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- From: noreply@invest-faq.com (Christopher Lott)
- Newsgroups: misc.invest.misc,misc.invest.stocks,misc.invest.technical,misc.invest.options,misc.answers,news.answers
- Subject: The Investment FAQ (part 7 of 20)
- Followup-To: misc.invest.misc
- Summary: Answers to frequently asked questions about investments.
- Should be read by anyone who wishes to post to misc.invest.*
- Organization: The Investment FAQ publicity department
- Keywords: invest, finance, stock, bond, fund, broker, exchange, money, FAQ
- URL: http://invest-faq.com/
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- Archive-name: investment-faq/general/part7
- Version: $Id: part07,v 1.61 2003/03/17 02:44:30 lott Exp lott $
- Compiler: Christopher Lott
-
- The Investment FAQ is a collection of frequently asked questions and
- answers about investments and personal finance. This is a plain-text
- version of The Investment FAQ, part 7 of 20. The web site
- always has the latest version, including in-line links. Please browse
- http://invest-faq.com/
-
-
- Terms of Use
-
- The following terms and conditions apply to the plain-text version of
- The Investment FAQ that is posted regularly to various newsgroups.
- Different terms and conditions apply to documents on The Investment
- FAQ web site.
-
- The Investment FAQ is copyright 2003 by Christopher Lott, and is
- protected by copyright as a collective work and/or compilation,
- pursuant to U.S. copyright laws, international conventions, and other
- copyright laws. The contents of The Investment FAQ are intended for
- personal use, not for sale or other commercial redistribution.
- The plain-text version of The Investment FAQ may be copied, stored,
- made available on web sites, or distributed on electronic media
- provided the following conditions are met:
- + The URL of The Investment FAQ home page is displayed prominently.
- + No fees or compensation are charged for this information,
- excluding charges for the media used to distribute it.
- + No advertisements appear on the same web page as this material.
- + Proper attribution is given to the authors of individual articles.
- + This copyright notice is included intact.
-
-
- Disclaimers
-
- Neither the compiler of nor contributors to The Investment FAQ make
- any express or implied warranties (including, without limitation, any
- warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or
- use) regarding the information supplied. The Investment FAQ is
- provided to the user "as is". Neither the compiler nor contributors
- warrant that The Investment FAQ will be error free. Neither the
- compiler nor contributors will be liable to any user or anyone else
- for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in The
- Investment FAQ or for any damages (whether direct or indirect,
- consequential, punitive or exemplary) resulting therefrom.
-
- Rules, regulations, laws, conditions, rates, and such information
- discussed in this FAQ all change quite rapidly. Information given
- here was current at the time of writing but is almost guaranteed to be
- out of date by the time you read it. Mention of a product does not
- constitute an endorsement. Answers to questions sometimes rely on
- information given in other answers. Readers outside the USA can reach
- US-800 telephone numbers, for a charge, using a service such as MCI's
- Call USA. All prices are listed in US dollars unless otherwise
- specified.
-
- Please send comments and new submissions to the compiler.
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Books
-
- Last-Revised: 16 Jul 2001
- Contributed-By: Chris Lott ( contact me )
-
- This article offers a large list of books about investing and personal
- finance, divided into four sections: books for beginners, books for
- experienced investors, books for professional traders and speculators,
- and finally books that I call war stories - insider's tales about the
- world of finance. The lists are sorted by the author's last name within
- each section.
-
- Amazon
- recommends: [IMAGE]
-
-
- You can buy books right from here! Right now! Send a gift to someone who
- has one of these books on their wish list! But enough hype. I've
- enrolled as an Amazon.com associate, so if you buy any of the books that
- are listed here from Amazon.com by using the links on this page, I get a
- small referral fee. I've tried to find paperback (i.e., cheap) editions
- of all the books for these links, but please let me know if I missed
- one.
-
- The best thing about the Amazon site is that each book listing includes
- capsule summaries and reviews contributed by readers, so you might want
- to click on the links to check out each book.
-
-
-
- Featured Author for Beginners: Eric Tyson
- Here are three books by Eric Tyson that are part of the "..for Dummies"
- series. Readers praise his writing for its practical advice,
- objectivity, and gentle humor. These books offer a great way to start
- learning about personal finance and investing. Amazon sells these
- titles for about $20 each including the shipping charges.
