BESPy AWARDS
The Disciplined Investor’s 1st Annual BESPy Awards - 2007
The First Annual BESPy awards. The BESPy recognizes the “Top” BLOGS, EDUCATION, SITES and PODCASTS dedicated to Business and Finance for the modern investor. There are thousands of financial sites, blogs and podcasts available for the Disciplined Investor, but remember, we are looking for the cream of the crop.
All on this list received a “BEST” and each category also has a “TOP” BESPy award winner. Listen to the awards ceremony for interviews and acceptance speeches from the winners. (or LISTEN and subscribe with iTunes)
The BESPy Awards are broken down by four main categories - Blogs, Education, Sites/Software and Podcasts - and further divided as follows:
(See the del.icio.us link for all of these sites)
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StockCharts.com
Founded by Chip Anderson. StockCharts.com was originally founder to help online investors obtain and use financial information more effectively. Some of the best charts on the web. Make sure to check out the market carpets.
BIG Charts
A site dedicated charting and technical analysis. Most, if not all of the site features are free.
MSN MoneyCentral
MSN MoneyCentral (MSN MONEY) is the premiere site for all things financial. Research, charting, reports, analyst information, screening and much more.
Software/Sites: Stock Screening
MSN Money Central
MSN Moneycentral has the slickest screening tool available (for free!). You must use IE explorer to tap all of the features. There are several built-in screens as well as the availability of hundreds of fields to use in order to create your own Quant screen.
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance is one of the favorite site for for many web surfers. They also have a robust financial site with a great depth of information and tremendous resources for every investor.
Software/Sites: Options
The Options Institute(CBOE)
This site provides options trading information with extreme depth and accuracy. This is the mother-of-all options sites. If you trade options, this should be your starting page.
OptionsMonster
Provider of market intelligence and analytical commentary on the options markets. Layout could better, but the information is high-end.
Software/Sites: Economics
Dismal.com
A great resource for all economic data. The site is part of Economy.com and founder by well know and respected economist Mark Zandi. There is a good amount of information that is free. If you want the good stuff, you may need to open the wallet a bit.
Briefing.com
Briefing.com has uniquely designed services for individual investors and professional traders seeking live analysis of important news events of the day, with insight on what they mean for the market or individual securities. They are one of the fastest news sources for earnings, economic releases and other important market information.
MoneyCentral.com
(See Above)
Software/Sites: Stocks, Markets and Portfolio Tracking
MarketBrowser
MarketBrowser was developed by Leading Market Technologies, Inc. LMT and is recognized as one of the foremost developers of advanced analytics and decision support software solutions for the financial industry. It is a free service that brings portfolio tracking, news and quotes to the desktop. This is something to check out. You WILL say …WOW!
Track Data Corporation is a financial services company that provides direct access brokerage, real-time financial market data, news, and research to institutional and individual investors through dedicated telecommunication lines and the Internet. Founded in 1981, Track Data is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: TRAC) based in New York City, with offices around the country and in London. It is not free, but it is necessary.
MSN MoneyCentral.com
(See Above)
Software/Sites: Market and News Tracking
Briefing.com
Briefing.com has uniquely designed services for individual investors and professional traders seeking live analysis of important news events of the day, with insight on what they mean for the market or individual securities.
MSN MoneyCentral
(See Above)
Bloomberg.com
Bloomberg is about information: accessing it, reporting it, analyzing it and distributing it, probably faster and more accurately than any other organization.
Software/Sites: General RSS Readers/Mashup
Google Reader
Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content.
Netvibes
Brings all your favorite MySpace, Digg, YouTube, Gmail, Flickr, eBay, del.icio.us accounts – you name it together on your own personal Netvibes page.
PageFlakes
PageFlakes enables you to easily personalize the web and make it your own. Create a page using Flakes; they’re small, movable versions of all of your web favorites that you can arrange on your personal homepage.
Software/Sites: Investment Blog of Blogs
Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is the leading provider of stock market opinion and analysis from blogs, money managers and investment newsletters, and a provider of its own high-value, complementary financial content.
Blogging Stocks
Another great aggregator of financial feeds from many of the personal and professional financial bloggers. It is a division of AOL Finance.
pfblogs
pfblogs.com aggregates feeds from many of well know personal financial webloggers.
Software/Sites: Stock Mash Up/Message Boards
Instant Bull
InstantBull.com was launched in July, 2006 with the goal of offering investors the most time-saving interface:
- All-in-one stock message boards — fastest access to all the most popular boards.
- Easily compare stock research from all the best free investor portals.
- Easily access and search the Web’s best stock market blogs and buzz.
Raging Bull
Another great board of boards.
