Motley Fool Portfolios Review: Is Tom Gardner's Everlasting Portfolio Worth $3,999?

| | 4.4 /5 — Very Good

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You’ve used Stock Advisor. Maybe you’ve upgraded to Epic. But something’s still missing: you’re getting stock picks, not a complete investing framework. You want to know how Tom Gardner—Motley Fool’s co-founder—actually invests his own money. Not what he recommends. What he owns.

That’s the promise of Motley Fool Portfolios, the premium tier where the Everlasting Portfolio lives. At $3,999/year, it’s double the price of Epic Plus. The question isn’t whether the service is good—it’s whether that $2,000 premium buys you something that actually changes your investing behavior.

The Quick Verdict

Motley Fool Portfolios is worth it for experienced investors with $250K+ portfolios who want complete transparency into Tom Gardner’s actual investments. At $3,999/year, you’re paying for the Everlasting Portfolio—the only stocks Tom personally owns—plus 35 real-money portfolios, 10+ monthly picks, and exclusive crypto research.

Rating: 4.4/5 — Very Good for the right investor.

The catch: this is a premium service with a premium refund policy. Unlike Stock Advisor’s 30-day money-back guarantee, Fool Portfolios only offers a credit swap to Epic Plus. If you want out, you lose $2,000 in value. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it demands commitment.

Best for: Dedicated investors who’ve outgrown Stock Advisor and want to mirror a billionaire’s actual portfolio strategy.

Not for: Investors with less than $100K—Epic Plus gives you 80% of the value at half the price.

Tom Gardner's Personal Best Ideas - Motley Fool Portfolios Review: Is Tom Gardner's Everlasting Portfolio Worth $3,999?

The Everlasting Portfolio: What You’re Really Paying For

If you searched for “Everlasting Portfolio review,” here’s what you need to know: the Everlasting Portfolio is now exclusively available through Motley Fool Portfolios. It’s the crown jewel of this tier—and the primary reason to pay the premium.

According to Motley Fool: “Full access to multiple portfolios run by co-founder Tom Gardner backed by millions of dollars, including the Everlasting Portfolio – the only stocks Tom personally owns.”

This isn’t marketing spin. It’s genuine transparency. Most stock picking services tell you what to buy. The Everlasting Portfolio shows you what Tom Gardner actually bought with his own money—and continues to hold.

The underlying philosophy has produced remarkable results. Picks like Nvidia (recommended April 2005, up 111,721%), Tesla (November 2011, up 21,601%), and Shopify (February 2016, up 7,563%) came from this approach. But those returns required something most investors can’t stomach: holding through 50%+ drawdowns while the market questioned everything.

The Everlasting Portfolio isn’t a list of stocks. It’s a window into how a billionaire actually navigates volatility—when he adds, when he holds, when he does nothing while everyone else panics.

Try Fool Portfolios — Access Tom Gardner’s Everlasting Portfolio

What You Get: 35 Portfolios, 10+ Monthly Picks

Fool Portfolios isn’t just the Everlasting Portfolio. It’s a complete investing infrastructure:

9 Scorecards (10+ monthly picks):

  • Stock Advisor (2 picks/month) — The flagship with 23+ years of track record
  • Rule Breakers (1 pick/month) — High-growth disruptors
  • Hidden Gems (1 pick/month) — Tom Gardner’s small-cap hunting ground
  • Dividend Investor (1 pick/month) — Income-focused picks
  • Trends (1 pick/month) — Sector and theme plays
  • Value Hunters (1 pick/month) — Undervalued quality businesses
  • Global Partners (1 pick/month) — International opportunities
  • Firecrackers (1 pick/month) — Fool Portfolios exclusive
  • Digital Explorers (1 pick/month) — Fool Portfolios exclusive

35 Real-Money Portfolios:

  • Tom Gardner’s Everlasting Portfolio
  • 5 Moneymakers Portfolios (pricing power focus)
  • AI Playbook Portfolio
  • Moneyball Portfolio (up to 250 daily recommendations)
  • Specialized portfolios for crypto, microcaps, and options

Research Tools:

  • Fool IQ+ (complete financial data, proprietary estimates)
  • Moneyball Database (3,500+ companies)
  • AIball Database (3,400+ companies with AI analysis)
  • Cryptoball Database (800+ cryptocurrencies) — Fool Portfolios exclusive
  • GamePlan+ (retirement planning, financial goal-setting)

Support:

  • White-glove support with Investor Solutions — dedicated assistance, not a generic help desk

The volume is substantial. If Epic Plus felt like drinking from a fire hose, Fool Portfolios is a waterfall. This is a service for investors who want comprehensive coverage and have the capital to deploy across multiple strategies.

