Rule Your Retirement,

Has anyone subscribed to the Motley Fool's Rule Your Retirement newsletter? Is it worth the money?

[BUM]

No.. Every MF thing I've ever gotten involved with started as hype and finished in disappointment. For me their stuff is fluff for the masses.

BUM

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The kings of revisionist history. I remember in the late 90's they had all these formulas and magic portfolios. Most of them crashed and burned badly and were quickly and quietly swept under the rug. I saw something there just a few days ago sponsoring high cost managed funds vs low cost indexed.

I think they're kinda the 'national enquirer' of the investing business. Fun to read, but I wouldnt subscribe to it or make any life decisions based on what I read in it...

Yeah, was it AOL or Iomega - I can't remember but I think IOMG? They had 10% in each of 10 stocks and IOMG soared to 99.999% of the portfolio and they said "not to worry - no need to rebalance". Next thing you know it was 0.001% of the portfolio (I may be exaggerating slightly on the percentages)...

[Nords]

I don't know if you remember TMF of 6-8 years ago, when Roberts Sheard & Miles were publishing books just from posting on their site and everyone was following their portfolios. Seemed like a pretty exciting time, when the asylum's management had been turned over to the investors.

Now the Fool lost their way with paid subscriptions and "affiliated marketing". They're so desperate for hits & activity that they comp frequent posters whether or not the posters actually add value to the discussion. Now TMF is flogging tons of paid products. Are these somehow worth more because we have to give up money to get them?

I've been browsing the Fool since my hot new modem dialed in at a blistering 28.8Kbps. For the last couple years I've done free trials and the $9.95 three-month program. After looking past the hype to try to locate the substance, I haven't renewed any of them.

FWIW they were cheerfully prompt with refunds. So make up your own mind-- ask for a trial subscription to the newsletter with a money-back guarantee. But if I were you, I'd set up a spam e-mail account and, if necessary, a mailing address with something in it to identify who sold you to the bulk mailers.

[Sheryl]

I still read the free e-mail teasers they send, but I've been totally soured on them by my "free trial" experience. When I tried to subscribe for the 30-day free trial, they informed me I'd already had one. News to me! I didn't know I had it and didn't ever get any use out of it.

An e mail to customer service explaining this recieved a personal response saying, Sorry, one per customer. You have to pay now.


Screw em'. If they're so desparate for paying customers they made a mistake not comping me one more lousy month.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Just make up a new hotmail or yahoo email accout, and sign up again with that one for 30 days.

Then do it again.

Then do it again.

Same with credit cards, take the -0-% money, find a
bank with a promo MM rate. Invest until one or the other rate expires, then:

Do it again!

Do it again!

John Galt

[Sheryl]

I'm starting to sense a theme!

[Whakamole]

I too used to like the Fool and hang out on their boards (especially LBYM and the FIRE board.)

Now they are like everyone else, jumping on the latest hot fad.