bs, and think it’s manipulative. In True Momentum, no “New” stocks were listed, but the service was “BRand New” in May, but the portfolio shows positions opened in Feb….I called again, and was told it was part of Beta testing, but again, it’s bs. All that aside, my actual results are more than good. Last thing I dont like about the service is Banyon Hill throws TONS of junk mail into my inbox, to the point where I had to call to have it stopped. But that is not unique to that publishing house.

    I’m on the fence about subscribing to his 3rd newsletter “Extreme Fortunes”, wish I could find someone to split it with, or someone who could provide some actual numbers on that service.

    Reply
    • Thank you for your thoughtful comments. The downturn is exactly what we are concerned about and its impact upon investors over the age of 60. Many of the financial advisors with whom we consult are suggesting that seniors need to avoid buying individual stocks and focus more on index funds. They are also now suggesting market index funds in other countries (e.g. China and India) as a hedge against an overpriced US equity market. Note that even Warren Buffett is sounding the alarm about US equities being overpriced and due for a correction. If you choose the wrong individual stock, you could lose a lot of money. Not a big deal for an experienced investor able to tolerate risk, but a very bad deal for investors looking to preserve capital rather than make a killing in the market.

      Reply
  35. how is the $7 stock now? guess what it is at $18.50 and change now. do your own research, integrate his system. you do know that this is competition and whatever you read in the internet is not all true including this article.

    Reply
  36. This is a great Blog, Thank you for the heads up and thanks for all the great comments here. I wonder if He knows everyone is googling him as he is playing blah blah in the background in that super over exaggerated long video. As i’m typing he is still talking. lol I can’t believe its that long sheesh. ok see y’all gotta go shut him up.

    Reply
    • I have reviewed and ignored numerous apparent scams. However, Mampilly’s tout of STMicroelectronics was based in an area I could investigate independently. The results of my investigation were very promising – similar to his (albeit not as grandiose). I invested in early Nov 2016 at $9.50 a share and in less than one year it is trading around $20.00 a share. My money: more than doubled in less than a year. Not exactly what I would call a scam, would you?

      Reply
      • Unfortunately, you appear not to have a good understanding of the basis for our post about Mampilly. We are not suggesting that he is incompetent and will lead investors to money-losing stocks during a period where the market averages are booming. Our focus was on the high degree of risks involved in his recommendations and how only sophisticated investors should consider following his advice. Our concern was, and continues to be, investors who are either unsophisticated or should not be taking high risks with their savings. STM might work out well, although the best test of that is how the stock fares during an economic downturn, but it is a high-risk investment and Mampilly continues to resist disclosing the risk levels of his recommendations.

        Reply
  37. How much of his stock selection prices are driven up by this mass advertising technique where tens of thousands of online investors are buying shares based on marketing, not fundamentals? It seems the return on your investment is just as real either way…..as long as you know when to get out.

    Reply
  38. He’s made me a ton of money of PI, FMI, STM at 7.25, CRCM, ADSK and many others. VERY FEW losers. Have done quite well with him so can’t complain…. upwards of 50K since January….

    Reply
  39. Word of caution for STM investors. The oldest scam in the books. PUMP and DUMP!!! Have your stops in place and watch it like a hawk. Mr. Mampilly and multiple others associated with Banyan Hill Publishing probably have a very keen financial interest in STM. They are heavily invested in it. When it has ran it’s course. Look out below!!! It will drop like a rock.
    As a matter of fact, most would say, it just a matter of time until the market corrects itself. It can’t go up forever. Nothing goes up forever.The market is over sold, over priced, over valued. Of course no one knows when. No one knows how much it will correct itself. But history tells us it will happen. We do know that it will happen! Watch your money like a hawk and have plan “B” and plan “C”, etc. in place to get out of the market as quickly as possible. When it does happen, seize the moment, the very best time to buy stock is when no one wants them.

    Reply
  40. small investor, interested reader, very interesting what others that are not in “financial services” industry have to say

    Reply
  41. I really am baffled why the authors of this article so much want to bad mouth Paul, and instead try to do a bit of research before writing anything…

    STM is now at around $17/shr (a market cap of $13+ billion) or about 100% more than when the above article was written about 7-8 months ago. that is if the authors had put in a bit of research instead of irrational bad mouting they could have more than doubled their money had they listened and invested in STM.

    Bottom line, Paul does not have the crystal ball, but his recommendations are based on logical reasoning, detail documented research and intuition. This does not mean every pick will be a winner but at least it gives folks who are just wondering in the market a sense of direction as what to look for.

