Up the Investment Creek Without a Paddle?
Springfield-Greene County Library, May 2010

***Our Web Site***

To find magazine articles and recommended Internet sites, use the Springfield-Greene County Library Business Web Site. Most useful information will be found under "Databases" and "Investing Your Money."

To find books, use the Library's CoolCat / Library Catalog; there you will find helpful subject headings such as the following: Financial Security, Stocks, Retirement Income, Mutual Funds, Budgets Personal, 401 (k) Plans, Investment Clubs, Business Cycles, Investment, Bonds, Saving and Investment, Finance Personal, Tax Planning, Individual Retirement Accounts, Stockbrokers, Consumer Education, Securities, Portfolio Management, Wall Street.

***Educational Sites***

Investment Clubs:

1----Investment Clubs. It can be hard to find the right club that's looking for a new member.

Glossaries:

2----Investopedia Financial Dictionary. Database of over 7,000 terms having to do with investment, giving definition and down-to-earth explanation.

3----InvestorWords - Investing Glossary. Over 7,500 definitions and 60,000 links between related terms.

4----Bloomberg Financial Glossary. Over 8,000 entries with 18,000 links.

Tutorials & Simulations:

5----TheStreet University. Review the basics on equities, fixed income, and mutual funds, etc.

6----InvestorGuide University. A collection of dozens of educational articles about investing and personal finance. The articles are great for everyone from beginner to expert.

7----FINRA. Knowledge can be the difference between investment success and failure.

8----Money 101 - from money.com. Electronic lessons that help you invest, save, borrow and spend more wisely.

9----Investopedia Tutorials. Categories are: The Basics, More Advanced, Retirement Planning, and Active Trading.

10---Fool's School. Their 13 steps put Foolishness in a whole new light.

11---Investopedia Simulator. Use an imaginary "fantasy dollar" allocation of $100,000 to build your portfolio. Or you may want to get your feet wet with this quick Investing Simulator.

12---Wall Street Survivor. A great way to get your feet wet.

Asset Allocation & Risk Tolerance:

13---Asset Allocation from Forbes. Here are a few sites to help you chart a prudent course.

14---CNN/MONEY AssetAllocator . A quick-and-easy asset allocation analysis that's designed for your individual circumstances.

15---Risk Tolerance Quiz / MSN Money. Designed to gauge your ability to tolerate investment risks and your financial capability to take such risks.

16---Rutgers Risk Tolerance Quiz. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, so be candid.

***Research Sites***

Equity:

17---Publicly Held State Companies. Consider a wide range of "home-grown" investment opportunities inherent in Missouri's publicly held companies..

18--- Forbes Stock Picking. Plenty of tools, charts, and timely information from these highly rated sources.

19---SmartMoney. A solid single-source reference.

20---Wikinvest. An investment is more than the sum of its ratios.

Bonds:

21---Bond Market Tutorial. The learning process should form an integral part of any investment philosophy.

22---Yahoo Bonds Center. A bond screener, education, and direction in making bond and fixed income investment decisions.

23---FINRA Bond Center. Search and sort options are numerous and useful.

24---Investing in Bonds. Muni, corporate, and treasury prices, plus many handy tools and features.

Industry:

25---StockSelector Industry Rankings. 5,000 stocks > 200 industries > 9 sectors. (See also Worldwide Directory of Public Companies and Barchart.com Sectors and Investopedia Industry Handbook and BigCharts Sectors & Industries.)

Caveat Emptor:

26---Stock Gumshoe. Investment newsletters often use hype-filled teaser ads to get you to subscribe; find out what's behine those ads.

Those Stock Certificates You Inherited:

27---The Motley Fool: Fool FAQ - Stock Certificates. Even though most obscure shares turn out to be worthless, don't give up; they still might have value as a collectible.

Annual Reports & Share Ownership:

28---PRARS. This site claims to be the largest source of annual reports. Company web sites, such as this example, are also an excellent possible source. [Beware of hype and exaggeration when using annual reports--and be aware of what to look for.]

29---MSN/MONEY Ownership. The top institutional and mutual fund holders of any public company.

Indexes:

30---Major Market Indexes. There are many other (and better) indexes to watch than the Dow Jones Industrial.