BoardCentral
BoardCentral.Com was created to provide investors with extensive information about numerous WEB based message boards and chat rooms along with convenience of submitting (posting) and retrieving (reading) the information to and from participating message boards and chat rooms.
Software/Sites: Best Overall Sites for Market Research:
Blogs: Personal Finance, Savings and Budgeting
Consumerism Commentary
Consumerism Commentary is a blog for men and women who wish to make the most of their financial lives. Started by “Flexo” Smith as a personal finance blog to keep himself accountable for his own financial progress and to maintain a healthy financial lifestyle.
The Simple Dollar
The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two.
Free Money Finance
Free and simple discussion on money and finance designed to increase your net worth. All proceeds from advertising on the site go to charity. Nice guy!
My Money Blog
This site is about one person’s money - how he makes more of it, how he will try to spend less of it, and how he invests it. He is publicly tracking his progress towards financial freedom.
Blogs: The Word of Finance
The Big Picture
Barry Ritholtz
The Big Picture covers Investing & Trading to Macro Economics, and everything else in between. The blog has quickly amassed over 11 million visitors. Media accolades have poured in for The Big Picture from the NYT (”Trenchant economic commentary”) and the WSJ (”What the In-Crowd Knows). The Journal cited The Big Picture as the Economic “Blog Insiders Read to Stay Current;” Business Week noted its “insightful calls on the direction of the stock market” (Blogging For Dollars). CNBC’s Larry Kudlow described it as “very helpful and addictive — the best stock market blog there is.” Numerous traffic sites rank The Big Picture as the most trafficked Market/Economic blog on the web.
Infectious Greed
One of the best-known technology, venture capital, & finance blogs. Paul Kedrosky has written influential columns for Business 2.0 magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Harvard Business Review, and others. He has also appeared on many media outlets, including CNN, PBS Newshour, ABC Nightline, and the New York Times, and he can be seen frequently on CNBC’s “On the Money”.
Blogs: Stock Tips and Trading Ideas
Trader Mike
According to Mike, this blog serves serving as a trading diary of sorts. He also puts his market commentary on this blog to share his views of the market. People are always asking Mike about what he does, so now they can see it in almost real-time.
ZachStocks
Zach Scheidt hopes that his passion for the markets will inspire some and offer good ideas for individual investors to pursue. He covers the stocks and markets.
The Kirk Report
The primary goals for the website are to help the “little guy” investor and to provide food for thought, not blind recommendations. Ultimately, his end goal is for an individual investor who reads The Kirk Report frequently to make much more informed, intelligent, unemotional and therefore, ultimately very successful investment decisions.
Blogs: Productivity, Life and Marketing
Duct Tape Marketing
Founded by John Jantsch. Is a small business marketing system. This is a one-stop shop for marketing online and off.
LifeHacker
Lifehacker, is an award-winning daily blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you work and live smarter and more efficiently.
43 Folders
Merlin Mann’s family of websites about stuff like personal productivity, life hacks, and simple ways to make your life a little better.
Blogs: Options Information
Daily Options Report
Daily Options Report created by Adam Warner. This is a wonderful resource for investors and especially for options traders.
Phil’s Stock World
An active daily forum that is unique – and offers a busy community of informed members offering their own opinions, ideas, and input.
TradeLikemike.com
The primary goal here is to illustrate how Mike trades and what is his thought process behind these trades. Mixed in with this, he will often give a quick recap of general market conditions along with whatever relevant information that is moving the markets.
Blogs: Forex Trading and Currency
Piptopia
Piptopia is a site dedicated to teaching the art and science of FOREX currency trading. Rob Booker, the founder of the site has has been called the “Motley Fool of Foreign Exchange” and the “Prime Minister of Pips”. His blog is read by over 3,000 people.
Forex Blog
Need we say more?
Blogs: Technology News for Investors
Barron’s Tech Trader Daily by Eric Savitz
Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written from Palo Alto, California by long-time Barron’s West Coast Editor Eric J. Savitz. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields.
Ars Technica
This site specializes in original news and reviews, analysis of technology trends, and expert advice on topics ranging from the most fundamental aspects of technology to the many ways technology is helping many enjoy their world.
Tech Crunch
TechCrunch, founded on June 11, 2005, is a weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies. In addition to covering new companies, the site profiles existing companies that are making an impact (commercial and/or cultural) on the new web space.
Blogs: Technical Analysis
AlphaTrends
Alpha Trends is dedicated to unbiased technical analysis of momentum stocks or stocks that look poised for a large move in either direction. It is written by Brian Shannon, a veteran full time trader and self taught technical analyst who was previously Head of Research and Training and Instructor at MarketWise.