Explore Fool Portfolios — 35 Real-Money Portfolios

How It Works: The Motley Fool Philosophy

Every Motley Fool service shares the same core methodology (covered in detail in our Motley Fool overview review):

5+ Year Holding Periods: This isn’t optional. The returns that make headlines—Nvidia’s 111,721%, Tesla’s 21,601%—came from investors who held for 10-20 years. If you’re thinking in months, you’re thinking wrong.

25+ Stock Diversification: No single pick should make or break your portfolio. The strategy is asymmetric: individual losses are capped at 100%, but winners can compound 10,000%+. You need enough positions to capture those outliers.

Hold Through Volatility: Every legendary winner has faced gut-wrenching drawdowns. Netflix dropped 80% in 2022. Amazon fell 90% during the dot-com crash. The methodology requires sitting through those moments—not just intellectually accepting them, but actually doing it.

Three Entry Strategies: Fool Portfolios offers Cautious, Moderate, and Aggressive approaches based on your risk tolerance and capital. You’re not left guessing how to implement.

The Everlasting Portfolio embodies this philosophy in real-time. When Tom Gardner holds through a 40% drawdown, you see it. When he adds to a position everyone else is selling, you see it. That transparency is the product.

Pricing & Value: Is $3,999 Worth It?

Let’s do the math honestly:

The Cost:

  • Annual: $3,999/year ($76.90/week)
  • No promotional pricing currently available
  • Refund: Credit swap to Epic Plus only (NOT cash refund)

The Premium Over Epic Plus:

FeatureEpic Plus ($1,999)Fool Portfolios ($3,999)
Monthly Picks8+10+
Scorecards79
Real-Money Portfolios635
Everlasting Portfolio
Cryptoball (800+ crypto)
White-Glove Support

For $2,000 more, you get: the Everlasting Portfolio, 29 additional real-money portfolios, cryptocurrency research, two exclusive scorecards, and dedicated support.

The Breakeven Calculation:

If you’re investing $250,000 and Fool Portfolios helps you outperform by just 1.6% annually, you’ve covered the $3,999 cost. Given the service’s track record, that’s a reasonable expectation over a 5+ year horizon—but only if you actually follow the strategy.

The Real Question:

$3,999 isn’t the cost. The cost is whether you’ll actually use 35 portfolios, read 10+ monthly picks, and hold through the drawdowns that make the strategy work. If you’ll implement, the price is trivial relative to portfolio value. If you’ll subscribe and not engage, you’re burning money.

The Refund Reality:

This matters: Fool Portfolios does NOT offer a cash refund. Within 30 days, you can transfer to Epic Plus ($1,999 value). You lose $2,000. You must contact Member Support—you can’t do it online. The credit cannot be combined with promotional offers.

This isn’t predatory—it’s premium positioning. But it demands conviction before you buy.

Try Fool Portfolios — $3,999/Year

The Trade-Offs

Pros:

  • Everlasting Portfolio access — Tom Gardner’s actual holdings, not just recommendations
  • 35 real-money portfolios — Complete transparency into how millions are actually invested
  • Cryptoball Database — 800+ cryptocurrencies, first tier with crypto research
  • White-glove support — Dedicated assistance, not generic customer service
  • Complete research infrastructure — Fool IQ+, Moneyball, AIball all included

Cons:

  • Credit swap only refund — No cash back, lose $2,000 if you transfer to Epic Plus
  • $250K+ portfolio recommended — Strategies assume significant capital
  • Complexity overload — 35 portfolios and 10+ monthly picks require active management
  • Premium pricing — 2x Epic Plus, 20x Stock Advisor’s promo price
  • No price lock — Renews at “then-current list price” which may increase

Who Fool Portfolios Is For

Subscribe if you:

  • Have $250,000+ to invest and want comprehensive portfolio guidance
  • Already use Stock Advisor or Epic and want to level up
  • Specifically want Tom Gardner’s Everlasting Portfolio (no other way to access it)
  • Can commit to 5+ year holding periods without panic-selling
  • Want cryptocurrency research integrated with your stock strategy
  • Value white-glove support and dedicated assistance

This is the investor who’s tired of picking individual stocks from recommendation lists. They want to see complete portfolios—how positions are sized, when to add, how to handle drawdowns. They have the capital to implement and the temperament to hold.

Who Fool Portfolios Is NOT For

Don’t subscribe if:

  • You have less than $100K invested. Epic Plus at $1,999 gives you most of the value. The Everlasting Portfolio is valuable, but not $2,000 valuable if you can’t deploy enough capital to matter.
  • You need cash refund protection. The credit swap policy is a real risk. If you’re uncertain, start with Epic Plus—it has a more flexible guarantee.
  • You want simplicity. 35 portfolios and 10+ monthly picks is overwhelming if you’re not prepared to engage actively.
  • You’re a short-term trader. The philosophy demands years, not months. If you’re measuring in quarters, you’ll be frustrated.

