Nope, they're desperate.
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.