Feature | AAII: The American Association of Individual Investors

Articles belonging to ‘Features’

The Top Technical Analysis & Charting Websites

First Quarter 2013 by Wayne A. Thorp
Comparing the best online technical tools for their charting options, technical indicators and educational resources.

Creating the Revised Graham Enterprising Investor Screen

First Quarter 2013 by Joe Lan, CFA
Creating a more realistic version of the popular Graham Enterprising Investor screen using Stock Investor Pro.

Gauging Market Direction: Market Breadth Data

Fourth Quarter 2012 by Wayne A. Thorp
Market breadth indicators can give you a feel for how widely the full range of stocks is participating in a market movement.

PC Buyer’s Guide 2012

November 2012 by Wayne A. Thorp
Our goal with this guide is to focus your attention on the key factors that are most relevant when buying a new computer to aid in the computerized investment and analysis process.

The Top Online Portfolio Trackers

Fourth Quarter 2012 by Joe Lan
An in-depth look at the best websites for tracking your portfolio’s gains and losses and measuring its performance.

The Top Comprehensive Websites 2012

August 2012 by Joe Lan
An in-depth review of the websites that combine the features and functions used most frequently by individual investors, including up-to-the-minute news, portfolio management, simple stock screening capabilities and the availability of fundamental and technical data.

Comparison: The Top Web-Based Fundamental Stock Screening Services

Third Quarter 2012 by Wayne A. Thorp
An in-depth look at the best of the online services that help filter through a database of stocks.

Tracking the Analysts

May 2012 by Wayne A. Thorp and John Bajkowski
Earnings play a key role in valuing stocks, and even slight changes in expectations for future earnings or the projected earnings growth rate can have a significant impact on a stock’s price. Tracking these expectations, and their changes, is an important and potentially rewarding strategy for stock investors.

Comparison: Online Discount Brokers

Second Quarter 2012 by Joe Lan
A look at the pros and cons of the five online discount brokers most used by AAII members.

Masonson’s Stock Market Dashboard, Version 2

Second Quarter 2012 by CI Staff
A revision of Leslie Masonson’s dashboard approach to gauging market direction.

Comparison: Tax Preparation Services

February 2012 by Joe Lan
If you are one of the many who dread the arrival of April 15, fear not; this article can help you find a service to sort through all of the tax implications of your 2011 finances.

Technical Analysis & Charting Programs

First Quarter 2012 by Wayne A. Thorp
What to look for in software that is dedicated to technical analysis and charting, and in-depth reviews of the top three programs in this area.

Track Your Finances on a Mac With iBank

First Quarter 2012 by Joe Lan
A look at a personal finance program designed for the Mac and capable of syncing with mobile devices.

Screening With the Big, Safe Dividend Formula: The Advanced BSD Approach

Fourth Quarter 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
Recreating Charles Carlson’s advanced approach for seeking stocks with a safe and growing dividend and growth potential.

The Top Portfolio Management Software

Fourth Quarter 2011 by Joe Lan
An in-depth look at the best software for tracking your portfolio’s gains and losses and measuring its performance.

On-Line Exclusive: PC Buyer’s Guide 2011

October 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
The relevant factors to consider when buying a new PC to help you in the computerized investment and tracking process, including such tasks as portfolio management and tracking, stock and mutual fund screening, and technical analysis and charting.

The Top Comprehensive Websites 2011

August 2011 by Joe Lan
An in-depth review of the investing websites that are the best one-stop shops, offering detailed fundamental data on stocks, mutual funds and ETFs as well as portfolio monitoring and screening capabilities.

Screening With the Big, Safe Dividend Formula

Third Quarter 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
Charles Carlson’s stock-picking approach seeks stocks with above-average growth potential and a safe and growing dividend.

The Top Mutual Fund Screening Services

Third Quarter 2011 by Joe Lan
An in-depth looks at the best software and websites for screening the universe of mutual funds.

Using Relative Strength Analysis to Invest in ETFs

Second Quarter 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
A look at Leslie Masonson’s approach to constructing a portfolio of exchange-traded funds based on how they rank on relative strength.

Online Discount Brokers

Second Quarter 2011 by Joe Lan
An in-depth look at the services offered at the five online discount brokers most used by AAII members.

On-Line Exclusive: Tax Preparation Services

March 2011 by Joe Lan
Online services provide an easy way to prepare and file your tax returns, plus they have systems in place to double-check your work.

Staying in Front of the Market With the “Stock Market Dashboard”

February 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
Leslie Masonson believes that monitoring changes in market direction allows you to see exactly where it is going. His Stock Market Dashboard uses a combination of freely available indicators that signal when to buy, sell or stay on the sidelines.

Online Spreadsheet Programs

First Quarter 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
A look at online spreadsheets as an alternative to costly software, and as a venue for multi-user collaboration.

The Top Technical Analysis & Charting Websites

First Quarter 2011 by Wayne A. Thorp
Where to go to find the best combination of charting options, technical indicators and educational resources online.

On-Line Exclusive: The Top Comprehensive Websites

December 2010 by Joe Lan
An in-depth look at the three best websites where a range of information and tools for the individual investor are offered in one location.

