True Wealth Review: Legit Steve Sjuggerud Newsletter?

Hi, and welcome to my review of Steve Sjuggerud’s True Wealth newsletter.

I recently received a free 12-month subscription to this service as a bonus for joining a different stock advisory called the Power Gauge Report.

And I decided to share my experience as a True Wealth subscriber in this review to help others make a more informed choice.

Ahead, I’ll show you what the service involves, how the newsletter works, and give you the heads up on how the stock picks have performed.

Overview of Sjuggerud’s True Wealth Service

True Wealth is a stock advisory service run by Dr. Steve Sjuggerud and Brett Eversole, which Stansberry Research launched back in 2001.

According to the Stansberry Research website, the service is all about buying “assets of great value” when no one wants them and selling them “when others will pay any price” (i.e., when the price is higher).

And based on the “welcome message” from Brett Eversole that you get access to in the member’s area upon joining, the “formula” he and Sjuggerud use to find “assets of great value” is to find stocks that are “cheap,” “hated,” and “starting an uptrend.”

According to Eversole (who seems to take on a larger role than Sjuggerud), there are a variety of ways the True Wealth team finds the assets they recommend, including analyzing data, networking, and traveling the world.

And he claims their goal is to share ideas that are unique, simple, and safe.

Does the service live up to that?

Well, after looking through the model portfolio (which I’ll discuss in more detail shortly), I can say that some of their ideas are unique, there’s nothing complicated about what they recommend, and while no investment is “safe,” their recommendations do cater to more conservative investors.

Not only do they seem to mostly recommend large-cap companies, but they also recommend ETFs and gold/silver coins, all of which are more risk-averse than some of Stansberry’s other services that focus on more speculative plays.

They also recommend a “trailing stop” on their positions.

What’s that? A trailing stop is basically a way to help ensure that subscribers who follow their picks don’t lose more than a set percentage on any recommendation if it doesn’t work out by “capping” the losses on each trade.

And you learn how to set this up as a subscriber.

What types of assets do they focus on?

True Wealth doesn’t seem to be tied to any one sector in particular.

Instead, it’s more about finding assets that Sjuggerud and Eversole think are “cheap” and that can potentially provide long-term gains.

That said, the portfolio is pretty heavily focused on the energy sector as of writing, and in particular, the oil and gas space.

There are also ETFs in the banking and construction sectors and numerous gold and silver coins in the current portfolio, which (overall) are doing “okay.”

In any case, now that you have an idea of what the service is about, let’s take a closer look at what’s inside the member’s area.

Inside the True Wealth Member’s Area

A subscription to the True Wealth newsletter service usually costs $199 per year, but it depends on how you go about signing up.

For example, I’ve seen different online presentations featuring Steve Sjuggerud, where you can join for $49.

And as mentioned, I ended up getting a free subscription when I joined a different service I recently reviewed called Power Gauge Report, which was pretty cool because I was planning on joining True Wealth anyway.

Anyway, once you join, here’s the page you get access to:

What you’re looking at above is the member’s area for True Wealth, which is located on the Stansberry Research website.

As I’ve mentioned in other Stansberry Research newsletter reviews I’ve published, you get access to numerous tools and resources as “standard” when you join one of Stansberry’s services, regardless of which one it is.

For instance, subscribers get interactive charts, watchlists, market analysis tools, and a stock rating tool where you can analyze different companies.

Above is an analysis of a stock True Wealth is currently recommending, which I had to blur out since it’s a paid service.

But that’s enough to show you what the stock rating tool looks like.

This is one of several tools you get access to upon joining True Wealth, and I like it because you can analyze any of the stocks the service recommends to learn more – beyond just reading Sjuggerud and Eversole’s take on it.

In any case, the core aspect of the service really boils down to the monthly newsletters, model portfolio (stock picks), and special reports.

So let’s discuss each of those now…

The Monthly Newsletter

The True Wealth newsletter is published on the third Friday of every month and is available to read within the member’s area or as a downloadable PDF.

What each newsletter covers and how long they are varies, but most seem to be over a dozen pages long. And interestingly, Brett Eversole has been the one writing them (not Sjuggerud) since November 2021.

That may bother some who (understandably) joined expecting a newsletter from Steve Sjuggerud himself since that’s how it’s marketed.

But it didn’t really phase me.