    Reply
  42. Having little or no money (my fault for not saving or properly preparing), I turned to the market in hope I could learn enough to support my self. I was able to save enough to open an online brokerage account and through the internet and books at the library, learned enough to begin trading. during my learning curve I became enamored with penny stocks. I invested $300 of my Social security check into seven (7) stocks back in March . I also spent several hundred dollars on “get MY news letter and be a millionaire in thirty days or less.” Most of which were hyped up BS. However, through the grace of our creator, I did manage to accidentally pick some winners. by the middle of June my account had a market value of over $800. I admit, I did not know how or why that happened, but it did and I began to search diligently for a reputable school or mentor to learn how I did what I did and how to repeat it. that is when I came across Paul Manpilly. By now I had developed the habit of researching the researcher. I must have spent over a thousand dollars learning this lesson. As a result, I did not subscribe to Paul’s service. What I am doing instead is watching the stocks he touted in his exceedingly long and boring presentation. and, after studying my results discovered, that in my case, that all the stocks I picked for my starting portfolio had one thing in common; I bought them just after all the charts showed them in a losing trend. So, I reasoned that in addition to the accepted wisdom cliche “what goes up must come down” was a misconception. At least in my situation. What goes down WILL COME UP. which is exactly what happened to all of my picks. I realize that I was extra lucky or fortunate. and I am continuing to search for a reputable school or mentor to further my education. – A very good friend once told me: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Boy was he right! Mark Twain once said: “its not what you know that gets you in trouble. Its what you know that just ain’t so!” Again, he also was right! My thanks for all the comments and background on Manpilly. I am better educated and a bit wiser because of it. – John

    Reply
  43. I’ve been reading all your comments. Very interesting! I agree about the Paul’s video – far too long with no real information apart from how successful he is!!! So I started researching before parting with any money and came across you guys.
    If anyone is interested, one financial advisor that is worth taking a look at is David Bach. He offers an enormous amount of information in addition to buying stocks, how to invest in real estate, IRA’s etc. You can sign up for his newsletter, which is 3 Bullet Sunday. Its short and sweet, gives links for additional information and plenty of advice. He is well respected within the financial/investment world having appeared on Oprah and a number of News Networks and talk shows. What I like about David Bach is he doesn’t charge for his advice/info, and you can pick up more info and tips from his Facebook profile.
    Hope this helps!

    Reply
  44. I will be honest my experience with brokers has been poor. Time for a more hands on approach. Paul’s advise and news letters I don’t take as gospel. Certainly not revaluation. Though a starting point. He gives ideas, new directions to look and research. Books. Magazine articles. Hey it got me on to this site. STM I have been watching. It was nice to read someone thoughts that are in the industry. Lead me to another company Diggi sensors. I learned from Paul the term connected to stock “cyclical”. Looks like STM may be heading to the bottom of its cycle right now. Has anyone been zeroing in in on the “Green Rush” stocks. Some companies are building million square foot facilities. One company is lining up on-line sales. A Greener Amazon. There is a thought. Million of people getting high and they don’t even have to get up off the couch to get their fix.

    Reply
  45. So it’s very plain to see every thing to do with Banyan Hill Publishing is pretty much total b.s. and a scam
    according to comments posted. Paul and every one there sends the same b.s e-mails wanting more and more money for the same overhyped b.s over and over and over. I’am glad I did not spend any big money with them.
    I almost did but after reading these comments I know what was in my gut. How can these Bastards keep getting away with this?

    Reply
  46. Check his linkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmampilly
    He went from a portfolio manager and got knocked down to a research analyst when DB bought BT, not sure what to make of that. His career is all over the map and nothing lasted very long. After BT it looked like he was trying to find his place. Not sure if he was booted or what.

    Reply
  47. Although Paul (like any investment advisor) is making recommendations that may or may not work out long-term, what I object to is overblown and totally fictitious propaganda that comes from Paul and his associates at Banyan Hill Publishing. For instance, in one of Paul’s recent video presentations (“This Bull Market Will Mint More Millionaires than Anytime in History”), he lists 11 stocks (cherry-picked winners since their gains range from 2539% for Serapta Therapeutics to 266% for Grifols) where he adds the total gains from the 11 stocks (6220%) and then claims three times in the video that a $100,000 investment would have resulted in a gain of 6220% or $6.2 Million. This conclusion is totally wrong since the average gain is 565.4% implying that equal initial investments of $9091 in each of the 11 stocks for a total of $100,000 would lead to an increase of $565,400, giving $665,400 instead of $6.2 Million! Given Paul’s long-term investment experience, I wonder how such ridiculous conclusions based on flawed statistical analyses could be made and trumpeted in his videos. By the way, I have sent this comment to Banyan Hill Publishing and I have received no reply.

    Reply
    • My previous comment should have read punch in 100,000 invested and then sold for 6,2000,000 . % gain is over 6000 just as Paul said. If you buy a stock for 6.00 and sell it for 384.00 GAIN IS EVEN BIGGER 6,300.00 %.

      Reply
  48. I signed up for Morningstar’s newsletter and premium website access 2 years ago for their analysis of industries, trends, companies, stocks, bonds, and funds. Less than 3 months ago after looking for funds they rated high return and low risk, I invested in 2 of them. They are up over 10% each. So, you do not need to go risky to succeed in the market. Another category I like is their “wide moat” analysis. These are companies that will do well for a long time because no competitor has, nor will be able to obtain anytime soon, an equal or superior position in the market.

    Reply
  49. Thanks, all, for the comments and information. I’m throwing this out for general discussion. I feel it’s always important for people to do the due diligence required to make a good decision about investment choices or whose advice to follow. The problem I find is that every time I THINK I’ve found someone who is reputable AND has insight that can lead to profit, I do a search and find out their name is associated with warnings and scams. So the question is: Who do you guys follow?

    Reply
    • Sam-
      I do a search and find out their name is associated with warnings and scams. So the question is: Who do you guys follow?

