Episode 23: October 22, 2009
Research
By Andrew Horowitz
The Best Financial Magazines
We all know that there's plenty of free information about investing on the Internet, but what if you prefer reading magazines or getting deeper information on topics that are important to you? Sometimes, we can forget that financial magazines still exist; these magazines are full of helpful information about investing and about the stock market in particular. I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite old-fashioned magazines that can serve as a valuable source of information to help you on your quest to becoming a better investor.
Investor’s Business Daily
One of the most popular publications that focuses specifically on the top news that moves markets is the Investor's Business Daily subscription service, more affectionately known as the "IBD." You can find information about it at www.investors.com. Though not technically a magazine, it is similar to the Wall Street Journal which gives you a daily breakdown of the top news stories of the day. The front page of the daily paper lists the "big picture" summary and the "IBD Top Ten" headlines that you can take at a glance or read for more details. The IBD also publishes the "IBD 100 List" which is updated weekly and is a carefully selected list of what the paper considers to be the top 100 stocks. You can use their recommendations as a starting point for determining which stocks to do more research on and to consider adding to your portfolio. Because the IBD is a daily publication, it's going to be more costly than magazines. You can choose the daily or weekly version and choose if you want just the daily paper or if you’d prefer to access your subscription online only. It's about $300 per year to subscribe to the daily service and $200 to subscribe to the weekly service.
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal has often been a mainstay for those serious about keeping up with the stock market and trends in investing. You can find all the information about the Wall Street Journal at the website www.wsj.com. Like the IBD, you can select to have a print journal in the form of a daily magazine, or you can select to access your subscription online only. Some people still prefer the paper! To receive both the print and online versions of the Wall Street Journal, a subscription is about $150 per year. The Journal is one of the leading sources for financial and investment information and provides a broad range of topics in each day's update.
Forbes Magazine
Forbes Magazine is one of the leading industry magazines; it is read by investors world-wide. Forbes has excellent content and focuses on a range of topics in business and investing. It isn't focused specifically on the stock market, but on entrepreneurship, leadership, personal finance, and lifestyle/travel. It's also not just aimed at financial advisers and professionals-- it's accessible and enjoyed by the general public, which makes it a popular choice for many small investors and those who are interested in finance. Subscriptions are about $30 per year. You can find more information and free content at www.forbes.com.
The Economist
For those wanting to take a deeper approach to a magazine, without being as formal as the IBD or Wall Street Journal, the Economist is one of the top-notch professional magazines; and it’s not focused just on investors and financial professionals. It's unique because it is headquartered in London and it often takes a slightly different and valuable perspective on financial and global investing news than many of the US based financial magazines. It has a much broader focus than the US stock market of course, but it can also be very helpful in reading about trends that are occurring world wide, like issues related to gold, crude oil, overseas investment opportunities, as well as stock market, bond market, and other forms of investments. You can visit its website at www.economist.com. An annual subscription is priced at roughly $70 per year.
Keep in mind that you can sometimes find better values and deals than the prices I’ve mentioned. You can also get better rates if you subscribe for more than one year at a time. Be sure to visit each site for exact pricing options. You'll always save money by subscribing at a monthly or annual rate than by buying any magazine at your local newsstand or bookstore. Sometimes you can save 50% or more by becoming a subscriber, but you really need to read a few issues to make sure this will be the best source of information for you and your investment needs and goals. Be sure to visit each site for exact pricing options. You'll always save money by subscribing at a monthly or annual rate than by buying any magazine at your local newsstand or bookstore.
Sometimes you can save 50% or more by becoming a subscriber, but you really need to read a few issues to make sure this will be the best source of information for you and your investment needs and goals.
Other Popular Financial Magazines
Other popular financial magazines include Kiplingers, which is more focused on personal finance, Money Magazine, Smart Money Magazine, Financial Times (which is also published in the United Kingdom and has a broader focus like the Economist), Fortune Magazine, Barrons Magazine, which is known for its rankings and consumer reporting in personal finance and technology, and others.
Again, this is just a selection of some of the top magazines and financial subscription services out there for investors, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Visit the websites of each of these publications and buy an issue or two to find out if you would like to become a subscriber. I would recommend selecting at least one service so that you can keep up with all that's going on and get ideas for investments to make your portfolio even better!
