What are the best tools for those looking to invest in the market?

Question

I'm looking for good services that provide the best information for the market, e.g. Morningstar, Motley Fool, Cramer, etc. which tools/services have worked best for you or those you know?

Answer 1

The best way to do anything yourself is to learn something about it first. You'd be surprised at the thousands of books available on this one subject at your local library.

But most people spend more time deciding the color of their new car, than they do on a mutual fund advisor, for example.

Are you really wanting to do this yourself, or are you asking about someone who is an expert who can do it for you?

If you invest in the stock market right now, or just buy into all the ETF's you can afford, it's a crap shoot, like rolling the dice, and the odds are probably not in your favor, whether you have an expert fund manager or not, because mutual funds are always "in" the market.

They say "Buy and Hold" for the long term is better, but that depends on when you get in, and what your definiton of "long term" is. The phrase "Buy low and sell high" infers that you buy after a decline; decidedly not the case here.

The Dow is now approaching all-time highs last seen in Jan 2000, so if your long-term definition is more than seven years, then you won't mind waiting another seven years for a profit.

In my opinion, the name of the game is capital preservation. When the risks are high, like right now, you get out of the stock and bond markets and park your cash in a interest bearing money market fund or CD or Treasury Bill.

This is simply not a good entry point for investors. Be patient, wait a few months, and you'll be able to buy much more stock a lot cheaper, the risks will be lower (even though they will seem higher), and your chance of success greater.

If you wish to research the “Buy and Hold Strategy” further, or perhaps trade yourself, I recommend two book titles. One is called "Which Is Better, Buy-and-Hold or Market Timing?" The other is "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Market Timer?" They will give you plenty to think about.

Answer 2

To me, the best tools are:

1. Good Trading Plan.
2. Knowning when to cut loss and move on.
3. Let winners run.

All the Best.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

For investors, not speculators, Fidelity has excellent research on individual stocks, in my opinion much better than TD Ameritrade. For mutual funds, I especially like Forbes fund finder.