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Living a Better Life Investment Resources
In our last
issue I asked our readers to send in their favorite companies for investing
information (for a BetterBudgeting member who requested our best
recommendation), and boy did they respond! I was only
expecting to receive information about one or two great companies but thankfully
we received several great recommendations for reliable resources. More...
I've listed the investing resources that were recommended by our readers below, in order of popularity; the company that was recommended the most is listed first and so on. If you have an investment company you'd like to recommend that is not on our list, please contact me at editor@betterbudgeting.com (it will also be very helpful if you would include information about why you feel we should recommend them, as we only want to list the very best companies).
And a special thank you to everyone who sent in a reply, THANK YOU!
Special Note: Please use your best judgment when visiting any site outside of BetterBudgeting.com, they may not have the same privacy policies that we are committed to. Signing up with any of the following investment companies could result in unwanted mail from their partners and advertisers.
We had a lot of recommendations for The Motley Fool (www.fool.com), here's just a few of the letters we received...
"They try to teach investing using a humorous tone. Lots of information to click through, and daily articles. I also subscribe to one of their investment newsletters for a fee, but most of the site is free." - Dwayne
"I love these guys! Practical, not high-falutin', these 2 brothers speak my language and I understand more every time I read/hear them." - Anne
"I have been a member for about 6 years, and they have a wonderful online message board community, and very helpful members that will give you advice on just about any topic you can imagine. Investing is their primary role, but they are also a wealth of knowledge of other items such as working your way out of debt, credit ratings, Living below your means, retiring early and being financially independent. I believe they give a free trial membership, but normally it is about $20 per year." - Amy
Fidelity Investments (www.fidelity.com) is another company recommended by our readers, Ankur says "Awesome site... awesome customer service. Fees under 1%."
Lisa wrote in to say "I think a good place to start is with the bank you already do business with (if you are happy with their customer service). My bank has a financial planner, all you have to do is call and make an appointment. You might also want to ask a respected friend or co-worker... I once asked the Controller and VP where I worked what they thought of a particular thing and they both gave me their insight. Do a lot of research, read The Wall Street Journal, read articles online... and most of all, be careful."
Edward Jones (www.edwardjones.com) is also a great company for learning more about investing. Lynn adds that "After using a local Financial Adviser and then a National Firm and making many mistakes, I searched the Internet trying to find someone whom I could trust. Edward Jones Investments was in the news quite a bit several years ago, some articles admonishing them for not advising their clients to invest more in technology, and, later, articles indicating their clients did not experience the massive losses others experienced when the market crashed. When I was convinced Edward Jones Investments was the company for me, the company for the "little guy," I phoned them. I have been a client for four years and my investments have grown. I have a more diversified, less risky portfolio and an Investment Representative I trust. She takes as much time as necessary to explain all the options, pros and cons of an investment, and has been there to hold my hand and calm my anxiety when necessary. She (and Edward Jones) keep an active eye on the World and the Markets and will contact me when it is time to alter course a bit. I believe the Up-Front Load Charges I paid are money well spent." - Lynn
Dave Ramsey (www.daveramsey.com) offers investment advice as well. Vicki says "His motto for investing is that if you don't understand it, don't do it... find someone who will help you to understand your investments, not just tell you what to do."
Trade King (
Also, two popular investment companies I was surprised not to receive any recommendations for were E*Trade and Share Builder. If you've had a good experience with either of these investment sites that you could share with our readers (or any other trading companies that we do not have listed) please contact me at editor@betterbudgeting.com, we'd love to hear from you!
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Copyright © 2006 by Michelle Jones, author of Basic Budgeting: For Those Who Hate to Budget (a 5-week course), Dealing with Debt, and Frugal Family Recipes. All rights reserved. Want more money-saving tips? Get a FREE Subscription to our monthly newsletter!
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