Reviews
Thank you for your interest in Topdown Charts.
This post shares testimonials and surveyed opinions from paid subscribers of Topdown Charts — it provides insight into why people subscribe and what they think of the service.
As some background, Topdown Charts was founded in 2016 and the Entry-Level service here was launched in 2021. The Entry-Level service draws from Topdown Charts’ world class institutional research service (which is trusted and relied upon by some of the world’s largest investors).
You can learn more about Topdown Charts + the goals of this service here.
This post should be very useful for those considering a paid subscription.
Charts and Data — Paid Subscriber Ratings
The below charts provide a visual and data-driven overview (from surveys of paid subscribers) of what people think about the service.
Probably the key (and most personally satisfying) statistic is that 90% of paying subscribers think that the service is either good or very good — and would happily recommend the Topdown Charts to friends and colleagues.
For completeness though, in surveying those who unsubscribed we computed an overall weighted average rating across current happy paying subscribers vs those who unsubscribed and canceled the service (chart below).
As noted above, 90% of current paid subscribers think it is good or very good — and even for those who unsubscribed, over 70% said it was at least OK or had positive things to say about it — I think it’s a good sign if even those who cancel have mostly good things to say.
And for those who had negative things to say: it was mostly because it was not a right fit with their style (e.g. this service is not for hyperactive daytraders looking for trade ideas — you can still buy it if you are a hyperactive day trader and maybe the high-level directional views can be helpful, but do not expect advice and ideas to suit a goldfish attention… short-term for us is measured in months).
But particularly relevant for those considering upgrading is the responses to the question “Why did you subscribe?“ — note: the question was presented as a check-box list, with respondents able to select multiple reasons (i.e. any or all that applied). Out of interest, 70% of respondents cited at least 3 reasons for subscribing (and over 90% cited at least 2 reasons). The chart below shows the percentage of respondents who cited each option as one of their reason(s) for subscribing.
So as you can see, if the points above (macro insights, charts, ideas, risk management alerts, limited budget and/or desire for just the key points) are relevant to your situation, you will be in good company joining a growing community of happy paid subscribers.
Testimonials
Aside from the charts and statistics, some of the best insights and points of feedback came in the long-answer feedback and “other” answers from the surveys I’ve taken of paid subscribers — I am very happy with this feedback because it endorses a lot of what I am aiming to deliver with the service.
“I like the organized and somewhat systematic nature of views”
”A weekly go-to for me. Simple but powerful, usable insights.”
”Data helps confirm instincts and or rationale for allocations”
”Enjoy the macro thoughts expressed graphically”
"Efficient insight into markets and market behavior"
”Great Summary of current macro perspective”
”Helpful in visualizing the big picture, and to get different perspectives”
”I’m always on the lookout for possible negations or contradicting views to what has been done or invested in. Vigilance is useful.”
”Material is concisely and thoughtfully presented. Good mix of technical and substantive analysis.”
Longer comments/testimonials
”I really appreciate Callum's unbiased economic insights and his charts. I use these charts in client communications all the time, and his tactical asset allocation guide is very useful in helping me determine sector allocations. I feel that this data gives me an edge over my peers and most importantly has improved the relative rate of return of my clients' portfolios.”
”Not only am I scoring more victories, I'm learning an incredible amount of information that helps and will continue to send me further towards my goals. Tools, techniques, charts. It's a brilliant newsletter for the type of person I am and where I am at in my life.”
”I like the fact that this information unbiased and independent since many of firms have their own agenda (big bank economists never seem to have negative views on real estate, for example). This service's low price is a big help, well worth the $. The concise form factor is also easy for me to digest, just the right length for me. The best part of the service is the asset class rating and TAA guide which are extremely useful for an asset allocator such as myself.”
"I like the valuable information you provide. It really allows me to focus on the really important key points in different sectors to help me manage my small portfolio in a reasonable way."
“thank you for providing individual investors the opportunity to get insights into markets. I use Topdown Charts to get a macro picture and make adjustments to my portfolio. Thank you again.”