Editorial Guidelines

Our standards for every piece of content we publish

Last Updated: November 2, 2026

At Stocks of the Month, our mission is to provide individual investors with clear, well-researched stock ideas and market insights - helping them make more informed investment decisions of their own.

We combine AI-assisted research with human editorial judgment to publish one high-conviction stock pick per month, five sector picks across key industries, and curated market news written for individual investors. Every piece of content we publish is held to the same standard: accurate, clear, educational, and free of hype.

Data Accuracy

We work to ensure all figures, stock prices, financial metrics, and performance data are accurate as of the time of publication.
Data is sourced from SEC EDGAR filings (including 10-K annual reports, 13F institutional holdings filings, and Form 4 insider transaction filings), official company press releases, Financial Modeling Prep (FMP), S&P Global, Nasdaq, and NYSE, or other financial data providers we believe to be reliable.
We do not publish numbers we cannot verify. When exact data is unavailable, we note it explicitly rather than estimate.
Accuracy always comes before speed - we will never sacrifice correctness to be first.

Fact-Based Insights

Every stock pick, sector analysis, and market insight we publish is rooted in verifiable data.
Our analysis is transparent: we show our thesis, our reasoning, and the conditions under which our view would change.
Every pick includes our rating, shown as one of our opinion labels (High Conviction, On Our Radar, or Concerning), a target price, and the conditions under which we would issue a sell signal. Target prices are our estimates, not predictions or guarantees, and may never be reached.
We do not publish opinions without supporting evidence. If we are uncertain, we say so.

Clarity and Simplicity

We write for busy individual investors, not financial analysts. Our content assumes no prior background in finance.
We avoid technical jargon. When technical terms are unavoidable - such as P/E ratio, free cash flow, or EPS - we explain them in plain language the first time they appear.
We do not use marketing language in research content. Words like "explosive," "skyrocket," or "must-buy" have no place in our analysis.
We write shorter sentences. We use active voice. We get to the point.

Educational Value

Beyond publishing picks, we educate our readers. Every report explains not just our view on a stock, but why we hold it - and how to think about it.
We demystify financial concepts so that individual investors who are new to US markets can grow their knowledge and confidence over time.
We explain general investment principles - such as diversification, position sizing, and time horizon - so readers can judge for themselves whether a pick suits their own circumstances.
Our How to Invest section and beginner content are written specifically to lower the barrier to entry for first-time individual stock investors.

Filtering Through the Noise

We focus on what truly matters for long-term individual investors - not short-term price movements, rumors, or social media chatter.
We do not chase earnings-day noise or speculative momentum. Our picks are grounded in fundamentals.
We publish less content, but better content. One high-conviction monthly pick is worth more to our readers than a daily stream of opinions.
Our editorial filter: if a piece of content does not help our reader make a more informed investment decision, we do not publish it.

AI Content Standards

Stocks of the Month uses AI to assist in research generation, data synthesis, and report drafting. We are transparent about this in every report.
All AI-generated or AI-assisted content is reviewed by a human editor before publication. We do not publish unreviewed AI output under any circumstances.
Every report that includes AI-assisted analysis carries our standard AI disclosure notice: "This analysis was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our research team."
AI tools are used to accelerate research - not to replace editorial judgment. Final picks, ratings, target prices, sell signals, and investment theses are always human-reviewed and human-approved before publication.
Every $1 Report is delivered from a weekly research report that our research team has already reviewed. We do not write new content for individual requests, and each $1 Report shows the date of the research it is based on and the date it was delivered.
We do not use AI to generate testimonials, fabricate performance data, or produce quotes attributed to real individuals.