-
- * Eric Tyson
- Investing for Dummies (out of print, but available used)
- * Eric Tyson and James C. Collins
- Mutual Funds for Dummies
- * Eric Tyson
- Personal Finance for Dummies
-
-
-
- Books for beginning investors
- These books concentrate on personal finance, budgeting, and also offer
- some introductory material on basic investment strategies.
- * Barbara Apostolou, Nicholas G. Apostolou
- Keys to Investing in Common Stocks (Barron's Business Keys)
- * Ginger Applegarth
- Wake Up and Smell the Money
- * Janet Bamford, Jeff Blyskal, Emily Card, and Aileen Jacobson
- The Consumer Reports Money Book: How to Get It, Save It, and Spend
- It Wisely (3rd edn)
- * Wayne G. Bogosian and Dee Lee
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to 401(k) Plans
- * Samuel Case
- The First Book of Investing: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to
- Building Wealth Safely
- * David Chilton
- The Wealthy Barber
- * George S. Clason
- The Richest Man in Babylon
- * Jonathan Clements
- 25 Myths You'Ve Got to Avoid If You Want to Manage Your Money
- Right: The New Rules for Financial Success
- * John Downes and Jordan Elliot Goodman
- Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms
- * Ric Edelman
- The Truth About Money: Because Money Doesn't Come With Instructions
- (2nd edition)
- * Louis Engel
- How to Buy Stocks
- * David Gardner and Tom Gardner
- You Have More Than You Think: The Motley Fool Guide to Investing
- What You Have
- * Alvin Hall
- Getting Started in Stocks (3rd edn.)
- * Ken Kurson
- The Green Magazine Guide to Personal Finance: A No B.S. Book for
- Your Twenties and Thirties
- * Barbara Loos
- I Haven't Saved a Dime, Now What?!
- * James Lowell
- Investing from Scratch: A Handbook for the Young Investor
- * Peter Lynch and John Rothchild
- Learn to Earn: A Beginner's Guide to the Basics of Investing and
- Business
- * Dale C. Maley
- Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Financial Life and Beat
- the Pros
- * Kenneth M. Morris and Alan M. Siegel
- The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing
- * Kenneth M. Morris and Alan M. Siegel
- The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance
- * Kenneth M. Morris, Alan M. Siegel, and Virginia B. Morris
- The Wall Street Journal Guide to Planning Your Financial Future
- * W. Patrick Naylor
- 10 Steps to Financial Success: A Beginner's Guide to Saving and
- Investing
- * Suze Orman
- The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
- * Kenan Pollack and Eric Heighberger
- The Real Life Investing Guide
- * Jonathan D. Pond
- 4 Easy Steps to Successful Investing
- * Jane Bryant Quinn
- Making the Most of Your Money
- * Claude Rosenberg
- Stock Market Primer
- * John Rothchild
- A Fool and His Money: The Odyssey of an Average Investor
- * Alfred V. Scillitani
- Basic Investing Guide For The New Investor (2nd edn.)
- * Kathleen Sindell
- Investing Online for Dummies (3rd edn.)
-
- * Andrew Tobias
- The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
- * Eric Tyson
- Investing for Dummies
- * Eric Tyson and James C. Collins
- Mutual Funds for Dummies
- * Eric Tyson
- Personal Finance for Dummies
- * Diane Vujovich
- 10 Minute Guide to the Stock Market
-
-
-
- Books for intermediate investors
- These books assume you're comfortable with the basics of stocks, mutual
- funds, bonds, and other securities. They offer many investment
- strategies: what to buy, what to sell, and when to do so.
- * Ted Allrich and William O'Neil
- The On-Line Investor: How to Find the Best Stocks Using Your
- Computer
- * Frank Armstrong
- Investment Strategies for the 21st Century
- This book is available from the author's web site at no charge,
- although registration is required.
