FREE NEWSLETTER
Go to main Forum page »
As a younger reader not of traditional retirement age, I am interested in learning more about the financial subscriptions HD readers are willing (or would recommend to others) to pay for such as financial periodicals, journalism, software, etc. For example, I have enjoyed for years Wall Street Journal and some Bloomberg journalism. I didn’t find Kiplinger subscriptions to be of value to me. There have been some discussion threads that mentioned free retirement calculation software that I appreciated. If used regularly, is a Morningstar subscription worth it? I would love to learn more about your recommendations for financial knowledge and awareness.
I was a long time subscriber to Money, Kiplinger and WSJ. When I simplified my AA to a few index funds, I dropped all but WSJ which i use not only for financials but to keep up with business and politics. Based on others comments, I should find some useful podcasts or blogs.
I am a longtime reader of Bogleheads and Humble Dollar and still get value from both.
The talking heads I hear on radio and TV are just noise makers to me.
I started with Bogleheads on Reddit, which lead me to Bogleheads.org, then the “Catching Up to FI” and “Choose FI” podcasts and websites and FB pages, which then introduced me to a ton of different resources, including Humble Dollar. As a retired person who doesn’t like to spend money, I view the WSJ as a “necessary luxury,” that I can’t do without! It really helps to put things into perspective with its mostly neutral and sane reporting.
You do not need any subscriptions that you have to pay for. Just read anything by Larry Swedroe, Wade Pfau and Michael Kitces and you will be all set. You can add Christine Benz as well.
I read HumbleDollar, BogleHeads, AAII Journal, and blogs from Advisor Perspectives. I listen to the following podcasts: Excess Returns, Masters in Business, Bogleheads on Investing, The Compound & Friends, Sound Investing by Paul Merriman, The Long View by Morningstar, Economic Matters by Larry Kotlikoff, The Memo by Howard Marks, and Retire with Style by Wade Pfau.
I guess more listening than reading!
It am a Barron’s subscriber. This publication is not what it used to be – but neither is the stock market!
Your library card is a passport to many e-resources including the top tier subscriptions. In addition to the county library card, many city’s libraries allow residents in the State to have free access, or low annual fee for non-residents. Check out St. Charles City – County library (that’s my access point to Morningstar Investment Research Center (you cannot link your brokerage account to this institutional subscription for the purpose of individual analysis).
Don’t forget university libraries if you (or your children / any family member) were an employee / alumnus. Several universities allow alumni to have free on-line access to the New York Times, WSJ, Financial Times, Bloomberg, the Economist, for example.
I don’t pay for any such thing and I don’t think you need to. Free resources include:
HumbleDollar, Bogleheads, Of Dollars and Data, White Coat Investor, Mr. Money Mustache, EveryDollar/Ramsey, Boldin (free version), FireCalc, many, many other free calculators.
I have had a Morningstar premium subscription. I find many of the articles informative, especially Christine Benz the personal finance writer. She is one of three along with Jonathan on my investing Mount Rushmore. The premium membership allows you to download your portfolio from multiple companies and collates the information and the breaks down your portfolio in multiple ways. They evaluate both mutual fund/ETFs and individual stocks, however I have never invested in individual companies. I must admit that in a few years when I am on Social Security and most likely my portfolio will exist of only a total US ETF, total international ETF, short term TIPS, and a total intermediate bond fund I might stop subscribing as my portfolio will be on autopilot.
Earlier in my investing journey I read everything on the Vanguard website especially when John Bogle (the third and final person on my investing Mount Rushmore) was alive. You can’t go wrong following Vanguard’s philosophy.
Laura, times sure have changed since I was a young reader of anything. Magazines like Kiplinger and Money helped get me started, though they were never tools for research. When in business, I used to use Kiplinger’s Tax Letter, which I did find helpful. I enjoy my Morningstar Premium, but is it really necessary if we only own index funds/ETFs??????
Today I totally agree with Quan’s comment below, that there’s plenty of free information out there. There is lots of wisdom to glean from sources like HumbleDollar and Bogleheads.org.
Also lots of good stuff through my accounts at Fidelity as well.
bogleheads.org and nothing more.
If I stretch the definition of “subscription” to breaking point, your most useful financial subscription is probably the fees you pay for “membership” of your investment platform.
I think a good general knowledge of finance would be helpful for you to make a good financial decision. I found this free course very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlSmq4LgSJQc7fsodi9NbRAXto8zfpYfa
From personal experience, there is no need to spend money on subscriptions “for financial knowledge and awareness,” because there is already more than enough free and high quality information available to keep an ordinary person fully occupied.
The free Morningstar website alone has tons of solid advice and analysis of the market any day. Paid subscription is better suited for active traders or people managing complex portfolios, not for passive index investors who lack interest or competence in portfolio analyses. Investment platforms from Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Vanguard have high quality information / research tools for investors without subscription.
And while the financial market can be overwhelming, communities like HumbleDollar and the Bogleheads on Reddit empower individual investors by providing a platform for authentic discussion and shared learning.
Expert discussions of the current financial matters are easy to find in the podcast world. I listen to Morningstar’s the Long View, Rational Reminder, Charles Schwab’s Financial Decoder, Goldman Sachs’ Exchanges, Bloomberg’s Odd Lots, Bloomberg’s Surveillance. The last 3 shows dive very deep – overwhelmingly deep – into the technical and macro markets.
You’ve made me think. I enjoy Morningstar and have been a subscriber for years, but the simpler our portfolio gets, the less I probably benefit from it.