Stock market online
In the not so distant past, investing in the stock market was a game for the affluent or the business savvy. Online banking and trading has changed that scenario significantly — investors today are housewives, students and blue-collar workers. Opening an online portfolio means controlling your own investments without relying on the advice of a broker who takes a hefty commission. Most financial advisors are no more capable than you are, they just know where to look for information. The Internet has made that same information easily accessible to the public. When choosing individual stocks it is smart first to investigate the company you are thinking of investing in. At www.ecompanyprofile.com you can do just that. Search the site by company name or simply browse featured profiles of the day. Each file contains information about the background of the company, market research conducted before launching, detailed product information, biographies of key personnel and financial and trading history. If you don’t have a particular stock in mind then go to finance.yahoo.com. Here you can enter criteria into a search form with fields such as industry, recommended strong buy or sell, price per share and percentage of desired one-year estimated growth earnings and the engine searches for a company that meets your needs. Reports are easy to understand and offer excellent details if you are interested. Similarly, money.looksmart.com offers the same type of stock screeners as yahoo, as well as plenty of financial news and current press releases, but with less detailed overviews. Now that you are on your way to financial success, you might want to check out www.forbes.com. The popular print magazine is also online, offering entertaining and informative articles about topics such as how trends are affecting small businesses, how to raise financially responsible children and an investment guide. Who knows? The next time you click on Forbes’ list of wealthiest people, your name could be at the top of the list. <<<