Here’s why:

• Before joining True Wealth, I wrote about a stock teaser presentation from Brett Eversole, which was one of the most informative I’ve come across in a while.
• I’m a fan of the newsletters he writes.
• Eversole said in the welcome message that Sjuggerud taught him almost everything he knows about the market and investing. So Eversole is essentially Sjuggerud’s protégé.
• Lastly, Sjuggerud seems to be “behind the scenes” to some extent and writes the various “special reports” that are available to members.

Bottom line… Brett Eversole is the guy who writes the True Wealth newsletters, and while he may not be as well-known or experienced as Steve Sjuggerud, he seems very knowledgeable based on what I’ve seen.

What’s the gist of a typical newsletter?

The True Wealth newsletters tend to start out with an analysis of the broader market and how what’s going on relates to the three-part strategy the service embraces (i.e., finding assets that are cheap, hated, and in an uptrend).

Each newsletter normally gives you a recommendation, too.

Sometimes, that recommendation is a new stock pick, but other times, they recommend selling one of the previous picks.

And at the end of each newsletter, there’s an update on the model portfolio, so you know exactly what they have recently recommended in one chart.

What makes this newsletter unique?

The main thing that has stood out to me is that the newsletters are very beginner friendly. Each issue takes the time to explain Sjuggerud and Eversole’s strategy and the reasoning behind their picks in a way that anyone can understand.

Another thing that stood out to me is that the recommendations and insight they provide cater to more conservative (aka risk-averse) investors.

For example, in the most recent issue, Eversole pointed out that while some stocks may be “cheap and hated” right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to buy. And a large part of his discussion was on surviving the current bear market.

Of course, things change in the market very quickly, so what they’re recommending may be completely different when (and if) you decide to join.

But my point is that based on what I’ve seen, it’s a fairly conservative newsletter, which fits with some of the marketing I’ve seen on the Stansberry website.

That doesn’t mean everything they recommend works out, though.

Nor does it mean the picks are “safe.”

As I’ll now explain, the performance of the stock picks has been somewhat mixed, which I think illustrates that there are always risks involved with investing.

The Model Portfolio

The model portfolio is a page within the True Wealth member’s area that shows you all of the open (active) recommendations.

In short, this page shows you every asset the service is currently recommending, as well as the price it was recommended, how well it has performed since it was recommended, and other relevant info.

Another thing worth noting about this portfolio is that all of the recommendations are divided into two main categories: “speculations” and “real assets.”

• Speculations: the active recommendations in this portfolio category mostly include a mix of stocks and ETFs in the energy (oil and gas), banking, and construction sectors.
• Real Assets: these include various physical coins (mostly gold and silver collectible coins), and there’s one recommendation for a gold ETF.

How have the stock picks performed?

There isn’t a specific page that shows you ALL of the recommendations (winning and losing) since the service began, which is a shame.

It is technically possible to find this information by digging through the newsletter archives, but since the service has been around for over 21 years, that would be an extremely time-consuming, tedious task.

To find out how well the service has performed since inception, you’d literally need to analyze 100s of individual newsletters.

That said, we can get an idea of how the picks have performed by looking at the most recent portfolio update, which shows you the current active recommendations and the most recently closed positions.

Here’s a preview of how it looks as of October 20, 2022 (this is the last update the service provided as part of the most recent newsletter issue):

As mentioned, most of these are open positions, which means that the “return” column is subject to change as prices fluctuate during market hours.

But the ones marked “sell” were recently closed.

I also looked back through the newsletters between January 2022 to September 2022, and here’s a quick breakdown of what I found:

• There were 13 closed positions in total from Jan to Sep 2022.
• Nine closed positions saw a loss of between 8% to 50%.
• Four closed positions saw a gain of between 1% to 126%.

Needless to say, 2022 hasn’t been very kind to True Wealth subscribers.

But this is true for many newsletter subscribers (and investors in general) right now. Especially those in the tech space.

Let’s face it… 2022 has been a terrible year for stocks.

And to be fair, some True Wealth picks have done really well.

So it would really depend on when you joined and which recommendations you decided to follow as to how things would have worked out for you.

Also, keep in mind that past performance is not a reliable way to predict future results. So even though I like to dig into this stuff when evaluating a newsletter service, as most people do, it’s not the only thing I look at.

Just as (if not more) important is the research itself.

Special Reports

Aside from the monthly newsletters and stock picks, another aspect of the True Wealth service is the “special reports” (aka research reports).

