Investment was once something thought of as what rich people do.
Today, investing plays a key role in the financial well-being of
millions of Americans. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets
Association (SIFMA®) has stated, “the growth in
individual investor participation has risen from 30.2 million U.S.
shareowners in 1980 to 84.3 million in 2002.” According to a
survey published by the Investment Company Institute and SIFMA®
(at time of publication the Securities Industry Association), the
latter figure encompasses 49.5 percent of U.S. households. Yet, how
many of these investors really know the ropes when it
comes to making the right investment decisions? Woefully few, laments
the Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services’
Division of Finance & Corporate Securities, noting that,
“Less than one-fifth of those [Americans, who may or may not have
been investors] polled passed a simple test asking whether stocks, bonds,
savings accounts or certificates of deposit offered the best return over
the last 20 years.”
So what can you do to avoid becoming financial fodder when it
comes to investing your money? As with any positive result, the
proper tools are essential.
Club EWI, which will provide you with access to
many articles and services for free, is one such tool. Annual
reports, another powerful investment tool, offer a wealth of
information to the savvy investor about individual companies and their
financial condition.
In the past it had been necessary to purchase annual reports to
review information in a timely manner if you did not already own company
stock. You may still obtain information on a company or fund by
contacting the investor relations department and requesting that a copy
of the most recent quarterly or annual report be sent to you via
traditional mail. Today annual reports can often be obtained online by
visiting companies’ corporate websites. There are even easier ways
to obtain company annual reports.
Follow links to the right to learn more about U.S. company annual reports from websites that offer many online free annual reports.
At the left margin, Related Links address topics of interest
pertaining to information, resources and services for investing and trading in the stock, bond, commodity and
real estate markets. View the
Stock & Bond Investing SiteMap
for a complete list of stock, equity and bond investing topics.
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