Curzio Research Review – Frank Curzio Scam?

Dylan Rieger // Stocks

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February 15  

Curzio Research is an investment resource run by Frank Curzio and today I'm going to review all of their products.

Some of their popular investment services include:

  • Curzio Research Advisory 
  • The Big Money Report
  • Curzio Venture Opportunities 
  • Moneyflow Trader
  • The Dollar Stock Club
  • Crypto Intelligence

And more.. you'll know if these newsletters are scams by the time you're done reading.

Also, you'll see important insights like background information, price to join and what you get.

Let's get into it!

Curzio Research Summary

Owner: Frank Curzio


Price: Depends on N\newsletter ($49 to $5,000 per year)


Rating: 3/5


Do I Recommend? Not really


Summary: Curzio Research is legitimate in the sense the owner has real life experience picking stocks and you get what is promised.


You can even find some awesome stock picks in the newsletters at Curzio research.


However, the stock picks are too inconsistent for me to recommend - there's some big losers here.


Top Alternative: I've reviewed all the top places to get high return stock ideas. To see my favorite (which is extremely affordable), click below:

Things To Know About Curzio Research

Before covering what Curzio Research offers, let's take a look at some background information.

Here's what I think is most important.

1) It's Run By Frank Curzio

Frank Curzio is the creator of Curzio Research and he has a lot of experience in the investing newsletter world.

He Started Working For His Dad

His late father created a stock picking service called FXC Investments and Frank worked as a fundamental stock analyst there.

Frank claims his father managed over $150 million in assets and averaged 20% returns every year.

Frank worked here from 1993 to 2003. 

Frank Worked For Jim Cramer

Frank moved on to work for Jim Cramer's Mad Money as a research analyst.

Jim Cramer is one of the more well known finance personalities in America but I personally consider him a charlatan. 

Cramer famously instructed his viewers to buy Bear Sterns during the stock market crash in 2008.

Two weeks after telling viewers to do so the company went out of business and anyone who bought the stock lost everything.

Additionally, nothing in Jim's career has been verified.

He makes all of these claims that he got high returns as a hedge fund manager but there's no proof of it.

At the end of the day Jim is just entertainment that I don't think should be taken seriously.

Underperformed At TheStreet

After working on the TV show for Jim Cramer, Frank moved to Cramer's stock selecting service called TheStreet.

There Cramer sells a product called Action Alerts Plus.

Frank worked in the department that focused on small cap stocks that cost under $10.

Action Alerts Plus is a bad service, though, and it's been proven the returns have never beaten the market in any year. 

Worked For Stansberry Research

The last place Frank worked before starting Curzio Research was Stansberry Research.

This is a well known financial newsletter company and offers a ton of different products and services.

I'd say Stansberry is reputable but they do indulge in extremely gimmicky marketing.. that turns a lot of people of.

At Stansberry, Frank once again worked in the small cap market.

2) Genia Turnanova And Luke Downey Have Newsletters

Frank isn't the only one with services at Curzio Research.

The other two with products at this company is Genia Turnanova and Luke Downey.

Genia spent most of her career working at Leeb Capital Management.

She was a strategist for various investment newsletters before running Moneyflow Trader and Unlimited Income at Curzio.

Luke also has nearly two decades in the investment world and was formerly a derivative sales trader at Cantor Fitzgerald.

He runs The Big Money Report and Big Money Trader at Curzio.

3) Frank's Performance Is Mixed

One of the big marketing strategies investment newsletters use is to create special reports about a certain stock.

They don't reveal the stock in the presentation and hype it up to be the biggest thing since (insert large stock event).

The pitch is you get the stock idea if you buy one of the products the newsletter company sells.

Frank has done a number of these special reports through the years.

Here's how some of his most recent ones have performed:

Wrap Technologies In June 2020

One of Frank's more recent stock teasers has revolved around a company called Wrap Technologies.

He marketed it as "The 20x Air Cuff Opportunity" and called Wrap Technologie's product a "batman device."

The stock pick went live in June 2020 and this is how the stock has performed since then:

As you can see the stock did well for a few weeks after Frank's prediction but has tanked since then.

Most people probably held on after the peak since these stock picks are meant to be held for a little while.

