In years past, the November issue of the AAII Journal contained AAII’s “Best of the Net,” which highlights the best online resources for financial information and investment data. After 17 years, the baton has been passed to Computerized Investing (CI) and this past June we launched the first installment of the periodic “Best of the Web” series. The move is a logical one, given CI’s mission of harnessing the power of technology to assist individuals in becoming more effective managers of their investments.

While the publication may have changed, the underlying goal is still very much the same: identify and highlight the top websites, intended for individual investors, to assist in the investment analysis, research and tracking process. The sites covered in the “Best of the Web” series are those used by the staff of Computerized Investing as we perform our various research duties as well as in our own investing pursuits. As always, we place a premium on not only quality relevant information but also ease of use. The sites we cover are both free and fee-based. We do not hesitate to include subscription-based sites if they truly offer value-added content compared to free sites.

Our primary criterion for analyzing a website is to consider whether it offers value for its visitors. We pay a great deal of attention to the quality of content and whether or not it is credible. We also used last year’s “Best of the Net” picks as a starting point for our “Best of the Web” series. You will undoubtedly find sites that have come highly recommended by AAII and Computerized Investing for many years. However, we are not beholden to the past and have already added several new sites to the roster.

Currently we plan to run six “Best of the Web” segments a year, each covering a specific area of investing. Already we have covered the areas of fundamental stock data; charting and technical analysis; conference call and corporate events; financial news and analysis; and portfolio tracking, analysis and optimization. For each category, we highlight three to five sites and cover the unique features that make them the best of the Web. We also name one site the Editors’ Choice in each group.

Two Websites We Like

Here is a glimpse at two of the sites we have covered thus far:

Stock Rover

Stock Rover (www.stockrover.com) is the Editors’ Choice in the category of fundamental stock data. With both free and premium features, this site provides many tools to analyze, track and research securities, including an easy-to-use stock screener; tables that are easily sorted, filtered or grouped; charting capabilities; detailed company information; a wide range of fundamental and technical data; and a portfolio tracker.

For individual stock analysis, the site offers summary information and presents basic figures regarding performance, valuation, profitability and growth. It compares a company’s figures to the industry average and the S&P 500 index. You also receive financial statement data in summary form for 10 quarters or years, when available, along with key ratios. Growth rates for income statement items are also reported over a variety of time periods.

A premium subscription allows you to export financial statement information or key ratios to Excel.

Trading View

Trading View (www.tradingview.com) is one of our top sites for charting and technical analysis. With both free and premium services, it offers an aesthetically pleasing user experience. The site offers 10 different chart types, including point & figure and renko charts.

TradingView includes a library of more than 80 technical indicators and more than 20 drawing tools. Using the Pine scripting language, you can also create custom indicators, which is a rarity among online services. Lastly, you can create custom chart layouts or templates and save them for future use.

Fee-based subscriptions give you real-time intraday data direct from the exchanges.

How to Access

Computerized Investing subscribers can access the new “Best of the Web” by visiting www.aaii.com/journal/category/ci-in-the-journal/bestofthewebarchive. Many of you already have access to CI either through AAII life membership or as part of an add-on to AAII membership. If you do not currently subscribe to Computerized Investing, please visit www.aaii.com/journal/category/ci-in-the-journal to check out all we offer.

—Wayne A. Thorp, CFA, is vice president and senior financial analyst at AAII and editor of Computerized Investing. Follow him on Twitter @WayneTAAII.