- * Peter Bernstein
- Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
- * Peter Bernstein
- Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street
- * John C. Bogle
- Bogle on Mutual Funds
- * John C. Bogle
- Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent
- Investor
- * James W. Broadfoot
- Investing in Emerging Growth Stocks
- * Mary Buffett and David Clark
- Buffettology: The Previously Unexplained Techniques That Have Made
- Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous Investor
- * Frank Cappiello
- New Guide to Finding the Next Superstock
- * Charles B. Carlson
- Buying Stocks Without a Broker
- * Samuel Case
- Big Profits from Small Stocks: How to Grow Your Investment
- Portfolio by Investing in Small Cap Companies
- * Burton Crane
- The Sophisticated Investor
- * John M. Dalton
- How the Stock Market Works
- * Nicolas Darvas
- How I Made 2,000,000 in the Stock Market
- * William Donoghue
- Mutual Fund Superstars
- * David N. Dreman
- Contrarian Investment Strategies: The Next Generation
- * Stephen Eckett
- Investing Online: Dealing in Global Markets on the Internet
- * Kenneth Fisher
- Super Stocks
- * Norman G. Fosback
- Stock Market Logic
- * David Gardner and Tom Gardner
- The Motley Fool Investment Workbook
- * David Gardner and Tom Gardner
- The Motley Fool Investment Guide: How the Fool Beats Wall Street's
- Wise Men and How You Can Too
- * Gary Gastineau
- The Stock Options Manual
- * Michael Gianturco
- How to Buy Technology Stocks
- * Braden Glett
- Stock Market Stratagem: Loss Control and Portfolio Management
- * Benjamin Graham and Warren E. Buffett
- The Intelligent Investor: A Book of Practical Counsel
- * Christopher Graja and Elizabeth Ungar
- Investing in Small-Cap Stocks
- * William Greider
- Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country
- * C. Colburn Hardy
- The Fact$ of Life
- * Peter I. Hupalo
- Becoming an Investor: Building Wealth by Investing in Stocks,
- Bonds, and Mutual Funds
- * Investor's Business Daily
- Investor's Business Daily Guide to the Markets
- * David Kansas and James Cramer
- The Street.Com Guide to Smart Investing in the Internet Era
- * Harvey C. Knowles and Damon H. Petty
- The Dividend Investor
- * Robert Lichello
- How to Make $1,000,000 in the Stock Market - Automatically
- * Jeffrey B. Little and Lucien Rhodes
- Understanding Wall Street
- * Gerald M. Loeb
- The Battle for Investment Survival
- * Peter Lynch and John Rothchild
- Beating the Street
- * Peter Lynch and John Rothchild
- One up on Wall Street also available: audio cassette edn.
- * Burton Malkiel
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street
- This is a classic, and offers a highly readable argument for index
- funds (also known as modern portfolio theory).
- * Geoffrey A. Moore, Paul Johnson, and Tom Kippola
- The Gorilla Game: An Investor's Guide to Picking Winners in High
- Technology
- * William J. O'Neil
- How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad
- * James O'Shaughnessy
- How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and
- Retire in Style
- * James P. O'Shaughnessy
- Invest Like the Best: Using Your Computer to Unlock the Secrets of
- the Top Money Managers
- * James P. O'Shaughnessy
- What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing
- Investment Strategies of All Time
- * Carl H. Reinhardt, Alan B. Werba, and John J. Bowen
- The Prudent Investor's Guide to Beating the Market
- * Hildy Richelson and Stan Richelson
- Straight Talk about Bonds and Bond Funds
- * L. Louis Rukeyser
- How to Make Money in the Stock Market
- * Terry Savage
- New Money Strategies for the 1990's
- * Charles Schwab
- How to be Your Own Stockbroker
- * Steven R. Selengut
- The Brainwashing of the American Investor
- * Dhun H. Sethna and William O'Neil
- Investing Smart: How to Pick Winning Stocks With Investor's
- Business Daily
- * Robert Sheard
- The Unemotional Investor: Simple Systems for Beating the Market
- * Jeremy J. Siegel
- Stocks for the Long Run
- * Michael Sincere and Deron Wagner
- The Long-Term Day Trader
- * John A. Tracy
- How to Read a Financial Report
- * John Train
- New Money Masters
- * Venita Vancaspel
- Money Dynamics for the 1990s
- * John G. Wells
- Kiss Your Stockbroker Goodbye: A Guide to Independent Investing
- * Martin E. Zweig and Morrie Goldfischer
- Martin Zweig's Winning on Wall Street (revised and updated)
-
-
-
- Books for expert investors, especially concerning technical analysis
- These books are aimed at people who have a solid understanding of
- finance and/or trade for a living. There are quite a few on technical
- analysis for the "chartists" out there.
