To Portfolio Or Not To Portfolio

Logos is dangling the carrot again for a Portfolio upgrade. Economics are feasible, with all that I have it's about half price. I have all the mainstay stuff and most commentaries--I'm Platinum plus. There's easily enough I would buy to say yes. I still feel a bit hesitant. Almost a coin toss, or maybe a bunch of them, but it wouldn't bother me one way or the other.

I just had an old KJV rebound. No question about that investment. Maybe it's just a tech mirage.

Anyone with Portfolio wishing they did otherwise?

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Matthew C Jones

Anyone with Portfolio wishing they did otherwise?

Nope. No regrets. I have Portfolio 4 and upgraded to Portfolio 5. And I do not use the pastoral resources.

George Somsel

That is something you will need to decide for yourself. I would suggest determining what you would receive in the upgrade and then decide how much of that you really want. In my case most of the stuff I really want I already have so I would be paying for things that I really don't care about. Your situation may differ.

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/504961#Comment_504961

I gained a few things that I wanted, that were more expensive on their own... All for a reasonable monthly rate, so for me it was worth while.

Go down the list of things you'll gain, and total their prices, if the cost of portfolio is less, than go that route, if not just get the things in it that you know you want.

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/504962#Comment_504962

The numbers look right, maybe I'm just a little jaded about what a bigger library does. Besides extending my coffee breaks during a download and indexing [;)]

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505000#Comment_505000

The numbers look right, maybe I'm just a little jaded about what a bigger library does. Besides extending my coffee breaks during a download and indexing

It's worth noting that Logos bundles are currently half-price for Portfolio owners, so that's something else to factor into your calculations, perhaps.

In my Logos 5 Buyer's Guide, I say this about Diamond and Portfolio:

Diamond includes all of Platinum, and adds more than 650 resources. Highlights include the 12 volume Martyn Lloyd-Jones Collection [$169.95], the 25-volume Crossway Classic Commentaries [$299.95], 26 volumes of the Journal of Biblical Literature [$299.95], the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology [$55], New Dictionary of Theology [$45], the Greek Audio NT [$44.95], several theologies, and the Greek Pseudepigrapha [$99.95].

Verdict: You do get a lot more with Diamond, but the additions are very diverse, and there are no “must-have’s”. If you’re a generalist, with a wide interest in Biblical and Theological studies, you might find enough here to warrant an upgrade. Personally, if I had Platinum and $1,300 burning a hole in my pocket, I’d buy the The Bible Speaks Today [$99.95], Tyndale Commentaries [$224.95], Pillar New Testament Commentary Series [$497.25], Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary [$269.95] and the Essential IVP Reference collection [$190].

Portfolio adds another 500 resources to Diamond – everything from the 12 volume Ugaritic Studies to The Healthy Hectic Home. It offers a lot of additional background material, including the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible [$79.95], 9 volumes on the Ancient Near East [$399.95] (and 3 more on archaeology [$149.95]), 19 volumes on the Second Temple Period [$799.95], 12 volumes on the Dead Sea Scrolls [$219.95], the Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition [$89.95], 16 volumes of SBL’sWritings from the Ancient World [$355.99] and dozens of academic studies on hermeneutics [$649.95] and aspects of NT studies, including on Paul [$449.98] and the Gospels and Acts [$299.98]. It also includes HALOT [$159.95] and the Lexham Discourse NT bundle [$149.95]. It also includes a few dozen books on church leadership and preaching, and 86 volumes of Spurgeon [$399.95] — resources which are unlikely to appeal academics, who are the primary beneficiaries of Portfolio, but it does add even more value for pastor-theologians.

Verdict: A much better value upgrade than Diamond, in my opinion. Excellent for academics with a strong interest in Bible background, and even better value for pastor-theologians.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505016#Comment_505016

I also debated moving to Portfolio but have never regretted doing so once I did. The only other factor that has come into play for me is that there are some deals that are only offered at the time of upgrading. I wish that I had taken more time to both see and budget these at the time because I passed them by and they are no longer an option (other than bundles that Mark pointed out above). I wish that Logos would say up front what those deals would be and how long they would last. That way I could have planned right from the start rather than be surprised once I made the decision to make the upgrade purchase.

Daniel Bender

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505026#Comment_505026

I've been debating this decision for a couple of years now and have recently given it more thought. I'm a little skeptical of the advertising, "upgrade discounts will never be this big again," having fallen for similar tactics before only to get offers later for less. Lately I have received several emails stating that you can get up to 20% off on an upgrade but when I sign in to my account my upgrade page is only 5%. I have the diamond package but also have much more. When adding the things that I would want in portfolio it comes to a few $100 more than what it would cost for the portfolio package as a whole (and I would get some things that I would use but would not normally purchase).

I appreciate the input and reasoning from those who have made the decision.

tom

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505000#Comment_505000

The numbers look right, maybe I'm just a little jaded about what a bigger library does. Besides extending my coffee breaks during a download and indexing

I looked at it and decided that it wasn't for me. Why? because I simply would not be using most of the books. What I have done is simply purchase the books that I know that I will use.

Mike Childs

I agree with the advice of others that you will have to decide for yourself the value of Portfolio to you. It is simply a matter of whether the resources you would gain are something you would use and something you would buy for the price.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505036#Comment_505036

Well Daniel, the sale is not for You. The sale is for those who have still/yet not upgraded to any L5 base-package whatsoever (just slightly unsure if that's also L5 Starter and L5 Verbum Basic but I think it is), OR have upgraded ONLY to the L5 Minimal Crossgrade.

