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Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.

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MFO Premium equivalent for stocks/bonds

Looking for a tool for investing in stocks/bonds that is similar to MFO Premium and is user friendly. I will be signing up for Premium soon, as I find it difficult to evaluate funds/ETFs on my own, even with the free information on MFO, and $120 is a worthwhile cost to find quality funds for cash I have on the sidelines. I know Morningstar has a tool, but I would appreciate knowing from MFO members what other tools they use, or if M* is the best available for screening stocks/bonds. Any guidance will be appreciated. BTW - I am a Fundalarm refugee and I salute David and his colleagues for building on the good work of FA. The contributions from experienced MFO members are often full of enriching info. TIA.

Comments

  • FWIW - I get far more useful stock information from my brokerage firm (Fidelity) than M*. Check out whatever firm you're with and see/search what they have to offer.
  • Morningstar is my handy "go-to," but only because using it is not so clunky as some other websites. In particular, I find the Portfolio Manager at Morningstar is pretty handy and user-friendly, compared to Yahoo and Google. BUT, it is often full of glitches and is slow, often, to update, at the end of the day. The LONG-TERM info at Morningstar is very reliable, and other websites use Morningstar as their own source for information and statistics. The ratings and analyst summaries for individual funds feels a bit mushy and too generous to me, often. They are loathe to say anything that's actually negative. I have looked at a great many analyst notes for individual stocks on Morningstar, too. Perhaps those items are of more use? I have, for reference, compared Morningstar's estimation of "fair value" for stocks vs. other websites, like "Simply Wall Street," and they always vary greatly. (SWS is always the higher number.). "Break a leg!
  • @zigster M* works well for your purpose. I’m almost exclusively in funds vs. individual stocks but when I’m tempted...I always check Yahoo conversation boards (old habit) as well. From a newish subscriber...MFO Premium is the best value and insight for funds and I often wish I found it many years ago - this from a long time Valueline subscriber. Agree with what @Crash said above and I also use Fido.
  • I gave up on M* for data/analysis. I'm currently paying for Seeking Alpha premium, which has data feeds/information/analysis that is accurate, useful, and reminds me of what M* used to provide for equities.
  • Stockmarketmba.com is useful for searches/screens. Go thru each link carefully. Data is hidden.
  • I have used M* for years- back when they printed those flimsy paper fund reports- but like many others have been discouraged recently. The Portfolio Manger however remains one of the few (only?) place I know of that will break down your funds and stocks into the underlying characteristics.

    I have found M* stock reports to be too simplistic and too focused on their jargon like "Moats" and do not think they are useful. The analysts all look like they are just out of school and change constantly. The stock data sometimes seems off and out of date, but I don't use that much.

    I have tried a lot of "newsletters" with web based stock analysis over the years and have had mixed luck.

    For dividend stocks, the one I have stuck the longest with is "Simply Safe Dividends". There are three real life portfolios and detailed analysis of a lot of dividend stocks in an easy to read and understand format. Highly recommended at $288 a year.

  • I want to thank all the members of MFO who made suggestions in response to my OP. I will look into all of them and see what might work best for me. I have endured/survived every crash since 1987. My situation was not helped by financial 'advisors' at two national companies. Finally, I voted them off the island and went solo after 1999-2000. Any money I have made has been more luck than skill and from tips on Fundalarm. While online tools may not be perfect, they will be better than my hunches and intuition. Thanks again.
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