 Cyberfolks Friendly Guided Web Site Tours
Managing Your Money
Host
Susan Caskey
Whether you have $50 or $50,000 in savings and
investments, the Web offers an incredible bounty of
information and resources for wealth building.
I use the Web to manage my investment accounts and my 401(K)
plan at work, and I belong to an investment club which
relies on the Web to learn about saving and investing,
and how to find excellent businesses worth investing in
for the long term.
The Internet is a natural place for these types of
services to spring up, because it allows even the
novice investor to have the same resources at his or
her fingertips as the most seasoned brokers.
But managing all the information, knowing where to start,
and where to find reliable information are all key to
getting the most for your money on the Net. These are
my best picks for places to start - or continue - to
manage your money:
The Motley Fool
The Fool started on America Online and now has most of
the same information on its Web site. The Motley Fool
takes its name from its mission: to teach everyone that
investing is no mystery, that you can learn how to
manage your own money without necessarily needing the
services of Wall Street "Wise Men".
The Fool's Thirteen Steps and sample portfolios help even
the greenest beginner figure out where to start. For
experienced investors, there are tons of daily and
weekly reports, stock analyses, and news… all of which makes
this site a Web-based investor gold mine. The Motley Fool
focuses investing in stocks, as opposed to mutual funds, bonds
or other investment vehicles.
Investorama!
Investorama! is another site focusing on information to
help investors at all levels. Primarily composed of
links to other services, Investorama provides lists of
resources for learning market lingo, exploring mutual
funds, finding a discount broker, and much, much more.
In addition, you'll find stock quote services, stock
screens, and a portfolio management tool.
Armchair Millionaire
Want to become a millionaire without leaving your easy
chair? That's the idea behind Armchair Millionaire.
The AM focuses on putting money into your retirement
account, whether IRA, 401(K), or other account, to
maximize your return - and become a millionaire as
quickly as possible.
You'll find information about how
to reduce spending, how to choose funds in your 401(K),
and weekly tips. Plus you can fill out the Five-Step
Plan to Financial Freedom in an interactive tool that
shows you the immediate results of following your plan.
Quicken Financial Network
This financial site is from the makers of some of the
most popular personal and business accounting software
products today. QFN offers everything to help you
manage your personal finances: links to investment
sites and stock quotes, plus information on taxes,
mortgages, small business, retirement and even CD and
car loan rates! Of course, they sell their products,
too, but this site is chock full of information for
Quicken users and non-users alike.
Money Magazine Online
Many consumer and financial magazines have a Web
presence, but Money is an excellent place to start.
Their Web site includes many of the same features of the
magazine, plus extras like daily market headlines and
news, free issue offers and contests, and a bulletin
board where you can have discussions with other folks
interested in exchanging ideas and financial
information.
Try the interactive mortgage and retirement calculators,
among other features. Money Magazine's site also includes
links to Fortune Magazine, which is certainly the direction
you'll be heading toward after beefing up your investment strategies using all of these great Web
resources!
National Association of Individual Investors
This is the home page of the NAIC, the organization that
most investment clubs belong to. The NAIC's emphasizes long-
term investing in value stocks. Whether you join as a new or
existing club or an individual investor, the NAIC offers many
perks for members, all of which are described at the Web site.
NAIC members can take advantage of low cost investing plans,
computer software to help you screen stocks or maintain your
club portfolio, and discounts on books and videos to help you
learn to invest wisely. The monthly magazine, "Better
Investing", is by itself worth the low membership fees: $35
for individuals, and for clubs, $35 plus $14 per member.
Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine Online
Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine has helped millions of
subscribers manage their money better, and their Web site
contains the same great information. While not every article
from the magazine's current issue is available online, there
are plenty of features to take advantage of, including Kids and
Money, a variety of financial and investment calculators,
current yields and loan rates, mutual fund info and Kiplinger's
choice links to other sites.
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