- * Steven B. Achelis
- Technical Analysis from A to Z
- * Nicholas G. Apostolou
- Keys to Investing in Options and Futures
- * Robert C. Beckman
- Elliott Wave Explained: A Real-World Guide to Predicting and
- Profiting from Market Turns
- * Jake Bernstein
- The Compleat Day Trader: Trading Systems, Strategies, Timing
- Indicators, and Analytical Methods
- * Peter Bernstein (ed.)
- The Portable MBA in Investment
- * Tushar S. Chande and Stanley Kroll
- The New Technical Trader: Boost Your Profit by Plugging into the
- Latest Indicators
- * Robert W. Colby and Thomas A. Meyers
- Encyclopedia of Technical Market Indicators
- * John C. Cox and Mark Rubenstein
- Options Markets
- * Thomas R. Demark
- New Market Timing Techniques: Innovative Studies in Market Rhythm
- and Price Exhaustion
- * Mark Douglas
- The Disciplined Trader
- * Robert D. Edwards and John Magee
- Technical Analysis of Stock Trends
- * Alexander Elder
- Trading for a Living: Psychology, Trading Tactics, Money Management
- * Marc Friedfertig and George West
- The Electronic Day Trader
- * A. J. Frost, Robert J. Prechter, and Robert R. Prechter
- Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior
- * Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd
- Security Analysis
- * John C. Hull
- Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives
- * Jonathan E. Ingersoll
- Theory of Financial Decision Making
- * R. A. Jarrow
- Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options
- * William L. Jiler
- How Charts Can Help You in the Stock Market
- * Jeffrey Katz and Donna L. McCormick
- The Encyclopedia of Trading Strategies
- * Charles Lebeau and David W. Lucas
- Technical Traders Guide to Computer Analysis of the Futures Market
- * John F. Magee
- Analyzing Bar Charts for Profit
- * Lawrence G. McMillan
- Options as a Strategic Investment
- * Robert Merton
- Continuous Time Finance
- * John J. Murphy
- Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets
- * John J. Murphy
- Study Guide for Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets: A
- Self-Training Manual
- * Sheldon Natenberg
- Option Volatility and Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and
- Techniques
- * Robert Pardo
- Design, Testing, and Optimization of Trading Systems
- * Robert R. Prechter and R. N. Elliott
- R. N. Elliott's Masterworks: The Definitive Collection
- * Martin J. Pring
- Martin Pring's Introduction to Technical Analysis
- * Martin J. Pring
- Technical Analysis Explained
- * Peter Ritchken
- Options: Theory, Strategy, and Applications
- * Robert P. Rotella
- The Elements of Successful Trading
- * William F. Sharpe, Gordon J. Alexander, and Jeffery V. Bailey
- Investments
- * Clifford Sherry
- The Mathematics of Technical Analysis
- * Victor Sperandeo
- Trader Vic II : Principles of Professional Speculation
- * Robert A. Taggart
- Quantitative Analysis for Investment Management
- * Nassim Taleb
- Dynamic Hedging: Managing Vanilla and Exotic Options
- * Michael P. Turner
- Day Trading into the Millennium
- * Stan Weinstein
- Stan Weinstein's Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets
-
- Analysis, commentary, and war stories about investments
- These books offer analysis, commentary, and war stories from finance
- insiders about the trading and investment world. They probably won't
- help you pick stocks, but they're fun to read if you're interested in
- finance and markets.
- * Po Bronson
- Bombardiers
- * Connie Bruck
- The Predators' Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel Burnham and the
- Rise of the Junk Bond Raiders
- * Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
- Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco
- * Daniel Fischel
- Payback: The Conspiracy to Destroy Michael Milken and His Financial
- Revolution
- * Edwin Lefevre
- Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
- * Michael Lewis
- Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
- * Charles MacKay, Josef De La Vega, and Martin S. Fridson
- Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds and
- Confusion De Confusiones
- * Victor Niederhoffer
- The Education of a Speculator
- * Jim Rogers
- Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers
- * Robert J. Shiller
- Irrational Exuberance
- * James B. Stewart
- Den of Thieves If you can't find what you're looking for on
- Amazon.Com, you might check out The Trader's Library of Columbia, MD.