I'm unsure whether the sale applies to those who have upgraded ONLY to the L5 Core Datasets, but I think it does. But that is not for those who have any L5 base-package ranging anywhere from Bronze to Diamond or L5 Verbum Foundations to Capstone. I'm unsure whether Core Datasets are also for those who have upgraded ONLY to L5 Starter or L5 Verbum Basic, but I can imagine it isn't:

Lately I have received several emails stating that you can get up to 20% off on an upgrade but when I sign in to my account my upgrade page is only 5%. I have the diamond package but also have much more.

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505058#Comment_505058

Hi Unix

The sale is for those who have still/yet not upgraded to any L5 base-package whatsoever (just slightly unsure if that's also L5 Starter and L5 Verbum Basic but I think it is), OR have upgraded ONLY to the L5 Minimal Crossgrade.

I'm unsure whether the sale applies to those who have upgraded ONLY to the L5 Core Datasets, but I think it does. But that is not for those who have any L5 base-package ranging anywhere from Bronze to Diamond or L5 Verbum Foundations to Capstone.

I don't believe this is accurate.

From the Logos blog - http://blog.logos.com/2013/07/upgrading-to-logos-5-more-affordable-than-you-think/

The best upgrade discounts

Whether you’re upgrading from Logos 4 or moving to a higher Logos 5 base package, this upgrade sale offers the best prices on Logos 5 that you’ll ever see. Hurry, though—these discounts won’t be around for long.

I do believe that the discounts vary depending on whether you already have a L5 base package or not but it looks as though the sale is relevant to both groups of people.

Graham

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505060#Comment_505060

I'm sort of correct, because the discounts are 0%, 5% or 10% for L5 base-package owners, and I would really not call that a discount at all and the statement that the discounts will never be that high again is probably a lie: anyway the discount is maximally 5 percent units more now than it will be always or almost anytime, or frequently.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the "discounts" right now are usually 0% going up only one L5-L5 upgrade step:

I do believe that the discounts vary depending on whether you already have a L5 base package or not but it looks as though the sale is relevant to both groups of people.

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505066#Comment_505066

I just looked at what I intended to purchase in pre-pub, and that easily exceeds my Portfolio upgrade. I'm going to pray on this one, but I think it's just the big number that is causing my hesitation.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505121#Comment_505121

The risk that You are taking by upgrading to the first L5 Portfolio Edition now, is that there may come newer, better works in the future on the same topics, which You would rather like to have instead of the current ones:

I think it's just the big number that is causing my hesitation.

Edwin Bowden

mab,

Are there other Logos resources that would be more valuable to you for the same money you would spend for the Portfolio upgrade?

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505158#Comment_505158

mab,

Are there other Logos resources that would be more valuable to you for the same money you would spend for the Portfolio upgrade?

I pretty much did my other prime purchases mostly major commentaries, the only one I'm still not doing is the Anchor Yale Bible OT the one piece of that pie is Milgrom on Leviticus, the rest is more tinfoil than dessert.

I like your suggestion, maybe I should see if the same dollars gets me more useful great items I don't have for the same outlay.

Brian. E.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505066#Comment_505066

Yeah for a L5 base user the biggest discounts being 5-10% are laughable. They had me just for a second

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505266#Comment_505266

Yeah for a L5 base user the biggest discounts being 5-10% are laughable. They had me just for a second

The discount is actually based on what you already have. For someone like myself it can be very substantial. Maybe, it sounds small by percentage, but it's really not. 5% more on something in the neighborhood of 5K is right around $250 If you need to pay it off over 12 months, it's still better.

Right now, Portfolio looks very desirable. I still need to push the decision heavenward. I'm a steward. It all belongs to Him.

papa_gowgow

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505362#Comment_505362

I still need to push the decision heavenward. I'm a steward. It all belongs to Him.

[Y]

abondservant

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505364#Comment_505364

Yeah I clicked on the Ad... Only to find the EXACT SAME upgrade discounts I had before the best sale ever =/

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505424#Comment_505424

As it turns out, your best deal may not be the price shown. I spoke with a rep and he gave me a better discount after crunching the numbers.I guess it depends on how much your current resources influence pricing and other factors only Logos knows that have flexibility.

The one advantage of doing Portfolio is that it gets you off the package treadmill. At least for the major release cycle.

George Somsel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505919#Comment_505919

The one advantage of doing Portfolio is that it gets you off the package treadmill. At least for the major release cycle.

Ah zo, dat if vat you dink? Wait until you see vat ve have for you! [;)]

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505922#Comment_505922

The one advantage of doing Portfolio is that it gets you off the package treadmill. At least for the major release cycle.

Ah zo, dat if vat you dink? Wait until you see vat ve have for you!

Sigh! I just hope the major release cycles aren't like Google Chrome every month. The constraints of all the other things in pre-pub are quite enough.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505925#Comment_505925

There WILL be a revamped L5 Portfolio offered before L6!:

Sigh! I just hope the major release cycles aren't like Google Chrome every month.

That's what we have been trying to point out! You can't have it all, now can You?:

The constraints of all the other things in pre-pub are quite enough.

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505929#Comment_505929

You can't have it all, now can You?

I can give it my best try. [:D]

mab

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/505933#Comment_505933

You can't have it all, now can You?

I can give it my best try.

[Y] And Amen!