The questions people ask before they pay
Every one of these started as a real question. Somebody asked us, or typed it into a search box before they found us. None of them has a return figure for an answer. The rules bar any promise of returns. And the honest version does not need one.
Updated 3 November 2026 · Potoos Research Services
Checking, paying and complaining
Quick answers, 17 of them
The questions people actually type, with the short version of each answer. Every one links to the page that goes deeper. None of them has a return figure for an answer. A registered analyst may not promise returns, and may show past performance only after PaRRVA, SEBI's verification agency, has verified it. And the honest version does not need one.
How do I verify a SEBI registered research analyst?
Open SEBI's public register of Research Analysts. Search the INH number you were given. Check that the name and city on the record match the website you are on. A match alone is not proof, because impostors copy these details, so contact the analyst through the details on the register and confirm the payment account that way. A Research Analyst number starts with INH. An Investment Adviser number starts with INA. Potoos is INH000027380, Vinoth Kumar S, Chennai. Do it before you pay, and again at renewal.
Where is the list of SEBI registered research analysts?
SEBI publishes one national register of every registered Research Analyst. It is the only list nobody on it can edit. Third-party “top 10” lists are editorial. Some are paid placements. Use them to find names if you like. Then confirm every name on SEBI's own register, including ours.
Who is a SEBI registered research analyst in Chennai?
Potoos Research Services is one: Vinoth Kumar S, INH000027380. The research desk is in Chennai and serves clients across India in English and Tamil. There are other registered analysts in Chennai too. So do not take any single name on trust. Search the register for whoever you are considering. Match the name and the city, then confirm the payment account through the contact details on the register.
What is the difference between a research analyst and an investment adviser?
A Research Analyst publishes research and recommendations on securities. That registration begins with INH. An Investment Adviser advises you on your own portfolio and circumstances. That is a separate registration, beginning with INA. If you want a view on a stock, that is research. If you want a plan built around your life, that is advice. Potoos is registered for the first.
Can a SEBI registered research analyst trade the stocks they recommend?
Not around the recommendation. SEBI's rules bar an analyst and their associates from trading a security they recommend or follow from 30 days before to 5 days after a research report on it. Trading against their own recommendation is restricted too. At Potoos, we do not trade the options we recommend at all. Any equity we hold is traded only outside those windows, under the same rules.
How much does a stock advisory cost per year in India?
SEBI caps what a research analyst may charge individual and Hindu Undivided Family clients. The cap is ₹1,51,000 per family per year. Published prices below that ceiling start at a few thousand rupees a quarter. Ours are ₹2,999 for three months, ₹5,499 for six and ₹9,999 for a year. Whether a price is reasonable depends on the capital it sits against.
Which is the best stock advisory service in India?
Nobody registered can answer that with a name. SEBI's advertisement code bars registered analysts from calling themselves “No. 1” or using similar superlatives. Past performance may be shown only after PaRRVA, SEBI's verification agency, has verified it. A service making a number-one claim is telling you something about itself. Compare on checkable facts instead. The registration, published fees, a complete record, and a working grievance route.
Is a paid stock advisory worth it?
It depends what you think you are buying. A subscription cannot buy an outcome. Any service implying otherwise is breaking the rules. What it can buy is a defined process. An entry, a target and a stop-loss set before entry. The reasoning in writing. And a record that keeps the losses. Whether that is worth the fee is arithmetic against your capital.
Are stock tips illegal in India?
Giving recommendations on securities for consideration requires SEBI registration. That means registering as a Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. So the problem is paid tips from an unregistered person, not tips as such. A channel with no registration is bound by none of SEBI's conduct rules for analysts, has no fee cap, and is not covered by SEBI's complaint routes. It can still be reported to SEBI on its Market Intelligence portal, and fraud to the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the police.
Are Telegram stock tips channels trustworthy?
An unregistered channel owes you none of the duties a registered analyst does. It can delete a call, move a target, or disappear overnight. SEBI's own enforcement orders document operators who profited by selling into their followers' buying. Before you follow any channel, ask for a registration number and check it. If there is not one, SEBI's SCORES route will not cover it. You can still report the channel to SEBI on its Market Intelligence portal, miportal.sebi.gov.in, and report fraud to the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the police.
Who is the best SEBI registered research analyst for options trading?
The answer is the same as for “best” anywhere in this category. SEBI's advertisement code bans “No. 1” claims, and allows past performance only after PaRRVA, its verification agency, has verified it, in SEBI's format. Anyone claiming to be number one is breaking the code. For options, check the following. Does every call carry a stop-loss set before entry? Do calls arrive before the market opens, rather than during it? Are the losing calls still in the record?
Do I get intraday tips?
Not live ones, and that is deliberate. Every call is published the day before the market opens, and there are no live calls during market hours. So you are never reacting to a message mid-session. And by the time a live message reaches you, the price has usually already moved. If what you want is live intraday alerts, this is not the service for you.
How much capital do I need to start?
We suggest a minimum of ₹50,000. The reason is arithmetic, not principle. A run of stop-losses is a normal part of the plan. You need enough capital left to trade on the sixth day. At smaller sizes the fixed subscription fee also eats too large a share of the account. It does that before a single trade happens.
Do I have to share my demat or trading account?
No. Calls arrive with the entry, the target and the stop-loss. You place the order yourself, in your own account, with your own broker. No login, no password, no account linking, no remote access. Somebody may ask for your trading credentials or an OTP. Treat that as a reason to stop, whoever is asking.
Where can I read reviews of a stock advisory service?
Do not decide on online reviews alone. And a registered analyst may not publish misleading testimonials, or past results that PaRRVA, SEBI's verification agency, has not verified. What you can check instead is all public. The SEBI register, the exchange enlistment, and the complaint data every registered analyst has to publish every month.
How do I check a SEBI registration number online?
Open SEBI's register. Type the number into the search box, rather than scrolling the list. Read the record it returns. You are checking three things. Does the number resolve at all? Does the name match whoever you are dealing with? Is the record current? Do not trust a certificate image. Anyone can make one in an image editor.
What happens if I want to cancel my subscription?
At Potoos you can cancel at any point in the term. We deduct the amount used up to the date of your request, on a pro rata basis. The balance is refunded to the account you paid from. Before paying anyone, ask for the cancellation and refund terms in writing. SEBI requires every registered analyst to share its terms, and get your consent, before it charges a fee.
Read the verification guide first. Run it on us before you run it on anyone else. Search INH000027380 on SEBI's register. Check that the name and city match this site, then confirm the payment account through the contact details on the register. Everything else on this page matters less than that one check.
Some of these answers are published in Tamil as well. Read the Tamil pages.