The 4th Pillar – Tim Staermose

Salepage link: At HERE. Archive: https://archive.is/wip/5O14V

Discover What Happened Next and How this Strategy Provided a 97% Hit Rate in the Last 24 Months With an Average Return of 37%… 

Dear Member of the Sovereign Man Community:

Here’s a true story about something I discovered while I was researching companies … something that’s not supposed to happen in the markets.

Let’s head back to 1999/2000 … the tech bubble … the crash … and all that.

I had just bought my first house. I paid cash for the property, leaving me with $14,000 in savings. A decent sum, but not exactly a huge retirement nest egg.

Now … ‘conventional wisdom’ said … hold onto the cash … stay away from tech … diversify … it’s not the time to take any risk … and so on. You’ve heard all this a million times before 

But …

I Saw Something Extremely Unusual … And Here’s What I Did …

I promptly took that $14,000 and bought ONE stock … in the TECHNOLOGY sector. Let me say that again … ONE stock … and a TECH stock.

What was I thinking?????

Not only was this a tech stock … it was a tiny, hated company. Investors and ‘conventional wisdom’ had left it for dead.

Any financial advisor would have said, “Tim … you’re totally crazy to bet all your savings on this company.”

You can just imagine a ‘typical’ stock broker turning red with rage after hearing about this move.

But I went ahead and invested all my savings in this one company.

Why?

Because I discovered something extraordinary and rare about this company … something that gave me enough confidence to invest my last $14,000 in the company.

The company was called Queste Communications and it was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as QUE.

From 2 Cents a Share … to 12 Cents a Share …

QUE was a poster child for the lunacy that took place during the tech bubble … just one reason investors were staying away. It was a small technology company that had gone public near the top of the tech bubble. 

It provided customers with an early version of Voice Over Internet (VOIP) technology … the market Skype later dominated. Before QUE even really got going, the tech sector crashed. And QUE got crushed … shares fell to 2 cents from their 20 cent IPO price.

But here’s what caught my interest …

Despite the rout, QUE still had some cash in the bank. A TON of cash, in fact … cash worth 14 cents a share.

But, remember, the share price was only 2 cents.

QUE was trading for less than its cash value … WAY less … it’s the closest thing to free money that you’ll find in the markets.

How did this situation even exist?

Here’s What Happened Next … 

Free money in the stock market isn’t supposed to exist. 

But the opportunity I spotted with QUE was as close to a guaranteed win as I had seen. 

Think about it … if the share price is 2 cents … but the company has over 14 cents a share of cash in the bank… you’re buying a dollar for a lot less than a dollar.

The business could shut its doors, liquidate everything, and return cash to investors… and anyone buying at 2 cents would get 14 cents back. 

There was only upside for this investment. 

So I used all my savings – down to the last dollar – to buy shares of QUE. That was in the 4th quarter of 2003.

Within 90 days, the share price of QUE had climbed to 12 cents. I sold my shares and pocketed $51,723 … you’d have to agree … that’s an incredible return.

Yet this move flew right in the face of ‘conventional wisdom.’ No stock broker would have said, “Put all your savings in that stock.”

But I knew I had found something with QUE.

“There have to be other companies trading way below their cash value,” I thought. “I’m going to keep working and keep researching to find these companies.”

I will tell you about the results in just a minute. But first, let me describe …

Why Members of the Sovereign Man Community Follow Me …

My name is Tim Staermose. I’m the Chief Investment Strategist for Sovereign Man.

I completed my education in Australia before moving to Hong Kong to become an investment banker.

Even though I was successful in that career, I wanted more flexibility and today, I manage my own money plus provide advice for high net worth investors. I’m also the editor of The 4th Pillar, an investment newsletter I will tell you about in a minute.

I base my recommendations on the strategy I used with QUE.

You can see some exact recommendations … and the results … lower on this page. The strategy has worked … 

• 33 of the 34 picks I have recommended in the past two years have been successful for investors who follow me. That’s a 97% success rate.
• The average return on each pick is 37%

Now … I don’t want to boast too much because that’s not my style … but … ask yourself this question … “who else has a 97% hit rate?”

If you know someone, please let me know.