      One of the few people I have respect for is Tai Lopez out of Beverly Hills CA; What advice does he give? he says you get all the information, you research it, get informed about it, find out and become your own expert on the subject, etc. Kind of the opposite of this Paul Mampilly guy. Its intellectually dishonest to misrepresent the facts and push to get investors as he has done.

      Tai Lopez made money from technology and has a brute force no nonsense approach tied with common sense, he will say read books, read what Sam Walton said about business, its brilliant! read what Warren Buffet says about how you approach this. You get informed.

      So far I have not found out what the minecraft DOT is on the image of the dime there.

      Reply
  50. 1. Can anyone tell us just what this chip is? I gather from the comments that STM, a legitimate manufacturer of microcontrollers and associated circuitry in a growing market, makes it, it involves micromechanical technology and has something to do with the IOT. BTW, I’m steering clear of the IOT. It may have valid uses in industry and technology, but the last thing we need is something that turns on our toaster ovens and coffee pots over the airwaves which anyone out there can interfere with.

    2. Mamphilly has owned/run like a dozen “publishing houses” besides Banyan, which he uses to flog this product. Is this typical of investment counselors?

    3. As I said above STM is a well-regarded mfr of electronics devices in a rapidly growing market. However, how much of its growth in stock values can be owed to it’s being so aggressively flogged by Mamphilly and possibly others?

    Reply
    • Hi,
      Ive worked in technology over 40 years, including digital and analog systems design, microprocessors and all kinds of electronic/digital devices in the industry. STM makes great devices, I dont have a problem with that, but the image showing some tiny block out of minecraft on a dime? I’d like to know just what this is supposed to be?

      I have worked in internet of things, its like cold fusion in some ways, A FARCE. Intel dropped several of its product lines that were aimed at the IoT market. Home Security is a great industry for IoT. If you’re at work and say oh, did I turn the stove off? The connectivity might allow you to check, or even turn the stove off. Is that bigger than the internet? No, it’s just a tiny market that relies upon the internet. What else do you get with IoT? Maybe a self powered vacuum that cleans the house by itself? Oh already have that. My IoT design connects with a cell phone and I can interface things to it. Should be profitable but bigger than the internet? I am looking for proof of that.

      Reply
  51. I have just subscribed to 3 month subscription from from the Pacific and am waiting for weekly advice on where to invest on. Can any one help actually how to buy stocks online? Blessings.

    Reply
    • First I joined a stock club with 10 members and learned a lot in 2 years….investing a little on my own based on research we all had done on different stocks. Scottrade was very helpful with an office near by. Security being important, I went to Scottrade office & set up an IRA account, funding it that day with a check. In an IRA if you are trading and making money, you don’t pay taxes till you withdraw funds. Early withdrawal is 20% + taxes. May not work for you depending on how young you are. It’s really simple. Read a little on the subject so you understand terms etc. Goal is buy low, sell high. If not in an IRA, you have to report earnings to Fed. Gov. on your tax return. There’s a section right on line where you can pull it down. Good luck, it’s become a part time job and working out well.

      Reply
  52. The first big warning sign for me was when he added the % of profit from a number of his investments together and then claimed it came to over 6000% if he is as smart as he says he is then this is blatant deception and fraud.

    Reply
  53. I purchased Paul’s basic service in November 2016 for $49.95. Using initially $10,000 I followed his recommendations to purchase stocks in a equal weight $2K per across his recommendations. As of May 26, 2017, this account is now $13,700 for 37% gain. S&P is up approximately 13%. So his recommendations did infact beat the market over the same period by 20%. Again this is his base service. I am not paid by PM or anyone else, just a private investor looking for alpha. I have increased confidence on how he is selecting and the rational for these picks, I added $50,000 against his latest positions with a few hedges. But I would say to you, his picks are working out very well indeed.

    Reply
  54. I thought the only service that Paul Mampilly if offering atm is the $5,000 a year subscription for the recommendation of small cap stocks once a month. IS there another much cheaper version that I am missing?

    Thanks,

    Geo

    Reply
    • Today is Jan. 23, 2018. Mampilly’s service is discounted to $47 / year, $79 / 2 yrs for the lowest buyers. Other higher prices for more services a few hundred dollars. I didn’t see anything like $3000 service. Maybe the IoT AI learning told him how much the person at my IP address would be willing to pay for such a service. After all, just one morning of coughing and hacking put a never-before-seen Mucinex ad on my monitor for that day only. The Internet of Things is happening, folks. {;-) Best to all.

      Reply
  55. St. Paul Street in Baltimore is a publishing assembly line. No one can write a thoughtful book in as little time as it takes the assembly line to turn it out to the public.

    I noticed frequent qualifiers in the presentation that made the so-called $100,000 guarantee not worth the internet space it was spoken on. How much is guarantee “to have a chance” to achieve the kind of returns Mampilly is talking about?

    The format for these videos is one employee of Agora interviewing another. That should give everyone pause before they jump into the ring. If Banyan wanted to improve their credibility they would disclose right up front the fact that they are part of the Bill Bonner – Agora investment publishing machine. They imply that they only pick winners in the market. How about disclosing all of the losers too? a thousand new members at $5000 each is enough for Paul Mampilly to really retire. Then he could provide all of his investment research at cost to the little guy investor from main street USA. Who do they think they are fooling with these long winded presentations?

    Reply
    • Easy to make negative comments and many of these folks are shills, but see my thread from May 26th. I agree the marketing tactics employed are really obnoxious etc. But my gains have been real and I am gaining confidence in his take on things. With the following caveat, I am fairly experience trader working at various hedgefunds myself for over 10 years. But I used his basic service thus far and it has beaten the market handily with really very little risk using straight long buys, no options.

      Reply
      • Burt
        I agree with your comments. Statistics show that more than 81% of the people on earth are thinking negatively about 75% of their waking hours. Even if an investor or a trader gets profitable recommendations from a reliable market guru/letter, he/she has to have a trading plan that addresses risk to reward, proper entry and exit rules, trade management. More than these, one must develop the right psychology of awareness as well as the ability to be self disciplined to maximize profits(like the old adage ‘ Let your profits run and cut your losses short’) and ruthlessly cut losses to a minimum.
        I just subscribed to Paul’s Profits Unlimited and would be interested to keep a line of communications with you to see how we progress.
        Thanks

        Reply
  56. As an engineer I know the impact of MEMS, a device recommended by Mampilli in his add. However, I researched without buying into his services and came up with STM. Despite its warts, they produce a unusually small version of the device more easily designed into integrating devices. They also produce a large number of sensors that are now integrated into all new cars. I bought 2000 share last May at $6.25 and they are now up over $16 and ~120%. Probably time to cash out soon, but it keeps going up. STM was a $90 company 20 years ago and has regrouped. I also am in NXPI, buying in at $44 and now, if Qualcomm comes through, it can be a nice gain. NXPI also makes numerous automotive sensors. I have to admit that Mampilli’s add got me to research on my own. It can be done.

    Reply
    • Just for the record, STM is one of his picks and I purchased on December and up 25% on this trade. Pauls basic service currently has around 14 trade recommendations. Most are up double digits. Only two losers out of all of them, GE -6% and IBM was flat when he exited. For the others, some of them up as much as 44%. Again this is his basic service. I am not sure what the future holds, and spring/summer is typically a lousy time to invest, but his theories are sound and the market is heading higher regardless. Europe market is strengthening, US is at full employment, POTUS is fanning flames of business in country (not a political endorsement, just a fact). Market is going higher, that’s just happening, optimistic country. If we have a downturn, i will be buying more with both fists, especially if it is 5% or more down. But again these picks have been great. Always use good trading rules, equal weighting them, sector management, trailing stops -5% for any trade (keep your fluff intact). There are a lot of other rules, but those are the basics.

      Reply
    • Oskar,
      Can you please tell me when you bought NXPI for $44.00/share. I pulled a price history back to 1/11/2016 at which time it was $75.69 /share; since then it has steadily went up and today 1/11/2018, it is at $119.25.

      Reply
  57. I have been investing based on Paul’s advice and podcasts since November 2016, and am up about 40%, and about $30,000. I do believe Paul is honest, and I can tell you that his overall portfolio is doing very well. I have learned quite a bit already and expect to really grow my personal net worth over the next few years.

    Reply
    • We sought to verify the existence of this particular commenter. We went to the website indicated in his email and it is a blog by an artist named Colleen. There is no mention of the commenter. While we appreciate any comments offered by people’s experiences, you do not serve the comment process if you list fake email addresses or don’t provide some verification of your identity. Otherwise, we are left to assume that you are someone other than who you claim to be and the conversation suffers as a result.

      Reply
      • Email me at my very real email address and I will be more than happy to email you back.

        The blog has not been used for quite a while, but I still own the url and it is my personal email.

        BILLY

        Reply
    • Billy, i also bought in in November 2016. I promise you all I am not a scammer or Troll and these positions of Paul’s which I kept in separate account for tracking purposes are up for me also similarly 37%. That having been said, you must use good trade management practices. Just so happens that all but 2 of the recommendations are higher, some by significant amounts since that time. The other two he recommended closing at small loss for one and flat for the other. Who knows what the future holds, but stock picks are just stock picks, you have to use good common sense also when investing!. But 40% is accurate result in my book thus far!.

      Reply
    • I am a user of Profits unlimited, paid $79 I believe, very happy with his recommendations. So I went ahead and purchased Extreme Fortunes as well, very happy with that as well. I am interested in connecting with the users of Mampilly’s service outside of this forum, please share with me your experiences with the service.

      Reply
      • hi Hina
        I’m very much interested to learn about your experiences from both Profits Unlimited and Extreme Fortunes. I just subscribed to Profits Unlimited; since I wasn’t sure about everything and a lot of negative commenters/doomsayers up here, I felt I had to find out about Profits Unlimited first before I spent more money. Would you please be kind enough to share how you have benefited so far? In return, I’ll share with you everything I have learnt and done related to financial markets. Even if I read a recommendation from Paul or anyone, I have the tools to wait for the right time to buy wholesale so I get better returns. I hope you have an outstanding day.
        Somabonds

        Reply
  58. I subscribe to Paul Mamphilly’s Profits Unlimited (since Dec. 2016) and have invested over 10K in his stock recommendations. I’m up almost 10% in 3 months. The guy is for real and by no means a scam. His newsletter is filled with concise information on IOT stocks without all the fluff. It is easy to read, understand and implement.

    His advice for a small subscription fee has paid off very nicely for me.