31---CBOE Index Components. Gives trading symbols for many indexes, as well as a list of the underlying securities for each index.

32---Motley Fool Index Intro. A basic explanation of the makeup and use of indexes.

Mutual Funds:

33---Morningstar.com: Funds. This standard tool gives some free content. (Then try BusinessWeek Mutual Fund Scoreboard and/or Yahoo Fund Screener to zero in on mutual funds using some popular investment strategies.)

34---Bloomberg Mutual Funds. One-stop shop for information, screening, and evaluation.

35---USA TODAY. Here's a handy screening tool with numerous fund type, time frame, and asset options.

36---Forbes Fund Selection. An attempt to identify the best fund screening sites on the Internet; #43 below uses the same approach for stock screening sites.

37---MFEA Fund Selector. Useful as a screening tool and to get information on mutual funds sold by and through banks. Morningstar ratings can be used as a selection criterion.

Exchange Traded Funds / ETFs:

38---ETF Investing Guide. A solid, one-page overview of this investing approach.

39---ETF Center. Q&A and other educational material, a glossary, and ETF lists sorted in various ways..

40---News and Info. Search the ETF Screener by market cap and sector.

41---ETF Screen. Tools to evaluate the performance of the 800+ ETFs currently available.

***Tools***

Stock Screens:

42---Domash Screening Picks. An evaluative list of stock screening sites.

43---Stock Screening from Forbes. Similar approach to stock screening sites as that used above for mutual funds [#36].

Charts:

44---BigCharts. One of the premier financial Internet sites! Also provides historical quotes, "BigReports," etc.--all top-notch!

Conference Calls:

45---Conference Call Basics. Examines an information source that is often overlooked but worth following.

46---CompanyBoardroom / Conference Calls. Some frequently asked questions concerning rationale and mechanics.

47---Yahoo / Conference Calls. Provides a schedule, as well as listening access.

Cost Basis & Historical Lookup:

48---Historical Lookup / Cost Basis Calculator Example. Larger public companies are increasingly implementing such software; usually found on their Web sites under categories such as "Investor Relations." (Historical lookup results are often split-adjusted.) Figuring out your cost basis is all-important in determining payment of capital gains taxes.

Direct Investment:

49---Yahoo DRIPs. Sort of an Internet DRIPs for Dummies.

50---DRIP directory. Note the fee-rating system--purchasing stock from discount brokers may be cheaper than buying direct! . Another useful DRIP list can be found at directinvesting.

Picks & Pans:

51---How to Value Stocks. Understanding how and why stocks get labeled overvalued, underpriced, etc. is important.

52---Top (and Bottom) Rated Stocks. StockScouter is a very nice tool from MSN Moneycentral.

53---Death Lists. A bankruptcy-candidates list and an overpriced-stocks list.

54---Web Sites: an Opininated Guide. A candid assessment by a financial columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.

55---StockGarden. Four lists: premier stocks; momentum stocks; over/under $10 stocks; top value stocks.

56---Where to Go on the Web. Without a road map, an investor is sure to encounter disinformation and sensationalism on the Internet.

Mutual Fund Sales Charges:

57--- SEC Cost Calculator. Estimates the cost of investing in a mutual fund based on information you provide. The results should be compared for several funds or different classes of a single fund.

58---Mutual Fund Calculators. Can help you decide which types may be best for you, how fees affect your return, and when to sell.

Green Funds:

59---Socially Responsible Mutual Funds. Information to help you put your dollars to work to build healthy communities, promote economic equity, and foster a clean environment. Investors can often do as well with social investments as they can with conventional investments.

Choosing the Right Broker:

60---Ten Ways to Size Up a Broker. Getting ready to open your first discount brokerage account? Simply wondering if you're getting the best service for your money from your current one?

Real-Time Quotes/After-Hours Trading:

61---FreeRealTime. Provides the timely information that financial institutions use in making trading decisions.

62---Trading After Hours FAQ. Well-designed and factual.

63---Risks After Hours. Opportunities vs. risks.

Broken links? Looking for something these links don't cover? Just plain up the creek without a paddle? Call The Library Center, 883-5341!