The people who follow me are …

• Members of the Sovereign Man community
• Highly independent thinkers
• Risk-averse
• Wary of the current state of the overpriced stock markets
• Looking for value … but unwilling to spend 9 hours every day looking for undervalued stocks.

And there’s something else you should know … something I believe is extremely important … I invest my money in the stocks I recommend. “I eat my own cooking,” as we say in the investment world.

Like you probably are, I’m extremely risk averse … my #1 goal is preservation of capital. I NEVER recommend companies I believe are too risky due to bad management, poor prospects, or other negative factors.

There’s no reason to risk initial capital. I never invest in companies with little or no upside potential.

So …

Let Me Reveal The ‘Non-Secret’ to How I Choose My Stocks …

Some people in the investment world claim to have a “secret” approach to picking stocks.

There’s no secret to my approach. It just takes a lot of work… and the willingness and expertise to look at stocks most analysts and investors completely ignore. 

I scour every market around the world to find value… I’m looking for companies that are selling so cheaply you can buy them for less than the cash they have in the bank.

It takes several hours of daily research to find these companies. 

A great example … my first pick using this methodology … Queste Communications.

It was trading at 2 cents a share. But it had 14 cents a share of net cash sitting in the bank. In other words, I was able to buy this stock at an 86% discount to its cash. It’s hard to lose money when you have that much cushion. 

And that’s the foundation of my strategy: buy a dollar for 75 cents … or less.

If you focus on the downside, the upside takes care of itself. That’s why 33 of my past 34 recommendations have been winners, with an average gain of 37%. 

But you can’t just screen the globe for companies that are selling for less than the cash on their books. Lots of companies trade for pennies for a good reason – they’re on the way to zero. 

Finding a universe of stocks trading for less than cash is just the beginning. 

I typically investigate over 1,000 companies before I find one I want to invest in … and recommend to members of The 4th Pillar. 

How I Achieved a 97% Hit Rate

Once I find a company selling for less than its cash in the bank, I take a close look at its fundamentals … I’ve analyzed thousands of companies in my role as an investment banker and private investor … so I know what to look for.

The stocks I recommend in The 4th Pillar typically meet the following criteria.

• Extremely low risk for loss of capital.
• Some type of temporary issue that’s keeping the company from achieving its full potential.
• A solid management structure with sound organization.
• Strong cash flow.
• Outside the United States, usually in Asia or Australia.
• Strong potential for growth.

Remember … I used to be an investment banker. As such, I developed extensive experience and expertise investigating and researching companies. But I also have lots of experience investing in private deals… I get investment proposals through my network everyday. And I turn most of them down… They just don’t meet my criteria. 

But when I pull the trigger, I make money. For example, a friend in Hong Kong invited me to invest in a private advertising company. I earned 60% in two years. 

And you can benefit from this expertise and experience. As I mentioned earlier, I have a 97% “hit” rate. My strategy, my experience, and my hard work … they pay off.

And, when you join The 4th Pillar, you gain access to my stock recommendations.

Take a Look at 5 of My Recent Recommendations

Want proof my strategy works? Take a look at these recent recommendations.

EXAMPLE ONE … 57% Profit in 6 Months

In September, 2016 I recommended that members of The 4th Pillar buy shares of a company called Mount Gibson.

Mount Gibson is listed as MGX on the Australian Stock Exchange.

At the time, MGX was trading at a share price that was less than its cash value.

Less than six months later, in February of 2017, the rest of the market realized this … it was absurd that its shares were trading for less than the amount of cash the company had in the bank.

The share price soared and members of The 4th Pillar made 57% profit in less than six months.

EXAMPLE TWO … 87% Profit

In April 2016, I recommended Karoon Gas, an Australian-based oil and gas company.

At the time, the market valued Karoon at A$301.99 million. But the company had nearly A$523.5 million in cash in the bank.

In just 7 months, the rest of the market realized that Karoon was an incredible deal. The stock price surged and The 4th Pillar subscribers banked nearly 90% profit.

EXAMPLE THREE … 105% Profit

In September 2014, I recommended Nam Tai Properties, a Hong Kong-based real estate holding company.

At the time, the market valued Nam Tai at $204 million. But the company had nearly $261mn in cash in the bank, over $221 million of real estate and was generating a solid profit.

