Online Investing Tips #4



*1.  INTERNET STOCK NEWS

By the time you read this, Internet Stock News' new Web site 
design should be up and running. Featuring information on 
recommended Internet companies and their stock, Internet Stock 
News is home to the most bullish of Internet bulls--investors 
who think the Internet is creating a shifting paradigm, new 
business models, and spectacular earnings growth potential. ISN 
offers some editorial material that rants provocatively but 
persuasively about the Internet in 2002 and regards the current 
Net-sector conditions as preliminary to the upcoming boom. 

At the heart of this site is the Internet Stock News 
newsletter, which is sent free of charge to anyone who 
subscribes. The e-publication is a dense weekly rundown of 
Net-stock news, technical information, and company-specific 
analysis. It's balanced, detailed, resourceful, 
and worth reading. 

http://www.internetstocknews.com/


*2. CHARLES SCHWAB

After establishing its universal reputation as a discount 
broker in the physical world, Charles Schwab was quick to 
embrace cyberspace, where it has reigned as the number-one 
online brokerage for years. E*Trade may be better known among 
online traders, but Schwab brought a lot of its customer base 
along with it into the virtual realm, and these loyalists are 
happy enough to pay elevated commissions for 
excellent reliability. 

Schwab offers a variety of account types involving minimum 
initial deposits and balance requirements. This is one 
brokerage that is not timid about charging a maintenance fee 
for low-balance accounts--just like a bank. In fact, Schwab 
provides some traditional banking services for some account 
types. Stock commissions clock in at the lofty $30 level for up 
to 1,000 shares, after which an equally eyebrow-raising 
3-cents-per-share fee kicks in. Still, customer complaints 
about Schwab service are almost unheard of. Perhaps, just 
perhaps, in this age of rampant cut-rate Internet brokers, 
you can still get what you pay for. 

http://www.eschwab.com


*3. GLOBAL VALUE INVESTING

Looking for an entertaining read? Then stay away from today's 
site, unless your idea of entertainment is brain-twisting 
economic theory as applied to stock picking and long-term 
investing. Global Value Investing traces the same-named market 
theory through its historical lineage, ending with Warren 
Buffett. The site's admirably huge goal is to enlighten 
investors in properly valuing companies without getting lost in 
the swirling miasma of momentum indicators and technical guides 
found online. The site presents a sophisticated view of 
fundamental value when appraising a company and its stock. 

The only problem is the site's density. Relying on sheer text, 
Global Value Investing doesn't shy away from a learning curve. 
Go right to the Four-Step Investment Program to cut to the 
chase. Bring a cup of coffee with you (or perhaps herbal tea 
would be more soothing) and settle in for some education. 

http://www.numeraire.com/


*4. INVESTORGUIDE

One of the great unsung investor sites on the Web, 
InvestorGuide perhaps suffers from a lack of consistent page 
design throughout its many parts. If it featured a more 
coherent look, maybe it would stand out more from the crowd of 
information sites. Home of the InvestorWords glossary featured 
in a previous tip, InvestorGuide offers a virtual smorgasbord 
of features, not least of which is the Links Directory. (Scroll 
down on the home page to find it.) 

The directory section, too, could stand a redesign, but enough 
quibbling. The directory content is worth prowling through. 
Maintained with far more currency than most directories, some 
pages feature links to specific articles of interest. If your 
bookmark list is getting a bit stale, surf through this 
directory. You'll find unexpected riches. 

http://www.investorguide.com/


*5. STREET-IQ

I think the name of this site is Street IQ, judging by the URL. 
You'd never know it by the site itself, though, or the page 
titles, both of which suffer a disturbing lack of identity. 
Similarly, the editorial focus of this investor news hub is a 
bit fuzzy. Still, there are good articles and resources here. 
Add a little brand identity, and this site could be a standout. 

