Gathering Information Online
The Internet has revolutionized investing, giving folks on Main Street many of the resources used by the folks on Wall Street. With a computer and a modem, you can access all the information you need to make financial decisions--information that a few years ago might have cost you thousands of dollars per year but is now mostly free.
One of the first places to look is (humbly submitted) our Web site at https://www.fool.com, featuring stock prices updated throughout the day, company news, dividend yields, historical financial information and current earnings estimates. In Fooldom, you can have your financial questions answered 24 hours a day by Fool staffers and contributors across the country.
Visit the Los Angeles Times Web site at https://latimes.com/HOME/BUSINESS for stock quotes, mutual fund profiles, company capsules and more information on investing.
Perhaps most valuable for investors are a company’s financial reports, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available online at https://fe.freeEDGAR.com. Because the SEC requires companies to include certain key information, reading a few 10-Qs (quarterly reports) and a 10-K (annual report) is often the most efficient way to figure out a company in a few hours. The 10-K reports include detailed company descriptions as well.
If you’re looking for a company’s history, financial information and addresses, take a look at https://www.hoovers.com. (There’s a fee for some of these.) Also, don’t neglect to visit a company’s own Web site, where you’ll often find information on its history, products, services and stock.
Keep up with a company’s happenings with keyword “Company News” on America Online. It features searchable archives of Associated Press, Reuters, Business Wire and PR Newswire stories. On the Web, review company news at https://www.newsalert.com, https://www.businesswire.com and https://www.prnewswire.com. Head to https://www.bigcharts.com for comprehensive historical stock charts. Five- or six-year financial trends are available at https://www.wsrn.com. If you’re willing to cough up a little cash, you’ll get lots of detailed information at https://www.marketguide.com/MGI. (It’s free through mid-June.)
All investors should explore these online resources. If you don’t have a computer, you can usually get free access through your local library--or bum dinner off a buddy and surf the Net at his place while he’s cooking.
