Schaeffer's Investment ResearchSchaeffer's Investment Research is a privately held publisher of stock and options trading recommendations headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by CEO Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, we're celebrating over 40 years at the forefront of the thriving options industry. From our flagship Option Advisor newsletter to our expertly curated array of real-time trading services, we've got options for every investor. Ever since that first Option Advisor newsletter was published back in 1981, it has remained Schaeffer's Investment Research's flagship offering. Of course, we've since expanded our product line quite a bit, with key offerings including a wide array of real-time option trading alert services, premium weekend-trading bulletin services, in-depth educational courses, and complimentary market newsletters. Schaeffer's Investment Research provides a wide variety of trading programs ranging from 1 day holding period to 4 month holding period, aggressive to conservative, options buying to options selling, and moneyness varies by product, too! We offer trading programs that provide real-time entry and exit instructions for the more active trader as well as Sunday-night trading services for those who prefer to set trades outside of market hours or simply prefer not to worry about the market during the week. Our leader, Bernie Schaeffer, is highly regarded by major media outlets for a unique and well-known approach to the market. Bernie and his team of traders have regular media appearances on CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Nasdaq, Benzinga, CBOE, and PBS’ Nightly Business Report. They are also frequently quoted by The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Associated Press, Thomson Reuters, and Yahoo! Finance. Bernie has won numerous awards and accolades over the years, including: Recipient of the Traders’ Library “Trader’s Hall of Fame” award, Recipient of the Market Technician’s Association “Best of the Best” award, Consistently ranked among the top 10 marker times by Timer Digest,
Schaeffer's Investment Research (schaeffersresearch.com) has 204 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 3.3 out of 5.
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Showing 69 reviews with 1 star · Clear filters
T C.
They are the worst investment company to work with. I've lost a love of money with them. The representative that was assigned to me was very dishonest. He sold me a program that ended up costing me a lot of money. It didn't work. Then he lied about it.
Ed
Let me share my experience with Schaeffer’s Investment Research, Inc. and Sr. Account Manager, Joseph Haynie. On 02/28/2026 I signed up for a 12 month Power Trend subscription which cost $1000 when Joseph offered a 6 month trial period with a 100% refund if I wasn't pleased. Since then out of 21 trade recommendations there are 4 winners and 17 losers. On 07/29/2026 I contacted Joseph to start my refund. He said I still have 30 days left on my 6 month trial and suggested I wait, which I did. He understood the poor performance of Power Trend and suggested that I use my refund to purchase a Lightning Trader subscription ($1000) which also has a 6 month refund policy. Since then Lightning Trader has 20 losers, 11 winners on 31 trades. On 07/292026 Joseph emailed me "Here are the refund dates for the Power Trend: 08/26/2026 – 09/09/2026". On 08/26/2026 I emailed Joseph to cancel and refund Power Trend. No reply, so on 09/03/2026 I emailed Joseph that I haven't received my refund to which he replied that the refund request was submitted when I cancelled Power Trend on 08/26/2026. On 09/11/2026 I emailed Joseph that I haven't received my refund and to please do it. No reply, so on 09/17/2026 I emailed customer service that I have not received my refund for Power Trend. I also requested a refund for Lightning Trader because of its poor performance. No reply. No refund. My advice DO NOT TRUST Joseph Haynie or Schaeffer's Investment Research, Inc.
David C.
I subscribed to a service and was told that I can cancel the service with a full refund, ($995.00 USD). I requested the cancellation in April 2026. I was informed in June 2026 that the check was being sent on Friday, June 19,2026. After two months I contacted the service again and was promised that the check was being prepared for the next Monday. It is now August and still no check. The sales manager, Joseph Haynie does not return my telephone calls or emails. Either this company has serious cash flow problems, incompetent employees or they just lie to prevent cancellation refunds.
Kamal K.
I subscribed last June 5th, I received one set of options on sunday evening. Just one email. since then I received nothing but more offers to collect money. I paid for 2 year subscription. seems like a scam. No body answers my emails, even phone calls are lift to cut off. Be aware of this scammy service. After subscribtion, all what I got is more offers to collect subscribtion fees from me. very disaapoined
Response from Schaeffer's Investment ResearchAug 21, 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Kamal. We’re sorry for the confusion surrounding your subscription and the frequency of the service. We reviewed the correspondence on your account. On July 13, we received an email requesting cancellation of all subscriptions, which is why your In The Money Countdown membership was deactivated. Later that same day, you clarified that you did not want the service canceled and wanted your subscription to remain active. Your subscription was reactivated that same day. There also appears to have been a misunderstanding regarding the delivery schedule. In The Money Countdown provides six call and put trade recommendations once per month, on the Sunday prior to the second Friday of each month, rather than every Sunday. We understand how the combination of the cancellation request and the delivery schedule could have created confusion, and we’re sorry our communication did not make the schedule clearer from the outset. Your subscription remains active, and our team is happy to confirm the email address on file and the upcoming recommendation schedule with you directly. Schaeffer’s Investment Research
Chris M.