Performance Transparency

We maintain a complete track record of every pick, including percentage gains, losses, and the date of each pick. Premium members can see the full record at any time.
Our track record begins with the first pick we published to subscribers after our public launch on November 2, 2026. Every pick in it was published to subscribers at the time.
We do not include, or use in our marketing, investments that our founders or the company made before our public launch. From launch onward we include every pick, not a selection.
Picks older than 12 months are published publicly, without exception - winners and losers alike. To protect the value of membership, individual picks from the most recent 12 months are visible to Premium members only; for that period we publicly report summary results (number of picks, how many beat the S&P 500, and average return versus the S&P 500). Sector picks follow the same rules, shown on each sector's page.
All performance comparisons include a benchmark: the S&P 500 total return over the identical period.
We report wins and losses with equal prominence. We do not cherry-pick results or selectively present our track record.
Any performance data published on our website or in our reports notes that past performance does not guarantee future results, and that actual results for any reader will differ depending on when they buy and sell.
We update our track record monthly, within five business days of each month's end.

Individual Investor Focus

Our content is written with the individual investor in mind - professionals and everyday investors who invest in US markets and may have limited time for deep financial research.
We do not assume US financial literacy as a baseline. We explain concepts that experienced investors take for granted.
When relevant, we note market dynamics and sector trends where individual investors may have a unique perspective, such as Technology, Healthcare, and Consumer Discretionary.
We avoid jargon-heavy cultural assumptions in our examples, analogies, and references.
Our tone is respectful, direct, and professional - never condescending.

Impersonal Research, Not Personalized Advice

Our picks, ratings, target prices, and sell signals are the same for every reader. They are general, impersonal opinions published to all subscribers at the same time.
We do not know your financial situation, objectives, or risk tolerance, and we do not tailor any content to any individual or portfolio. Nothing we publish is a recommendation that a particular security or strategy is suitable for you.
We do not provide one-on-one investment advice, and we do not manage money for readers. Before acting on any pick, consider your own circumstances and, where appropriate, consult a licensed financial professional.
Stocks of the Month is not a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer. See our Disclaimer and Terms of Service for details.

Conflicts of Interest

Stocks of the Month invests up to $1,000 each month in that month's Stock of the Month pick for the company's own account. The money is contributed by two of our founders. The company, our founders, and the other people covered by our trading policy may also hold other stocks we cover, including stocks covered by $1 Reports. We disclose this so readers can weigh it when reading our research.
Our trading policy covers the company, our founders, and every employee, editor, reviewer, or contractor who can see a pick or sell signal before it is published. It also covers the members of their households.
The rules below apply to our monthly Stock of the Month pick and to our sector picks.
Subscribers go first. Nobody covered by the policy buys or sells a picked stock until three full trading days have passed after the pick or sell signal was published to subscribers. A trading day is a day the New York Stock Exchange is open.
This applies to the company's own monthly purchase of the pick as well as to everyone else covered by the policy.
We normally publish our picks on the first day of each month and begin considering stocks for them three calendar days before the publication date. Nobody covered by the policy buys a stock while we are considering it for an upcoming pick.
If someone covered by the policy already holds a stock when it becomes a pick, we say so in that pick. They do not sell it until we have published a sell signal and three full trading days have passed.
Nobody covered by the policy trades against a published pick - we do not sell or short a stock while it is our current pick.
Anyone covered by the policy who buys a picked stock holds it for at least ten full trading days, even if we publish a sell signal sooner. This includes the company's own purchases.
Every pick carries a disclosure. It says whether the company holds the stock when the pick is published and whether anyone else covered by the policy holds it. Each monthly pick also says that the company intends to buy the stock once the waiting period has passed.
Every sell signal says whether the company or anyone else covered by the policy holds the stock, and that they may sell it once the waiting period has passed.
These rules do not apply to other research we publish, including $1 Reports. A $1 Report is research, not a pick, and does not include a rating of any kind, an opinion label, or a target price.
Everyone covered by the policy reports each trade in a picked stock to the company within 10 days, and we keep those records for at least six years.
We do not accept payment, in any form, from any company we cover.

Our Commitment

At Stocks of the Month, we are committed to earning the trust of every individual investor who reads our work. Trust is built one accurate, transparent, and useful piece of content at a time. Stocks of the Month invests up to $1,000 in every Stock of the Month pick with money contributed by our founders, and we hold every report, every pick, and every email to that same standard.

We are not here to entertain. We are here to help our readers make better-informed investment decisions.

For questions or corrections, please contact us at support@stocksofthemonth.com.