These reports are released somewhat randomly throughout the year and break down a company or asset Sjuggerud (and team) is recommending.

Some are written by Steve Sjuggerud, others by Brett Eversole.

Here’s a list of the most recent special reports:

Some of these reports are used as part of different stock teaser presentations, where Sjuggerud or Eversole will tease a company they like, and the only way to find out what stock they’re teasing is to join the service.

For example, in March 2022, I wrote about Sjuggerud’s “2022 Melt Up” presentation, which was a promo for True Wealth.

And the report that details that recommendation is called the 2022 Melt Up Blueprint, which subscribers get access to.

That’s just one example, though.

As a subscriber, you get access to any new research reports that Sjuggerud and Eversole put together for this service over your 12-month subscription.

Who Is Steve Sjuggerud?

According to the Stansberry Research website, Dr. Steve Sjuggerud holds a doctorate in finance and worked as both a stockbroker and hedge fund manager before joining Stansberry Research in 2001.

Today, he’s listed as the editor of several Stansberry Research services, including True Wealth, True Wealth Systems, and True Wealth Real Estate.

As I mentioned earlier, however, Brett Eversole is the guy who writes the True Wealth newsletters, which has been the case since November 2021.

I don’t know if that’s a permanent thing or not, but as of writing, he seems to have more or less handed the reigns over to Brett Eversole.

Nevertheless, Sjuggerud is at least somewhat involved with the service and is a fairly well-known “guru” in the financial newsletter space.

How have his stock picks worked out?

The Stansberry Research website claims that Sjuggerud has recommended numerous double- and triple-digit stocks over the years.

But as we discussed earlier, some of the closed positions he’s recommended to True Wealth subscribers have not worked out.

And the only way to know what his overall track record is like would be to spend an absurd amount of time digging through the newsletter archives to see how the winning and losing picks have worked out over time, on average.

In any case, my research suggests that Sjuggerud has picked quite a few decent stocks over the years. So it’s not just Stansberry Research hyping him up.

What are his best and worse calls?

Sjuggerud doesn’t seem to chase the “moonshot” plays, which makes sense given that True Wealth caters more to risk-averse investors. But he does appear to have recommended numerous double-your-money (or close to it) plays.

His top True Wealth pick, based on what the Stansberry Research website says, was ProShares Ultra Health Care Fund (420% gain).

And one of his worst calls appears to have been when he recommended avoiding bitcoin between 2013-to-2015 in favor of collectible gold coins.

You may or may not like bitcoin, but all you need to do is compare a chart of gold and bitcoin over the past 10-odd years now to know that this was a terrible call.

My point? Like any stock-picker, some of Sjuggerud’s recommendations have worked out, while others haven’t. And that is something to keep in mind if you decide to follow his advice at some point.

What is Steve Sjuggerud predicting now?

The best way to find out what Steve Sjuggerud’s latest prediction is would be to read the “special reports” you get access to as a True Wealth subscriber.

However, I recently wrote about Steve Sjuggerud’s 2022 Melt Up prediction, which is dated March 2022. And in that pitch, he basically predicted that despite being in the “middle of the greatest stock market bubble in history,” the market would continue to rally in 2022 and possibly into 2023.

Here’s a snippet of what he said:

“Right now, we’re sitting smack in the middle of the greatest stock market bubble in history.

“And when it bursts – it could devastate the financial futures of millions of Americans.

“But there’s only ONE thing that could make it even worse…

“And that’s if you’ve kept your money OUT of the boom we’ve seen on Wall Street over the past couple years.

“Because if you have – it’s possible you’ve missed out on some of the biggest gains you’ll ever see in your life.”

[…]

“My research still strongly indicates we’ve got plenty of upside potential in 2022… perhaps even into 2023 as well.”

– Steve Sjuggerud, March 2022 (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20220322030516/https://orders.stansberryresearch.com/?cid=MKT610000&eid=MKT618135&assetId=AST225249&page=2)

Sjuggerud was a bit vague about the exact “market” he was referring to in that presentation. But the S&P 500 is a common measure of the overall market, and that seems to be what he was referring to.

So far, that prediction hasn’t worked out very well.

But there’s still time.

And he also shared a stock pick in that same pitch (Gilead Sciences), which has actually worked out pretty well so far.

“With that in mind, the trading idea I have for you today is to consider adding shares of Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD: Nasdaq) to your portfolio today.”

