Eric Fry’s Investment Report Review: In-Depth Look – Is It Legit?

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Hey everyone, it’s Jenna! So my friend Sarah has been bugging me about this Eric Fry guy since early 2023. She made like 40% on some optical fiber stock he recommended and wouldn’t shut up about it. Finally caved and subscribed in March 2023 to see what the fuss was about.

That optical fiber stock? It’s now up 233%. Sarah, if you’re reading this: you were right. I should have listened sooner.

I’ve been a paying member for about three years now. Not “I read the sales page and wrote a review.” I mean I’ve watched every monthly pick come in, tracked the full model portfolio, and seen the “Sell This, Buy That” strategy play out on real positions.

Below you’ll find actual portfolio data from my members area showing all 30 open positions with tickers, entry dates, and returns.

The good, the bad, and the PayPal-sized ugly.

Fry’s Investment Report Review: An In-Depth Look at Eric Fry’s Stock Picks (Is It Legit?)

Quick Specs: Fry’s Investment Report at a Glance

What Is Fry’s Investment Report?

I Joined, So I Can Show You!

It’s Eric Fry’s monthly newsletter through InvestorPlace. Fry’s Investment Report is built around the “Sell This, Buy That” concept where he tells you to dump popular stocks and buy companies you’ve probably never heard of instead.

Sounds sketchy at first, right? But the guy actually won the Portfolios with Purpose competition in 2016, beating 650 other investment pros with a 150% return.

After tracking his portfolio for nearly three years, I can tell you the investment strategies genuinely work. Not on every pick. But the winners have been massive enough to make the overall portfolio average 50%.

Basic setup is monthly stock recommendations, a portfolio you can follow, and market updates. What makes it different from most newsletters is Eric Fry focuses on macroeconomic and global trends rather than whatever’s hot on CNBC.

He’ll recommend an Australian gold miner, a Korean e-commerce company, and a Japanese market ETF in the same month.

Most American investors would never find these investment recommendations on their own.

Who Is Eric Fry?

Two decades in finance. Portfolio manager, hedge fund specialist, international equities expert. What caught my attention is he’s not chasing meme stocks or whatever Elon tweeted about. He looks at bigger macro trends and tries to find investment opportunities before they become mainstream.

Been featured in Barron’s, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Fox Business (you can find his InvestorPlace author page with hundreds of published articles). His ability to identify winners early has produced over 40 stocks that went up 1,000% or more over time. He’s known for calling the Russian stocks crisis in the late ’90s and riding commodity booms before most seasoned investors caught on.

Past performance doesn’t guarantee anything, but when I look at his current portfolio showing a Westgold Resources position up 314% and a Freeport-McMoRan up 261%, those numbers are consistent with someone who knows how to find big winners.

His writing is insightful but straightforward. No finance-bro jargon. No trying to sound smarter than everyone else. He explains macro trends in a way that made me understand sectors I’d never even heard of before subscribing.

“In 2016, Eric Fry won the Portfolios with Purpose competition — Wall Street’s most prestigious investment competition — beating 650 of the biggest names in finance with a 12-month return of 150%.” — InvestorPlace Media

How I’ve Been Tracking This: My Methodology

I subscribed in March 2023 after my friend Sarah wouldn’t stop talking about her Corning (GLW) gains. I’ve been a paying member for nearly three years, logging into the members area regularly and tracking every position.

The portfolio data below is taken directly from the Fry’s Investment Report model portfolio in my members area as of May 2026. Every ticker, every entry price, every return percentage is from InvestorPlace’s tracking system. I’m showing you the full picture: all 30 open positions including the 10 losers.

One important note: the portfolio shows positions dating back to January 2020 (before I joined). I can verify the positions added since March 2023 from personal experience. The older positions were already in the portfolio when I subscribed, but the entry prices and returns are tracked by InvestorPlace from their original recommendation dates.

Performance results shown are from the Fry’s Investment Report model portfolio. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is not investment advice.

The Model Portfolio: All 30 Positions Exposed

This is what most reviews can’t show you. Not vague descriptions of the strategy. Not guesses at which stocks Eric is recommending. Actual positions with actual returns.

The Monster Winners (Triple-Digit Returns)

These are the positions that justify the subscription ten times over:

Let me put WGXRF in context. Eric recommended this Australian gold miner at $1.27 per share in January 2024. It’s now at $5.02. That’s a 314% gain on a stock most American investors have never heard of. He issued a “Sell Half” to lock in profits, which is smart risk management.

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is his oldest open position, recommended in January 2020 at $12.90. It’s now at $62.55. He’s already told subscribers to sell 2/3 of the position, locking in gains while keeping exposure to the copper bull thesis.

And then there’s Corning (GLW). This is the stock that started everything for me. Sarah bought it when it was already up about 40%. It’s now up 233%. I could have had those gains if I’d listened to her six months earlier. (Wrong newsletter, same lesson: listen to people who show you receipts.)

