Action Alerts PLUS is a Premium Investing Service offered by TheStreet.com that provides actionable market insights to its subscribers.
Quick Summary:
Action Alerts PLUS is a subscription-based stock-picking service offered by TheStreet.com. This service was founded by financial analyst and commentator Jim Cramer, known for his work on CNBC’s “Mad Money,” along with a team of research analysts.
Overall Rating:
Stock Analysis:
Tools & Features:
Ease of Use:
Price:
Best For:
Short-term traders
PROS
- 14 Day Free Trial
- Thorough & Transparent Stock Analysis
- Weekly roundups cover market-wide trends and news
CONS
- Focused on short-term trading
- No individualized advice
- No Stop Losses
Price:
$12.50 – $29.99/mo
Features:
Stock Ratings
Advanced Portfolio Analytics
Buy and Sell Recommendations
Market round-ups
Stock Research Reports
Mobile App?
No
Current Promotions:
14 Day Free Trial
In this Action Alerts PLUS review, we will look at this platform’s key features, pros and cons, who should use it, and whether it is worth your hard-earned money.
What is Action Alerts Plus?
Action Alerts PLUS is a members-only investing club and stocking picking service that provides real-time trade alerts and investment advice from an experienced team of financial professionals.
Members receive daily market analysis, complete portfolio access, and access to an exclusive monthly call to make confident investing decisions.
The company is a subscription-based service offered by TheStreet.com. Action Alerts PLUS was founded by financial analyst and commentator Jim Cramer, known for his work on CNBC’s “Mad Money,” along with a team of research analysts. However, in 2021, Cramer sold the service and is no longer affiliated with Action Alerts PLUS.
How Does Action Alerts Plus Work?
Action Alerts PLUS aims to educate its users about the markets, provide them with investment ideas, and help them understand the reasoning behind those investment ideas.
Action Alerts Plus Subscribers Receive:
- Trade Alerts: Subscribers are alerted every time there’s a new trade in the portfolio. They’re also told whether it’s a buy, sell, or hold decision, allowing them to follow the moves if they desire.
- Investment Strategy: The service provides a comprehensive portfolio of stocks with detailed explanations for every holding. This gives subscribers insights into the team’s thought process and the strategy behind each investment decision.
- Weekly Roundups: Subscribers receive a roundup at the end of each week, summarizing key market events, portfolio activity, and outlines the week ahead.
- Market Analysis: The service provides regular, detailed analysis of the broader market, including trends, influences, and forecasts.
- Educational Resources: Subscribers have access to a wealth of information to help them understand the market better. There’s also a monthly members-only call with Jim Cramer and the Action Alerts Plus team.
Who Should Use This Platform?
Action Alert Plus is GOOD FOR…
- Those wanting to understand the reasoning behind investment decisions to enhance their own investing knowledge and apply to their investment portfolio.
- People who appreciate a community-oriented platform, with opportunities to interact with financial experts during monthly calls.
- Individuals seeking real-time alerts on trades and insights into market trends.
Action Alert Plus is NOT Good FOR…
- Novice investors or those with limited funds, who may find the subscription cost prohibitive.
People looking for a hands-off investing approach or automated portfolio management
Action Alert PLUS Features
Action Alert PLUS subscribers gain access to a wealth of resources, including real-time trade alerts, thorough stock analyses, and an extensive portfolio managed by the team.
The service emphasizes education, providing detailed explanations behind each investment decision, thereby helping subscribers not only to know what to invest in but also to understand why.
Regular market updates and members-only calls add to the comprehensive offering, making Action Alerts PLUS a robust tool for those looking to enhance their investment strategy.
Portfolio
Arguably, the most critical aspect of any investing service is the quality of the investing advice it provides.
Action Alerts PLUS is top-notch.
The service provides members with specific stock picks and a fully transparent view of their portfolio. These picks are well-researched, detailed, and based on current market conditions, which enhances their reliability.
The portfolio allows you to toggle between open positions, closed positions, recent trades, and trades in the bullpen.
The open positions allow you to easily view details like:
- Company
- Rating
- Most Recent Buy Date
- Gain Loss (% and $)
- Price Target
Stock Ratings
Another engaging aspect of the portfolio is the utilization of a unique one-to-four rating scale for each stock.