    Michael Houser

    Reply
    • Thank you Michael. Please indicate what was your “small subscription fee” as we are informed that it is $3000 to subscribe to his newsletter.

      Reply
      • That is the discounted price for his Extreme Fortunes service. His Profits Unlimited subscription is about $79 per year and provides a solid suggestions with supportive reasoning. I joined March 5, 2017 and am up about 5% which is reasonable in a short period. I don’t expect a windfall but appreciate the recommendations.

        Reply
        • I paid $49 today for the subscription. And if I invest, I will do so slowly. as was recommended in wise comments above. I will see what Paul has to offer cautiously. But I’m going to give him a chance. I am a total ‘newby’ when it comes to investing in stocks, so I must be cautious.

          Reply
    • The entire stock market has been on a tear, so the fact that a small number of recommended stocks are up is uninformative. You understand this?

      Reply
    • 10% return is hardly nothing to get excited about in that time span, when the S&P returned a greater return than that, with a lower risk (because it’s more diversified, instead of putting in a handful of stocks). If the stock picking isn’t beating the index, it’s nothing to get excited about

      Reply
  59. SCAMS! SCAMS! and more SCAMS are everywhere! Avoid CTOption.com , a binary options trader. is the worst crooks I have ever encountered. They will “steal” your money the first time that you make a withdrawal request. They have taken nearly $30,000, and the sad thing no government will intervene. They allegedly operate in 90 countries, and are NOT regulated by any government agency. I traded through their London office. Since they are not licensed in the US, no government is willing to intercede on the claimant’s request. They are extremely organized, and have a hidden regulation for every dishonest activity that permits them to control your money in perpetuity.
    Caveot emptor! Buyer be wear.
    Ralph Coffman, LL.D.; Ph.D.

    Reply
    • Ralph, i see the Ph.D. by your name. Not to beat you up or anything, mistakes are mistakes, but to everyone, invest wisely. Don’t put significant amounts of money on accounts that are not backed by the SEC in this country. You can buy securities overseas of course, but make sure you is through a reputable broker. Interactive brokers, etc. They do binary options and I use them frequently to hedge bets. They can be useful if you apply a systematic, mathematical approach to risk/reward ratio. Again not to beat up Ralph, sure he is a very intelligent man with a simple mistake. Be careful, small amounts 1st to test before you commit, 10’s of 1000’s to something.

      Reply
  60. I don’t know much about Mr. Mampilly. I just do not trust people selling advice and claiming unbelievable gains. If I were so sure of my advice, I would keep it for myself to use.
    One thing I am sure of is that technology including biotech will be a big winner for the next 100 years and longer, I am invested in several technology mutual funds and ETF’s and they are doing very well. I will never be one of the super rich but I am doing all right.

    Reply
  61. Reading through the comments and having sat through most of Mr. Mampilli’s web presentation, I have mixed feelings. I am sure he has talents that enabled him to start his company. How he sells it is another thing. It is frustrating having to wait…and wait….for this one big stock to be identified. Don’t make me wait 20 friggen minutes for the culmination of your pitch. I could not even check to see how long the presentation was going to be. My time is pretty valuable too. Make your point and get on with it. Guys like this who waste people’s time do not get my money.

    Reply
    • i agree about sitting and listening to this for 25 minutes and then you find out
      his selling and wants 47.00 $… not sure about him now but the stock he sells
      has a good a chance as any I suppose…

      Reply
  62. That IoT sounds an awful lot like the predicted “mark of the beast”. LOL I can see the chip be implanted at birth, making us all into walking robots. Might do well for a start but I don’t see the Christians going for implants or tattoos to accommodate it’s potential uses.

    Reply
  63. I found Mr. Mampilly while looking at news on a website and he had a directional ad at the bottom of the page. I actually watched the whole video and signed up for his service. He gives a risk free service and you can either pay monthly or one-time. I was skeptical at first, however, there are not too many professional investors willing to give advice to a small investor like myself. I signed up and bought 10 of his stock ideas and 7 out of 10 are positive right now and the other 3 are not too far from being positive. One of the stocks increased 30 percent when the company was purchase by a much larger company. At the time of this post I am very happy with his recommendations and I don’t feel like I have been scammed at all.

    Reply
    • Thank you for your input. However, we wanted to make sure you knew that there are a fairly large number of investment newsletter services that sell investment advice to small investors — including a fair number of them like Seeking Alpha, Talk Markets, Harvest Exchange, as well as a number of value investing websites. We’d also offer you the advice given by one of the world’s most renown investors: Warren Buffet recently stated that trying to beat the market is not a good idea for most people. Buffet strongly urges small investors to focus on market index funds. But that advice isn’t sexy enough to sell newsletters, apparently.

      Reply
  64. So these comments about him are wrong?

    The Video was posted by Paul Mampilly, who was Wall Street’s poster boy for over 2 decades.

    His $6 billion hedge fund named one of the “World’s Best” by Barron’s, he won the prestigious Templeton Foundation investment competition for making a 76% return during the 2008 economic crisis (without shorting stocks or making risky investments), and he made regular appearances on all the major networks like CNBC and Fox.