The home page greets you with an array of feature articles, a 
snapshot of the Dow's intraday chart, and links to "chat." (In 
this case, chat is actually a message-board system. Hey folks, 
join the 90s and get your online terms straight.) The editorial 
writing is agreeable and informative, including a daily news 
article, weekly focus pieces, and some amusing writing about 
offbeat financial stories. There is an emphasis on Internet 
stocks and IPOs. Friendly hint: Avoid the Portfolio section. 
Registration is awkward and the portfolio interface is 
simplistic and way behind many other systems on the Web. Stick 
to the articles--the editorial material is the smarts of 
Street IQ. 

http://www.streetiq.net


*6. ONLINE TRADING ACADEMY

The Online Trading Academy is actually an offline institution 
with offices in Irvine, California. Its goal is to train 
investors in the art and craft--and perhaps foolishness--of day 
trading. What makes this place different from the many dozens of 
other training centers around the country is its intention to 
teach over the Internet. As of this writing, the virtual 
classroom is not yet in action, but you can link to an 
intriguing screen shot of what it will look like. Using 
streaming audio and video, synchronized with text lessons, the 
Online Trading Academy hopes to attract a global student body. 

In addition to the forthcoming Net-based courses, the Academy 
sells day-trading books and offers contests and e-mail 
subscription newsletters. 

http://www.tradingacademy.com


*7. WORLD GOLD COUNCIL

While gold holds a time-honored defensive position as an asset 
for investors who don't care for the risks of stock, it's no 
longer the lustrous investment it used to be. In the midst of a 
long-lasting, scorching bull market, traditional hedges seem 
almost irrelevant. But the abandonment of gold in recent years 
has caused its own swing, mostly downward and 
seemingly unrecoverable. 

Notwithstanding these concerns, the World Gold Council promotes 
gold as an enduring asset that investors should hold when the 
stock market bubble eventually, and inevitably, bursts. The 
organization's magazine ads compare today's raging market with 
the speculative bubble surrounding the South Sea Company in 
1720. Get the entire pitch at the World Gold Council's Web 
site, a cleanly designed and informative assortment of 
research and commentary. 

http://www.gold.org 


*8. NATIONAL DISCOUNT BROKERAGE (ONLINE BROKERAGE TIP)

When a brokerage advances from the number 19 slot to the number 
2 place in Gomez's prestigious ranking of online brokers, you 
know somebody's been working hard. In this case, National 
Discount Brokers (NDB) has completed a wholesale renovation of 
its site and features. Positioning itself as a community, not 
just another faceless automated brokerage, NDB provides message 
boards for that homey feel and has mounted "NDB University" to 
teach customers investing basics. 

Standard features such as a broad range of mutual funds and one 
commission for same-side, single-day trades of the same stock 
keep NDB competitive. Free access to Briefing.com is a nice 
touch. It's a little difficult to figure out the trading 
commissions, which is odd since NDB's rates are nothing to be 
embarrassed about. Web-based order placement costs $15 for 
market orders and $20 for limits--typical midrange rates for 
an online house. 

http://www.ndb.com


*9. E-SIGNAL

Increasingly, virtual brokers supply real-time quotes, 
interactive charting, and editorial expertise licensed from 
various sources. But your online brokerage probably doesn't 
provide everything, at least not for free. E-Signal is a 
service that figures if you're going to pay, you might as well 
pay them. E-Signal provides a dedicated, streaming, real-time 
investment information service for a monthly subscription fee. 

Obviously, paying for high-end information over the Internet 
when so much can be had at no charge is a tactic for only the 
most serious and dedicated stock market jockeys. E-Signal 
aspires to provide a low-cost alternative to Bloomberg 
terminals or a Dow Jones subscription--costly perks generally 
acquired at the institutional level. When viewed in that light, 
$79 per month (e-Signal's cheapest subscription option) isn't 
so daunting, especially considering what you get. The Web site 
treats you to a Shockwave demonstration of e-Signal's features, 
and it's worth the time to watch the whole thing. From Level II 
streaming quotes to company histories to real-time portfolio 
updating, this service delivers the goods. 

http://www.esignal.com 


*10. FORBES

When glossy magazines, representing the apex of investment 
journalism, place all of their content on the Web, free of 
charge, you know you're traveling in luxury down the 
information highway. If the rallying cry of cyberspace is that 
information wants to be free, Forbes apparently agrees. You can 
read not only the flagship magazine online, but also its 
excellent satellites, ASAP and FYI. (In some cases, only 
selected articles are presented in the Web editions.) 

The main Forbes publication embraces the virtual realm more 
enthusiastically than its siblings, creating a monstrous 
Internet resource called Digital Tool. You can access just 
about the entire table of contents from the current issues, 
plus calculators, calendars, surveys, forums, a mortgage 
center, and much more. But above and beyond the digital 
gadgets, the superb quality of writing in Forbes makes this 
site a bookmark selection. 

http://www.forbes.com
