Every Sunday morning I spend about 15 minutes in the Power Gauge members area before my coffee gets cold. That’s it. No spreadsheets, no complicated analysis, no staring at charts for hours. Just a quick routine I’ve built up over the past four years of subscribing to Marc Chaikin’s Power Gauge Report.
I’m going to walk you through exactly what I do, step by step, using real positions from my current portfolio. If you’re already a subscriber and feel like you’re not getting the most out of the tool, this might help. If you’re thinking about joining, this will show you what the experience actually looks like from the inside.
Why Sunday? (And Why Only 15 Minutes?)
The model portfolio updates every Wednesday. Marc’s monthly picks usually drop on the third Thursday. So by Sunday, everything from the week has settled and I can see where things stand without the noise of live market hours messing with my head.
I tried doing this daily when I first subscribed back in 2021. Bad idea. I was checking Power Pulse ratings obsessively, second-guessing every small dip, and making emotional decisions. The 30% trailing stop system is designed to handle the exits for you. Once I accepted that, my Sunday check became the only routine I needed.
Step 1: Check the Model Portfolio for Changes (3 Minutes)
First thing I do is pull up the model portfolio page. It’s pretty bare-bones visually (think early 2010s web design with a basic table layout), but the data is clean. Each position shows the ticker, reference date, reference price, latest close, dividends, total return, recommendation status, and stop loss level.
What I’m scanning for: did any recommendation status change from “Buy” to something else? Did any stop loss get hit during the week?
This past week was a perfect example of why this matters. On February 13th, Marc sent a special update recommending subscribers sell an automotive supplier after it had a big move higher, locking in a 21.75% gain. In the same alert, he noted that a construction/engineering company in the AI Power Picks portfolio hit its trailing stop loss, so that position got closed out at a -29.31% loss.
Two actions in one email. One winner, one loser. That’s real portfolio management happening in real time. If I only checked monthly, I might have missed the sell window entirely.
Step 2: Review the Numbers That Actually Matter (4 Minutes)
I don’t obsess over every position. I’ve learned to focus on three things:
The anchor position. Right now that’s a major banking stock which has been in the portfolio since November 2023. It’s up 165.84% including dividends. Marc set a hard stop at a specific price floor back in July 2025 (instead of the usual 30% trailing stop) because the gains are so large he doesn’t want to give back too much. Every Sunday I glance at the closing price relative to that floor. If it’s comfortably above it, I move on.
The newest picks. A gold mining company was added January 14th, 2026, and it’s sitting at +8.82%. A genomics/biotech stock from December 2025 is the only red position in the main portfolio at -7.31%. For new picks, I’m mostly checking whether they’re trending toward or away from the stop loss. The biotech’s stop is set and the current price still has a decent cushion above it. Not worried yet.
The AI Power Picks. This is the spicier side of the portfolio. A big tech/search giant is up 137.26% since August 2023, which is insane for what started as an “AI pick.” A digital manufacturing company is up 15.53%. A video communications stock is up about 7%. But an industrial tech company is down 21.58%, and a construction/engineering firm just got stopped out. The AI picks are higher risk, higher reward, and the stop losses do more heavy lifting here.
Step 3: Run a Quick Power Pulse Scan (5 Minutes)
This is the part most subscribers skip, and honestly I think it’s the most valuable piece of the subscription.
Power Pulse lets you type in any of 5,000+ stock tickers and get a Power Gauge rating: Very Bullish, Bullish, Neutral, Bearish, or Very Bearish. Behind each rating is a 20-factor breakdown split into four categories: Financials, Earnings, Technicals, and Experts.
On Sundays I do two things with it:
First, I check the ratings on my existing positions. If something in the portfolio flipped from Bullish to Neutral or Bearish, that’s a yellow flag even if the stop loss hasn’t triggered yet. It means the underlying factors are deteriorating. This happened with the construction/engineering stock weeks before it actually hit the stop. The Power Gauge had already shifted the rating down, which told me the system was seeing something the price hadn’t fully reflected yet.
Second, I scan a shortlist of stocks I’m curious about. I keep a running list of maybe 10-15 tickers on my phone (usually stuff I’ve read about during the week or companies mentioned in Marc’s monthly commentary). I punch them into Power Pulse one by one. Takes about 30 seconds each. If something comes back “Very Bullish,” I dig into the four-factor breakdown to understand why.
The factor I pay most attention to is the Expert component. This is where Chaikin’s Money Flow indicator lives, and it tracks what institutional money (the “smart money”) is doing. A stock can look great on Financials and Earnings, but if the Expert factor shows distribution (institutions selling), I stay away. I learned that lesson the hard way with a position that looked perfect on paper but the big money was already heading for the exits.
Step 4: Check Stop Loss Levels (3 Minutes)
Last thing. I pull up the portfolio table and compare each position’s current price against its stop loss. The stop losses get updated every Wednesday, so by Sunday I have the freshest numbers.
Here’s what my current main portfolio looks like on this front:
| Position | Cushion Above Stop Loss |
|---|---|
| Major banking stock (Nov 2023) | 40.6% above (hard stop) |
| Optical networking company (Oct 2025) | 36.8% above |
| Cruise line operator (Aug 2025) | 37.4% above |
| Gold mining company (Jan 2026) | 23.6% above |
| Latin American fintech (Sep 2025) | 30.8% above |
| Genomics/biotech stock (Dec 2025) | 11.4% above |
Everything has a comfortable cushion except the genomics stock, which is the closest to its stop at 11.4% above. That’s the one I’ll keep a closer eye on this week. If it drops another 5-6%, I’ll start mentally preparing for a stop-out. But I won’t sell early. The system says hold, so I hold.