    Reply
  65. Just starting research on Mr Mampilly…this is what Bloomberg has:
    Mr. Paul Mampilly, CFA is a Senior Editor of Profits Unlimited and Extreme Fortunes at Banyan Hill Publishing. Mr. Mampilly joined the firm in 2016 and specializes in helping Main Street Americans find wealth in growth investing, technology, small-cap stocks and special opportunities. He began writing Profits Unlimited in 2016 with purpose to find stocks that go up and also writes a weekly column for newsletter, The Sovereign Investor Daily. Mr. Mampilly is the founder of Profits Unlimited, where he uses his skills, experience and knowledge as a former Wall Street insider to guide his more than 40,000 subscribers into stocks that are primed to shoot higher. He is an American investor and former hedge fund manager. Mr. Mampilly was an Editor of Professional Speculator at Stansberry Research LLC since February 2015 until December 2015. Prior to this, he served as a Managing Director, Co-Portfolio Manager and a Member of the Portfolio Management Team at Kinetics Asset Management LLC. Prior to this, Mr. Mampilly founded The Capuchin Group, where he served as an Author, Editor, and Publisher from October 2003 through July 2006. With 25 years of experience in the investment world, he started his career in 1991 as a Research Assistant at Deutsche Bank. From there, Mr. Mampilly rose to positions managing multimillion dollar accounts at Bankers Trust and ING. He has also managed money for the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sears and a private Swiss bank. Starting in the late 1980s, Mr. Mampilly worked as an Analyst at Deutsche Asset Management and ING, before becoming a Money Manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, Bankers Trust, Sears, and a Swiss bank. His clients included European aristocracy, the Templeton Foundation, Swiss private banks and Fortune 500 companies. As a long-term investor, Mr. Mampilly has keen interest in the stock market, and is a master at pinpointing small companies with innovative business models and products. He has shared his knowledge with thousands of people as a top level Hedge-Fund Consultant and Financial Advisory Editor. Mr. Mampilly has worked for 25 years with direct, hands-on money management experience on Wall Street before retiring in his 40s. He is featured in CNBC, Fox Business News, Bloomberg TV, Kiplingers, Hedge Fund Intelligence, Reuters and on Fox News. Mr. Mampilly won the Templeton Foundation portfolio competition in 2008 to 2009, getting first place for $50 million portfolio that generated gains of 76%. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Mampilly received his MBA from Fordham University in New York in 1996.

    Reply
    • This commenter has just copy/pasted Mampilly’s own bio but has not added anything else since. In all likelihood, he is affiliated with this investment scheme. We generally post commments from people who’ve had experience with the service or have done their own analysis. We may remove this comment if the author offers no other substantiation for his comment.

      Reply
    • Hmm… he “started his career in 1991” but then, “starting in the late 1980’s mr Mampilly worked as…” Besides this obvious error, the Bloomberg account seems much to fawning for me. Is there a more objective review of his accomplishments?

      Reply
    • For all Mr. Mampilly’s wealth and accomplishments, it’s kind of strange he chooses to live in a 1,900 square foot house he bought in July of 2014 for $355,000.

      Reply
  66. Yeah, I tend to watch these videos sometimes for more than 10 minutes (if that long). I think it was last year, a Stansberry (or related) video about “The Death of Crude Oil” which soon starts with the guy in the video sitting at a table and placing a beaker containing a black liquid (which he soon “names”) in front of him on the table. At least he didn’t take long to say that this byproduct of paper mills “will replace crude oil” which raised a flag in my brain for at least not calling it what it is: black liquor. I live here in Louisiana which has petrochemical plants and paper mills and have worked at both. Presenters of the videos fail to mention economic, environmental, etc. factors related to there topic. Pretty much the same reasons the US is not producing diesel fuel from coal like South Africa.

    Reply
  67. Thanks for the background. IoT is growing, but has little impact upon me at home. I have an Alexa and can turn my lights out from across the globe if I want. Why I would want to do that, I am still not certain.

    I advise buying those tech companies for other reasons (I own several). Often, an industry may have one big winner that got everything right and one big loser that got everything wrong. As such, buying one stock is risky, in other words, it is a gamble. Buying different ones within an industry expecting you may get the winner and the loser, but will overall make money is minimizing your risk and considered investing.

    If you go through an investment fund, pick multiple different funds so that one scammer won’t ruin your life.

    Reply
  68. I buy and sell stocks through my vanguard ira and i bought MobilEye, MBLY as well for at $47.40 and sold it @ $60.95. i have not bought his info, but i am considering it. Its always tuff to ligitimize people until its to late. I am researching this guy Paul and his history

    Reply
  69. ST microelectronics is sound. They make controls engineering digital components which are circuit boards that contol 2 and 3 phase electric motors and switches in order to automate an asphalt batch plant for instance. I also suspect that they have anb innovation on deck that will allow people to go into Walmart throw what they want in a shipping cart and pay for it as they walk out of the door all at once. No checkstand at all. Collect your purchases. Walk out. Bil lyour card. Done. Instant inventory control. Almost impossible theft. Yeah probably a good idea

    Reply
  70. I bought MobilEye, MBLY based on his recommendation last week and it jumped over $13.00 in one day that it — as he predicted, might be purchased by another company (INTEL went public on their interest in buying). He lays out his portfolio for all to see. I do not believe all the hype of 1000%, but he does seem to do his homework and has valid reasons for recommending the stocks. I think the portfolio speaks for itself. I paid the 80 bucks for a two year subscription, and I got that back within the first week of taking his advice. I do not work for him and he does not know me, but I think beyond a lot of his sales hype are some very good recommendations, just like Ray T. said the portfolio is up. The question that I will answer in the next two years are this “How good are his stock picks during a downturn?” It is easy to do well in a bull market – but I am still willing to watch and listen to his picks.

