Welcome to Investing Online For Dummies, 5th Edition, and to the exciting
world of online investing. Regardless of whether you’re a new investor
or an experienced trader, this book can guide you to the Internet-based
resources that can help you make better, more informed investing decisions
than ever before. The Internet offers an astounding amount of financial information,
and Investing Online For Dummies, 5th Edition, provides clear instructions
and ample illustrations so that you don’t get lost in cyberspace. With the
assistance of this book, you can find up-to-the-second stock quotes, historical
financial data on public companies, professional analyses, educational materials,
and more.
In this book, I show you how to get started, what you really need to know,
and where to go on the Internet for additional information. You don’t need to
memorize complex commands or formulas. I describe everything in plain
English, and I leave the Wall Street–speak out in the street.
Thousands of new Web pages are added each day. Many institutions bring
educational and government materials online, large and small commercial
enterprises create Web-based services, and individuals also account for
much of the content that is posted online. This vast amount of content continues
to grow in size and sophistication but still remains user-friendly. New
online investor applications are added on a regular basis. Today you can finetune
your online investing in more ways than ever before because more
Internet resources are out there than ever before.
As the amount of online content constantly increases, it also changes. Some
sites listed in this book may have changed or gone away due to mergers with
larger sites. Some Web sites just vanish for no reason. If a site has moved,
you may find a link to the new location. If not, try a search engine such as
Google (www.google.com), Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), or MSN (search.msn.
com) to locate the resource you need.