Online Investing Hacks

Description:

For the geek who's an investor, and the investor who's a geek, we present Online Investing Hacks, 100 industrial-strength, bleeding edge tips, tools and techniques for analyzing and managing online portfolios.

Individual investors have become more computer-literate and technology-dependent than ever before. Whether you're looking for suitable investments, studying alternatives, or managing your portfolios, you need data. The Internet can be a goldmine of financial data and research, but today's online investors also use spreadsheets, databases, and financial applications to select, study and manage investments. If your proficiency has grown to the point where you crave industrial-strength tips and tools to turbo-charge your efforts, this is the book for you.

Online Investing Hacks covers:

• Screening Investments
  
• Collecting Data
  
• Fundamental Analysis
  
• Technical Analysis
  
• Executing Trades
  
• Investing in Mutual Funds
  
• Portfolio Management
  
• Updating Stock Data
  
• Financial Planning

Other books for managing online investing are either out of date, are for beginners and don't go beyond the most basic advice, or are so dull and boring they squeeze that last bit of fun out of the topic. Online Investing Hacks is for the customer who wants to know the latest techniques, to go beyond the basics, who gets jazzed by cool online tools and services, and who actually wants to have a bit of fun while trying to strike it rich (or at least not lose their shirt).

Table of Contents:

Credits   

Preface   

Chapter 1. Screening Investments  

       1. Screen Savings Rates   

       2. Screen Fixed-Income Investments   

       3. Screen Loan and Mortgage Rates   

       4. Fast and Free Stock Screening Tools   

       5. Build Industrial Strength-Stock Screens   

       6. Weed Out Results   

Chapter 2. Hacking Excel for Financial Analysis  

       7. Download Data Using Excel Web Queries   

       8. Make Good and Bad Values Stand Out   

       9. Make Nested Functions Work in Excel   

       10. Prevent Growth Calculations from Blowing Up   

       11. Flexible Techniques for Referencing Data   

       12. Add Conditional Commentary   

       13. Create Financial Charts in Excel   

Chapter 3. Collecting Financial Data  

       Introduction

       Fathoming Financial Statements

       14. Download Mutual Fund Data   

       15. Choose Your Favorite Flavor of Data   

       16. Obtain Price Quotes   

       17. Download Historical Price Files   

       18. Download Financial Statements   

       19. The Best Data for Free   

       20. The Best Data for a Fee   

       21. Download News   

       22. Locate the Competition   

       23. Obtain Averages for an Industry and the Competition

       24. Create Alerts   

Chapter 4. Analyzing Company Fundamentals  

       Introduction

       Investing in Growth

       Insisting on Quality

       Buying Good Value

       25. Calculate Percentage Change for Growth and Return

       26. Calculate Compound Annual Rates of Growth   

       27. Calculate Price and Dividend Ratios   

       28. Calculate Additional Valuation Ratios   

       29. Calculate Financial Strength Ratios   

       30. Calculate Management Effectiveness Ratios   

       31. Calculate Turnover Ratios   

       32. Calculate Profitability Ratios   

       33. Compare Year-to-Year Results   

       34. Compare Several Competitors to Identify the Strongest Candidate   

       35. Measure Earnings Predictability in Excel   

       36. Use Rational Values to Buy and Sell Wisely   

       37. Are You Walking on the Wild Side?   

       38. Use Ready-Made Fundamental Analysis Applications 

       39. Spot Hanky Panky with Cash Flow Analysis   

       40. Use Online Analysis Tools   

       41. Find the Best Free Excel Tools for Fundamental Analysis

       42. Find the Best Excel Tools for Fundamental Analysis for a Fee

       43. Analyze Real Estate Investment Trusts   

       44. Bank on Banks   

       45. Steps to Building a Financial Analysis Template  

Chapter 5. Technical Analysis  

       Introduction

       A Short History of Technical Analysis

       Computers and Technical Analysis

       Technical Charts

       The Importance of Money Management

       46. Use Line and Bar Charts   

       47. Light the Way with Candlestick Charts   

       48. Point and Figure Charts   

       49. Look for Patterns in Technical Charts   

       50. What's Volume Got to Do with It?   

       51. How to Use Indicators and Oscillators   

       52. Support and Resistance   

       53. The Best Tools for Technical Analysis   

Chapter 6. Executing Trades  

       54. Pick the Right Type of Trade   

       55. Execute After-Hours Trades   

       56. Sell Fractional Shares   

       57. Build Your Own Mutual Funds   

       58. Buy Bonds Online   

Chapter 7. Investing in Mutual Funds  

       Introduction

       Mutual Funds Are Here to Stay

       It's Your Money

       Index Funds, Anyone?

       59. Why Don't My Funds Perform as Well as Others?   

       60. Calculate the Damage of Mutual Fund Expenses   

       61. Analyze the Hidden Costs of Fund Turnover   

       62. The Taxman Cometh for Your Fund Returns   

       63. Evaluate Short-Term and Long-Term Returns   

       64. Manage Interest Rate Risk with Bond Fund Duration

       65. Evaluate Mutual Funds   

       66. The Best Mutual Fund Screens for Free   

       67. The Best Mutual Fund Screens for a Fee   

       68. Beware of the Closet Index Fund   

       69. Spot Mutual Funds That Don't Play Fair   

       70. Know When to Fold 'Em   

       71. Comparison-Shop for Mutual Funds   

       72. Compare Mutual Funds Online   

Chapter 8. Managing Your Portfolio  

       Introduction

       What Is Portfolio Management?

       Tracking Results

       73. Build an Online Portfolio   

       74. Asset Allocation: Less Risk on the Road to Returns

       75. Keep Allocation in Line   

       76. The Best Portfolio Management Tools for Free   

       77. The Best Portfolio Management Tools for a Fee   

       78. Portfolio Management with Excel   

       79. Take the Sting Out of Portfolio Management   

       80. Use Bonds in a Portfolio   

       81. Calculate Investment Return Over Different Time Periods

       82. Compare Your Return to a Benchmark   

       83. Forecast Future Returns   

       84. Compare Returns for Alternative Investments   

       85. Assess Portfolio Quality   

       86. Flag Fundamental Sell Signals   

Chapter 9. Financial Planning  

       87. Choose the Right Type of Account   

       88. Choose an Online Broker   

       89. Pick the Best Broker for Your Trading Style   

       90. Save Up for Something Good   

       91. Up, Up, and Away: The Cost of College   

       92. Let Me Count the Ways to Save for College   

       93. A College Savings Plan in Every State   

       94. Balance Risk and Return for College Costs   

       95. When It's Time to Break the College Savings Piggy Bank   

       96. Save for Retirement While Still Enjoying Yourself

       97. Juggle Multiple Objectives   

       98. Get Out of Debt Before Debt Takes It Out of You  

       99. Find a Financial Planner   

       100. Build a Ladder of Fixed-Income Investments   

Index