Best Motley Fool Service: Which One Should You Subscribe To?

The Motley Fool offers a number of subscription-based services which started with its Stock Advisor program. Today, there are more than 30 services available on its website, which can be overwhelming for newcomers.

To help you decide which Motley Fool service to choose, we’ll highlight some of the best services it offers today. While you can’t go wrong with any of its services, the ones we will talk about here are some of the best ones to look at first.

What is The Motley Fool?

The Motley Fool is an investment advice company based in Alexandria, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1993 by brothers David and Tom Gardner and Erik Rydholm, who is no longer with the company.

Its services began in the humble beginnings of the internet, where they posted information on message boards and a newsletter through America Online (AOL).

Today, The Motley Fool hosts all of its services on its own website and through its email service. Its services have become widely popular and Stock Advisor regularly posts returns well above the returns of the S&P 500.

To learn more about The Motley Fool, see our Motley Fool review.

How to Select the Right Investment Service

There are many investment services available today, not just from The Motley Fool but from other companies, too. They certainly aren’t all the same, so, to choose the right one, you should ask yourself a few questions.

What is My Preferred Investing Style?

Again, each of these service is different. Some, like Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor, appeal to a wide audience. However, even Stock Advisor may not be the best for everyone, and we’ll talk more about that shortly.

For now, the important point right now is to decide how you prefer to invest. For example, do you want to buy and hold individual stocks? Do you want to stick investing in a few ETFs? Or maybe you prefer options investing?

Of course, you may not know your preference if you are new to all of this. The good news is that many Motley Fool services are quite affordable, so it doesn’t cost much to sign up for a year.

What is the Service’s Track Record?

The next thing to find out when considering an investment service is its track record and transparency. If you can’t find much information on past performance, that could be a red flag.

If the service is new, you may want to exercise caution, but it isn’t necessarily a red flag. For example, we reviewed Mindful Trader, an options alert service. It was new at the the time, but the founder of the program was able to show hypothetical returns his program would have achieved in the past 20 years using his methods.

In any case, seeing some proof that the program works is important. You don’t want to spend your hard-earned money only to find out the whole thing is a sham.

What is My Budget?

Let’s face it: we all have limited budgets. And investment services can vary widely in their cost. Even Motley Fool services have a wide range: they start at under $100 all the way up to the One bundle that lets you buy all of its service for $13,999/year.

In other words, no matter what your budget is, there is probably something out there for you. Don’t spend more than you can afford because a service sounds good. Find something within your budget.

Best Motley Fool Service Overall: Stock Advisor

Launched in 2002, Stock Advisor was The Motley Fool’s very first subscription-based investment advice service. While this is the company’s oldest investment advice service, there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.

Stock Advisor has become one of the most popular investment services in the U.S. due to its performance, transparency, and reliability. Plus, The Motley Fool has continued to improve Stock Advisor, adding more features over the years.