Jim Fink

Jim Fink is chief investment strategist for Options for Income, Velocity Trader, and Jim Fink's Inner Circle. He has traded options for more than 30 years and generated personal profits of more than $5 million. Jim also serves as an investment analyst at Investing Daily’s flagship investing publication, Personal Finance.

Hopelessly overeducated, Jim holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a master's degree from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, a law degree from Columbia University, and an MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. For good measure, he has been a member of the Illinois and D.C. bars.

Prior to joining Investing Daily, and when not incurring student loans hiding out in academe, Jim practiced telecommunications regulatory law for nine years until he realized that he made more money trading stock options than writing briefs. After attending business school, Jim switched gears to the investment realm full-time, working for a university endowment, a private wealth management firm, an insurance and financial planning company, and as a Senior Analyst for an online investment newsletter service that encourages the wearing of funny hats.

A possible but unlikely descendant of legendary brawler and boatman Mike Fink, Jim defies his heritage, believing that investing success requires patience and analysis, not swashbuckling bravado. Besides his passion for analyzing and writing about stocks, Jim likes to hike in the desert Southwest, vacation in Las Vegas, play tennis, and feed his toddler son Cheerios.

Analyst Articles

Valuing Stocks Using a Snapshot Multiple Requires Earnings Predictability

Companies with predictable earnings have historically outperformed because investors value stability and are willing to pay for it. Fortunately, predictable companies are also easier to value accurately using snapshot earnings multiples, but it only works if one spends the time analyzing the income statement and isolating core earnings from reported earnings. Ignoring the anchoring bias of current market prices is the key to value-investing success. Read More

In the May issue of Roadrunner Stocks, five new BUY recommendations and five SELL recommendations have been issued. 1. The Value Portfolio is adding energy rig construction firm Gulf Island Fabrication (GIFI) and selling energy proppant manufacturer Carbo Ceramics (CRR).2. The Momentum Portfolio is adding:Communications wholesaler… Read More

The negative divergence between small caps and large caps appears to have been a temporary reaction to the negative first-quarter GDP report. Now that economists forecast a rebound in second-quarter growth, small caps have rebounded strongly, and the stock market is back in bullish mode with the Roadrunner Value portfolio leading the way. Read More

In the April issue of Roadrunner Stocks, two new BUY recommendations have been issued. 1. The Value Portfolio is adding agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO Corp. (AGCO).2. The Momentum Portfolio is adding Chinese internet retailer Vipshop Holdings  (VIPS). Read More . . . Read More

The stock market continues to hit all-time highs with a Dow theory bullish confirmation, no less.  Economic indicators are improving, but some caution is warranted because 2014 is a mid-term election year, which is the weakest year of the four-year presidential cycle. The Value Portfolio is working, whereas the Momentum Portfolio is not, so I will start trading the momentum portfolio much more aggressively to improve performance. Read More

In the March issue of Roadrunner Stocks, two new BUY recommendations have been issued. 1. The Value Portfolio is adding trucker Werner Enterprises (WERN).2. The Momentum Portfolio is adding veterinary healthcare company VCA Antech (WOOF). Read More . . . Read More