Investors are always looking for the best stock research tools to help give them a leg-up in finding trades.
Investing in stocks can be straightforward, and easy. With limited knowledge, you can be a successful investor by investing in index funds or use a robo-advisor.
However, some people want to invest at least a portion of their portfolio in individual stocks, for different reasons.
Whatever your reason, investing in individual stocks requires that you do some research. We’ve identified the best stock research tools so that you can invest with confidence backed by knowledge.
Investing Blogs
Investing blogs can be a great source of inspiration, education, and investment ideas. The blogs on our “best of” list typically don’t offer in-depth analysis of individual stocks. Instead, they provide information to support different investment theses. If you’re interested in becoming a thoughtful investor, following a few different blogs can help you develop an investor’s mindset and sharpen your investment tool kit.
Here are just a few of the top investing blogs right now:
Online Brokers
Often, the best place for you to get information about stocks is from your online brokerage company. Online brokers typically offer free quantitative and qualitative information about stocks you own or on your watchlist.
When it comes to stock-related research, these are our three favorite online brokers:
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab offers daily market reports, equity research from major analyst organizations, and screening tools that are available through the website. Despite being one of the oldest brokerages, Charles Schwab continues to offer incredible research tools both online and through more traditional mediums (offices, magazines, newsletters, etc.).
Learn more in our full review of Charles Schwab.
Fidelity
With charts, articles, and news, Fidelity gives you access to the information you need with almost no friction. You can also find analyst opinions and other information on the site, making it easy to research anything on your watchlist.
Learn more in our full review of Fidelity Investments.
Robinhood
Although Robinhood has made it easy to make investment errors (like overtrading or trading on margin), it places a lot of stock information at your fingertips. You can get news, research reports, and charts for stocks on your watchlist. We like the clean interface and the fact that everything is available for free.
Learn more in our full review of Robinhood.
Motley Fool
Motley Fool has created a unique community of individual stock investors. The company provides deep stock recommendations and comprehensive research used to back up its recommendations. Motley Fool recommends that stock owners should typically hold a stock for at least five years, and it emphasizes discipline in holding winners and eventually cutting losers. It boasts plenty of prescient stock picks (including Nvidia as long ago as 2008).
Following Motley Fool’s advice may not always be right for you, but the research is some of the best in the business. It’s especially important if you’re trying to understand why a business is likely to under or over-perform over the long haul.
Learn more in our full Motley Fool review.
Moby
Moby has been growing in popularity as a stock research platform because of their easy to use insights and tracking. Plus, many social media influencers have been using Moby as a basis for their own research, which shows how others are using it.
One of the best things about Moby is how it sources news, insights, and more and gives you the information without all the jargon.
Read our full Moby review here.
Morningstar
Morningstar is a research site designed for fundamental investors. You won’t get hot tips about day trading. Instead, the site provides commentary about stocks including whether a stock is appropriately priced relative to its value, the sustainability of its economic advantages, and more.
It also offers portfolio-level analysis to keep your overall portfolio in check. Morningstar is one of the most respected names in investment research, and you can expect high-quality information that will help you weigh both potential benefits and potential risks.
Learn more in our full review of Morningstar.
Be Careful Where You Get Your Information
There’s no shortage of investment information online, but not every source is equally valuable. Before you start using a new website for your stock research, take time to vet it thoroughly. Subscription-based sites should provide an accurate representation of the type of information featured on the site, and you can decide if that fits your needs. If a site doesn’t offer research that will help you with your investment goals, skip the subscription.
Additionally, you’ll want to avoid over-subscribing to investment sites. Most people only need one or two investment research subscriptions to help them achieve their goals. Too much information is likely to lead to over-trading or analysis paralysis.
If the site is an anonymous internet forum, consider it a site for new ideas, not a source for authoritative and accurate investment advice. All research should be considered with a dash of salt, but information from anonymous forums should be considered with a few shakes from the salt shaker.
Editor: Colin Graves
Reviewed by: Robert Farrington
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