Mark Skousen’s Forecasts & Strategies (2021 Review)

Hello and welcome to my review of Mark Skousen’s Forecasts & Strategies.

I stumbled across this advisory service while researching different services run by some of Mark Skousen’s colleagues over at Eagle Products, LLC.

During his Forecasts and Strategies presentation, Mark talks about things like investing in gold, earning dividend income, and basically how to create long-term wealth.

I found it to be quite informative. So I decided to look at what the service is all about, who Mark Skousen is, and whether or not it’s worth joining.

And in this review, I’ll show you what I found.

What Is Forecasts & Strategies?

Forecasts & Strategies is a monthly advisory service run by Dr. Mark Skousen that provides insights, forecasts, and recommendations on the economy and financial markets.

Eagle Products publishes the service, and Mark began editing it in 1980, making it one of the longest-running newsletter services I’ve come across. Mark says the information he shares is the culmination of his entire career, which is extensive, as I’ll explain in a moment.

Each month, Mark shares his perspective on interest rates, monetary policy, inflation, and what’s happening around the world to help keep you informed. And he shares specific recommendations on ways to both protect and grow your wealth.

His recommendations cover a broad range of asset classes and sectors but are geared for longer-term value investors looking for a balance of both growth and income.

For example, he recommends stocks, precious metals, income investments, mutual funds, foreign investments, and real estate.

In my mind, the thing about Forecasts & Strategies, apart from many other services I’ve reviewed, is that it’s designed to help you profit in virtually any type of market.

And it’s not just about giving you new stock picks; the monthly newsletters are about informing you of what’s going on around the globe and helping you protect your wealth.

You also get access to the “weekly hotline” and quarterly conference calls to keep you updated on what’s happening with the model portfolios. So it’s quite a comprehensive service.

Who Is Mark Skousen?

Dr. Mark Skousen is probably best known as an award-winning economist and editor in chief of the Forecasts and Strategies newsletter service, which he began editing in 1980.

According to his website, Mark has a strong academic background, especially in the field of economics. He earned his Ph.D. in monetary economics at George Washington University in the late 1970s before teaching economics as a professor at several prestigious universities throughout the U.S., including Chapman University, where he’s now a Presidential Fellow.

Mark has also been recognized as one of the 20 most influential living economists and has received awards for his work over the years.

For example, in 2009, one of his books on economics won the Choice Book Award for Outstanding Academic Title. In 2018 he earned the Triple Crown in Economics. And in 2019, he won the “My Favorite Professor” Award at Chapman University.

He even had a business school of Grantham University named after him in honor of his work in economics and finance, The Mark Skousen School of Business.

He’s not just known for his academic achievements, though.

Mark has consulted for some of the most established Fortune 500 companies in the world. Including Hutchinson Technology and IBM. And before getting into the world of financial education, Mark Skousen was an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

He’s also involved in something called Freedom Fest, which is a multi-day event that takes place in Las Vegas each year. It’s all about finance, geo-politics, entrepreneurship, and expanding liberty.

But Forecasts & Strategies is a top-rated investment advisory service. It has been running for over 40 years now, so this is probably what he’s best known for outside of academia.

Aside from Forecasts & Strategies, Mark contributes to other services published by Eagle Products, LLC, including Home Run Trader, Fast Money Alert, Five Star Trader, and TNT Trader.

And sometimes, he shares his thoughts at conferences around the world. For example, as he did for the MoneyShow in a (fairly) recent video about investing in dividends:

What Books Has Mark Skousen Published?

Mark Skousen has published over 25 books on finance and economics over the years, and more than a dozen of them have been best sellers.

Here’s a list of his best-selling finance books:

• High Finance on a Low Budget (1981)
• The Complete Guide to Financial Privacy (1983)
• Scrooge Investing (1995)
• Investing in One Lesson (2007)
• The Maxims of Wall Street (2011)
• A Viennese Waltz Down Wall Street (2013)

And here are his best-selling books on economics:

• The Structure of Production (1990)
• Economics on Trial (1991)
• Puzzles and Paradoxes on Economics (1997)
• Economic Logic (2000)
• The Making of Modern Economics (2001)
• The Big Three in Economics (2007)
• EconoPower (2008)

With the help of his wife, Jo Ann, he also completed Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and has written for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine, among others.

What Is Mark Skousen’s Track Record Like?

According to his website, Dr. Mark Skousen has recommended “hundreds of double- and triple-digit wins,” which could have helped you turn $10,000 into $287,000.

