How to Check Out a Broker

Broker Guide 2006
Hunt for the Best Deal Using AAII's Discount Broker Guide
Let AAII’s annual survey be your guide in your hunt for bargains among the discount brokerage firms. This year’s survey covers 55 firms that refer to themselves as discount, 46 of which conduct business on-line.

Stock Screens
Screening for the Future Stock Market Winners
What does it take to become a winner? In 1989, Marc Reinganum examined the common characteristics of a group of winning stocks. Based on that research, AAII developed the Stock Market Winners screen, a growth and value approach that last year was one of the top performers.

Hot Links
How to Check Out a Broker
Broker information on the Web can be divided into two camps: Sites that provide disciplinary or background information about a broker or firm, and sites that provide customer evaluations of brokerage firms.

Stock Strategies
The Best Day of the Year to Invest in the Market
The timing of investments is always a dilemma for the individual investor. Looking backward, it is easy to find comprehensive analyses showing the best days to have invested. But looking forward, the probability of timing those most opportune investment opportunities is essentially zero. However, there is one day of the year that comes close to being the best day of any year.

AAII Model Portfolios
Model Fund Portfolio Update: No Complaints for 2005
Last year was not a great year for the stock market, but when a poor year still has positive returns, we can't complain too much--especially if you can outperform the market at a lower level of risk.

Stock Screens
A Performance Correction for the 2005 AAII Stock Screens

Bonds
Fine-Tuning Your Portfolio: A Look at Bond Swaps
Bond investing strategies range from a buy-and-hold approach to complex tactical trades involving views on inflation and interest rates. The right strategy for you depends on your goals, timeframe and risk tolerance. But if you manage a portfolio of individual bonds, one strategy you might want to consider is the bond swap.

Departments
Letters to the Editor
Member questions and commments on recent AAII Journal articles.

Departments
Briefly Noted
Current news items of interest to individual investors.