How to Use Stockpickr

Browsing Pro Portfolios:

Using a dozen or so databases, both public and proprietary, we've come up with the top 1,000 mutual funds and hedge funds and super investors (Warren Buffett, George Soros, etc.) and entered their top holdings into our database. Using Stockpickr, you can easily browse these portfolios, drill down on stocks that interest you and check out overlapping funds and portfolios.

Spotlight Portfolios:

Every day we highlight interesting portfolios that we believe are topical or investment-worthy -- which I'll also be writing about in my daily column on TheStreet.com (click here for a sample column on George Soros). These portfolios run the gamut: IBD’s list of top-rated stocks (using the publication's Canslim methodology) that are moving higher on unusual volume; the list of top 10 stocks trading below their current net asset value; the top closed-end funds trading at the highest discount to their net asset value; a list of alternative energy stocks that we think will do well; and many more.

Top-Rated Portfolios:

We keep track of the top-rated portfolios as ranked by the Stockpickr community. In addition to serving as a ranking mechanism, rating a portfolio also functions as a bookmark for you. All the portfolios you rate can be tracked on your home page at Stockpickr. Additionally, whenever a portfolio you've rated highly, say with a "4," gets updated, you receive an email informing you of the change.

Most-Viewed Portfolios:

It's interesting to follow the site's most-viewed portfolios. Warren Buffett's portfolio is usually a favorite, along with the "other oracle of Omaha" -- Wally Weitz, head of the Weitz mutual funds -- whose portfolio is the fifth most-viewed at Stockpickr. Another favorite is our list of Takeover Targets which is the 10th most-viewed. You can check the rest out here.

Today's Lists:

Each day, we present in "Stockpickr format" (that is, the ability to see which other portfolios own each stock), the lists of stocks that are particularly relevant for that day's trading:

  • Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades.
  • Biggest % Winners and Biggest % Losers from the prior day.
  • Cramer's Lightning Round, a list from stock-filled segment from Jim Cramer's latest “Mad Money” TV show.

    • E-mail alerts are triggered every time a “Today’s List” portfolio is updated. If you have a portfolio that overlaps with, for instance, “Stocks with Unusual Option Activity,” then you will get an email informing you of this when that list is updated.

Do-It-Yourself Portfolios: These are the portfolios made by Stockpickr members that may or may not contain detailed analysis on each pick. These portfolios can contain more valuable ideas and insight than the pro portfolios. One of my recent favorites, for instance, is the Bionic Woman portfolio, a list of stocks related to the burgeoning field of prosthetic limbs. Jim Cramer often spends time going over the new portfolios on Stockpickr to get ideas for "Mad Money." He has featured this portfolio twice on the show.

Similar Portfolios: When you enter your portfolio and sign up for Stockpickr, if you go to your home page and look on the right, you will see a list of portfolios, Pro and Do-It-Yourself, that are highly correlated with your own picks. These might contain stocks worth looking at that you haven't considered before. It also might be a starting point for correspondence with these portfolios' creators to discuss ideas you may hold in common.

I'm Feeling Lucky: This button near the top is an excellent tool for either finding stock ideas or for wiling away the time while on the telephone. Clicking that button takes you to a random Pro or Do-It-Yourself portfolio that contains detailed analysis on the stocks in the portfolio.

The Stockpickr Community: This is perhaps the most important, and certainly the most popular, part of the site. There are two main areas where the community kicks in. Stockpickr Answers and the Stockpickr Forum.

On Stockpickr Answers, anyone can ask a question, respond to a question, and read other questions posed by the members of the community.