You're looking at around a 70% loss here.

Ultra Beauty In October 2019

In 2019 Frank started running an ad titled "America's Most Stupid Family."

He was alluding to the Kardashian's and the mania that surrounds celebrities.

Eventually Frank pitched a stock with 30 million loyal customers and stores in all 50 states - the company he was alluding to was Ultra Beauty.

This pitch went out in October 2019 and the stock has performed pretty well since then:

As you can see the stock dropped pretty far but you are supposed to hold these stocks for a few years.

Had you done that you'd be up around 35% right now - not bad!

Citigroup In November 2018

In 2018 Curzio Research ran a campaign called "One Bank To Hand Investors 60B."

The stock being teased here is Citigroup.

Here's how it's performed since the release of this teaser:

The stock has been pretty flat since Frank's recommendation.

It dropped hard during covid but has come back to break even since then.

It has been almost 4 years since the prediction, though, and it doesn't seem like it's going to be too much of a winner.

Skyworks Solutions and General Electric In April 2017

In April 2017 Frank ran a campaign called "Silicon Solves Social Security Problem."

This was a very hyped teaser where Frank is alluding to two stocks, Skyworks Solutions and General Electric.

The performance of these two stocks pretty much sums up Frank's stocking picking in general.

The first one, Skyworks Solutions, has performed very well since the prediction:

The stock suffered for a few years before peaking in 2021 with 50% returns.

If you're still holding on to the stock you're up around 38% which is very good.

However, GE has tanked since this campaign:

GE is down around 60% since April 2017.

A winner and a loser - that just seems to be how Frank's stocks are.

Recommended: The Best Place To Get High Return Stock Ideas


What Does Curzio Research Offer?

There's various newsletters and services at Curzio Research.

Here's a breakdown of each one:

Curzio Research Advisory ($99 Per Year)

Curzio Research Advisory is the introductory investing newsletter at Curzio Research.

There's no real focus on what stocks are picked - it's pretty much any stock Frank thinks will make you money.

You get the following with Curzio Research Advisory:

  • The Weekly Breakdown - The Weekly Breakdown is an overview of the top stories impacting the market every week.. it's delivered to your inbox every week.
  • Archives Of Newsletters And Special Reports - Additionally, you get access to all previous newsletters and special reports. You can go back and look at stock picks and start building your portfolios. 
  • Bonus Podcast - Frank has a very popular podcast called Wall Street Unplugged and it's consistently one of the most listened to financial podcasts. He also hosts a smaller podcast called Frankly Speaking that's for members of this newsletter. You get access to it.

Curzio Venture Opportunities ($5,000 Per Year)

This newsletter is much more expensive than the one you just saw and this one will cost a whopping $5,000 per year.

Curzio Venture Opportunities focuses on small cap stocks, which is what Frank has been known for most of his career.

Here's what you get:

  • Instant Access To Model Portfolio - Once you sign up you get access to Frank's entire small cap stock portfolio.
  • New Stock Pick Every Month - At the end of the month you'll get a new stock recommendation.
  • Access To The Archives - You'll be able to look at all the past reports Frank has put out.
  • Updates On Portfolio - If you need to sell a stock in the portfolio you'll get an immediate alert to do so. 
  • Bonus Reports - You get three different reports. The first is Curzio's guide to investing, the second is a guide on warrants and the third is making money with natural resources.

Moneyflow Trader ($5,000 Per Year)

Here we have another product that costs $5,000 per year - this one is run by Genia Turnanova.

This newsletter doesn't focus on one thing in particular and promises to help you navigate the turbulent post-covid markets.

Here's what you get:

  • Monthly Report - Every month you'll get a new report from Genia with some stock ideas. You'll also get news on the markets as well as portfolio updates periodically through the months.
  • The Moneyflow Trader Option Toolbox - This is a guide that helps you trade put options.

The Dollar Stock Club ($39 Per Year)

This newsletter is a recap of conversations Frank has on his podcast.

He learns about a new stock and then sends it out to the readers.

Crypto Intelligence ($5,000 Per Year)

The Crypto Intelligence report is $5,000 a year and like the name suggests focuses on opportunities in the crypto market.

