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I think those cover the tactical phase of investment markets. They are
so darned expensive that it's tempting to just use similar info on the
web which may not be quite as good but tend to be free. For instance
try clicking around on categories and time periods on the wonderfully
concise http://news.morningstar.com/fundRetu...ryReturns.html .
Or http://bwnt.businessweek.com/mutual_fund/ ; any others? If you
like fundx approach you can spare the expense and reading time by
investing directly into their funds http://www.fundxfund.com/ or some
similar clones. And speaking of market tactics, it's hard to overlook
the new CNBC show Mad Money; I wish someone would make up a mutual fund
that tried that advice and spared you the telly time.

How about the all important strategic phase of investment markets -
what proportion for bonds vs stocks of whatever sector - big cap,
intnl, etc. Here I'll ignore those with pat answers; I think you have
to go by background info and make your own call. My favorite such
magazine would be the pay or print version of http://economist.com/
although it's pretty wordy and has an intnl focus. A wonderful TV
source may be found playing in the wee hours for US on
http://www.cnbceurope.com/television...ropesquawkbox/ .
Worth recording this discussion if you can, since they have meaty chats
with economists and fund managers before the helter-skelter of euro
markets opening and after the US has closed - leads to lots of
reflection on the world trends and esp how the US markte is frankly
driving them (oh, how I wish more independence would be shown by intnl
markets but only Japan and China seem to offer clear alternative paths,
although in the form of year after year of death spiral). A US based
TV program with a macro economic focus is CNBC Kudlow and Co, which has
a relentless optimistic bias (but pretty right so far).

Lastly how about something for the broader picture of financial
management, including the wacky world of perverse tax incentives,
retirement plans, etc? I think Money magazine used to exactly address
this but as far as I can see they have degenerated to mostly useless
fluff pieces aimed at pandering to certain demographics they are trying
to expand into. Same with many competitors; trying to be relevant and
hip by addressing ever more trivia or treating core issues in a
flippent or alarmist manner. The PBS Wall Street TV show used to
somewhat address this stuff but now seems to frequently veer off into
nonfinancial issues more related to political agendas that they hope
will sensationalize. One of the few solid, concise, general purpose
financial publications I know of is Fidelity Magazine, which is a
freebie for their investors (not on their web site, which only has
Fidelity Weekly with scattered features). So bless this forum, and
maybe someone on it can make some even better suggestions...

These are all good publications written by smart people. My problem
with them is they are rather "open-ended" with little follow-up to
measure their recommendations.

I prefer newsletters like Fidelity Monitor and No Load Fund X that
combine their analyses with recommended portfolios. The perfromance of
the portfolios provides some validation of the opinions.

Frank

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I respectfully disagree. Granted, there is some esoteric stuff in
Barron's, like the weekly report on the options market or the "Commodities
Corner." But the reports on both equities and fixed income are accessible
to the average investor and I think they provide valuable insight into
current conditions. For longer range planning, I like the semiannual
"roundtables," where they get a bunch of gurus together and print their
remarks verbatim. I also like the interviews with various investment pros,
which provide a variety of viewpoints on where the markets are headed.
Finally, I think Abelson's column is amusing and I like the newsletter
excerpts and guest columnists like Ben Stein.

You can subscribe to Barron's online and save quite a bit over the $4.00
per week it would cost to buy it on the newstand. They have a package deal
where you get a break if you also subscribe to the Wall Street Journal
online.

Speaking on online, I also read the "Portfolio Strategist" available
weekly as the Smith Barney web site, www.ssb.com. You'll have to register,
but it's not a hassle. The Portfolio Strategist is very comprehensive, but
I usually read just the equity commentary and the fixed income commentary.
Again, it can get a little technical. But how else are you going to learn?
Also online, I like the commentary at www.pimco.com, especially anything
written by Bill Gross.

RANT MODE ON: The financial coverage in the Washington Post is LOUSY LOUSY
LOUSY!!! RANT MODE OFF.

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Sage advice. I think you should read a variety of sources and be sceptical.

NW wrote:
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Barron's, a weekly, is good, but I think it is geared primarily toward
mutual fund managers and other institutional investors.

I like Smart Money magazine, especially the columns of Sturm and
Lowenstein.

Forbes, a general business magazine published every two weeks, has in
each issue about 4 articles by well-known investors and writers such as
David Dreman and James Grant in each issue.

There's also Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which I have not read
recently.

I like TheStreet.com and its sister site RealMoney.com .

One should think carefully about how to use the financial media.
Uncritically following all the advice given could serve mainly to
increase your brokerage commissions and capital gains taxes.

The Wall Street Journal is great, but it's a lot of info to keep up with.

-Will

NW wrote:
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I read Money magazine and I find it useful from time to time but I'm looking
for other suggestions for good sources of practical personal money
management information and ideas. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.