- They maintain a web site that has over 600 investment titles.
- http://www.traderslibrary.com
-
- Those who are just learning about the stock market may wish to have a
- look at the article in the FAQ with advice for beginners .
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Conference Calls
-
- Last-Revised: 29 May 1999
- Contributed-By: John Schott (jschott at voicenet.com)
-
- Companies listed on the various stock exchanges have long held analyst
- conferences to spread their message to the investment community. Often,
- sponsors such as Hambrecht and Quist have held conferences where
- investment professionals could hear many firms in several days. To
- accomodate those who couldnÆt travel, the conference call allowed
- hundreds of analysts to hear a presentation and ask questions in real
- time. But access was usually restricted to investment professionals and
- often involved long-distance toll charges. Occasionally a friendly
- broker would loan you his access codes, some of which found their way to
- the Internet. As a result, conferences could be swamped.
-
- The Internet now provides a much more practical venue for the conference
- call. With its low cost and ability to accomodate many listeners it is
- now practical to open a conference call to almost anyone (at least to
- listen). Many firms now do. For example, a recent article in the Wall
- Street Journal related how IOMEGA does this as an efficient way to
- control the irresponsible babble on Internet bulletin boards. People
- posting idle chatter now attract accurate responces from others who have
- heard the actual story on a conference call. As a result, the
- irresponsible postings are controlled.
-
- Naturally, investment professionals complain that this allows the novice
- to access raw information that needs interpretation by someone more
- knowledgable - namely such a professional. However, companies like the
- ability to make one public statement, and then be free from goverment
- limitations on how investment information must be released. And
- individual investors like it too, as access to this information gets
- them access to information that once only slowly reached the average
- investor. Even Chairman Levitt of the SEC sides with the theory of
- greater access for the masses. According to an article in the 24 May
- 1999 issue of the Wall Street Journal, the NASDAQ has even funded a
- pilot program to pay for public access to conference calls. Firms such
- as DELL and Cosco are early participants .
-
- Using the Internet has many advantages besides the instantaneous
- international release that results. It is possible to save the audio
- files so that the call can be accessed later at a more convenient time.
- Plus it would be possible to edit out meaningless portions to provide
- sort of a "Cliff Notes" of each conference. Naturally, there are some
- limitations. If everyone could ask a question, real brawls could result
- as the conferences became uncontrolled. So most Internet systems limit
- who can ask a question.
-
- An outstanding advantage for the average investor is to witness directly
- a firm's management in action. While the information might be the same,
- an investor gains confidence in management that presents a virtuoso
- performane over one that is defensive, hesitant, and obfuscative. The
- details aside, the speed of responce and other items that donÆt get
- incorporated in an analyst's report can add a lot to one's
- understanding. Previously, a small investor's only such access might
- have been at a company's annual meeting.
-
- Several firms have opened to provide investment-related conference-call
- services in one form or another over the Internet. Some require
- membership and user fees, but the trend seems to be toward company
- funding of the low cost service, and free or very low cost access by the
- public. According to the WSJ article mentioned above, firms now
- providing some for of access include: Vcall (Philadelphia),
- broadcast.com (Dallas), c-call.com (Street Fusion, (San Fransisco), and
- CCBN.com (Boston). Expect that more and more firms will offer the
- public Internet conference call. Encourage firms you are interested in
- to do so. This form of communication is yet another form of ultimate
- corporate democracy.
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Free to All Who Ask
-
- Last-Revised: 28 Apr 1997
- Contributed-By: Brook F. Duerr, Seshadri Narasimhan
-
- Here are some tips about obtaining cheap or free info.
-
-
-
- Local Companies
- Look in your local newspapers for information and stories about the
- companies in your immediate area. I have found that our local
- papers carry some great articles about our local companies long
- before the WSJ or other papers pick up on them. The local papers
- tend to report very minute details that the "big" papers never
- report. The local paper that I get covers insider buys/sells, IPOs
- etc., management changes, detailed earnings reports, analyst
- opinions, you name it.
