Doing Your Own Research
Even if you use the various services and publications available, there is no magic wand that makes the task easier. Making money in the market is hard work. Persistence pays off over time, and so does patience. You will need to do your homework even with the best research available. It still requires reading. Some of the services, like Value Line and Standard & Poor's, make the job easier by supplying a vast amount of information in intelligently compiled formats. The daily and weekly newspapers are extremely well designed and provide every possible indicator you could ask for.
Check the following Web sites as potential sources for research or to link to even more extensive sources on the Web. Remember, though, that investing is one of the more extensive areas on the Internet. This list is by no means extensive, but is designed to lead you to further resources and links.
better-investing.org busreslab.com
www.moneypages.com/syndicate/finance/general.html
www.seclaw.com/links/investorlinks. shtml
KEY POINT
Making money in the market is hard work. The real value of fundamental analysis is in providing a direction for the effort, not in showing you how to succeed without performing the work itself.
The real test of fundamental analysis—as you apply it in your own program—is not that it should be expected to provide you with information beyond what anyone else has, but rather to the degree that it helps you develop insight, confirm your beliefs, or discover information necessary to the decision-making process.