    Reply
    • Hi John what was the subscription you paid only $80 for 2yrs? That got my attention. Was it a Paul Mampilly subscription? Because everything im finding on his programs cost $2000-3000. Im very interested in Paul but these expensive costs make me. nervous . You however have encouraged me with your post. Would you please respond and thanks for your encouraging post. Vern

      Reply
      • They have 2 or 3 levels you can buy in at. My brother in law has what I think he said is 100 per year for a monthly newslter and frequent podcasts. There is an expensive one with personal copaching or something.

        Reply
      • I got hooked with a scam by this guy. I clicked on a $79 offer for thee books. Ended up with $6,500 in credit card charges. Be careful with his advice.

        Reply
      • Vern it can be located at Banyanhill.com and it is the profits unlimited subscription located under the premium content tab. I subscribed a month ago, just before the bottom fell out and had some good opportunities for entry positions after setting up my first ever trade account. My thoughts were what is $50 a good steak dinner and a glass of wine minus the tip for advice to get me started in securing my retirement. So far, no complaints and the portfolio is updated daily, weekly, monthly and special reports along with email alerts for buy/sell alerts, better communication than the Edward Jones Investment advisor I met with a couple of months ago and it allows me to be actively involved in my financial future.

        Reply
    • Very well said. I completely agree. So far I have done extremely well with his stock picks and I really like him. We shall see how he does in a downturn:)

      Reply
  71. Today, March 17, 2017, STM closed at $15.62. I still have it. Great stock! I hold 12 positions he recommended. Overall, the portfolio is doing quite well. It consists of CRBP, QRVO, TER, CRCM, FMI, VNDA, PI, SSRI, PHG, PTC, S, and of course STM.

    Reply
  72. I know, it instantly sounded too good to be true.., and well, it seems that it really is (too good to be true).
    I will say that this guy is somewhat likeable and compelling – but don’t be fooled.
    To be fair to his pitch, I let it play all the way through. But within minutes I was checking into his background and the backgrounds/histories of all those names-n-claims he kept dropping.

    All I can say is that scumbag scammers are everywhere – buyer beware.

    One final (albeit obvious) thought; if you catch anyone willing to spend dozens of minutes trying to convince you to accept their costly advice that, even just potentially, could lead you down a dead-end road to a big cliff, just turn around and put them in your rear view.

    Reply
    • I’ve made a nice return on STM over the last few years. Even dumped it only to re-buy it and make more. Now it’s in the 20’S. Not as good as Nvidia but I’ll take it.He’s one of the few who give you a lead before it climbs, not like the others who give you the recommendation after it’s already taken off and continually harp on it.

      Reply
  73. Thanks for the info-I had my charge card out & was ready to call when I looked the guy (Paul Mampilly) up on the internet & found your article! You saved me from being scammed & I truly appreciate it! I see STM is almost at its 52 week high so I would be hesitant to invest anyways. I got the info free on your site as to what stock he was going to recommend. Great work! Thanks again!

    Reply
  74. STM looks like a quadruple top and is about to take a dump. I am expecting to short this after making close examination within the next few days….

    Reply
  75. Fortunately I bought STMicroelectronics at $6.00 in late July and today’s close, 11/23/16, was $9.88. Not a bad return. Maybe you should have used another example of Mampilly’s incompetence. The IOT is real and as all new innovation will work through its problems.

    Reply
    • You might want to sell. I checked several sites (CNN, WSJ, etc.) and all of them are forecasting a 10-20% stock price drop.

      Reply
    • It is still south of where it was in March of 2015, and May of 2014, and July of 2013. Growth is unreliable, unpredictable, and for the high-risk short term investor.

      Reply
      • Yeah more and more people are doing these long boring videos that show they are rock stars and trying to get you to buy. However, what is the name of the company that makes the small chips? it might be a good pick. But I don’t want to pay him for his stock pick

        Reply
        • So, you want the guy to spend 40-50 a week doing what he does for a living to give you the info so you can profit from it for free? Lol. Sounds like the common entitlement theme that has become so “normal” these days. $47 a year is (literally) pennies a day for strong investment advice. It cracks me up how many people try to find the flaws in other people these days, instead of giving credit where credit is due. Check the guys true track record – he has been VERY successful overall. No one is going to always be right! But I’ll take his advice over the guy who wrote this B.S. “report” whom I can almost guarantee does not do stock analyst for a living! lol. The bottom line here is that when he made the video the stock he is referring to (not going to infringe on his copyright protections) was trading around $5.50. At the end of his report – that yes, Jose you have to pay for, he states “at the very least, I expect (the company, again not going to give away his rights) to go up 100% over the next 12 to 36 months. However, I believe that is the very minimum.” That is his statement. As of right now it is trading at $23.28 and hit a high of $25.06 on Friday. That’s over 320% return from the time he made this video. So, everyone should take that as they will.