- Stocks on Call
- A free, fax-back service with lots of stories about companies. The
- information is biased because it is paid for by the listing
- companies, but it is free, so you get what you pay for. The list
- has been growing very rapidly, and they company drops the
- information after it has been listed for 24-72 hours, so it pays to
- call often. Some articles are only posted for one day. It takes
- me about 5 minutes to get the 10 or so articles I want. They used
- to publish a list in the papers, but the list is too long to do
- that now. Once you have the list then you can call and get 3
- stories per call sent directly to your fax. It is all handled by
- computer (usually). You can call back and get 3 stories per call
- for free. I have gotten some great tips here - nice, fast-growing,
- small companies (and some F-500s too). Although Stocks on Calls is
- automatically provided with your number (a feature of 800 service),
- they state that they will not give your number away to third
- parties. Contact them at 800-578-7888.
- Pro-Info
- A second free, fax-back service, different from Stocks on Call (see
- above). This service places information into a computer so you can
- access it at any time and it is always available. Pro-Info has
- such things as Investor Packages, Latest Earnings Reports, news
- releases and analysts reports. They cover about 100 companies and
- the list is growing. The quality of the faxes is not great because
- Pro-Info apparently scans the pages into the computer. Contact
- them at 800-PRO-INFO (800-776-4636).
- Stock Charts
- I get at least one copy of Investor's Business Daily per week. The
- Friday edition is particularly great. IBD is available in most
- areas at newsstands, bookstores, etc. IBD is a good newspaper for
- its charts.
- Archive Information
- For historical information, I save one copy of Barron's or WSJ or
- IBD each month. If I see a company that I am suddenly interested
- in then I can just open up those old editions and get some pretty
- good historical data. IBD is great for this.
- An Important Edition of The Wall Street Journal
- I think it is imperative to get a copy of the WSJ that covers the
- year in review. This edition comes out usually on the first
- business day of the new year. It contains a lot of information
- about how each stock has performed during that last year, including
- the % movement of the stock during the past year. I get two copies
- of this paper because I get so much out of them (one for work, one
- for home).
- SEC on Internet
- This is the place where you can obtain Securities and Exchange
- files (10-Ks, 10-Qs, you name it) on companies that file
- electronically with the SEC. See the entry for information on the
- Internet, elsewhere in this FAQ.
- Archive list for ticker symbols
- Available by accessing this URL:
- ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/archives/misc.invest/information/symbols
- (See the entry for information on the Internet, elsewhere in this
- FAQ.)
- Writing Letters
- If you are interested in a company then by all means get their
- address and write them a letter. If you have a non-discount broker
- then they can get you the company's address. Otherwise go to
- virtually any library and they will be able to help you find the
- addresses you are interested in. When you write to a company, tell
- them you are interested in investing in them and you want to learn
- more about them. Ask for 10Ks, annual reports, 10Qs, quarterly
- summaries, analyst reports and anything else they can send you.
- Some companies will bury you with information if you just ask. Ask
- them to add your name to their mailing list for future information.
- Many companies maintain active mailing lists and so the information
- will keep flowing to you. All this for only a stamp.
- Public Registers Annual Report Service
- This is a outfit that acts as a clearing house for mailing out
- annual reports on companies. They have a huge list (several
- thousand) companies that they work for, and they are a free
- service. They also send out a newspaper called the "Security
- Traders Handbook" and "The Public Register". These newspapers
- contains wealth of information on earnings, IPOs, insider trades
- etc. The price on the cover says $5.00, but I have received
- several issues and have never received a bill (I wouldn't pay
- anyway). You have to write to them to get on their mailing list.
- The address is: Bay Tact Corporation; 440 Route 198; Woodstock
- Valley, CT 06282. Write them a letter and ask them what services
- they provide. They send out annual reports, but they do not carry
- analysts reports and other news release type items. Try calling
- them at 800 4ANNUAL.
- Reader Service Cards in Investor's Daily or other Places
- Another reason I like to get the Friday edition of IBD is because
- they usually have a bunch of companies hyping themselves and
- offering information if you send in a reader service card. This is
- another great almost freebie. For a stamp you can usually find at
- least 3-5 companies that are worth finding out about.