Here are some of Mark’s recommendations:

• 850% (automotive company)
• 410% (Boss Industries)
• 390% (fracking analytics company)
• 280% (Compact Power Technology)
• 270% (Softtouch Medical Holdings)
• 240% (aviation company)
• 220% (one of America’s top trucking companies)
• 210% (Hydratect)

I couldn’t find a list of all of Mark’s recommendations since the service began in 1980. Therefore, the above examples are just the ones shown on the Forecasts & Strategies presentation.

I was, however, able to learn about some of his “macro” calls that helped his subscribers avoid major market corrections. This is a big part of what Mark does with this service; he doesn’t just provide stock picks; he provides regular updates on the overall economy and markets.

For example, on one of his sites, Mark details his 10 most important forecasts from the early 1980s to 2009. Here are some of his main predictions:

• He predicted the 1987 stock market crash six weeks in advance.
• He predicted that the 1990s would be the best decade for U.S. stocks ever and that the NASDAQ would double, then double again which is exactly what it did.
• In early 2020, he predicted gold would rally before it soared.

Mark doesn’t seem to boast the same “high flying” gains as some investing gurus in the space. Like Teeka Tiwari, Jeff Brown, Louis Navellier, or Ian King, for example.

But that could be because his service isn’t just about stock picks. Instead, it’s about helping to educate subscribers on topics like the financial markets, geopolitics, and the economy.

And the service is also designed to help you protect your wealth and earn income from quality dividend stocks. So his recommendations are more well-rounded in this respect and aimed at helping more conservative investors that want to build long-term wealth.

What Is Mark Skousen Predicting for 2021?

Mark is currently recommending many different stocks, as he does every year. But as of writing, in 2021, one of his main predictions has to do with investing in gold.

The presentation he uses to promote the Forecasts & Strategies is titled “Alpha-Gold” and talks about one of Mark’s latest stock recommendations in the gold space.

And apparently, this one stock could help you retire according to the presentation:

Even if you capture just a fraction of this new bull market, this could be your chance to retire with just one gold stock.

Source: markskousen.com/offer/fs-promo-web

The name of the stock isn’t revealed in the presentation.

You need to read Mark’s special report titled “The “Alpha-Gold” Roadmap: Make Up to 10X or More with My #1 Gold Play” which you can only get by joining Forecasts & Strategies.

However…

There are many clues in the presentation, so it was pretty easy to figure it out.

Here are some of the main clues:

The CEO of this company could very well be “the world’s most interesting man”.

He grew up in South Africa, where he became a professional rugby player.

In 2007, his company was acquired by Kinross Gold Corp (TSX:K) for $3.5 billion.

Since its IPO in 2007, it has gone from being a junior miner with no production to an owner of four gold producing mines – with a fifth on its way.

It has quickly become the lowest-cost, senior gold producer in the world. But it’s just getting started.

This “Alpha-Gold” company reported record revenues and production… with gold production rising 15% and revenues jumping by 31% to $442 million in one recent quarter.

Right now, it’s on pace to produce over one million ounces of gold this year.

Based on these clues, I believe Mark Skousen’s “#1 Gold Play” is B2Gold (BTG).

According to the company website, B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Canada founded in 2007.

All of the above clues match up, from the clues about the company’s founder (Clive Johnson) to the quarterly revenue (June 2020 quarter), its production forecasts, and more.

Of course, this is just a guess. To know for sure, you’d need to read his “Alpha-Gold” Roadmap report. Which also provides you with Mark’s full analysis of the company.

What Is Mark Skousen’s Net Worth?

Mark Skousen’s net worth is not publicly available information as far as I can tell. Some sites suggest he’s worth millions of dollars, while others say it’s less than one million. The fact is nobody knows this other than Mark and those he shares this information with.

Either way, he is a successful author, investor, and economist.

How Does Forecasts & Strategies Work?

The main benefit of joining the Forecasts & Strategies service is the monthly newsletters.

As mentioned earlier, these offer Mark Skousen’s latest insights into the economy and markets and provide you with specific recommendations to help you grow your wealth.

On top of this, you get access to all of Mark’s active recommendations that he shares with members of Forecasts & Strategies in the model portfolios.

Like his colleagues, Bryan Perry and Bob Carlson, do with the Cash Machine and Retirement Watch services, Mark doesn’t just have one portfolio.

He distributes his recommendations across different portfolios.

For example, one of his most popular portfolios is called “The Flying Five,” which takes about five minutes each month to follow and, according to Mark, has beaten the market for a decade.