Here’s a chart of this stock:

It’s unclear what Sjuggerud’s price target is for that stock; he basically just said he thinks it has the “potential for triple-digit gains.”

But as of writing, it’s up since he recommended it.

In any case, the full details of his overall “Melt Up” prediction are revealed in a report called the “2022 Melt Up Blueprint,” which includes the exact price he’s predicting the S&P 500 could hit before the next so-called “Melt Down.”

I can’t reveal the details of that here since it’s part of a paid service, but if you decide to join True Wealth, that is a report you get access to.

Who Is Brett Eversole?

Brett Eversole is the “lead editor and analyst” of the True Wealth newsletter, Sjuggerud’s two other services, and the Daily Wealth newsletter.

According to his Stansberry bio, Eversole’s background is in applied mathematics and statistics. And based on what he said in the welcome message, he learned most of what he knows about investing from Dr. Steve Sjuggerud.

Eversole isn’t as well known as Sjuggerud, but after reading his newsletters I think it’s pretty clear that he knows his stuff.

I wrote about Eversole’s and Sjuggerud’s recent “oil boom” prediction and stock pick, which was part of a pitch for True Wealth Systems.

And it was pretty interesting.

In short, Eversole (and, by extension, Sjuggerud) predicted that we could see higher oil prices in the future. And in the above post, I break down his thesis and share my guess on what company I think he’s teasing.

Nevertheless, Brett Eversole joined Stansberry Research in 2010 and has been writing the True Wealth newsletters since November 2021.

It’s too early to tell how his stock picks have worked out, but the content he creates is informative, and he does appear to know what he’s talking about.

What Is Stansberry Research?

Stansberry Research is the publishing company behind the True Wealth service, and it’s owned by a Baltimore company called Beacon Street Group, LLC.

Aside from True Wealth, which is one of their flagship entry-level services, Stansberry sells over two dozen different services.

Some of which are very expensive.

Is it a legit company?

There are some complaints about Stansberry Research online, which is common among financial publishers, but it is a legitimate company.

For starters, it has been around since 1999.

And not only do they publish a lot of quality free content, but after joining three of their paid services, I’ve found that they offer subscribers a lot of value in terms of the tools and resources you get with their subscriptions.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of their marketing.

In fact, I find that some of their marketing is really overhyped and sensationalist.

Not to mention, the more time you spend on their site and reading their emails, the more you realize that their main goal is selling you stuff.

So I would recommend being mindful of that if you decide to join, especially since some of their services cost well into the $1,000s. And not all of them come with a cash refund policy if you decide you don’t like it.

Is True Wealth Legit?

True Wealth is a legitimate newsletter service, yes.

I wouldn’t expect the recommendations you receive to make you rich, nor would I assume they are “safe” just because that’s what they aim to be.

But the service itself is legit.

It’s been around since 2001, which is almost as old as Stansberry Research itself, and in that time, Sjuggerud has recommended some great stocks.

It’s also pretty good value, considering what you get (monthly newsletters, special reports, stock picks, tools, and resources).

And it comes with a 30-day refund policy.

What’s the catch?

There is no catch, but there is also no guarantee (whatsoever) that the service will help you make money. And as the recent 2022 picks prove, it is entirely possible that you could lose money by following the True Wealth recommendations.

This is true for any service, though, so that doesn’t make it a scam.

What don’t I like about the service?

The main thing I don’t like would have to be the marketing.

It can be super annoying. If you subscribe, you may notice that you start getting more emails than you’d like, and you’ll likely be pitched on all kinds of other services, some of which may be extremely expensive.

Bottom Line: Should You Join?

If you’re looking for an entry-level service that gives you ideas on long-term stocks and collectible gold and silver coins, True Wealth may be worth a look.

Especially if you’re interested in oil and gas stocks, as these are the main types of companies the True Wealth service is currently focused on.

You also get access to some great tools and resources as a subscriber, which adds an extra layer of value that most newsletters don’t provide.

On the other hand, the service’s recent performance shows that even services like this that cater to more risk-averse investors can be risky.

So I wouldn’t sign up assuming that everything Sjuggerud and/or Eversole recommend will work out or that all of their predictions will play out.

But the service itself is legit and, as a whole, could be worthwhile, depending on your goals and what types of investments you’re interested in.

Whatever you decide, I hope what I’ve shared helps you make a more informed choice! Thanks for reading.