I turned my Rule #1 spreadsheet into a stock grading tool. Tear apart the methodology, and tell me if I wasted my time.

For a few years I graded stocks in a Google Sheet built on Rule #1 principles. It got unwieldy, so I rebuilt it as a web app. I’d like honest feedback on two things: the methodology, and whether this was a giant waste of time now that everyone seems to be building their own research and grading tools. How the grading works: * **Five growth metrics, graded on CAGR:** equity, EPS, sales, cash flow, and ROIC. Each gets a letter grade based on a robust average across multiple time periods, so one great or terrible year doesn’t dominate. * **Weighted composite:** EPS and ROIC at 25% each, sales 20%, equity and cash flow 15% each. That rolls up into one percent score and a buy/hold/sell rating. * **Valuation:** a two-stage EPS projection with growth capped at 18%, then 12%, so high flyers can’t produce absurd numbers. The future P/E comes from the historical P/E of companies at a similar market cap. Then a sticker price and a 30% margin of safety. What else it does (some of this is honestly just fluff): * Portfolio scoring: up to 20 holdings with a weighted composite grade * Head-to-head “drag race” comparing two tickers on years-to-10x * Dividend Kings/Aristocrats tracking with a safety score and income calculator * Macro strip: Buffett Indicator, yield curve, CAPE, VIX, Tobin’s Q, Rule of 20 * Technicals (50/200 SMA, RSI, MACD) for timing entries * A 15-question quiz that sorts you into an investor archetype * Compete against friends portfolios over different time horizons to see who got the better return. Where I’d like pushback: 1. Are the 18%/12% growth caps too generous or too conservative? 2. Is a market-cap-matched P/E better than the usual “2x growth rate or historical P/E, whichever is lower”? 3. Is there still room for a product like this, or is the space too crowded? What would it need to do that your current tools don’t and also justify $5/month? Full disclosure: this is my project, and it’s a paid subscription with a free 7 day trial. Not financial advice; it’s a screening tool, not a recommendation. Happy to run any ticker you want and post the grade breakdown in the comments. For those who want to try it themselves go to the Ticker Investigator tab and put in your ticker. Ticker INVESTigator