I purchased a program a good while back from them called countdown to profits. It started out very well. Their recommendations were good. In either the owner or his daughter sent me an email talking about another service that they have so I thought I would try it. Well, shortly after that, I got into an argument with the person that was supposed to be my account executive. He was practically chewing my butt out because I ordered something without going through him. So I complained about the way he treated me ever since then the recommendations have gone downhill and I’ve done nothing but lose money following their recommendations. I had ordered another service called Premier traders and supposedly had 130 day guarantee on it. I tried canceling after about 30 days. They told me I had to keep it for the for 130 days. Then after that was up I called to cancel. They talked me in to try something else for the same guarantee if I didn’t like it I could call back and cancel within them 30 days. ITried the other one for a couple days called back and canceled. I’ve been waiting on my money ever since they keep putting me off saying that the people that write the checks are backed up. In my opinion, if the people that write, the checks for refunds are backed up, there must be a lot of people asking for refunds. In my opinion, they just keep peoples money as long as they can before sending it back. I read a review on from someone on the BBB’s website that we’re having the same trouble that I’m having of getting their refund.
Kevin H.
I am still waiting for a refund from a subscription that was cancelled months ago. I get the run around when I am able to get someone on the phone, once I was told that yes he could see that my check was being processed, when that hadn't arrived after 4 weeks my wife was told that the check would be sent out on July 31. That would be almost 3 months after the cancellation had been promised. I suggested just refunding it to the credit card that we used to purchase the product and that has not happened either. I am starting to believe the whole thing is a scam.
Response from Schaeffer's Investment ResearchAug 21, 2026
Thank you for updating your review, and we sincerely appreciate your patience while we worked to resolve this. We’re glad our Customer Service team was able to connect with you quickly and address the issue. We agree that the delay you experienced was far too long, and we apologize for the frustration and conflicting information along the way. We appreciate the opportunity to make things right and, most importantly, are happy to hear that you remain a satisfied Schaeffer’s customer. Thank you for giving us the chance to correct the problem and for updating your review to reflect the resolution. — The Schaeffer’s Team
D.H.
I subscribed to Schaeffer's Quick Hit service on Sept 29, 2022 buying a lifetime service for $2,900. Since that time, the value of the options recommended have been pretty much a complete zero. They make plenty of recommendations, but it is amazing to me how many lose money. Their favorite phrase seems to be "We recommend exiting to preserve capital." Schaeffer's response was as expected; pure pablum. It's not our fault. Wah, wah, wah. Any service that is worth their salt should be hitting a minimum 60% win ratio, not next to nothing. How those analysts keep their job is beyond me.
Response from Schaeffer's Investment ResearchAug 21, 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re sorry Quick Hit has not met your expectations. Options trading can involve periods of losses, and no strategy will produce winners on every recommendation, which is why disciplined trade management — including exiting a position when a setup is no longer working — is an important part of the strategy. That said, after several years with the service, we certainly understand your frustration if the overall experience hasn’t been what you expected. We’d welcome the opportunity to review your membership and trading preferences with you to see whether another strategy may be a better fit. Please reach out to our Member Success team so we can discuss this with you directly. — The Schaeffer’s Team
Michael
Signed up for one of the programs they offer, with money back guaranty. For the last 3 month I have been trying to receive money paid and they are saying I am on the list, with no time frame when I should receive my payment. The reason I want to get money back, their research is not working on many occasions I have been losing money by following their recommendation, I am very upset with SIR and will not recommend them to anyone. This company is complete SCAM!!!
Response from Schaeffer's Investment ResearchApr 14, 2026
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and have reviewed your account in full. Our records confirm that your refund has already been processed in accordance with our guarantee. The statement that a refund was not provided is not accurate based on our documented records. While we understand your concerns, we are unable to fulfill requests for additional compensation beyond the agreed terms. We remain available to assist with any questions regarding the refund.