- The Wall Street Journal's Annual Reports Service
- According to their blurb, you can obtain the annual reports and, if
- available, quarterly reports, at no charge for any companies for
- which the 'club' symbol appears in the stock listings. (The 'club'
- symbol is the same as the one on a playing card. Look at Section C
- "Money and Investing" of any WSJ and you will see what I mean.)
- These reports can be ordered by calling 800-654-CLUB. You can also
- fax your request, giving the ticker symbols of the companies whose
- reports you want, to 800-965-5679. It usually takes at least a
- week to get the information to you.
- Mutual fund companies
- The companies' toll-free lines may be your best friend, if the
- solution might involve investing money with them. Call them, state
- your problem simply, and request follow-up information in writing.
- I would be completely honest with them, just tell them if they give
- the best service, you'll invest your money with them. Of course,
- if your problem can't be solved, even tangentially, with mutual
- funds, you should probably not waste your (and their) time.
-
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Investment Associations
-
- Last-Revised: 10 Oct 1997
- Contributed-By: Rajeev Arora, D. Laird, Art Kamlet (artkamlet at
- aol.com), Jay Hartley (jay at concannon.llnl.gov), Doug Gerlach (gerlach
- at investorama.com)
-
- This article introduces several investment associations.
- * AAII:
- American Association of Individual Investors
- 625 North Michigan Avenue
- Chicago, IL 60611-3110
- +1 312-280-0170
- Email: members@aaii.com
- Web: http://www.aaii.org/
-
- A summary from their brochure: AAII believes that individuals would
- do better if they invest in "shadow" stocks which are not followed
- by institutional investor and avoid affects of program trading.
- They admit that most of their members are experienced investors
- with substantial amounts to invest, but they do have programs for
- newer investors also. Basically, they don't manage the member's
- money, they just provide information.
-
- Membership costs $49 per year for an individual; with Computerized
- Investing newsletter, $79. A lifetime membership (including
- Computerized Investing) costs $490.
-
- They offer the AAII Journal 10 times a year, Individual Investor's
- guide to No-Load Mutual Funds annually, local chapter membership
- (about 50 chapters), a year-end tax strategy guide, investment
- seminars and study programs at extra cost (reduced for members),
- and a computer user' newsletter for an extra $30. They also
- operate a free BBS.
-
-
- * NAIC:
- National Association of Investors Corp.
- P. O. Box 220
- Royal Oak, MI 48068
- Tel +1 810 583-NAIC, Fax +1 810 583-4880
- Email: service@better-investing.org
- Web: http://www.better-investing.org
-
- The NAIC is a nonprofit organization operated by and for the
- benefit of member clubs. The Association has been in existence
- since the 1950's and states that it has over 633,000 members.
-
- Membership costs $39 per year for an individual, or $35 for a club
- and $14 per each club member. The membership provides the member
- with a monthly magazine, details of your membership and information
- on how to start a investment club, how to analyze stocks, and how
- to keep records.
-
- NAIC also offers software for fundamental analysis, discounts on
- investing books, research information on member companies, and
- other educational manuals and videotapes. A network of over 75
- Regional Councils across the US provide local assistance.
-
- In addition to the information provided, NAIC operates "Low-Cost
- Investment Plan", which allows members to invest in participating
- companies such as AT&T, Kellogg, Wendy's, Mobil and Quaker Oats.
- Most don't incur a commission although some have a nominal fee
- ($3-$5).
-
- Of the 500 clubs surveyed in 1989, the average club had a compound
- annual growth rate of 10.8% compared with 10.6% for the S&P 500
- stock index. Its average portfolio was worth $66,755.
-
-
- * Investors Alliance:
- The Investors Alliance, Inc.
- 219 Commerical Blvd.
- Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308-4440
- Tel 888-683-1181
- Email: paul.perkins@invest.com
- Web: http://PowerInvestor.com
-
- Investors Alliance was formed to enhance the investing skills of
- independent investors through research, education, and training.
- They claim membership of over 65,000 investors in 22 countries.
