MFI Investor Guides
The Market Intelligence Hub covers each sector in depth. These guides work differently — they start with what you’re trying to accomplish as an investor and work backward to the research, frameworks, and products most relevant to that goal.
If you know what you want to do with your money — grow it aggressively, generate income, protect it from inflation, evaluate a specific type of product — start here. Each guide is built to be a complete, standalone resource on its topic, not a summary that sends you somewhere else for the substance.
Getting Started as a Self-Directed Investor
How Investment Newsletters Actually Work — What Every Subscriber Should Know Before Paying
The regulatory structure, the business model, how track records are constructed and what they omit, what to verify before subscribing, and the honest framework for deciding whether paid research is worth it for you.
Essential reading · Investment Newsletters
Understanding Investment Risk — Beyond the Standard Disclaimer
What “risk” actually means in different investment contexts — volatility, liquidity risk, inflation risk, concentration risk, and the behavioral risk that most advisors don’t talk about. How to assess your actual risk tolerance vs. what you think it is.
Foundational · Wealth Building
Index Funds vs. Active Investing — What the Evidence Actually Shows
The academic evidence on active vs. passive returns, why most active strategies underperform after fees, when active management may be justified, and how newsletter stock-picking fits into a passive-core portfolio framework.
Foundational · Portfolio Strategy
Sector-Specific Investing Guides
How to Invest in AI Stocks — A Framework for Evaluating the Sector Without Getting Burned by the Hype
Infrastructure vs. application plays, what metrics actually matter for AI companies, how to read an AI company’s 10-K for real AI revenue vs. marketing language, and position sizing considerations for a volatile sector.
Sector Guide · AI & Technology
How to Invest in Bitcoin — Spot ETFs, Direct Ownership, and the Portfolio Allocation Question
The mechanics of Bitcoin ETFs vs. direct ownership, custody options, how to think about Bitcoin as a portfolio allocation percentage, tax treatment, and the honest risk framework for a highly volatile asset with no cash flows.
Sector Guide · Crypto
How to Evaluate an IPO Before You Buy — An S-1 Reading Guide for Retail Investors
What the S-1 prospectus actually contains, what to read first, the risk factors section and why it matters, how to evaluate unit economics from early-stage financials, and the lock-up expiration dynamic most retail investors miss.
Sector Guide · IPOs
Evaluating Financial Products
How to Read an Investment Newsletter Track Record — What the Numbers Actually Mean
How publishers calculate and present performance data, what “average gain” figures omit, why featured winners are described as atypical in the company’s own disclosures, and the questions to ask before trusting any published track record.
Product Intelligence · Investment Newsletters
Investment Research Services Compared — Motley Fool vs. InvestorPlace vs. Stansberry vs. Zacks
A framework comparison of the major investment newsletter publishers — business model, investment philosophy, price tier structure, refund terms, and who each type of service is realistically right for. Not a ranking, a fit framework.
Product Intelligence · Investment Newsletters
Coming Soon
- Building a Core-Satellite Portfolio — How to use index funds as a foundation and allocate a defined slice to active strategies including newsletter picks
- Tax-Loss Harvesting Explained — What it is, when it makes sense, and how to implement it without triggering wash-sale rules
- Dividend Investing Framework — How to evaluate dividend sustainability, yield traps, and total return vs. income-focused portfolio construction
- How to Cancel an Investment Newsletter Subscription — The step-by-step process across major publishers, auto-renewal traps, and what to do if the refund window is unclear
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