Additionally, you get a crypto training series to help you understand the topic more.

Unlimited Income ($299 Per Year)

This is another newsletter run by Genia and is a stock picking service.

Every month you'll get stock ideas that Genia believes you should act on and you get access to all the picks she's made in the last year.

The Big Money Report ($97 Per Year)

The Big Money Report focuses on large cap stocks and is run by Luke Downey - he supposedly tries to find where the big money is going before everyone else.

You get the following with this newsletter:

  • Welcome To Big Money - This "primer" explains Luke's stock strategy and goes over the philosophy behind it. 
  • Get In And Get Out - This is a training series that explains which stocks to buy and which to avoid.
  • Lessons With Luke - This is an ongoing training series where Luke covers a different topic every week.
  • The Big Money Report - This is a monthly newsletter that covers market conditions and gives you stock ideas. 
  • Alerts - If you need to take action on a stock you'll get an alert to your email or phone to do so.

Want Winning Stock Ideas?

I've reviewed all the best places to get winning stock picks.. to see my favorite, click below:

My Thoughts On Curzio Research

There's a lot to unpack with Curzio Research.

Here's my main takeaways:

Get Ready For Upsells

I'd divide the products at Curzio Research into two camps:

  1. Fairly priced products
  2. Products that are WAY too expensive

The products that are priced fairly are Curzio Research Advisory, The Dollar Stock Club, Unlimited Income, The Big Money Report. 

All the products that are $5,000 per month are wildly over priced.

Something to keep in mind is every dollar you spend on research and newsletters is a dollar you start in the red.

$5,000 per year is a big hole to start off in.

So I wouldn't even consider those expensive products unless you have $50,000+ to invest with.

Even with the less expensive products you'll always be pitched to upgrade to the more expensive services.

Get ready for that.

Microcap Stocks Are Risky

Frank spent many years in the microcap and penny stock markets.

While some of these stocks have great value and can make you a lot of money, they're very, very risky.

Many penny stocks turn out to be straight up scams and exist just for pump and dump schemes.

Because the price is so low and these small stocks are rarely traded, they're much easier to manipulate.

It can also be hard to find accurate information about many of these small companies as well.

A couple of the services at Curzio Research are centered around penny stocks and I'd avoid them for sure.

Expensive Services Have No Refunds

At first I was satisfied with the refund policy for the services at Curzio Research.. many of the products had a 30 day refund.

However, I noticed something after going through all the services..

Only the cheaper newsletters have a refund policy. All the products that cost $5,000 per year DON'T come with a refund policy.

That's such a sneaky thing to do in my opinion.

Giving out refunds for products that cost $49 per year but not $5,000 a year is a major red flag in my opinion.

Recommended: The Best Place To Get High Return Stock Ideas


Curzio Research Pros And Cons

Pros
  • Frank has a lot of experience: Frank's father was in the stock selecting business and he's been involved in this line of work for 30 years.
Cons
  • Inconsistent picks: Frank picks some winners but he picks just as many losers too. Some of the losers are big as well. 
  • Not a fan of penny stocks: Many of the services revolve around microcaps and penny stocks.. these stocks are very risky.
  • Bad refund policy: You only get refunds on the cheap products and not the expensive ones. That's a red flag.

Curzio Research Conclusion

I don't think Frank Curzio is a scammer or anything like that.

He's been in the game for a long time and has been researching markets for 30 years now.

Additionally, some of his stock ideas hit and get really high returns.

But he really, really picks some big loser too.

To be honest I think you're likely to get a loser at the same rate as a winner.. and the losers seem to be bigger than the losers.

Meaning a good pick might get you 30% returns where a bad return might lose you 70%.

Because of this I can't recommend Curzio Research.


Here's A Better Opportunity

Curzio Research has its moments but I'd pass on it.

The good news is there's plenty of other stock picking services out there.

I've reviewed all the best..

To see my favorite place to get high return stock ideas (that's affordable), click below:

Get High Return Stock Ideas!

See where I get my winning stock ideas below:

About the Author

Dylan is an investing and passive income watch dog. He created Level Up Your Wealth to prevent people from wasting money on scam programs and to recommend high quality offers.

Dylan Rieger

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