I'm Gonna Be a YouTube Star

“Listen up, cupcake…”

That was the email greeting from my now-billionaire former boss and early mentor that pretty much started my career. 

And, he was right. I was a cupcake — soft, no edge, and I crumbled easily. 

Back then, I’d go to the library nearly every day to scan the microfiche archives of The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times for tidbits that might give me that edge. 

That was right after the Asian currency crisis and before the interwebnet became truly useful. Global interest rates had been slashed. Malaysia, Singapore, and the rest of the Asian countries were back to being tigers. 

For my very first stock recommendation, I went with South Korea’s SK Telecom. Rule of law, little corruption, advanced wireless tech for a tech-savvy population — the stock went up 150%. 

That was 1998. The early stages of the internet bull market absolutely get credit for making me look like a genius. But I wasn’t a cupcake anymore; I was moving up in the dessert echelons. I still wasn’t firm in my core, but I now had a bit of a crusty exterior, so… creme brulee.

I’ve never lacked confidence, but that early success went to my head. I got arrogant, and then I got fired. But I’ve managed a good life for my family, and that’s all I ever wanted. 

And if you’re wondering if it stings to get fired by a future billionaire, the answer is yes, yes it does. 

But I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t been canned and instead kept working alongside a ridiculously wealthy man as his company grew revenue by more than 500%… Yeah, that’s not really helping my mood. 

Point is, we never know what path we have to walk or whose moccasins we’ll have to walk that road in. 

And if you don’t have any “one that got away” stories, you probably weren’t really fishing.

Old Dog, New Trick

Truth is, there is something else I want. I wanna be a social media star. An influencer. I wanna go viral, baby.

And so my Wealth Advisory partner, Jason Williams, and I have started a YouTube channel so we can share our Wealth Advisory monthly Top Ten videos with you.

In fact, here’s the June Top Ten now…

Right now, the Wealth Advisory model portfolio has 30 stocks — 25 are up, five are down, and the average gain for all 30 is a robust 153%.

But here’s the thing. Who wants to own and manage 30 freaking stocks? Managing that many positions would be a full-time job for any individual investor. And it is a full-time job for us.

Plus new subscribers frequently ask what stock we like best. Tough question. 

So Jason and I started doing monthly Top Ten videos where we select 10 stocks from the Wealth Advisory model portfolio that we like the best… for the next month. 

Timeframes are important. We fully understand that our subscribers are real people who risk real money buying the stocks that we recommend. We take that responsibility very seriously. So if we didn’t like a stock, it wouldn’t be in the model portfolio. 

But for the Top Ten, we grab 10 stocks that we think have the best near-term catalysts. Could be we expect a great earnings report. Could be something in the chart we like (a technical setup). Could be other companies in the sector are rallying…

Then we decided to have a little fun with it. So we set it up like a fantasy sports draft. We alternate picks until we each have 10, and then we see who wins. We originally had a punishment for the loser, but I vetoed that rule when Jason had to eat a jalapeno. No way I’m doing that.

And so you know, the rules say we can each keep three, so you can count on some stocks staying in the Top Ten for more than a month.  

The Top Ten Hall of Fame

Not only is the monthly Top Ten incredibly insightful and wildly entertaining, but we also nail some pretty big winners.

I selected Rocket Mortgage (NYSE: RKT) for March, and the stock ran from ~$24 to over $40 in the first few days of the month.

In May, Jason plucked At Home Group (NYSE: HOME) from the Wealth Advisory model portfolio, and then, on May 5, the company announced it was being bought out for a decent premium. 

Another time, Jason nailed a 71% winner with Maxar (NYSE: MAXR) and a 51% winner with Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR)… in the same month!

We don’t actually have a Top Ten Hall of Fame, but it sounds like a pretty good idea.

Now, you might notice that this is the June Top Ten and the date is actually June 8. It’s not because we’re lazy…

It’s because we give it to the people that PAY US first. Seems fair.

And finally, we will never reveal a monthly Feature Recommendation until it’s been in the model portfolio for at least a month…

It would be downright un-American to give some people a freebie that we charge others for. 

So check out the video above. And if you like it, check us out on YouTube. And if you don’t like it, or just want to yell at us, well, here’s Jason’s phone number…

Until next time,

Briton Ryle

@BritonRyle on Twitter

The Wealth Advisory on Youtube

The Wealth Advisory on Facebook

A 21-year veteran of the newsletter business, Briton Ryle is the editor of The Wealth Advisory income stock newsletter, with a focus on top-quality dividend growth stocks and REITs. Briton also manages the Real Income Trader advisory service, where his readers take regular cash payouts using a low-risk covered call option strategy. He is also the managing editor of the Wealth Daily e-letter. To learn more about Briton, click here.