On-Line Exclusive: Computerized Investing’s Annual PC Buyer’s Guide

November 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
If you are looking to purchase or upgrade a personal computer to aid you in the computerized investment analysis and tracking process, our recommendations here should allow you to run the top investment software titles available to individual investors.

A Hybrid Technical-Fundamental Stock Trading System

Fourth Quarter 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
Part three of our series on Grant Henning’s stock approaches combines the momentum and value strategies into a hybrid.

On-Line Exclusive: Grant Henning’s Fundamental-Value Stock Trading System

September 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
After Henning developed a technical-momentum approach to stock-picking, he discovered that there are times when value stocks with strong earnings do better. A look at Henning's ranking system using a fundamental-value approach.

On-Line Exclusive: Grant Henning's Technical-Momentum Stock Trading System

August 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
Henning's approach is based on the belief that using mathematical models to select stocks can eliminate the guesswork and emotion from the investment process.

Buy-and-Hold Versus Market Timing

Third Quarter 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
A look at Theodore Wong’s research into building a moving average crossover system and testing it against a buy-and-hold approach.

On-Line Exclusive: Screening on Jim Slater's Zulu Principle

June 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
In the 15-plus years I have been reading investing texts—especially related to stock screening—I have found the subject to be decidedly centered in the U.S. Therefore, when I ran across a book written on the other side of the pond in England, I jumped at the chance to see what it had to say.

On-Line Exclusive: Quicken Essentials for Mac

May 2010 by Cara Scatizzi
Intuit recently released this personal finance program created exclusively for the Mac OS. The program was built from scratch and integrates the functionality of the financial management Web site Mint.com (which Intuit acquired in the fall of 2009).

The Stockpiling Approach to Stock Trading

Second Quarter 2010 by Cara Scatizzi
A look at Phil Town's new book, "Payback Time," and how to build a screen based on the approach.

On-Line Exclusive: Benjamin Graham's Net Current Asset Value Approach

February 2010 by Wayne A. Thorp
One of Benjamin Graham's original selection methodologies dates back to the early 1930s, but has been largely overlooked. It focuses on stocks trading at prices less than their net current asset values (NCAVs). This CI Online Exclusive explains the NCAV approach, highlighting how you can use computerized stock screening tools to identify stocks meeting Graham's criteria.

"Risk-Wise" Risk Management

First Quarter 2010 by Cara Scatizzi
A look at Michael Carpenter's new book on managing risk in your portfolio.

VectorVest RealTime

Fourth Quarter 2009 by Wayne A. Thorp
This popular market timing program for active traders now offers ranking, system testing, and portfolio management functionality that is updated throughout the trading day.

On-Line Exclusive: Beating the Market With Charles Kirkpatrick

September 2009 by Wayne A. Thorp
The market downturn over the last year or so has been a nightmare for many investors. On one end of the spectrum are the “buy and hold” investors who saw their portfolios battered by the broad-based decline in equities

On-Line Exclusive: Using the Magic Formula for Investing

August 2009 by Cara Scatizzi
Learning to successfully invest in the stock market is simple, according to Joel Greenblatt’s “The Little Book That Beats the Market” (Wiley, 2005). Greenblatt is the founder and a managing partner of Gotham Capital, a private investment partnership. He is an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and holds a B.S. and an MBA from the Wharton School.

On-Line Exclusive: Rules of Attraction: The MAGNET Stock Selection Process

June 2009 by Wayne A. Thorp
Most investment strategies, especially fundamental stock screens, typically have some sort of style “bias”—leaning more toward a value- or growth-oriented approach. However, Jordan Kimmel blends value, growth and momentum investing styles into a singular approach, which he termed the MAGNET Stock Selection Process.

On-Line Exclusive: Stock Screening With Walter Schloss

May 2009 by Cara Scatizzi
Many individual investors may not be familiar with the investment guru that Warren Buffett calls a “super investor.” Walter J. Schloss studied under Ben Graham in 1935 and started his own fund in 1955. Schloss’ son joined the fund in 1973 and subsequently renamed it Walter & Edwin Schloss Associates.

Stock Screening & System Backtesting With Zacks Research Wizard

Sep/Oct 2008 by Wayne A. Thorp
With software from Zacks you can screen for stocks and, more uniquely, perform backtesting using historical data to identify promising investing techniques.

Feature: Trading Rule #1 Stocks

Jul/Aug 2008 by Wayne A. Thorp
How to implement a trading strategy based on the stocks that pass Phil Town's Rule #1 approach. Three technical tools that can help you stay one step ahead of the institutional investors.

Rule #1 Stock Screening

Sep/Oct 2007 by Wayne A. Thorp
Translating Phil Town’s Rule #1 approach into a stock screen for finding “wonderful” companies at attractive prices.

Introduction to Candlestick Charting

Jul/Aug 2007 by Wayne A. Thorp
An overview of a technical analysis technique similar to bar charting, but with added nuances.

Stock Valuation Spreadsheet

May/Jun 2007 by Wayne A. Thorp
An update to a simple spreadsheet that you can use to gauge what a stock is actually worth.

Predicting the Market's Future With O'Shaughnessy

Sep/Oct 2006 by Cara Scatizzi
James O'Shaughnessy looked at historical long-term trends to predict where the market is heading, and designed four new stock approaches based on his research. How to implement the new O'Shaughnessy stock screens using AAII's Stock Investor Pro.