My dad is asking my advice because he is interested in taking a subscription of Zacks Breakout Trader. They claim to have returns of over 50% annually, by selecting turnarounds (from what I understand) and holding them for a month. They seem rather expensive, but he can get it at half price if he subscribes before tonight (yes I know, short notice) , still not cheap. To be honest I got no idea what's it worth. Has anybody any experience with them ? Is it worth anything? Are there any catches to their claims? Any info is welcome.
For $2,000/year they should provide documentation of previous years results including equity curve. A one month holding period? You need to look at the drawdowns to see if you can stomach the losses (there will be losses). Zacks provides no details at all. For that kind of dough, I would think your money would be better spent on getting a good software package, get lists of strong growth stocks (or filter for them if software is capable) and apply a trading system (pullbacks, support, etc). Better to learn your methods than to take "hot" tips. "Tips are for waiters"
+1 That's basically the best advice you could get. Your Dad would have to put more work into it that way and some people just aren't put together in such a way that they would be able to do it consistently. That's not a dis, he may have other skills. If he does have the time and inclination, he should save his $2000 and learn a small system himself. He can achieve his own returns and 'learn to fish', as it were. Their performance claims aren't worth much.
Ask your Dad to By William O'Neil's Books and subscribe to Investor Business Daily and he would do much better than 50% annually.