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UNC-Chapel Hill

    magnifying glassJon's Research 

      On-line investing

       
          
    Synopsis:  Let's face it, everyone can use more money these days. Unfortunately, it goes faster than it comes in. For decades, people have invested their money in stocks and bonds to help ensure their money has a high return. The goal is to squeeze every last bit of worth from a dollar. In the past, these investors had to turn to stock brokers to invest their money for them. This process was costly as brokers often got a large percentage of the investment return.  Thanks to the World Wide Web, people can now invest money themselves. With this research, I looked at resources to help them make wise investments. I feel the information I found could help a novice investor act like a pro.   
    $20 bill money     

    World Wide Web Sources:  happy computer      

    "The Motley Fool: Finance and Folly," Britannica Online.    
    http://www.fool.com 
    [Accessed 16 April 1998].   
    The site is strongly geared toward stock investing, providing beginning through advanced investors with a wide variety of resources. It offers beginner's guides to investing in stocks - including the popular "13 Steps to Investing Foolishly" - market reports, industry updates, earnings announcements and analysis, and other articles about stock investing. It also has the "Discount Brokerage Center" with information on online brokers and numerous message boards. This is a great site for any investor who wants to get his feet wet.   

    "Invest-O-Rama," BritannicaOnline        
    http://www.investorama.com        
    [Accessed 16 April 1998].   
    This site contains a directory of more than 4000 Internet-based resources pertaining to investing. It offers a wide array of topics from information on public companies to information on individual stocks. This site basically serves as a resource for investors  to find more information on stocks and to invest online.   

    "Business Week," BritannicaOnline   
    http://www.businessweek.com   
    [Accessed 16 April 1998]   
    The investing information on this weekly business magazine's Web site is particularly useful. It offers information on companies and tips on investing. It offers hourly updates on stock information. It also has an online feature where a person can enter a portfolio and track its history.        

    Other Reference Sources: book icon        

    Cohen, Bernice. The Edge of Chaos: Financial Booms, Bubbles, Crashes and Chaos. John Wiley and Son, 1997..  
    This book offers some very interesting insight into the world of stock market investing. It focuses on trends and notable events that have affected Wall Street through the years. It is really useful for a beginning investor to understand exactly how unstable the market can be.  

    Odean, Kathleen. High Steppers, Fallen Angels, and Lollipops: Wall Street Slang. Dodd, Mead Publishers, 1988.  
    This book is basically a dictionary for investors. As with any specialized group of people, there are unusual words that define the actions of the group. This book would be useful for an novice who wants to immerse herself in the wonderful world of investing. It would help her understand the culture.  

    Petruno, Tom. 4 January 1998. "Market beat; to lose money in 1998, just follow these simple guidelines." In Los Angeles Times. [Online] Available: LEXIS-NEXIS: Library: NEWS File. Allnws. [16 February 1998.]  
    This article kind of takes a different approach to investment tips. By telling the reader what he should not do, the author, in effect, advises the reader on good investment tips. It is an interesting read and really offers some good advise on trends for 1998.  

    Clements, Jonathan. 17 July 1997. "Questions to answer before making decisions; draw up an investment policy to reinforce your goals, strategies." In Chicago Tribune. [Online] Available: LEXIS-NEXIS: Library: NEWS File. Allnws. [16 February 1998.]  
    This article is very useful for investors when they first begin to invest. Like the Boy Scouts say, one should always be prepared. In order to do that with investing, one must have clearly outlined goals. The market is too big and complex to just jump in without a plan. This article helps a novice come up with a plan of action when facing the awesome marketplace.  

    McMillian, Meta. 2 June 1997. "Author follows trail of successful investors." In USA Today. [Online] Available: LEXIS-NEXIS: Library: ENTERT File: BOOKS. [16 February 1998.]  
    The author of this article followed several successful investors around to try to discover the secret of success. It really helps give the reader a hands on feel to investing without taking the risks involved. By learning how the experts think and act, a novice can see the proper thought process when trying to make decisions.  

    General comments:        

    On the whole, the information on the Web is much more useful and easier to access than print sources. It is up to date and more accurately reflects trends in the marketplace. With today's technology, an investor can research his portfolio and track it online without the assistance of a broker. This new freedom reflects the culture of the Internet and allows the investor to change his stock basis almost constantly. If I had to continue research on this project, I would definitely use the World Wide Web as my primary search tool.  


     
 
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Contact me at jcox1@email.unc.edu. 		 This page was updated on 4/16/98.       
This site maintained by Jonathan B. Cox.