The Better Investing website has three new features and you need to be a BI/NAIC member to access them.

(1) Gold Nuggets: short articles on stocks, mutual funds,  and personal finance.

There are two shorties on stocks: "The Math of Bear Markets" (one paragraph, 6 sentences) and "The Case Against Efficient Markets" (one paragraph, 6 sentences).

BI should have said very short.....or very, very short!

(2) First Cut: pre-screened companies that meet BI/NAIC criteria with links to the S&P Stock Data Service Company Report and to the On-Line SSG.

This month, 28 companies are identified: 16 large, 11 medium, and 1 small (FDS).

However, the screening criteria are not specified and it is not clear if the criteria pertain to the company's size or to its growth rates (historical and/or expected).  Moreover, the link to the On-Line SSG is merely to a blank form.

(3) The third new feature has solid promise: the results of an Online Group Study that provide step-by step guidance for completing a Stock Selection Guide (SSG) on a particular company.  Each of them is presented by a volunteer educator.

Three studies have already been completed: Staples (SPLS) led by Ken Peters; Proctor & Gamble (PG) led by Grethen Hurt; and Coach (COH) led by John Tufts.  Special thanks to Ken, Grethen, John, and all the other volunteer helpers.

You can download the studies along with related materials, view the Audio-Visual presentation on your computer's media player, and participate in the live discussion if you sign up in advance (space is limited).

You will find links to these new features on the Tools & Resources tab after you log-in.

Armin Fields

ps: I think it is strange that BI/NAIC did not post an announcement of these new features on any of the discussion lists.  I also think it is strange that no one on any list mentioned these new features.

I am posting a copy to the I-Club-List

Better Investing sent me an e-mail today, March 10, alerting members to three new features on the BI website: (1) Gold Nuggets, very short articles on investing; (2) First Cut, screening results that satisfy BI/NAIC criteria, and (3) Online Stock Study Series, step-by-step SSG workshops on a particular company that are led by volunteer educators.

These are the same three features I alerted this forum to almost two months ago, on 1-19.  Boy-oh-boy, are they slow!!

Moreover, the First-Cut screening results are to the same 28 companies that BI identified on 12-11 and it is still unclear, as I mentioned in my 1-19 post, whether the screening criteria pertain to the company's size or to its growth rates.

The Online Stock Study Series, however, remains a worthy feature that everyone should check out.  Five studies have now been completed: Coach (COH) led by John Tufts, Staples (SPLS) led by Ken Peters; Proctor & Gamble (PG) led by Gretchen Hurt; Colgate-Palmolive (CL) led by Avi Horwitz; and CVS Caremark (CVS) led by Jim Thomas. Special thanks to John, Ken, Gretchen, Avi, Jim and to all the other volunteer helpers.

You can download the studies along with related materials, view the SPLS audio-visual presentation on your computer's media player, and participate in the live discussion if you sign up in advance (space is limited). You will find links to these new features on the Tools & Resources tab after you log-in to BI.

Armin Fields

ps: It still seems strange to me that BI has not posted an announcement of these new features on any of the discussion lists.  And, it is still strange to me that no one on any list or forum has discussed any of these five stock studies and/or their SSG judgments.

I also posted a copy of this on the 1-Club-List.