That’s a lesson that took me a while to learn. Early on, I’d panic-sell positions that were drifting toward the stop loss, only to watch them bounce back. The 30% trailing stop exists so you don’t have to make emotional calls. Trust the math.
What This Routine Has Taught Me After 4+ Years
The boring positions make all the money. The banking stock is up 165%. It’s a bank. Not AI, not crypto, not some hot IPO. A bank. Marc’s system identified it when nobody was talking about regional banking stocks, and the Power Gauge factors (especially the Expert component showing institutional accumulation) were screaming “buy” while everyone else was panicking about bank failures in 2023.
The AI picks are a mixed bag. The big tech/search giant at +137% is incredible. But the AI Power Picks portfolio has also produced a construction company loss (-29%), two separate entries on the same industrial tech stock that have struggled, and a cloud storage company that was sold at a loss. If you only subscribed for the AI picks, your experience would be bumpier than the main portfolio. I treat the AI picks as the aggressive satellite around a conservative core.
The stop losses save you from yourself. The construction stock hitting its stop at -29.31% stings. But without that stop, I might have held it down to -40% or -50% hoping for a bounce. The 30% trailing stop isn’t sexy, but it’s the difference between a manageable loss and a portfolio-wrecking one. A cybersecurity stock got stopped out at +70.66% gain, which means the stop also locks in profits on the way up. That’s the part people forget.
Most of the value is in what you don’t buy. Power Pulse has talked me out of more bad trades than it’s pointed me toward good ones. When I’m tempted by a stock that’s all over social media, I run it through the screener. If it comes back Bearish or Neutral with weak Expert scores, I move on. That five-minute check has probably saved me more money than any single winning pick.
The Routine in a Nutshell
Here’s my actual Sunday workflow, condensed:
Minutes 1-3: Open the model portfolio. Scan for recommendation changes, new sell alerts, or stop loss triggers from the past week.
Minutes 4-7: Check the anchor position (the banking stock), newest picks (the gold miner, the biotech), and AI Power Picks status. Note anything trending toward stop loss levels.
Minutes 8-12: Open Power Pulse. Check ratings on current holdings. Scan 5-10 tickers from my watchlist. Focus on the Expert factor for institutional money flow signals.
Minutes 13-15: Review stop loss cushions. Flag any position within 15% of its stop for closer monitoring during the week.
That’s it. Coffee’s still warm. I close the laptop and go about my Sunday. If something needs action, I handle it Monday morning before the market opens. Most weeks, the answer is “everything looks fine, do nothing.” And doing nothing is usually the right call with this system.
Who This Routine Works For (And Who It Doesn’t)
This works if you’re a buy-and-hold investor who wants a structured way to monitor positions without becoming a full-time trader. Marc’s system does the heavy lifting with the 20-factor analysis and trailing stops. Your job is just to check in, follow the signals, and not panic.
This doesn’t work if you want daily trading signals or if you can’t resist overriding the stop losses. The system only works if you actually follow it. I’ve seen people in the Chaikin community sell winners too early because they got nervous, then watch those stocks run another 50%. The banking stock would be a classic example. If you sold at +80% because it “felt too high,” you missed the move to +165%.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I check the Power Gauge model portfolio?
A weekly check is plenty. The portfolio updates every Wednesday and Marc’s sell alerts come via email, so you won’t miss anything urgent. My 15-minute Sunday routine lets me stay on top of stop loss levels and recommendation changes without the emotional noise of watching prices bounce around every day. If you’re checking daily, you’re probably overthinking it.
Does the 30% trailing stop loss really work?
It works on both sides, which is the part people miss. On the downside, it capped a construction stock loss at about 29% instead of letting it bleed further. On the upside, a cybersecurity winner got stopped out at a +70.66% gain, locking in profits before a pullback. The stop doesn’t care about your feelings. It follows the math. That’s the whole point.
Is the Power Gauge Report good for retirement accounts?
Most picks work fine in an IRA or 401(k). Marc’s recommendations are almost always high-liquidity stocks on major exchanges like NYSE and NASDAQ. I haven’t run into any issues buying his picks in a standard brokerage or retirement account. Just double-check with your broker if a specific AI Power Pick is restricted in your account type.
What is the most important factor in the Power Gauge rating?
The Expert component. There are 20 factors total across four categories, but the Expert factor is the one I pay closest attention to. It includes the Chaikin Money Flow indicator, which tracks institutional buying and selling. A stock can look great on Financials and Earnings, but if the smart money is heading for the exits, I pass. That single factor has kept me out of more bad trades than anything else in the system.
If you’re curious about trying the Power Gauge Report yourself, I wrote a detailed breakdown of everything included with the subscription in my full Power Gauge Report review here. That covers the pricing ($79 first year), what’s in the members area, and the complete portfolio performance history.
And if you’re already a subscriber who’s been feeling overwhelmed by the tools, try the 15-minute Sunday routine for a month. It changed how I use the service completely.
Jenna
Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to the Power Gauge Report. If you purchase through these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. All portfolio data and opinions are based on my actual subscription since 2021.