Simply Investing Report Review

Introduction

Kanwal Sarai the owner of Simply Investing recently contacted me in relation to his monthly newsletter. He requested that I review the May 2020 edition of his newsletter.

I was not aware that this service existed, so I was eager to see what it was like. Anyone who I speak with daily on twitter knows that I believe in 100% transparency. So please understand that all views below are my own and I will give my best honest assessment of the service.

Before moving on, I want to disclose that after my own due diligence, I am happy to be affiliated with Simply investing. This means that the links to the Simply Investing Report and Simply Investing Course are affiliate links. A commission will be paid to me if you decide to purchase through my link at no extra cost to you.

So moving on….

Who is Kanwal Sarai?

As a dividend Investor, whenever I am researching a company, often I find myself studying the CEO of the company.  Are they a good fit for the company? Have they got a proven track record? Are they likely to keep paying a dividend? It is not the most critical factor when selecting a company. But I am more likely to invest my money in a company that has a forward-thinking CEO with a proven track record.

I like to carry this same mindset with me when it comes to parting my hard-earned cash each month for a newsletter or Report.

From his LinkedIn account, Kanwal Sarai has been a self-employed Software technology consultant for the last 10 months. He is also the founder of Simply Investing which has been in operation for the last 15 years.

Having a LinkedIn account is a major bonus for me as it shows that not only Is he a real person, but he is serious about his business.

His Investment career is even more impressive, with a portfolio return of over 400% over 20+ years. Compared to just over 220% for the S&P 500 he has taught students from over 25 countries.

All first impressions were positive. In fact, in a recent email exchange, it was clear to me that Kanwal does have a huge passion for dividend investing but also has a clear passion for educating and helping people.

Who is the Simply Investing report for?

Frankly, The Simply investing report is for anyone who is interested in dividend investing. Its aim is to give you back the one item that is more valuable than most things in your life. Time!

Let’s be honest sometimes investing can take a bit of time, to not only learn but to manage throughout your lifetime.

With the right strategy, I would classify dividend investing as low maintenance compared to other forms of investing. But I still need to read earnings reports, financial statements, and keep up with recent news.

If you are investing monthly like me, you will also have to go through your metrics each month and narrow down your search to 5 or 6 companies.

The Simply Investing Report aims to make it easier on those who are just too busy to do some of the work necessary to research what to buy.

What is inside the Simply Investing Report?

The May 2020 Volume 5, Issue 5 report consists of 17 pages.  At a quick glance the report layout was presented fairly well.

The first 6 pages consist of various tables which show Undervalued and Overvalued US and Canadian stocks.

The next 4 pages talk about how to build your portfolio, the 12 rules of simply investing, and looks at the month ahead with stats and charts to back up any opinions.

The remaining pages contain an extensive FAQ section that answers most of the questions an investor may have.

TOP Ranked

The very first page displays Kanwal’s top-ranked stocks that he believes are high quality and undervalued. To be listed on the Top-ranked table the stocks need to have met 9 quantitative rules which are outlined in the 12 Rules of Simply Investing.

These 9 rules include earnings growth, dividend growth rate, payout ratios along with credit ratings and debt and some more.

Personally I liked this table. Not because I own 5 of the 9 companies listed. But because the table was laid out nice and clear and gave an instant snapshot within seconds of opening the report on which companies should get serious attention.

At a glance I can see the 20-year growth rate, The PE ratio along with the dividend yield and consecutive years of dividend increases.  Personally, for anyone short on time, this list is perfect. Considering I already own 5 of them If I followed this report earlier I would have saved myself a ton of time.

My only slight critique is that I would like a short description of how each of these stocks complied with the 9 rules outlined earlier.  If you’re short on time, you probably would not read it anyway but it is a personal preference.

The Five -US and Canadian Stocks

Page 2 gives another table, similar to the top-ranked table above. The only difference is that investors are presented with 5 US and 5 Canadian companies.  Investors are encouraged to consider companies from “The Five” when they already own the top-ranked companies and want more options.

Undervalued and Overvalued Stocks

In my opinion these were my favorite tables. They were packed with way more information than the Top Ranked and The five tables.

Some of the Fields provided are:

1. EPS Growth
2. Dividend Growth
3. Payout Ratio
4. Debt Ratio
5. Credit Rating
6. P/E Ratio
7. Dividend Yield

Basically everything I use in my own selections except that this is laid out in an excel file in one place and takes me no time all to have a list of companies to invest in.  Each company is also ranked out of 9 from the Simply investing rules, presumably they get a point for each criteria they meet.

While I would have no use for the overvalued tables as I would focus on the other 3 tables, it useful to see which companies are overvalued. The report does suggest that these companies could be considered for selling after a full analysis is performed but that really doesn’t fit my own investment strategy.

What I like about the Report

The report has a nice flow to it and is well structured. In less than a minute you have a list of nearly 20 companies that pass Kanwals stringent rules.

The undervalued tables are for me the most valuable element of this report and would probably save me the most time. You have a list of major high-quality companies, all researched for you in one place.

I also liked the way the report teaches you about the 12 rules that is used to find each of the companies on the list and gives an oversight into the month ahead.

The report also spoke about avoiding the dividend trap which gives a timely reminder to investors that high dividend yield is not always a good thing.

What I didn’t like about the Report

There is not a lot not to like from the report as I believe that is accomplishes what it sets out to achieve. However as mentioned above, I would prefer a little write up about how each of the top ranked companies were picked and why.

I would also like to see the report speak a little bit about diversification, My worry is that if a new investor continually invests in just the top-ranked companies they are at risk of not having a properly diversified portfolio.

How much does it cost?

There are currently 2 options, $19.99 per month or you can pay $199 annually.  You also have the option to cancel anytime if you chose.

However, Kanwal has been kind enough to offer my readers a 15% discount using the Promo code : ENGINEERMYFREEDOM15

Click here to check it out for yourself!

Is it Worth it?

The honest answer really boils down to how much you value your time. For those who don’t want to endure the monthly process of screening companies than this really is a no brainer.

A list of top ranked companies that you can have in literally 30 seconds is quick and painless and will appeal to those most strapped on time.

While I understand that time strapped investors may follow the top ranked stocks blindly, I personally could never follow picks blindly. That is why I find the undervalued tables the most beneficial feature of this report.

I can download these companies to excel and quickly compare companies based on my favorite metrics. I have a list to go research further in less than 5 minutes. This feature alone makes this report worth the money and I would have no hesitation in recommending that you avail of this report.

A word of caution?

As with all investments, your capital is at risk. Your money can either go up or down. Please remember this before you sign up for any newsletters or reports including mine. Past results are not always guaranteed in the future.

Thanks for Reading and Happy Investing

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