          Reply
    • I also bought STM – at $9.02 and again at 11.24 and I’m VERY HAPPY. The stock is now trading at $15.48. Paul Mampilly is a very smart guy and I believe he’s honest. I have other stocks he’s recommended as well that I’ve done well in. I think this “Scam Alert” is wrong and unfair.

      Reply
      • For those of you who have been with STM for a short term, with a gain, “congratulations.” Just remember, there are certain stocks that will flourish if there is enough info aired to enough people who want to make a fast buck. But as soon as the info dies down, the only ones who did well were the ones who followed the old rule of cards. Know when to hold and when to fold. To ‘hang in there’ for that extra couple of bucks can be extremely costly. It’s a practice sometimes known as greed. I’m sure that you all know what happens when greed gets the best of you.
        Also, Read Up On the number of places he’s been but IS NO LONGER. Oxford and Agora are two of them. Need I say more???

        Reply
      • I’ve done well with Paul Mampilly and his recommendations. I’ve been following his advice for about a year and I’m making good money with the stocks. Thank you Paul!

        Reply
  76. Thanks, good info. Keep up the good work. I ended up on Paul Mampilly’s website/video from a yahoo.com link. The video started and I had no idea when his video was going to end, because he intentionally blocked of the time on the video. That is when, instead of wasting any more time watching his video, I started searching whether this was a scam. There is a sucker born every minute and these scumbags feed on those suckers.

    If you want comments to be left, do not force people to enter there email address. I entered a wrong email, as-is I get a lot of junk mail.

    Reply
    • Haha. I did exactly the same thing. Watched for about ten seconds, tried to fast forward and then when I saw that I couldn’t. I started googling to see if it was a scam or not. It’s actually still running as I type this. Can’t stand these types of videos.

      Reply
      • Say what you will, upon checking STM Friday close, it was at $24 per share. It started the year (2017) right at $10 per share. It doesn’t take a genius to see that is a hell of gain, up 140% in 11 months. I wish I’d read this last December and fell into the sucker category. I’d be laughing all the way to the bank. Not bad for a company described in this post as a “train wreck”. Just saying……..

        Reply
        • Maybe for short term, but it was at $94.24 in 1997 and has never come close to reaching that except when it hit $74.00 in 2000. It has gone down since your Friday close, which is normal but nothing so exceptional as this supposed growth it is supposed to have.

          Reply
          • When Steve Jobs was fired by the Apple board, Apple stock eventually fell to $7/share – far below it’s all time high. Eventually they got it and brought him back. Now Apple trades at over 10 times that all time high from before Jobs was fired.

            The point – it doesn’t matter that STM has dropped significantly. It does make it harder to go up in price, but if it every clears that previous high, hang on for the ride.

            One point Paul M makes in the video, which is correct, is that a new product can take a company’s profits and stock price to the moon. Apple and Steve Jobs return is the example.

            Agreed that the video is long – and I hate the self promotion part of look at all my winners, without even mentioning a loser.

            But he might be onto something here. I remember when folks laughed at Ericsson Telephone – one of the first cell phone makers. They laughed again at Amazon and Netflix early on, but those two put Borders and Blockbuster out of business.

            Tread cautiously, but this STM might be worth a small investment. Watch it closely and if it retracts beyond a 15% loss, then stop the loss.

            Just an opinion.

          • I subscribe to Paul’s newsletter, Profits Unlimited. And the track record is pretty solid. He does do a lot of promotions … but, the core portfolio, including STM, is up. A lot. But he hasn’t really sold anything yet, so I am waiting to see how he does in a tougher market. I think this article is a bit harsh on him … not sure what the author has against Paul. Everything else written, even the Travis Johnson material he references, confirms that Paul is pretty legit.

        • So they recommended one good one?? Anybody can be right one out of 10 times. And that’s what you are subconsciously promoting. Oh well, CAVEAT EMPTOR.

          Reply
          • Been with his services since summer 2016 and his returns overall are better than the overall broader markets- lots of winners and some losers. I own dozens of the companies he’s recommended across four of his services. Been good for us for sure to date, including the bloodbath of late 2017.

    • That’s exactly what I just did. I researched the hell out of these come-ons. I don’t bother with any of the ones that start out with a video that automatically begins and says nothing that anyone can make any sense of and then when deciding to leave the site a pop-up warning appears asking if you really want to miss out on the opportunity they are offering. Yes, I do want to miss it. I’d rather spend 3 solid weeks changing every diaper in a hospital’s nursery and muck out the stalls at Belmont twice a day.

      Reply
        • For those of you who have been with STM for a short term, with a gain, “congratulations.” Just remember, there are certain stocks that will flourish if there is enough info aired to enough people who want to make a fast buck. But as soon as the info dies down, the only ones who did well were the ones who followed the old rule of cards. Know when to hold and when to fold. To ‘hang in there’ for that extra couple of bucks can be extremely costly. It’s a practice sometimes known as greed. I’m sure that you all know what happens when greed gets the best of you.

          Reply
    • Thanks for the Info and I agree with most of what you say. However, back in Sept 2016 I started watching STM which was trading at $7.16, Today it’s at 24.23 and is trending up. There are concerns about the ownership of the company. Market edge has it at a long and morningstar has it over valued. But goodness, 300% over the last 14 months.

      Reply

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