My name is Bill Patalon, and I’m the co-founder and investment strategist here at Stock Picker’s Corner (SPC).
And I’ve got some big news to share.
But to understand just how massive this news actually is, I first have to let you in on a secret.
A sordid secret, in fact.
You see … the institutional money players, professional traders, financial publishers and wannabe experts are all doing their damnedest to make investing as difficult as possible for retail investors like you.
They’re conspiring to intimidate you … to scare you … to confuse you – so that you’ll be afraid to take control of your own finances … and your own future. They want to leave you feeling flummoxed – so you’ll believe that you NEED THEIR HELP.
Always and forever.
And to your long-term financial detriment.
Truth be told … you don’t need those folks.
Successful investing – the kind that builds up your wealth over time … that lets you do the things in life you dream of doing … that offers you the time and the money means to make memories with your family and friends – is … not … that … difficult.
At all.
It’s actually downright simple.
You see, there are only two kinds of investors in the world.
There are Wealth Builders.
And there are Wealth Killers.
That’s it.
So if you’re not one … you are the other. By definition.
Wealth Builders ignore the “Conspiracy of Claptrap” … and the Cacophony of Confusion … that I outlined a moment ago.
But Wealth Killers succumb to it.
Wealth Builders keep their investing regimen simple – because they understand that wasted effort equates to wasted opportunities.
But Wealth Killers make things complicated … with options, meme coins and cryptos, margin buying – and by emphasizing trading over investing.
Wealth Builders find the best storylines – which lead to the best stocks.
Wealth Killers zig and zag, act on “hot tips,” and succumb to “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out).
Most investors know what I’m saying is true.
They know it intellectually – but they act emotionally.
And they need an ally to keep them focused.
When I launched SPC back in February, it was to help you do exactly that.
And today – with the launch of Stock Picker’s Corner Premium (the news I was referring to earlier) – I’m taking that mission to a whole new level.
Here’s Why We’re Wealth Builders
Before I get into what I’m going to deliver as part of an SPC Premium subscription, let me show you why I’m the person who can keep you on that Wealth-Builder path.
I think in terms of “storylines.” So I’m constantly sifting through the narratives playing out around me. That’s how I process — and make sense of — the world that I see.
This story-based mindset was born and solidified during the 22 years I spent as a reporter, a career that earned me national recognition for my award-winning work covering big public companies, Wall Street, the economy and sectors like defense, biotech and finance.
I co-authored the Prentice Hall best-seller “Contrarian Investing.” I pursued stories from Silicon Valley and Hollywood, to Washington, Wall Street, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. And I interviewed such folks as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, General Electric CEO John F. “Jack” Welch, O.J. Simpson defense team attorney F. Lee Bailey and Forbes magazine publisher (and former presidential candidate) Steve Forbes.
The storylines I chronicled traveled in all sorts of directions — and took all sorts of forms: They spotlighted winners and losers, featured heroes and villains, and captured happiness and grief.
They also unveiled threats … and opportunities.
For folks like you and me, seeing and understanding those storylines is investing gold.
Find the threats … and you avoid the losses.
Find the opportunities … and you’ve found some of the best places to make money.
Big Money institutional players refer to storylines as “investing narratives.” Wall Streeters refer to this as “top-down investing.”
But I like to keep things simple and avoid that “institutional jargon” – just knowing that the most powerful storylines lead to the most powerful profits.
That’s how I’m going to help you make money – create real wealth – over the next three, five, eight or 10 years … or more.
I want to take you “behind the curtain” so that you can see my “roadmap” for how I make decisions.
Here’s How We Invest
Bill Investing Rule No. 1: Know Thyself.
I’m an investor, not a trader. I don’t do speculative options. I don’t play games. But I’m also not a “buy-and-hold forever” kind of guy.
There’s a middle ground.
Putting time on your side – making it your ally – is how you build wealth … plain and simple.
So with SPC Premium, I won’t be frenetically trading … I won’t be moving in and out (and back in) to stocks or other special situation opportunities. Many other publications promise multiple trades a month as a “come on” to subscribe. But I won’t resort to Wealth-Killer strategies just to get you on board.
I’m looking for the storylines with maximum muscle – which gives us this formula:
Powerful Trends + Time As An Ally = Maximum Wealth
Every stock, special situation or asset in the Model Portfolio (more on that in a minute) will be accompanied by a suggested holding period.
There may be a “special situation” – like a spinoff or a special-asset play – that we’ll move in and out of in a shorter time frame … because that’ll give us the biggest back-end bang for our buck.
There may be a biotech stock that gives us a run of five or even 10 years – that we’ll cut loose if there’s no chance for a “label expansion” before the patent cliff “approacheth.”
And there may be stocks or assets that you’ll want to hold for the rest of your life – but that we’ll “accumulate” our way into as a way of building a true stake for Wealth Builders.
It all depends on the asset, which I’ll have its ideal holding time frame clearly labeled.
Now, let’s jump into what a subscription brings you.
The Model Portfolio
Remember my Rule No. 1: Know Thyself.
In other words, we’re all different. We all have different financial goals. Different time frames. Different risk tolerances.
You want to be comfortable with AND fully understand any investment you make. That means there’s no “one-size-fits-all” portfolio.
And that’s okay.
So I’ve created a Model Portfolio that you can use as a superb starting point for your research. Choose the stocks and other investments you like and understand – and adapt them to your goals. And pass on any ideas you’re not comfortable with.
With our research, you’ll be the best-informed – and smartest – folks out there.
And speaking of the research …
Dossiers
All of the positions in the Model Portfolio will have an accompanying dossier (these will be rolled out each week for a “curated” experience for early members) that includes everything you need to know to aid in your own investing research.