If this describes you: Motley Fool Epic Plus at $1,999/year gives you 8+ monthly picks, 6 real-money portfolios, and the AI Playbook—without the Everlasting Portfolio but with a more forgiving refund policy. See our Epic Plus review for the full breakdown.

Best Alternatives to Fool Portfolios

Motley Fool Epic Plus — $1,999/year The most direct alternative. You lose the Everlasting Portfolio and crypto research, but get 80% of the functionality at half the price. Best for investors with $100K-$250K who want premium features without the premium price. See our Epic Plus review for the full comparison.

Motley Fool Stock Advisor — $99/year (promo) If you’re not ready for $3,999, start here. The 23-year track record speaks for itself. You won’t get portfolio context, but you’ll get the flagship picks that built Motley Fool’s reputation. Read our Stock Advisor review for the complete analysis. Best for investors with $25K-$100K who want proven recommendations.

Fool One — $13,999/year If Fool Portfolios isn’t enough, Fool One is the complete all-access tier. 30+ monthly picks, 11 scorecards, the Microball Database (2,500+ microcaps), exclusive events, and quarterly rebalanced portfolios. See our Fool One review for details. Best for investors with $500K+ who want everything.

Compare Motley Fool Services

Final Verdict: Should You Subscribe to Fool Portfolios?

Fool Portfolios is worth $3,999/year for the investor who’s ready to stop collecting stock picks and start building a complete portfolio strategy.

The Everlasting Portfolio is the differentiator. It’s not another list of recommendations—it’s transparency into how a billionaire co-founder actually invests his own money. For investors who’ve struggled with conviction, who’ve sold winners too early or held losers too long, seeing Tom Gardner’s actual behavior can be transformative.

But this service demands commitment. The credit swap refund policy means you’re in for $3,999 from day one. The complexity means you need to engage actively. The philosophy means you need to hold for years, not months.

If you have $250K+ to invest, a 5+ year horizon, and the temperament to hold through volatility, Fool Portfolios provides a complete investing framework that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. The Everlasting Portfolio alone—seeing exactly how Tom Gardner navigates markets—is worth the premium for the right investor. For a broader comparison of all Motley Fool services, see our complete Motley Fool review.

For a complete comparison of all advisory options, explore our guide to the best stock advisors.

If you’re not sure you’re ready, start with Epic Plus. You can always upgrade when your portfolio and conviction grow. See our Epic Plus review to compare before deciding.

Try Fool Portfolios — Access the Everlasting Portfolio


Frequently Asked Questions

Is Motley Fool Portfolios worth the money?

Fool Portfolios is worth $3,999/year for investors with $250K+ portfolios who want complete transparency into Tom Gardner’s actual investments. The Everlasting Portfolio—showing exactly what Tom personally owns—is the primary value driver. For investors with smaller portfolios, Epic Plus at $1,999 provides most features at half the price.

What are the best alternatives to Motley Fool Portfolios?

The best alternatives depend on your portfolio size. Epic Plus ($1,999/year) offers 80% of the value for investors with $100K-$250K. Stock Advisor ($99/year promo) is the entry point for investors with $25K-$100K who want the flagship picks. Fool One ($13,999/year) is the complete all-access tier for investors with $500K+ who want everything Motley Fool offers.

Motley Fool Portfolios vs Epic Plus: What’s the difference?

Fool Portfolios costs $2,000 more than Epic Plus ($3,999 vs $1,999) and adds: exclusive access to Tom Gardner’s Everlasting Portfolio, 35 real-money portfolios (vs 6), the Cryptoball Database (800+ cryptocurrencies), two exclusive scorecards (Firecrackers, Digital Explorers), and white-glove support. The key question is whether seeing Tom’s actual holdings justifies the premium.

How do I cancel Motley Fool Portfolios?

You must contact Member Support directly—cancellation cannot be done online. Within 30 days, you can transfer to Epic Plus ($1,999 value) via credit swap. Important: there is NO cash refund option. You lose $2,000 in value if you transfer. After 30 days, standard cancellation policies apply but no refund is available.

What is the Everlasting Portfolio?

The Everlasting Portfolio is Tom Gardner’s personal portfolio—the only stocks the Motley Fool co-founder personally owns. It’s exclusively available through Fool Portfolios ($3,999/year) and provides complete transparency into how Tom invests his own money, including position sizing, when he adds to holdings, and how he navigates market volatility.

Is Motley Fool Portfolios good for beginners?

No. Fool Portfolios is designed for experienced investors with $250K+ portfolios who want comprehensive portfolio guidance. The complexity (35 portfolios, 10+ monthly picks) can overwhelm beginners. New investors should start with Stock Advisor ($99/year promo) to learn the Motley Fool methodology before considering premium tiers.

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Written by TraderHQ Staff

Financial analyst and lead researcher at TraderHQ. Specialized in technical analysis tools and brokerage platforms.

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