-
- Basic Membership is offered at $49 per year and includes twelve
- monthly issues of the Investors Alliance Investor Journal, an
- educational newsletter packed with valuable insights to maximize
- your investment success. Computer Membership is offered at $89 per
- year and includes a copy of Power Investor for Windows on CD-ROM
- and free daily modem updates of the entire 16,000 security
- database. New members at either level receive a free voucher for
- two zero-commission stock trades from a leading discount broker.
-
- The Investment FAQ is an associate of Investors Alliance. If you
- use the link shown below to enroll in this club, a small referral
- fee is paid to The Investment FAQ.
- http://PowerInvestor.com/referral.asp?id=lott@invest-faq.com
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Value Line
-
- Last-Revised: 10 Aug 1997
- Contributed-By: John Schott (schott at voicenet.com), Chris Lott (
- contact me )
-
- The Value Line Investment Survey is the grand-daddy of published
- information about stocks of large companies (primarily U.S. companies
- plus a few leading ADRs). It is a weekly, three-part publication, but
- it takes 3 months to cycle through the full list of stocks covered. The
- main document reviews one firm per page (over 100 per week), with a
- description of the business, a chart showing the historical stock
- performance, tables showing key financial data, plus a written
- commentary about the prospects of the firm. They cover over 1700 stocks
- in their normal edition, and over 5,000 in extended coverage offered at
- higher prices. The weekly document also includes short notes on
- important developments in covered stocks. A separate booklet updates
- summary ratings and fundamental information on all of the 1700 stocks
- each week. A third document highlights a stock of the week and gives
- Value Line's views of the market. They also have a new CD-ROM based
- service that duplicates the data in the hard copy edition and offers the
- ability to search and compare stocks automatically. Several recent
- reviews have critiqued the way the program works - but not the quality
- nor quantity of the renowned Value Line data base.
-
- Value Line proudly advertises their rating system. They divide stocks
- into 5 classes (1 is best). Over the years, their #1 rated stocks have
- significantly outperformed the markets (and each other group, its
- subordinates, as well). Value Line has been highly regarded for the
- both the quality and quantity of its data for decades. Almost the
- Lingua Franca of investors, you'll find a well-thumbed copy in most
- broker's offices, as well as many public and university libraries.
-
- Value Line offers a special, 10-week trial subscription for US$75
- (frequently discounted to $55) which will get you the full set of pages
- plus a few updates. A six-month subscription currently costs $300, and
- one year is $570. The CD-ROM trial subscription is $55 ($95 for the
- 5000+ stock version). One-year CD-ROM subscriptions cost up to $995.
-
- Visit their web site at http://valueline.com , or contact them the
- old-fashioned way:
-
- Value Line Publishing Inc.
- 220 East 42nd Street
- New York, New York 1001-5891
- 800 535 9648 ext 2761
- +1 212 907-1500
-
-
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Subject: Information Sources - Wall $treet Week
-
- Last-Revised: 18 Feb 2003
- Contributed-By: Chris Lott ( contact me )
-
- Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser was once a television program that
- aired on the public broadcasting networks on Friday evenings After a
- flap in June 2002, Louis Rukeyser left the program, which is now
- produced jointly with Fortune magazine.
-
- The program tries to help the individual investor understand the doings
- of the stock market and invest wisely. The usual program features a
- special guest and three regular guests. The "regular guests" are
- investment analysts who appear regularly on W$W.
-
- While Rukeyser was the host, he reported on the opinions of his
- "Investment Elves," a group of 10 technical analysts who attempted to
- forecast the market's path over the coming weeks. If you've ever heard
- of the "Elve's Index," this is the source. Of course many of the elves
- are also regular guests on the program.
-
- A new program called Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street is carried by CNBC
- every Friday night at 8:30 P.M. and 11:30 P.M. Eastern time, and is
- repeated over the weekend on many public television stations.
-
- Here are some web resources:
- * The W$W home page, part of the Maryland Public Television web site:
- http://www.mpt.org/wsw/
- * Rukeyser's web site includes information about his TV show.
- http://www.rukeyser.com/
-
-
- --------------------Check http://invest-faq.com/ for updates------------------
-
- Compilation Copyright (c) 2003 by Christopher Lott.
-