The team has done our best to vet these ideas … and framed them out as fully as anyone can.
For certain opportunities – like income – they may be combined into one report.
All of the SPC Premium Dossiers will be on the Model Portfolio page.
Farm Team
In addition to the Model Portfolio, I’ll also maintain a “Farm Team” – stocks or other opportunities that I’m watching, and show promise … but that aren’t quite ready for the “big leagues” … and the Model Portfolio.
With a company like, say, Tesla Inc. TSLA 0.00%↑ it might be that I’m working through the near-term “noise” – and understand the long-term potential – but want a bit more proof that a turnabout is possible. So I’ll analyze such potential pitfalls as the Elon Musk compensation controversy … errant “messaging” from management … production issues … price cuts … recalls … or product blowback, like with the Cybertruck … before deciding to add it to the Model Portfolio – or opting to move on.
For a firm like Apple Inc. AAPL 0.00%↑ , it might be that I want to fully grasp the “Next Acts” … like health or artificial intelligence (AI) … to reassure myself that it’s still a potential move worthy of your money … and time.
And it could be some up-and-coming opportunities – like Quantum Computing, that I know will be big – that I’m still analyzing and modeling, to make sure I find the “best stock” from this “best storyline.”
There’s added value here: You can use Farm Team ideas as starting points for your own investment research.
Remember – I’m looking at time horizons as long as a decade, or more with many of these investments. So I’m absolutely fine with taking an extra month, quarter or year to make sure it’s an opportunity that meets my threshold for Wealth Builders.
Tales from the Platinum Rolodex
In addition to my own insights, developed during my decades of experience as a reporter, stock picker, and analyst, I have a “Platinum Rolodex” … a roster of top experts in areas like energy, tech, cryptocurrencies, precious metals, income investing, emerging trends and more … whose insights I’ll regularly share with you.
I may release any interview branded as “Tales from the Platinum Rolodex” or certain pieces of the interview for free, but you will always see them first and have unrestricted access to the full interview as a paid-up subscriber.
Quarterly Roundtable
Each quarter, I’ll call on one or more of my network of experts for a deep dive on the story most relevant at the moment. It might be a “state-of-the-market” or “state-of-the-economy” assessment. Or an analysis of a specific company, asset class, geographic market, trend or issue that I think you need to know about.
We’ll look at where we are now, dig into the crucial “what comes next” – and, most important of all, show you how to take action to build new wealth, or protect what you already have.
These roundtables will be ever-evolving and can cover topics like income investing, gold, silver, copper, artificial intelligence (AI), the New Cold War, biotech and more.
And I’ll bring more features your way as SPC evolves and grows.
I’m thinking of more cool things even as I write this.
Tonight, I’ll release the first dossier: Riding the Silver Bull: Two Top Stocks and the Best “Wealth Builder” Strategies.
It will have a free preview for everyone in the SPC community, but the stocks will be reserved for those in SPC Premium.
Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you back here at 7 p.m.
Thanks for your note. And your question. And let me start my answer by telling you a story ... (there's a point here ... I swear). My son, Joey, is 17 .. a high school junior ... and a great kid. Five years or so ago .. when I'd had a really good year ... I took a few thousand dollars, sat down with him ... and said "we're going to make some investments ... pick some stocks ... and we're doing to do it together."
I started by saying ... "Okay, buddy ... let's look at what you like. And go from there."
Joey dug xBox and Minecraft .. so we bought some MSFT. He loved NFLX ... so we bought some of that. He LOVES Apple products ... so we got some of that. He's a Mac and Cheese kid ... and Berkshire owned Kraft ... so we got some of that.
Fast forward five years ... Besides having a son whose brokerage account probably dwarfs most of the other kids in his class (lol), he's got a job ... he's got his own bank account ... he went to Europe last year on a Music program ... he has his own car ... in short, he's smarter about money than most kids his age ... and, heck, most adults my age.
He pays attention to the companies he's invested in ... I mean ... he's a kid ... so he's not doing fundamental analysis on these firms .. but he pays attention. And I've been really stoked to see how interested he's been in our starting this venture on substance. He checks everyday to see how the "business" is doing.
Here's the point I promised I'd make. I believe there's an intangible value that comes with investing in actual companies. It's like (and given the articulate-and-insightful nature of the question you posed ... I can tell you're a smart and observant person ... so I'm betting you've seen this yourself) ... it's like the folks who talk about "paper trading" and boast about the money they've made. They had no skin in the game ... and didn't really risk anything ...
So owning SOME individual stocks has a benefit that transcends the investments themselves.
Does that mean index funds have no place? Not at all. I own them myself. I think that a mix of the two - an informed mix ... a purposeful mix -- is both healthy and wise.
If you read our stuff over time ... you'll see that we believe a couple things...
1. Know Thyself ... you never want to go against your goals, risk tolerance, emotional makeup ... you know what I mean ... that's definite Wealth Killer material ...
2. And (with apologies to the Hippocratic Oath) ... do no harm ... I just really believe retail investors should steer clear of options ... for speculation ... or for "income." Definite wealth killers.
So ... to put a fine point on this ... the approach you talk about ... is totally fine. Especially if that's where your comfort zone happens to be. And for folks who want to add a layer on top of that ... I think you can create a portfolio of individual stocks ... both for wealth building ... and for the added benefit I hope I've described.
Loved your query. As a former reporter for many years, the only stupid questions are those that are never asked. And I can tell you're a well-informed, reflective and answer-seeking investor.
I hope you'll visit us more often.
Respectfully yours;
Bill