Empire Stock Investor Review – Is Whitney Tilson A Scam Artist?

Empire Stock Investor is a newsletter by Whitney Tilson.. you can find it over at Empire Financial Research.

Before you spend money on it you probably want to know if it's a scam or not.

That's what this review will answer.

Below you'll find everything you need to know about this product including what you get, strategies used and cost.

You'll know if Empire Stock Investor is right for you by the time you're done reading.

Let's get into it!

Who is Whitney Tilson?

Whitney Tilson is the creator of Empire Stock Investor and he's the creator of Empire Financial Research (he sells more newsletters and products there).

Tilson has been around for a long time.

He graduated Harvard and has been seen on 60 minutes, in the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes and more.

Whitney has had some ups and downs trading.

He ran a hedge fund for 18 years called Kase Capital.

He found success with this hedge fund in the first 11 years and made his clients 184% in gains.

However, after the recession in 2008 things started to go south.

From 2009 to 2017 his trading strategy was trailing the S&P by 9%.

He went from managing $200 million in funds to $50 million.

In 2017 Whitney shut down the hedge fund because of this. 

Now he's turned his attention to selling newsletters and his new business Empire Financial Research. 

What Is Empire Stock Investor?

Whitney has dusted himself off from his poor performance and now he's back with stock picks and trading ideas with Empire Stock Investor.

This newsletter uses a pretty standard trading method.

Whitney looks for small or mid cap stocks that are undervalued and have room for growth.

Additionally, he picks stocks that you need to hold for a couple of years.

There's really no one sector or market that Whitney specifically trades in.. he makes trades in healthcare, bank, utilities and more.

To some people this may be too safe of a stock picking service. 

This newsletter was launched in 2019 and like his former hedge fund is trailing the S&P 500.

He has many picks that haven't closed there position yet so there's still time to improve but still not good.

Additionally, the newsletter didn't recommend buying or selling during the Covid-19 stock crash.

This is a time when a lot of people made serious money on the stock market and if you followed his advice you wouldn't made made any. 

Recommended: The Best Place To Get Trading Ideas 

What Do You Get With Empire Stock Investor?

This is a pretty basic offer.

Here's a look at everything:

Monthly Newsletter

Every month you'll get a new newsletter that explains the market and explains Whitney's analysis of the market.

You'll get access to stock picks in these newsletters and why Whitney likes them.

24/7 Access To Trads

You'll get access to Whitney's reports, model portfolio and previous copies of Empire Stock Investor.

You can go back and track Whitney's picks and explanations to see how good they are.

Trade Alerts

Sometimes you'll need to act on a stock before a new newsletter is delivered to your inbox.

If it's time to close a trade you'll get an alert to do so.

Whitney Tilson's Daily

Before the markets open you'll get an email from Whitney every day.

You'll get a run down on what to look for and what's going on in the stock market.

Empire Financial Daily

This is another daily email you'll receive before the markets open.

These come from Berna Barshay who is head editor at Empire Financial Research.

Beware The Expensive Upsells!

Stock newsletters may be different in terms of strategies and the stocks picked in them but one thing is usually the same: upsells.

An upsell is a product or service you pitch to someone after they've already purchased something from you.

Once you bought something from someone you're more likely to buy again.. and spend more money in the future.

Smart marketers know this and use it against you.

Whitney can't really make a lot of money selling newsletters that cost $49 per year.

He makes most of his money selling products that are much more expensive to people who have already bought Empire Stock Investor.

Once you buy Empire Stock Investor expect to get promotional offers to join Whitney's more expensive offers.

These offers include:

• Empire Elite Growth ($3000 per year)
• Empire Elite Options ($3000 per year)
• Empire Elite Trader ($69 per month)
• Empire Investor Report ($3000 per year)
• Empire Market Insider ($3000 per year)
• Empire SPAC Investor ($3000 per year)

These will be marketed to you as urgent and top secret and stuff like that.

My one suggestion is this: Do not buy an upsell until you test out Empire Stock Investor.

Currently Empire Stock Investor is trailing the S&P.

Why would you pay more money if you're not seeing the best results? 

Who Is Empire Stock Investor For?

Empire Stock Investor is for any trader with a lot of patience.

I personally don't like day trading but a lot of people seem to be going that way.

Empire Stock Investor is for people that are a little more comfortable and can wait a few years to see a return.

Empire Stock Investor hasn't beaten the S&P yet..

It may never beat the S&P but if it does it'll be in year 2 or 3.

You'll need to wait to see results here.

Recommended: Best Place To Get Trading Ideas

Who Is Empire Stock Investor NOT For?

If you're looking to trade for a living or want to day trade this newsletter is the opposite of what you want.

You're only getting around 1 stock pick per month and the entire portfolio is made up of around 25 to 30 stock picks.

You have to wait 2 to 3 years to get your gains as well.

As a day trader you're looking to make multiple trades a day so clearly this newsletter would be of no use to you.

Additionally, this is not for someone that wants huge returns.

The picks Whitney makes are safe. They're established companies that are just a little undervalued.

You're not going to hit big here.

Is Empire Stock Investor Worth Its Price?

I think Empire Stock Investor is worth testing out for $49 per year.

It is going to auto-charge your card for $199 after the year is up, though. 

But $49 is a fair price to test out the picks that Whitney provides you.

These picks take 3 years to mature but after a year you'll know if you're comfortable spending more for picks.

The upsells are a completely different story, though.

$3000 per year is a ton of money to spend on stock picks and you better really enjoy Empire Stock Investor before you invest that kind of money.

30 Day Refund Policy

There's a pretty good refund policy with this newsletter.

You get 30 days to get your money back and it's no questions asked.

HOWEVER..

I found something interesting in the refund policy:

It says that you have to CALL to get a refund. 

I don't like that. This is an online newsletter and you should be able to handle things over email or messenger.

Perhaps Whitney recognizes people will be less likely to call to get a refund.. 

Recommended: Best Place To Get Trading Ideas

What I Like About Empire Stock Investor

Here's what I like about this newsletter:

Affordable

$49 isn't too bad to try out the newsletter. You get a year to decide if it's right for you before renewing it for $199.

What I Don't Like About Empire Stock Investor

Here's what I don't like about this newsletter:

Expensive Upsells

The price of Empire Stock Investor may not be too expensive but the upsells are.

There's a half dozen programs that cost $3000 per year that you'll be persuaded to join.

Not The Best Returns

Whitney closed his hedge fund after 17 years because it was trailing the S&P 500.

The same thing is happening with Empire Stock Investor.

Weird Refund Policy

You get 30 days to get your money back which is good but you have to call to get the refund.

This is an online newsletter.. you should be able to do this over email or messenger.

Is Empire Stock Investor A Scam?

No I don't think so.

Now I do think it's your typical stock newsletter. The marketing is the same, the sales funnel is the same, etc.

There's noting particularly special about this product.

The returns are just ok. The strategy is an old school one and pretty basic. And you only get around 25 to 30 picks throughout the years.

If you're ok with sitting on stocks for a few years this newsletter can work.

Anyone looking for faster results and bigger returns should look elsewhere.

Here's A Better Opportunity

I'd probably pass on Empire Stock Investor.

The good news is there's still a lot of good places to get stock picks.

I've reviewed all the best places to get good stock ideas.

To see my favorite (which is very affordable), click below: