Oh what a difference five years can make. And can’t.
We’re just a couple months from the official five-year anniversary for the Outsider Club.
Around this time of the year in 2012, Nick Hodge, Jimmy Mengel, myself, and Brittany Stepniak — who has since moved into science journalism — sat down and took a big risk.
Combined, we had decades of experience in the financial newsletter industry between us.
We saw what was happening on Wall Street and in Washington, D.C. We saw how the system was being rigged. We wanted to write about it, and we were willing to take a big risk to do it.
Looking back now, it is clear that we’ve made an impact, and that the risk paid off.
Unfortunately, it is also clear that the reasons we took that risk are as great as ever.
What Hasn’t Changed
From the government revolving door, Congress and the Senate enriching themselves on insider information given in testimony to closed-door committees, and on to the eventual $4 trillion in QE in the U.S. alone.
From the insulation and enrichment of banking executives who never saw the inside of a courtroom for their roles in the Great Recession, to the buybacks and insider deals that were never offered to the public.
ZIRP, then NIRP. LIBOR manipulation affecting every interest rate around the world to the tune of hundreds of trillions. Gold and silver price manipulation.
The gutting of pensions for current AND retired workers in spite of guarantees. The pilfering of Social Security funds given by taxpayers and held in trust, which was broken.
The extortionary role that financial advisors, hedge fund managers, and everyday brokers have in siphoning off America’s wealth from individual trading accounts, pensions, and employer-matched 401(k)s and IRAs.
The list has not changed one bit.
We were not fools then, and are not fools now. We knew that we couldn’t change that. There was no way we’d make a difference in a way that could move such a huge needle. There is no way we will going forward, either.
What Has Changed
What we did know is what we could do. We could change things for the better for a relative handful of people who were looking for a way out of the status quo.
We started with several thousand email addresses and just one paid service — Nick Hodge’s Early Advantage.
We started deep in red ink, and built up our free newsletter day by day, click by click, and share by share.
We brought on fantastic editors — first Jason Simpkins, then Gerardo Del Real, then Dennis Slothower.
Nick added Like Minded People, which is now Wall Street’s Underground Profits.
Jimmy launched The Crow’s Nest, then Marijuana Manifesto.
Gerardo brought in his Resource Stock Digest website, and is now cranking out both Junior Mining Monthly and Junior Mining Trader.
Dennis joined Nick to write Wall Street’s Underground Profits while continuing his award-winning daily Stealth Stocks Daily Alert.
Nick went on to launch the best private placement sector newsletter to date — Nick’s Notebook.
If you would have gone back five years ago — to a room with four people contemplating years of sweat and toil and the prospect of utter failure — and told us where we are now, I think we would have been almost scared to believe you.
But I also know that while we never knew we would, we knew we should and that we could.
Just Getting Started
Even further, I know that even back then, at a fraction of our size today, we believed that we could do far more.
That is exactly what we’re going to do. We’re still just getting started.
Nick delivered a hair under 53% returns through Nick’s Notebook in sold private positions, plus a bonus 118% gain on some warrants that came with one of them.
His Wall Street’s Underground Profits closed portfolio delivered about 34.5%, too.
Gerardo’s Junior Mining Monthly delivered a 49.55% gain this year, and Junior Mining Trader delivered an even 100% gain.
And Jimmy had a banner year, with The Crow’s Nest closed portfolio up 76.85%, and Marijuana Manifesto delivering an eye-watering 220.8% gain.
Year after year, I’ve been lucky beyond words to work with people who keep delivering the kinds of gains, analyses, and research that make a lasting difference.
The last five years have been amazing, 2017 was the best yet, and 2018 is shaping up to be even better.
I can’t thank you enough for being with us. Especially for those who have stuck with us from the start.
A special thanks in particular goes out to our Outsider Club Inner Circle members, who I and the rest of us are honored to have trust us. We look forward to providing everything we will ever publish for life.
And for those who like where we’re going with this, you’re more than welcome to join. The founding members of the Inner Circle are already at the point where they’re saving money on our paid services, and it only took two years.
That’s just a simple return on investment based on subscription cost. I won’t even get into what it could be with the profits listed above.
If you already subscribe to some of our premium publications, you might want to give our VIP staff a call after the New Year and we’ll make sure any costs are subtracted.
They have this week off. It’s been one hell of a year and they’ve earned it. You can reach them toll-free at 1-844-539-7664 during normal business hours, East Coast U.S. time, starting on Tuesday, January 2nd.
As for the editorial team? We’ll “keep the lights on” as long as the markets move. We’re still on call. Quite frankly, I don’t think we’d have it any other way.
Again, it has been one hell of a five-year run. We’re glad to have you with us now, and we’d love to keep you with us forever.
We’ve come a long way — from one paid service to seven, and with each of our editors having their work read millions of times over the years.
Expect great things to come, along with more services, more research and analysis, and more profits. We’re planning on making this better and better, and you should hold us to that standard.
After all, that is the bar we’re setting for ourselves.
Merry Christmas, happy holidays and have a great New Years.
