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 Association 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
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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