Investing can be risky, prompting many to turn to equities research firms for guidance. Kalkine is among these companies offering such services.
But how reliable is Kalkine? Is it a trustworthy source or potentially a scam?
To offer a clear picture, I’ve spoken with some of their clients and delved deep into researching the company.
Here’s what I’ll be covering in my review of Kalkine.
Table of Contents
What is Kalkine?
Kalkine stands out as an independent research firm specializing in financial investments, covering equities, commodities, and futures.
This is what they have to say about their service:
We provide Independent Equity Research based on technology-powered detailed analysis and actionable insights on various listed stocks for Buy, Sell, or Hold Positions.
They specialize in finding stocks the market usually ignores but have big hidden value. These stocks are underrated by most investors yet hold strong potential for growth.
These stocks typically exhibit lower transaction volume and PE (price-to-earnings ratio). Kalkine focuses on identifying publicly traded companies with long-term growth prospects, empowering their members to stay ahead in terms of ROI (return on investment).
Becoming a member is straightforward – just sign up on their website. Once you’re in, you gain access to reports valid for 12 months.
Moreover, there’s the option to opt for the Platinum Special, a choice that can help trim expenses on your capital base.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Can Kalkine Help You Make Money?
In my opinion, relying on Kalkine’s stock recommendations might not be a smart move for making money. Numerous clients I’ve spoken to have actually experienced losses rather than gains.
One instance involved all the recommended stocks taking a nosedive in prices. Clients were left with the difficult choice of either selling at a significant loss or holding onto stocks that had plummeted by more than 50%. The underlying issue here is a flawed stock trading strategy. As the wise Charlie Munger suggests, the focus should be on seeking great companies at a reasonable price, not just any “undervalued small company” at a cheap price.
In my experience, investing in startups or penny stocks seems like a risky venture. Statistics show that 95% of startups fail within the first five years. Moreover, tech startups often take a considerable amount of time before turning a profit, as evident in the case of Netflix, which took more than a decade. This leaves them vulnerable, especially if interest rates rise. On the other hand, stable companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Coca Cola boast consistent revenue streams.
Adding to the concerns, I’ve heard from another client that Kalkine frequently changes representatives, and each new representative introduces different stocks with seemingly solid potential. Unfortunately, this has led to a 90% loss in his stock portfolio.
My recommendation for those looking to dip their toes into stock investment, especially for beginners, is to consider a monthly contribution to the S&P 500. Over the past 20 years, the S&P has shown an annual return rate of 7%, making it a more stable and reliable option for wealth growth compared to the uncertainties associated with Kalkine.
Read more: How to Make Money Daily with Investments
How Much Does Kalkine Cost?
The monthly subscription fee can range from $199.99/Month to $11000/Yearly, depending on the type of report you’ve selected. Below is an overview:
Can You Get a Refund?
No, after paying for their subscription service, you won’t get back the money you paid. Of course, you can cancel the subscription. But be careful if you’ve chosen auto-payment on your credit card – it’s extremely difficult to cancel! Don’t use auto-transfer.
Why is Kalkine Sued?
If you take a closer look at Kalkine’s track record, it’s not exactly squeaky clean – the company has found itself in legal trouble.
Kalkine, along with its Kalkine Media arm, got slapped with a hefty AU$350,000 fine for violating Australia’s spam laws.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) proudly declared this enforcement action as the first-ever crackdown on “unlawful marketing practices in the financial services sector.”
Here’s the lowdown: Between January and September 2020, Kalkine managed to ring up more than 7,200 calls to 5,400 phone numbers listed on the nation’s Do Not Call Register. Meanwhile, Kalkine Media went ahead and fired off 2,774 spam texts to around 2,700 people during that same time span. Not the kind of behavior that lands you in the good books, for sure.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Praise for Kalkine
1. A variety of investment reports
Kalkine has got you covered with a bunch of reports to fit your investment style and risk tolerance. Whether you’re into tech stocks, dividend stocks, or cryptocurrencies, take your pick!