Slope of Hope with Tim Knight
Tim started writing this blog on March 29, 2005 simply as a personal diary. Over the months and years, readership of this blog has increased to thousands of people every day. Good info here.
Trade Guild
(Bull Trapper) “Bull Trapper” writes about technical analysis and markets. A good resource to learn about charting.
Afraid To Trade.com
Corey Rosenbloom is the author. He is a trader, educator and analyst. He shares his experiences studying and trading the markets. Great stuff!
Blogs: Market Commentary and More
Billcara
BillCara.com is a virtual community of students-of-the-market united by their commitment to the pursuit and sharing of knowledge of capital markets. Leadership and opportunity for discussion is provided by Bill Cara through his personal experiences and insights of the global financial markets. By providing a trading-learning environment that fosters respect for differing individual and organizations’ needs and interests, BillCara.com offers experienced, incisive and truly independent analysis of the global financial markets, in Bill’s free Daily and Weekly Reports.
Vinny Catalano
Subtitled Musing on the Markets, and written by Vinny Catalano, who is President and Global Investment Strategist with Blue Marble Research and author of “Sectors and Styles: A New Approach to Outperforming the Market.
Blogs: Financial Fun and Foley
WallStrip
Founded by Howard Lindzon. “Stock culture meets pop culture” with daily parodies on stocks. Videos that poke fun at some of the more ridiculous as well as providing a good reality check on some of the market’s daily insanities. Funny, Raucous and a real treat.
Minyanville
Minyanville is a Media Company that has created branded properties that entertain and educate people interested in finance. There is a whole host of education and other tools for the investor. Be sure to look for Hoofy & Boo!
Suck My Nasdaq
Jefferson Krull has developed this site so that you, the trading public, can watch in real-time as his bottom-line plunges further into the red. Odd but fun. (Rated R)
Special Recognition:
Quant/Market Stats and Research:
Bespoke Investment Site
A great selection of quantitative items as well as list and historical information to help understand trends.
TOP Behavioral Finance Blog
Traderfeed
Noted author Brett Steeenbarger uses historical patterns in markets to find a trading edge. He also write about performance enhancement among traders, drawing upon research from expert performers in various fields.
TOP Investment Wiki
Wikinvest
An investment website that explains the deeper story behind a company, giving investors the context they need to understand what they are betting on when they purchase a particular stock or invest in a specific sector.
TOP All In One Blog/Research:
IstockAnalyst
Is a virtual investment competition site and collection of tools to help and educate individual investors.
Tradesharing:
Covestor
A real-trade sharing service for proven self-investors. To share your real investment decisions, gain recognition and earn fees by helping others
Cybertrading University
Cyber Trading University was co-founded in 1990 by Fausto Pugliese. CyberTrading University offers a comprehensive training program for Direct Access Traders who wish to learn how to use the same tools and trading techniques as professional traders on Wall Street. If you even think about doing any trading before you talk to Fausto, you might as well think about a lobotomy.
EDUCATION: General
Minyanville
Minyanville is a Media Company that has created branded properties that entertain and educate people interested in finance. A must read and definitely worth a bookmark.
TheStreet.com University
Simply great investor education from a great name in finance. Jimbo Cramer and the Gang will provide you more information that you could ever need on the markets and economy.
Investopedia
Investopedia was founded by Cory Wagner and Cory Janssen back in 1999. Originally they set out to build the best investing dictionary on the web. Over time, the focus of the site expanded to building educational content and tools to help empower the individual investor. Today, the site attracts millions of visitors per month hungry to improve their financial understanding. The Financial Encyclopedia/Dictionary and University, all online and all free.
(All available on iTunes)
The Real Story with Aaron Task
BusinessWeek - Market Report
Podcasts: Daily Investment News
APM - MarketPlace
Investor’s Business Daily - Market Desk
Podcasts: Money/Finance
WSJ - Your Money Matters
Money Girls - Quick and Dirty Tips
Podcasts: Weekly Magazine
APM MarketPlace - Money
BusinessWeek Behind the Cover
* The BESPy Award nominations and winners were done after review by the Host and Staff of The Disciplined Investor Podcast/Horowitz & Company. Please note that none of the winners or nominees had a formal business arrangement/relationship with TDI/H&C at the time of the awards. The host, owner, staff and employees of TDI/H&C do not assume any liability for information derived by investors, institutions or other person that utilized recommendations from any of the BESPy nominees or award winners. Please note that this process was done solely in an attempt to assist investors discover investment and economic views, information and sources. Investments carry the risk of loss of principal in part or in entirety. Use care and prudence when deriving investment advice from ANY source.
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