The McShane Letter

We received something called the McShane Letter via snail mail. Something about it seems off:

There’s a lot going on here. Even in the first sentence: Donald B. McShane is “A Wall Street Legend” for his long-term calls on gold and his uncanny long-term individual stock picks. Those are some interestingly placed quotes. Is he a “Wall Street Legend” for real, or is he a “Wall Street Legend” in the way Dr. Nick Riviera is a “doctor” on The Simpsons?

The newsletter pitches Nevada Gold, a penny stock that McShane says will surge. Why will it surge? Because he’s mentioning it in the newsletter. Sez the fine print:

Viewers of this advertisement should understand that trading activity and stock prices in many if not all cases tend to increase during the advertisement campaigns of the profiled company and in many if not all cases tend to decrease thereafter.

In other words, the penny stock’s prices will rise as predicted in the newsletter, as people invest in it because of the newsletter. The price will plummet after the newsletter runs its course. Does that sound like a good investment?

Other fun facts from the fine print:

• The advertisement is from “Giccour LTD 11 Freedom St. Belize City Belize.” Google Maps, alas, has no street view of the Belize address.
• They are in the “business of marketing and advertising companies to generate exposure . . . for monetary compensation.”
• You may lose your entire investment.
• Donald McShane was paid “$7500 and an unknown amount of subscription revenue” for his involvement.

Be wary of such newsletters pitching penny stocks and the like. They’re usually bad idea jeans.

For more on penny stocks, click here.