Some of his recommendations are more focused on growth, while others are more about earning income. So you can pick and choose what works for you.

Aside from the monthly newsletters and model portfolios, subscribers also receive weekly and quarterly insights on the portfolios and instant market updates as needed.

The Weekly Hotlines help keep you informed about what’s happening in the model portfolio between the monthly issues and give you insight into opportunities Mark is currently researching.

The “Live Quarterly Conference Calls” are similar but also allow you to ask questions.

Last but not least, depending on which page on the website you sign up through and which membership option you select, you get access to a suite of bonus reports.

As of writing, there are three membership options (Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Elite). Each one lasts for 12 months and gives you access to the same Forecasts & Strategies service; the difference is how much you pay and which bonus reports you get.

The Gold membership costs $49.95 and doesn’t come with any bonus reports, the Platinum costs $77 and comes with five bonus reports, and Diamond Elite costs $149 and comes with six reports.

Here are the bonus reports you receive with the Platinum and Diamond Elite subscriptions:

• The “Alpha-Gold” Roadmap: Make Up to 10X or More with My #1 Gold Play!
• Getting Rich with Mutual Funds and ETFs: 5 No-Load Wealth Creators
• Dr. Skousen’s Five Favorite High-Income Growth Stocks
• The SS-4 Income Stream: How It Could Make You America’s Next Millionaire
• Forecasts & Strategies Quick Start Guide
• Protect and Grow Your Retirement with a Secure Retirement Account (Diamond Elite only)

The first report details Mark Skousen’s number one gold investment, which he says could help you make 10X or more in the coming years. Which I think is B2Gold.

The next few reports are about earning investment income. Mark shows you how to earn dividends through mutual funds, ETFs, and growth stocks and which opportunities he specifically recommends. He also shares his unique strategy for investing in small businesses.

The fifth report is a getting started guide. Again, you may not need it, but if you’re new to investing or want a rundown on Mark’s strategies, you may find this helpful.

And the sixth report, which only comes with a Diamond Elite subscription, is all about protecting and growing your retirement nest egg.

Who Should Join Forecasts & Strategies?

Anyone can benefit from Dr. Mark Skousen’s insights and recommendations.

However, his service does cater more to conservative investors looking to protect their wealth and earn a steady income through dividends.

It’s also more suited to folks who want a portfolio that’s diversified across asset classes because he recommends a range of assets aside from just stocks.

Another standout with this service, versus many others I’ve reviewed, is that it’s very much about giving you a month-to-month breakdown of the economy and markets. Whereas most stock advisory services only break down the latest stock pick of whoever’s running it.

So it’s ideal if you’re looking for expert analysis beyond the mainstream media on topics such as monetary policy, inflation, and the economy, for example.

And, lastly, it suits those looking for a low-cost service. Some of Mark’s other services are more expensive, so this is a great way to get started if you’re on a budget.

Is Forecasts & Strategies Legitimate?

Forecasts & Strategies is definitely a legitimate service.

It’s been around for over 40 years and is run by one of the world’s most respected economists and market experts. Mark Skousen has one of the most credible backgrounds in the financial education space. Not only is he the real deal, but he’s very well-regarded.

The service also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee too. So you can try it out for a month, and if you don’t like it, you can get your money back.

So it’s not a scam. At the same time, however, just because Mark has a great track record and his service is legitimate doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to profit or that all of his recommendations will benefit you. Investing is risky, and nobody can predict the future.

I think this is really important to keep in mind.

Because even though Mark has made many reliable forecasts over the past four decades, that doesn’t guarantee you will profit from his recommendations in the future. So you should always do your own research before deciding if his recommendations are worth acting on.

Bottom Line

Forecasts & Strategies is a monthly advisory service run by Mark Skousen of Eagle Products, LLC. The service provides you with insights, forecasts, and recommendations on the economy and financial markets and has been around since 1980.

Overall, based on what I’ve seen, I think it could be well worth checking out if you’re interested in learning how to protect and grow your wealth through the stock market. I also think it could be worth checking out to learn from Mark’s insights each month.

That said, this probably isn’t ideal if you’re looking for a faster-paced service that recommends smaller, higher-risk/higher-reward stocks. For example, the types of opportunities recommended in services I’ve reviewed like Technology and Opportunity or Innovation Investor.

So I guess it really depends on what you’re looking for.

In any case, whatever you decide, I hope you found this helpful. And if you’d like to share your thoughts on this service, feel free to leave a comment below.