Stop Guessing. Start ROARing!
ETFYourself.com and the ROAR Score. To take risk out taking risk.
The Mission: A Better Investment Experience
I founded ETFYourself.com to put my proprietary research directly into your hands. I manage my own money now, and I’m inviting you to look over my shoulder as I do it.
Wall Street sells “buy and hope.” I’ve created a disciplined, defense-first process designed to seek a low-volatility, long-term investment experience.
After 30 years and 100,000+ hours on the inside managing mutual funds and private wealth, I realized that generic “Buy” ratings are often just sales tools—they tell you what to buy, but never how much to own or when the risk has become too high.
Along with my friends at PiTrade, we created an innovative DIY research portal that takes the research/newsletter insights I’ve shared with subscribers at ETF Yourself on Substack since 2022, and built an action-oriented, interactive tool which updates my ROAR Score research on ETFs and stocks, every market day. It also gives you access to my curated ticker watchlists, to “borrow” some of the portfolios I’ve built, and even create your own portfolios, once you learn to use the ROAR.PiTrade.com site.
The Tool: The ROAR Score
Everything here is built on the ROAR Score (Reward Opportunity And Risk). It is a research-grade compass that answers one fundamental question:
“Is the next 10% move in this security more likely to be UP or DOWN?”
The Strategy: The Risk Thermostat
Instead of “all-in” or “all-out,” we use the ROAR Score like a Risk Thermostat. We don’t try to predict the future; we adjust our exposure based on the current probability of loss.
Dial Up Growth: When the ROAR Score is high, we tilt toward investments that move in sync with the broader market, like SPY (S&P 500).
Dial Up Safety: When the ROAR Score is low, we shift toward investments that don’t rely on the market’s path to earn a return, such as BIL (1-3 Month T-Bills). Or even securities that are built to go up when the market goes down.
This tactical approach helped preserve capital during every bear market since the 1990s. My primary focus has always been ABL: Avoid Big Loss. Growing wealth in the good times is easy; protecting it is where the real work happens.
How to Follow My Research
I have built this ecosystem to meet you where you are—whether you want to follow my playbook, use my tools, or master the craft alongside me.
1. The Playbook: ETFYourself.com (Standard) Follow my analysis, insights, and model portfolios.
Standard Membership ($15/mo or $150/yr): Includes my weekly research, 2-ETF and 10-ETF model updates, and highlights from my ROAR Score research. At this level, you’ll also get a live quarterly session.
2. The Mentorship: ETFYourself.com (Premium) For the DIY investor who wants a “hands-on” experience.
Premium Membership ($600/yr): Includes everything in Standard plus weekly live sessions where we dive into the ROAR research site together, share best practices, and analyze the markets in real-time.
3. The Interactive Tool: ROAR.PiTrade.com Apply ROAR Scores to your own ideas.
Early Adopter Access (FREE): Create a free account on this risk-management portal. Enter any ticker, get an instant ROAR Score, history of that Score, and use our Portfolio Optimizer to back-test your own strategies.
Where to find Rob on the Web
🏠 ETFYourself.com – My primary home for tactical research and personal portfolio moves.
🛠️ ROAR.PiTrade.com – The interactive research portal and portfolio construction tool.
PiTrade.com - Copy trade Rob’s model portfolios through this Robo Advisor
📈 Barchart.com – Read my weekly column on technical analysis and market primers.
🎓 Seeking Alpha – Home of the Sungarden Investment Club for live interactive sessions.
A Founder’s Note: From Graph Paper to the ROAR Portal
My journey began in 1980. I was 16 years old, watching my father—a dedicated DIY investor—meticulously chart stocks by hand with graph paper and a pencil. He wasn’t looking for “hot tips”; he was looking for a way to protect our family’s future when his industry essentially vanished overnight.
That experience became my “North Star.” I don’t manage other people’s money anymore; I manage my own using the same “defense-first” principles I learned at my father’s side. ETFYourself.com is my playbook, and ROAR.PiTrade.com is the tool we built so you can use it too. Together, they are my legacy.
Maybe a a piece of my mind can give you peace of mind.
— Rob Isbitts
