Whether you’re a growth, value, income, or momentum-focused investor, building a successful investment portfolio takes skill, research, and a little bit of luck. But how do you find the right combination of stocks? Funding your retirement, your kids’ college tuition, or your short- and long-term savings goals certainly requires significant returns. Enter the Zacks Rank. What is the Zacks Rank? A unique, proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank uses earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company’s earnings expectations, to help investors create a winning portfolio. There are four main factors behind the Zacks Rank: Agreement, Magnitude, Upside, and Surprise.