This rating guides traders on whether to acquire more of a specific stock, pause for a potential drop in price, or sell it.
However, a ‘sell’ rating doesn’t automatically imply that a trader should divest their position entirely; due to the trading system’s incremental approach to buying and selling.
Traders should undertake some independent research to ascertain the optimal buying and selling points within this rating system.
Nonetheless, I appreciate this rating and review method because it offers traders a clearer perspective on the level of confidence associated with each alert.
You can view a stock rating within the portfolio tab, or filter just by ratings within the ratings tab.
Actions and Analysis
The Actions and Analysis feature of Action Alerts PLUS is at the heart of its offering.
This feature gives subscribers detailed analysis and alerts about trades made within the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio. Whenever the Action Alerts PLUS team decides to buy or sell a stock, all subscribers receive an alert in real-time.
These alerts offer an insight into what trades are being made, at what price, and most importantly, why.
But the feature goes beyond just actions.
Each alert is accompanied by a comprehensive analysis:
- The team provides a rationale for each action, explaining why they’ve chosen to buy or sell a particular stock at that specific time.
- This can include a variety of factors, such as current market trends, company news, earnings reports, macroeconomic indicators, or changes in the broader industry.
This combination of real-time actions and in-depth analysis aims to not only provide subscribers with potential investment opportunities but also educate them on the thought process and analysis involved in making these decisions. This can be a valuable tool for improving one’s own investment decision-making skills.
The Actions and Analysis serves a dual purpose. It is a source of investment ideas and a learning tool for understanding the nuances of market analysis and portfolio management.
Weekly Roundups
The Weekly Roundups are another notable feature of the Action Alerts PLUS subscription service, designed to keep members updated and informed about the week’s market activity and the team’s investment decisions.
Each Weekly Roundup provides:
- Summary of the Week: A comprehensive review of the past week’s trading activity, including a detailed overview of the broader market trends and noteworthy news events that impacted the stock market.
- Portfolio Actions Recap: A review of all the actions taken within the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio during the week. This includes a summary of the trades that were made, with a focus on the reason behind each decision.
- Looking Ahead: Insights and forecasts for the upcoming week. This section can contain predictions about future market trends, potential investment opportunities, and any significant events on the horizon that could affect the stock market.
- Educational Content: Along with the market review and trading activity summary, Weekly Roundups often include educational content to help subscribers enhance their investment knowledge. This could be an explanation of a specific investing concept, a deep-dive into a particular sector, or tips on investment strategy.
The Weekly Roundup is sent out at the end of each week, providing subscribers with an easy-to-digest summary of the past week’s activity and a look ahead at what to expect in the future. This helps keep subscribers informed and prepared, while also reinforcing the learning aspect of the service.
Price and Value
While Action Alerts PLUS comes with a price tag, its value makes it a worthwhile investment for serious investors. The real-time alerts, detailed analysis, and specific stock recommendations can give subscribers a substantial edge in the market. Nevertheless, the price might be a bit steep for those just starting out in their investing journey.
Actions Alerts Plus has 3 pricing Tiers:
- Annual: $16.67/mo
- Monthly: $29.99/mo
- Two Year: $12.50/mo
Before you sign up, you can Try Action Alerts Plus FREE For 14 days, and cancel if you don’t like it. Before I signed up for a subscription, I used the 14-day free trial before fully committing.
User Interface
The Action Alerts PLUS website is relatively user-friendly, providing alerts, analysis, and educational content, all neatly organized. However, the sheer volume of information can be a bit overwhelming for new users.
Some interface streamlining could potentially enhance user experience. Not a huge deal, but I also feel like the interface is slightly outdated, it feels very 2015-ish.
PROs and CONs Explained
Action Alerts PLUS is a well-regarded investment advisory service, but it has its pros and cons like all such services.
PROs
- Expert Analysis: The service is led by Jim Cramer, a seasoned and well-known financial expert. His experience and insights can provide valuable guidance for investors.
- Transparency: Subscribers have full access to the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio and are alerted in real time whenever a trade is made. This transparency is beneficial for those who wish to follow the portfolio’s actions.