Over the next 2 years, the market realized that Nam Tai was an incredible deal, the stock price surged and 4th Pillar members made over 105% profit.

EXAMPLE FOUR … 91% Return

Yorkey Optical is a Hong Kong company selling parts for digital cameras, photocopiers, and scanners.

Not only was it selling at an absurd 30% discount to its cash balance, but it was also paying an incredible 9% dividend.

Subscribers made a total of 91% on this recommendation and while they waited for the stock price to return to its cash backing, they received a total of 49% in profits through dividends.

EXAMPLE FIVE … 153% Return in Just 2.5 Months

In August of 2017 I recommended New Century Resources, that was trading at a huge discount to the value of all the assets it owned and had a HUGE margin of safety.

I also personally knew one of the key management personnel, who is a self-made mining entrepreneur and who’s made nearly $100mn off the back of deals like this. 

So, I knew we were backing a winner. And, sure enough, 4th Pillar subscribers had DOUBLED their money after just one and a half months.

Right now, they are sitting on over 150% profits and we’ll continue holding the stock, because there is still a lot of upside.

Currently, my WORST open recommendation is up 2.8% … not a winner but capital is preserved.

$10,000 invested in each of 12 current, open recommendation is showing $44,388 in profits.

Since the beginning of 2016, members of the 4th Pillar community who have followed my advice have closed out a further $74,945 in profits … one “loser” included. 33 winning trades out of 34 recommendations.

3 Ways My Readers Make Money

The primary strategy in The 4th Pillar is the one I used with QUE … when I turned $14,000 into $51,723 in just 90 days. 

I buy shares of high quality companies that are selling for less than the amount of cash they have in the bank … and I share these recommendations with you.

For example, a company might have $5.50 per share in cash, but due to the market’s irrationality … or some other temporary factor … the company is trading for … let’s say … just $3.75 … a 31% discount to its cash backing.

As I said … it’s all about finding ways to buy a dollar … for way less than a dollar. Then I do a deep dive into that company to make sure we’re investing in a solid company with good management … plus, ideally, exciting prospects for further growth.

From there, we make money three additional ways… 

1. Capital Appreciation … to minimize risk and protect capital.

By purchasing a well-managed, growing company that trades for less than its cash balance, there’s a very strong chance you’re buying near the bottom … which reduces your risk significantly. Even if it’s not at the bottom, the difference between the market value and the cash value provides a significant margin of safety. 

Remember … I buy these shares with my personal funds … and I’m extremely risk averse.

In 33 out of 34 recent picks, the share price has increased dramatically.

2. Currency Appreciation. 

The second way you can make money with this strategy is through currency appreciation. Many of these investments involve buying companies in foreign currencies, like the Australian dollar or British pound, that are trading near multi-year lows against the US dollar, and far below their historic averages.

This substantially reduces the downside risk.

And if these currencies do nothing more than return to their historic averages, you can make a significant gain on currency appreciation alone – regardless of how the business performs. 

3. Dividend Income. 

Many of the investments we make also return a portion of their profits to shareholders in the form of a dividend … this can reach 7% … sometimes more. For example, a current New Zealand stock in the portfolio is yielding 9.5% – one of our strongest yield plays. 

This is very important. Long-term studies of stock market returns have shown as much as 75% of your returns come from dividends. And who doesn’t like regular income hitting their account?

Want to know my recommendations?

You can …

Get My Personal Recommendations Through The 4th Pillar …

The 4th Pillar is a monthly newsletter I personally write and send ONLY to members of the 4th Pillar community.

You receive my specific investment recommendations. These are the same recommendations I supply to my high-net-worth money management clients … and the same recommendations I follow with my own capital.

I show you …

• Which stocks to buy … at which price …
• When to sell …
• When to hold …
• How much of your portfolio to allocate 
• I also disclose how many shares my clients and I own and control, and what we paid for them

The 4th Pillar is delivered via monthly letter. However, I also send occasional emails when there’s an urgent need to buy or sell a stock I have recommended.

I also recommend brokers I personally know. These brokers know how to trade 4th Pillar recommendations. These are online brokers as well as full-service brokers based in Australia, Asia, and some in the USA.

