I'm proud to share an incredible milestone with you... Stansberry Research has now been around for 20 years!
Porter Stansberry and I had two simple ideas when we started our little publishing company back in 1999...
- We wanted to deliver world-class investing ideas – written in plain language that basically anyone could understand.
- We didn't ever want to make a "quick buck" at the expense of our customers... Instead, we wanted to build a long-term business by always doing what's right for our subscribers first – believing that the rest would take care of itself.
Our two goals worked... Today, we have hundreds of thousands of loyal customers just like you. We are flattered and humbled. Thank you!
To show you how far we've come – and how much this means to us – I want to "pull back the curtain" and tell you how I got started in this business. And I want to show you a key way we're staying true to our vision today.
You might not know it, but Porter and I have actually known each other much longer than 20 years...
The two of us were surfing buddies in our early teens, and we lived together (with Porter's brother) when we were around 20 years old. Here's a photo of Porter and me as knucklehead teenagers...
Who's the third Florida teenager in the photo? Actually, it's Kelly Slater – who went on to become the greatest of all time – the "G.O.A.T." as they say – in professional surfing.
That photo brings back a lot of good memories!
Porter and I shared some of those early memories with readers earlier this month as we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Stansberry Research during our annual Las Vegas conference.
One of those memories was how I got my start in the newsletter industry. It all comes back to our two simple goals...
I'd just quit my job as the vice president of a global mutual fund. I distinctly remember going over to my girlfriend's apartment complex and telling her what I'd just done.
I told her I wanted to do something else. And then, right there on the pool deck, I laid out a half dozen investment newsletters from other analysts.
"I can do better than these, I think," I told her.
"What do you mean, better?" she asked. I didn't really know. "Can you make money doing this?" I didn't really know. "Well, how do you get readers?" Once again, I didn't really know.
It wasn't a thought-out plan... I just thought that I could help a lot of people do a lot better with their own money.
So I got my start in the industry working for an existing group. And a few years later, in 2001, Porter talked to me about starting my own letter... about writing whatever I wanted, with a "blank check" travel and research budget. I couldn't say no!
That was 18 years ago. The girlfriend asking the good questions by the pool soon became my wife... And now, Stansberry Research as a whole has just turned 20. Time flies.
Porter and I have changed a lot over the years (and I don't mean just our waistlines)... But our vision for Stansberry Research hasn't changed. We're still committed to sharing great investment ideas that anyone can use to take charge of their own money. And we're still committed to putting you – our customer – first.
So if you're a loyal subscriber, we'd like to thank you. It's been a great 20 years... better than we could have ever imagined. And we're looking forward to many great years from here.
Good investing,
Steve
P.S. I told you there's a specific way we're staying true to our vision today. It has to do with something special we've put together in honor of our anniversary... something we think will completely change the way you engage with our research. Porter and I recently got together with some other folks you'll recognize to talk about old times and announce this big idea. You can watch the video right here.
Further Reading
"It's one of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past 20 years," Dan Ferris writes. "And I doubt I would have learned it so well if I were working anywhere else." Get the details on Dan's insight from his time at Stansberry right here.
"We've come a long way over the past 20 years," Porter says. "And of course, we're not content with only serving our subscribers with reports." Learn more about the big changes that mean great things for Stansberry subscribers here: A Special Notice for Our Readers... in the Spirit of Celebration.
One little phrase is one of the biggest and most dangerous lies out there...
THE TOOLS OF WAR ARE STILL IN DEMAND
Today, we're highlighting the gains that are possible by investing in "offense" contractors...
Regular readers know we've written about the U.S.'s constant military presence across the world. The military needs someone to supply its weapons and technology. That's where defense contractors come in... And with a U.S. defense budget of $738 billion for 2020, these companies might as well be called "offense" contractors. Today, we're looking at one of the best in the business...
Raytheon (RTN) is a $60 billion supplier of military electronics, command systems, and precision weapons. And it consistently ranks in the top 10 of the Pentagon's prime contractors. So, when the U.S. military needs equipment, Raytheon is usually in the room. In the most recent quarter, Raytheon reported record sales of $7.4 billion, up 9.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
As you can see in today's chart, RTN shares have soared in the last couple of months. The stock is up around 40% so far in 2019, and it recently hit a new 52-week high. As long as the military still needs essential support, this stock should continue higher...