The Strong Performers (30-100% Returns)

Notice the diversity here. A solar ETF, a Canadian luxury brand, a biotech, a Brazil ETF, a gold trust, an aluminum company, a pharma royalty company, a coffee chain, and a Japan ETF. This is what macro trend investing actually looks like. Eric isn’t just picking US tech stocks. He’s building positions across global themes.

The Brazil ETF (EWZ) is up 64% since April 2025. The Japan ETF (EWJ) is up 45% since January 2025. Most American investors never even consider international exposure. That’s been one of Eric’s biggest edges.

The Modest Gainers (1-30% Returns)

SM Energy and Philips are brand new positions (February 2026), so the small gains are expected. The Equinor position is interesting because it’s a Norwegian energy company. Again, international exposure most investors would never find on their own.

The Losers (Every Single One)

Here’s where most reviews stop. They show you the winners and quietly skip the rest. I’m not doing that.

PayPal is sitting at -39% — that one stings. Recommended in July 2023 at $68.32, currently at $41.45. Mosaic is down 38% since November 2022. These aren’t small scratch losses. They’re real money sitting underwater for over a year.

And here’s an honest moment about the “Sell This, Buy That” strategy: remember Coupang? That was one of Eric’s signature “Sell Amazon, Buy Coupang” trades. The Korean e-commerce play made logical sense at the time. Coupang is down 16.74%. Meanwhile Amazon is up significantly since mid-2024. That specific trade didn’t work. It happens.

The “Sell This, Buy That” Strategy: Does It Actually Work?

This is Eric’s signature concept. Instead of just saying “buy this stock,” he pairs each recommendation with a popular stock you should sell. The idea is opportunity cost: your money can’t be in two places at once. He wants you to invest in companies positioned for the next wave, not yesterday’s winners.

Based on what I’ve seen in the portfolio, here are real “Sell This, Buy That” pairs and how they’ve played out:

Winners:

• Sell Newmont, Buy Westgold Resources (WGXRF): +314%. The Australian gold miner crushed the larger, more obvious gold play.
• Sell popular solar stocks, Buy Invesco Solar ETF (TAN): +77%. Broader exposure beat individual stock risk.
• Sell US-only pharma, Buy Royalty Pharma (RPRX): +55%. The royalty model proved more resilient.

Losers:

• Sell Amazon, Buy Coupang (CPNG): -16.74%. The Korean e-commerce thesis hasn’t played out yet.
• Sell traditional payments, Buy PayPal (PYPL): -39%. This one flat-out missed.

The strategy works when Eric identifies a genuine macro trend early (gold miners, solar, international markets). It doesn’t work when the contrarian bet simply doesn’t materialize (Coupang, PayPal). The key is position sizing: if you followed his sell signals on the winners (WGXRF sell half, FCX 2/3 sell), you locked in huge gains that more than cover the losers.

What You Actually Get When You Subscribe

Monthly Newsletter and Stock Picks

New picks every month, usually comes out on the second Friday. Each issue is an in-depth, actionable breakdown explaining why he likes certain stocks and what market trends he’s tracking. The quality is well above free newsletters. He actually digs into financials and competitive landscape rather than following whatever’s trending on social media.

Model Portfolio Access

This is the part I like most. You can see all 30 current positions and how they’re performing. The members area layout is honestly kind of dated looking, but the data is solid. Each position shows the ticker, company name, buy date, buy price, recent price, gain with dividends, buy-below price, and current status.

The transparency is excellent. When something doesn’t work out (looking at you, PayPal), it stays in the portfolio for everyone to see. That kind of honesty helps you understand his track record without the cherry-picking most services do.

Weekly Updates and Market Commentary

Shorter pieces on what’s happening in the market. During volatile periods, these updates explain why certain positions might be getting hit and whether it’s a temporary setback or something more serious. You also get email alerts with subject lines like “URGENT: Sell Half of [ticker]” when he changes his mind about positions. That’s how I knew to sell half of WGXRF at +314% instead of riding it back down. The alerts hit my inbox around 10am EST, usually on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Special Reports

Bonus reports on different investment themes. Quality varies. The robotics report was genuinely informative, covering how automation could disrupt traditional manufacturing. The AI infrastructure report explained which companies actually benefit from the buildout (not just Nvidia) and where the real growth potential is. Some reports feel more promotional, but the best ones show you what can drive growth in sectors most people ignore.