Criticism of Kalkine
1. Not-So-Expert Reps
Many customers have noticed that the folks giving stock recommendations lack a solid grasp of fundamental or technical analysis. Plus, quite a few of them sport Indian accents, making some wonder if the company’s going for budget-friendly hires rather than well-educated experts.
2. No refund
Many customers struggle to get a refund, even after cancelling the subscription. Surprise, surprise – their credit cards still get charged.
3. Lots of bad recommendations
Kalkine’s stock suggestions often nosedive within a few months. Sure, blame it on the high interest rates of 2023, but shouldn’t the managers have taken that into account?
Is Kalkine a Scam?
Well, I won’t label Kalkine as a scam. I would only say that their sales tactics are unscrupulous because there is no guarantee on the return of their recommended stocks.
I think that’s why lots of customers are calling it a scam. Here are some examples I found on Trustpilot:
Having Kalkine’s reports doesn’t guarantee returns in stock trading. There are just too many unpredictable factors at play.
If Kalkine truly had a knack for predicting market prices accurately, they’d be busy trading stocks themselves instead of selling reports.
Ultimately, no one can perfectly foresee whether prices will rise or fall the next day – only a higher power might know.
Sure, you might strike gold a few times, but more often than not, gains might slip away. Familiar story, right?
That’s why many successful entrepreneurs opt for index funds like S&P 500 or invest in real estate instead of spending time and money on stock trading.
How Do I Make Money from Home?
If you want to make a full-time passive income from home, I’d suggest you to start an affiliate marketing business.
However, I’d recommend you to get started with the most reputable platform: Wealthy Affiliate instead.
Wealthy Affiliate is an all-in-one platform for building your affiliate marketing business from scratch. It offers you a free account (including a free website) with comprehensive training on SEO (free traffic methods), which enables you to get started with affiliate marketing right away without paying a penny.
But How Much Can You Earn with Wealthy Affiliate?
A 21-year old student from Wealthy Affiliate was able to earn $7,395 in just 1 week, which means he made more than $1k a day…all while using free traffic methods.
For more information, you can check out our full review of Wealthy Affiliate.
Thank you for the resourceful and ounest comment.
I have Just put 400 $ in kalkine and realised that wos mistake.
Wonder if I ever can see them back!!?
Dear Vasil, thank you for your comment. Have you tried to contact Kalkine?
Hi, I request you to write an official email to them requesting for your refund because they do not run their business ethically & instead of focusing on their service or providing what they promise, they only focus on ripping off the client if you tell them that you have a lot of money to invest, they’ll keep on calling you unless they get huge money out of your pocket & they won’t entertain any refund requests unless you threaten them to complain about their company to authorities.
Dear Sarah, thank you for your advice. But I’m not their client. I just heard about their practice from other people. Have a nice day!
Kalkine is definitely a scam they keep harassing me and why do that to someone it is bad news stay away from them at all costs.
I paid about 150 CAD and within 2 days asked them to refund.
They switched me to another subscription and I again requested them to cancel and refund.
I received 3-4 calls claiming to be from higher authority and convincing me to go for another subscription. When I said no, they said, money will be refunded after 90 days.(According to their T&C, its mentioned that money will be refunded within 7 days).
Now after almost 4 months, I mailed them that I did not receive my payment,
they said, ” remember, we switched you to another subscription, why are you writing these kind of mails” and again started with a sales script. Frustrated , I hung up.
I have just come off a phone call asking me to sign up but I haven’t got the money yet….so this is not what they claim it is?
Do not use Kalkine, after using their initial service I was refused help on it.
When I agreed to a upgraded service was quoted a monthly fee, and thought to try for one or two months. Was billed a year in advance and never heard from rep for first three weeks,
Lies and theft is all you’ll experience with Kalkine.
Had a bad experience regarding investing my funds, wasn’t easy for me as I was scam severally. I lost almost all of my money.
I would love to help you in exposing them. It’s definitely a scam. I worked with them couple of years back..
I am building a case against Kalkine on the basis of their agressive marketing and predatory behaviour that I experienced. Can you help?