Of course, you can execute your own trades through an online, discount brokerage… and we’ll tell you which online brokers we recommend.

Or, if you have an IRA with Fidelity or another major custodian, chances are you don’t have to change anything… you can make these trades directly in your IRA. 

Here’s an example of the front page of a recent 4th Pillar newsletter.

15 Reasons to Join the 4th Pillar Community …

Here’s why investors around the world have joined the 4th Pillar community.

1. I do all the “heavy lifting” for you through my research … so you don’t have to spend hours and hours sifting through the raw data finding the stocks that match my strategy.

2. Avoid the risk of today’s over-valued markets … it’s no secret that most stock markets around the world are seriously over-valued … and thus seriously risky. You can avoid these over-valued markets with my recommendations.

3. You Get High quality stock recommendations … with strong potential upside.

4. Results … each $10,000 invested in my recommendations has produced an average return of $3,700 over the past 22 months.

5. A 97% “hit” rate on my recommendations.

6. Value … finding a dollar for as little as 75 cents … or less.

7. Dividend income … some of the companies I recommend offer a dividend … some up to 7% … or higher.

8. Even more value … this information would normally cost tens of thousands if I sold it to professional money managers… but it’s just $2.72 a day.

9. I personally buy these recommendations … I invest my own money, and that of my high-net-worth clients, in the exact same recommendations I give you.

10. My background … I was formerly an investment banker. I was trained to evaluate companies and their potential for growth and success. I’ve carefully honed my system for 19 years.

11. The only source for this information … you cannot find this type of stock research anywhere else … it’s only available through membership in The 4th Pillar.

12. Currency appreciation … right now, the strong dollar means you receive even greater value on stocks from foreign markets. Future weakness in the dollar, which we expect, will add to your gains in dollar terms. 

13. Timely information … you receive the monthly newsletter which comes with my picks. But when time is more pressing, I send an email to 4th Pillar subscribers the moment I think you need to act.

14. All the information you need … you know when to buy … you know when to hold … you know when to sell … all thanks to the recommendations in The 4th Pillar.

15. Limited number of subscriptions … The 4th Pillar is NOT available to everyone. It’s only available to members of the Sovereign Man community and the total number of subscribers is limited. We have to ration memberships as the stocks I recommend are sometimes small and not very actively traded.

I Invest in My Recommendations …

Here’s something I discovered when I was an investment banker … many people who make stock recommendations, DO NOT invest in these stocks. It’s pretty shocking, I know.

But I invest in my recommendations … usually taking significant positions in these stocks. In fact, I detail my holdings in each stock.

When I recommend you buy a stock, I buy the stock.

When I recommend it’s time to sell, I sell.

So … I’m a member of this 4th Pillar community. I have a vested interest in the performance of these stocks. Just like you.

What The 4th Pillar is NOT …

The 4th Pillar is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. Yes … some of the gains happen relatively fast … 

Some 4th Pillar subscribers recently earned a 490% return in just 11 months on shares of Bauxite Resources.

But results sometimes take much longer … so you need to be a patient investor.

Remember … patience is certainly rewarded. 97% of my recommendations since 2016 have been “hits” and members of the 4th Pillar community have enjoyed an average return on each recommendation of 37%.

But if you’re looking for “electrifying gains” in the next 30 days, then The 4th Pillar is NOT for you.

Why I Stay Away from America …

As I write, the American markets are seriously over-valued. Plus, there can be serious tax and ownership downsides to stock ownership in the United States … and other markets.

However, the Australian and some of the Asian markets provide two major advantages.

• A friendlier environment for stock ownership (especially in Australia), where you can hold direct title to your securities without a broker standing between you and your shares.
• Some seriously under-valued stocks … even in today’s market environment.

Remember … I’m looking for under-valued companies with the potential for growth … while preserving capital. Right now, these can only be found in Australian and Asian markets.

Job #1 … Preservation of Capital … Minimize Your Risk …

As I just wrote, I invest my own personal money in my recommendations. Yes … I’m looking for a serious upside thanks to my strategy.

But the #1 job is preservation of capital … yours and mine.

I know that people in the Sovereign Man community DO NOT like to take unnecessary risks. I’m exactly the same way.

So my #1 goal for members of the 4th Pillar community is to preserve capital.