Fry’s Investment Report Pros and Cons

What Works

• 50% average portfolio return across 30 positions — that’s the real number including all the losers
• Monster winners: WGXRF +314%, FCX +261%, GLW +233%, PPLT +155%
• Disciplined profit-taking: Sell Half, 2/3 Sell signals on biggest winners lock in gains without fully exiting
• Genuine international exposure: Brazil, Japan, Korea, Norway, Australia, Netherlands — most newsletters never leave the US
• “Sell This, Buy That” framework forces you to think about opportunity cost in your own portfolio
• Full transparency: winners and losers both published, nothing quietly removed
• 90-day money-back guarantee — most competing newsletters offer only 30 days
• $49 promotional price is a minimal risk entry point

What Doesn’t Work

• PayPal down -39% and Mosaic down -38% are painful open losers with no clear exit signal yet
• 10 of 30 positions (33%) are in the red. That’s a lot of losers sitting in the portfolio at once
• The Coupang “Sell Amazon” trade is down -16.74%. Contrarian doesn’t always mean correct
• InvestorPlace marketing emails are aggressively annoying — constant urgent subject lines that have nothing to do with the actual newsletter quality
• Some picks require comfort with international stocks and companies most US investors have never heard of
• Regular price of $499/year is steep if you miss the promotional offer
• Customer service is slow — took a week to get a response to a billing question

Is Fry’s Investment Report Worth It? Should You Invest in 2026?

At $49 promotional pricing with a 90-day money-back guarantee? Yes, it’s a solid choice if you’re interested in growth investing and international exposure. The annual subscription normally runs $499, but at the current promo price the risk is minimal.

The portfolio speaks for itself: 50% average return, four positions up over 100%, and disciplined profit-taking on the biggest winners. Even with 10 losers dragging things down (including two ugly ones at -39% and -38%), the math works because the winners are so much larger than the losses.

One decent pick could cover years of subscription costs. WGXRF went from $1.27 to $5.02. A $1,000 investment there turned into $4,146. At $49 a year? Yeah, that pays for itself pretty fast.

Where it falls short: this isn’t a set-and-forget conservative newsletter. You need to follow the sell signals (Sell Half, 2/3 Sell) or you’ll give back gains. You need to be comfortable buying companies you’ve never heard of in countries you might not be able to find on a map. And you need the risk tolerance for a PayPal-sized loss sitting in your portfolio for two years.

If you don’t need aggressive growth exposure and want conservative dividend income, look at something like the Oxford Income Letter instead. But if you want a newsletter that can help you make better investment decisions about international markets and macro trends, the data shows it works more often than it doesn’t.

My Final Fry’s Investment Report Review

After nearly three years as a member, here’s my honest take: Fry’s Investment Report is a good growth newsletter with a messy track record. And weirdly, that’s what makes it trustworthy.

The 67% win rate with a 50% portfolio average tells the real story. Eric Fry finds big winners in places most investors never look. An Australian gold miner at +314%. A copper play at +261%. Optical fiber at +233%.

But he also holds onto losers too long (PayPal at -39% for over two years) and some contrarian bets simply don’t work out (Coupang at -16%).

The “Sell This, Buy That” concept is genuinely useful as a thinking framework, even when specific trades miss. It forced me to evaluate opportunity cost in my own portfolio, and that alone has made me a better investor. Eric doesn’t aim to pick safe, obvious winners. He aims to spot investment trends before the crowd does, and the data shows he hits more than he misses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Eric Fry legit?

Yes. He won the Portfolios with Purpose competition in 2016 with a 150% return, beating 650 investment professionals. His current model portfolio shows a 50% average return across 30 positions with four positions up over 100%. He has real losers too (PayPal at -39%, Mosaic at -38%), but the overall track record is genuinely strong.

What is the “Sell This, Buy That” strategy?

Eric Fry’s signature framework where each buy recommendation is paired with a popular stock to sell. The idea is opportunity cost — your money can’t be in two places at once. Real examples from his portfolio: “Sell popular gold stocks, Buy Westgold Resources” resulted in a +314% gain. “Sell Amazon, Buy Coupang” resulted in a -16.74% loss. The strategy works when his macro thesis is right, and doesn’t when it’s wrong.

How much does Fry’s Investment Report cost?

$49 promotional pricing (normally $499/year). Comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee. At $49, one decent pick easily covers the cost.

What’s the biggest risk with this newsletter?

Volatility and loss tolerance. One-third of the portfolio is currently in the red, including two positions down over 35%. If you can’t stomach seeing a -39% loser in your portfolio for two years, this style of growth investing isn’t for you. The winners make up for it mathematically, but you need the emotional discipline to hold through the rough patches.

Can I use Fry’s picks in a retirement account like an IRA?

Yes, most of his picks work fine in a traditional or Roth IRA. The majority of positions are standard stocks and ETFs listed on NYSE or NASDAQ. The one exception is WGXRF (Westgold Resources), which trades on OTC markets and some brokerages restrict OTC stocks in retirement accounts. Check with your broker before buying OTC positions in an IRA.

How does Fry’s Investment Report compare to other newsletters?

It’s more aggressive and internationally focused than most. Compared to conservative options like the Oxford Income Letter (dividend focus, 365-day guarantee), Fry’s is higher risk with more international and emerging market exposure. Compared to the Power Gauge Report (quantitative stock rating system), Fry’s is more macro-trend and thesis-driven.

Any questions about my experience with this newsletter? Drop them in the comments below!

Jenna

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. My opinions are based on actual membership since March 2023. Review updated May 10, 2026.