Editor's note: Matt McCall calls himself, "the most anti-Wall-Street guy there is"...

He has regularly been called a "legendary stock-picker" due to his incredible track record – averaging three "10x" winners per year since 2007. And we're proud to say Matt is joining Stansberry Research as our newest expert financial analyst.

Yesterday, we shared the first part of Matt's personal story, courtesy of our friends at American Consequences online magazine. In today's Masters Series, we're featuring the conclusion – including how he got caught up in (and got out of) the world of financial-media hype... and the investing strategy that has led him to 1,000%-plus gains 45 different times...

The Inevitable Optimism of Matt McCall, Part II

By Laura Greaver, managing editor, American Consequences

In 2004, Matt decided it was time to begin his own venture and fulfill his entrepreneurial dream of starting and owning his own company. He founded Penn Financial Group, eventually growing it to a multimillion-dollar advisory firm that worked with individual investors to help them achieve their financial goals.

But it wasn't all gravy at first…

"I lived in Denver at the time, and I didn't leave the kitchen – which was my office. I was just writing free newsletters every day, trying to get my name and ideas out to the world. Trying to get people to give a 27-year-old no-name money for investing isn't easy. I ate Tuna Helper every meal – $0.49 for the can of tuna, $0.99 for the box of Tuna Helper."

The Kool-Aid Can Be Tempting

So Matt moved to New York City to be closer to Wall Street. He began making TV appearances on CNBC, Bloomberg, and others. Like his gig at a radio startup, his first big TV break came in the form of a chance opportunity...

"I was a fan of the Fox News show Bulls & Bears – watched it regularly – when my PR guy called me and said there was a last-minute cancellation, so they could have me on as a guest host. I was scared to death, but this was my chance to be on TV with the guys I loved to watch – Tobin Smith, Meredith Whitney, and Jack Welch.

"I was starstruck... For a nerdy Wall Street guy like me, this was big time. I remember the rest of them were in expensive, $3,000 suits, and here I was in my cheap suit from JC Penney, two sizes too big, tie a mess, hair all over the place... But I must have impressed them, because they asked me to join their new morning show on Fox Business."

TV appearances became a big part of Matt's life, and he admits he began to "drink the Kool-Aid" somewhat – getting caught up in being a bit of a finance celebrity, having a driver... and an oversized ego.

"Having worked in media, I saw the sensationalism... The media is not there to educate you. It's there to get your eyes or your clicks. Especially today, the media is even more bombastic. There are more and more social outlets all competing for your eyes – and this is where the masses are getting their news from."

This is a big part of why Matt joined the Stansberry Research team...

Anti-Wall-Street Guy

Like many of our passionate investment writers at Stansberry Research, Matt left the corporate world of banking and the media limelight for a freer, truer path to helping people.

"Stansberry Research has done more to level the playing field for individual investors over the past 20 years than anyone. I wanted to be able to talk to people directly – not through a media platform, not in a book, not at a conference."

As one of the largest financial-investment research companies in the entire world, Stansberry's wide net appealed to Matt as a way to reach more people trying to learn about investing.

"Investing is actually very simple... At the end of the day, do you think this is going to be a bigger company in five years or not?"

Matt wants you to fire the adviser who only calls you once or twice a year... and "ditch those hedge-fund guys in fancy loafers who talk down to you."

He adds, "I'm the most anti-Wall-Street guy there is."

He tells me the toughest challenge of teaching people about investing is getting them to let go of the American get-rich-quick mentality... and to be in it for the long haul.

"We all hear stories at the watercooler or the cocktail party – someone's brother who got rich off a new biotech stock. They don't tell you about the other 10 that went to zero, of course.

"It's not tough to be a good investor... You put money away, you invest in good companies, and you let it go. You keep building out your portfolio. But, boy, is it hard when the market's down 1,000 points, and you're watching your money go down, and the news media is hyping it all up – that's one of the hardest things."

Spotting the Trends

It's easy to say investing is simple, just buy great companies... But how do you know if a company is worthy or not? Matt tells me that is pretty simple, too... Just "use your eyes."

This is similar to legendary fund manager Peter Lynch's famous advice to invest in what you know. Matt refers to Lynch as "one of the greatest investors ever." In fact, he gave Lynch's name when I asked who his investing inspiration was.

"People should literally walk the streets where they live for investing inspiration. Invest in what you're familiar with. Now, just because you see a lot of people at a store doesn't necessarily mean it's a great investment... But it's a good start."

Matt tells me about a time back in the 2000s when his then-wife was a buyer for Nordstrom clothing, specifically denim. One day, she told him about "these new jeans that had a unique stitched horseshoe design on the back pockets and a $200 to $300 price tag. And the kicker was that they couldn't keep them in stock because they were so popular."

So Matt started researching the company, True Religion, and liked the fundamentals. At the time, the stock was super cheap – maybe $0.20 per share – and he gobbled them up.

The denim trend really took off, and True Religion exploded... with celebrities wearing and endorsing the jeans. Between 2007 and 2012, the company's revenues nearly tripled, reaching $490 million in 2013. True Religion was sold for $850 million the following year. (Matt saw huge gains on his stock as it ran to more than $20 per share.)

"That's what's so thrilling about investing – ideas and trends are everywhere, ripe for the picking. The key is finding them and buying in before it's on the cover of Barron's because, well, then you're too late. And teaching people how to do this, that's my passion. I live for this."

Musk and Electric Vehicles... Embrace What's Coming

Matt says that people often fear the future more than anything... But that's actually what excites him the most.

Since Matt doesn't want to be known as mediocre, it makes sense that he's a self-proclaimed "fanboy" of one of the most unique entrepreneur superstars there is – Elon Musk.

When Tesla first emerged, people were very skeptical... They thought Musk was an eccentric nut, and many argued this country didn't need or want another big car company.

But Matt drew on his sports-gambling days... "You shouldn't bet on the horse – you bet on the jockey. And Elon Musk is a visionary... I remember thinking 'whatever this guy invests in, wherever he goes, I'm along for the ride.'"

It wasn't just Musk's contrarian zaniness that endeared him to Matt... Tesla's business model was different. It sold cars directly to the consumer. Plus, Tesla made the first successful fully electric mass-market vehicle... And it also looked sexy.

"Yes, there were hurdles... But you have an exceptional leader who's incredibly brilliant, and a superior product. I knew Tesla would succeed."

Matt recommended Tesla in 2014 – a swim-against-the-current contrarian call... And Tesla just reported $1 billion in quarterly earnings and is now one of the largest companies in the world. (Matt's up around 1,854% on his Tesla position.)

Be the Wolf

Matt's enthusiasm for helping investors and his future with Stansberry Research feel contagious.

At the end of our meeting, he leaves me with some words of advice...

"To be successful in life, you can't be on the bandwagon... You have to be the wolf, not the sheep."

Matt's working on a new book and his new product with Stansberry... It seems the sky's the limit when he puts his mind to something.

Just don't ever call him mediocre...

Regards,

Laura Greaver

Editor's note: In spite of the pandemic... creeping inflation... and the Fed's out-of-control money-printing... Matt says the coming decade will be the greatest 10 years for investing we've seen yet.

He's revealing why – and his secret formula for capturing massive stock market winners – in a special presentation on Wednesday, October 20, at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

If you have any money in stocks right now... if you're concerned about your financial future... or if you're simply watching the markets rise and fall and wondering what comes next... this is a can't-miss event. Reserve your spot for free right here.