- Educational Focus: The service places a strong emphasis on investor education. In addition to stock picks, subscribers receive detailed explanations about why each trade is made, which can aid understanding of different investment strategies.
- Community Access: Subscribers get access to monthly members-only calls with Jim Cramer and the team, providing further insights and learning opportunities.
CONs
- Need for Active Management: The service provides recommendations, but it’s up to the individual investor to act on these and manage their own portfolio. This may not be suitable for those looking for a more hands-off investment approach.
- Lack of Customization: The advice given is generic and not tailored to the individual financial circumstances, risk tolerance, or investment goals of each subscriber.
- Focus on Short-term Trading: While not exclusively short-term focused, many recommendations from Action Alerts PLUS involve shorter-term trades. This style might not suit more conservative or long-term focused investors.
Best Alternatives
While Action Alerts PLUS has much to offer, there are other investing services on the market that could also serve your needs:
1. Motley Fool Stock Advisor
This service offers two new stock picks each month, as well as a comprehensive library of resources. It’s known for its accessible advice and strong performance track record.
or read or complete Motley Fool Stock Advisor Review.
2. Alpha Picks by Seeking Alpha
- Why it Stands Out: Alpha Picks subscribers get 2 monthly stock picks selected by their in-house investment team. And so far, the portfolio’s performance has been stellar – returning approximately 45.5% vs 15.55% for the S&P 500 as of this writing.
- Best For: Buy and hold investors, capital-appreciation-oriented investors
- Pros: Outperformed S&P 500 3X, Reasonably Priced, Community Engagement
- Cons: Limited track record, No skin in the game, Requires familiarity with Seeking Alpha Rating System.
- Current Promotions: $99 for the first year
Read our complete Alpha Picks Review.
3. Morningstar
Known for its mutual fund ratings, Morningstar also offers stock analysis, portfolio management tools, and a wealth of educational content. It is a good choice for those focusing on long-term, value-oriented investing.
or read our complete Morningstar Investor Review.
Is Action Alerts Plus Worth It?
Overall, Action Alerts PLUS is an impressive service that provides high-quality, transparent investment advice, and a treasure trove of market analysis. While it has room for improvement in its educational content, user interface, and customer support, its strengths make it a strong choice for investors seeking real-time, actionable advice. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or someone looking to elevate their investment game, Action Alerts PLUS could be a worthy addition to your financial toolkit.
Review Methodology
Investing in the right financial products is crucial for achieving your financial goals. That’s why our review methodology is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of various investing platforms and tools. Here’s a breakdown of what we focus on:
Tools and Features
We dig deep into the suite of tools that each platform offers. Whether it’s automated investment features, tax-optimization, or specialized charting tools, we evaluate how these features contribute to smarter investing decisions. We ask questions like:
- Does the platform offer portfolio diversification?
- How effective are the risk assessment tools?
- Are there any value-added services like educational content?
Price and Value
Price matters, especially when it comes to investing, where every penny counts. We analyze:
- Subscription fees
- Hidden Charges
- Price compared to the overall value received
We’ll let you know if the platform gives you the most bang for your buck.
Ease of Use
User experience can make or break an investment platform. We assess:
- Interface Design – Is it intuitive and easy to use?
- Mobile app availability and functionality
- Customer Support – where applicable.
Nobody wants to navigate a clunky interface when dealing with their hard-earned money.
Stock Analysis
Good investing is rooted in great research. We examine:
- The quality of stock analysis tools
- Availability of real-time data
- Depth of research reports
We check if the platform provides actionable insights to make informed decisions.
How We Do It
- Hands-On Testing: We sign up for accounts and put the platform to the test. This is how we give our nuanced opinion.
- Customer Reviews: What are other users saying? We look at reviews and customer feedback to gauge public opinion.
- Comparative Analysis: Finally, we compare each platform against competitors in terms of features, pricing, and user experience.
We take a comprehensive approach so that you don’t have to.
Why You Should Trust Us
Our reviews are unbiased and data-driven. While we may receive a commission if you purchase a product through our link, it does not impact our editorial integrity. In addition, all articles are independently reviewed by individuals who have extensive experience in the investing and personal finance space. Lastly, for further validation, we often refer to authoritative financial sources like Morningstar, The Wall Street Journal, and Kiplingers, to name a few.
