NET RESOURCES.SURFING IS EASY. FINDING USEFUL INFORMATION IS HARD. THE INTERNET HAS LONG BEEN HERALDED AS THE GREAT EQUALIZER, A PLACE WHERE neophyte ne·o·phyte n. 1. A recent convert to a belief; a proselyte. 2. A beginner or novice: a neophyte at politics. 3. a. Roman Catholic Church A newly ordained priest. and expert alike have access to the same information. This is especially true when the information sought is financial. From mortgages to insurance, there are reference sites that can help you handle your finances better, faster and more efficiently (see "All Around the Web," March 1999). But just because a site has the marketing dollars to attract your attention, doesn't mean it has the best offerings. In searching for personal finance sites, we found useful information at some well-known destinations and at others we think of as diamonds in the rough. Here are some of the gems we found. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE INVESTOR GUIDE | www.investorguide.com Whether you are interested in a particular type of vehicle or you're an all-around investor, this guide offers an array of information that will fill your exact needs. Investorguide offers real-time quotes on stocks and mutual funds, business news from a variety of news sources, an investment glossary and stock analysis. This site also allows you to create a portfolio and review a variety of links to investing sites. For new users, this site offers a tour and answers over 1,000 investing questions in its Answercenter. View a listing of online banks, as well as get tips on online trading Online Trading Making trades via the Internet. Notes: The use of online trading increased dramatically in the mid to late 1990's with the advent of high-speed computers and Internet connections. Stocks, bonds, options, futures, and currencies can all be traded online. and car buying. Investorguide even offers advice on choosing between online and traditional brokers, lists sources for mortgages and managing debt, and answers FAQs on mortgages, financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against , financial aid, car buying and loans, among other topics. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE STOCK SENSE | www.stocksense.com That someone could make sense of the gyrations of the stock market is a feat in and of itself. StockSense isn't a pretty site but it takes you through the valuations and rationales behind stock prices and discount rates, for example. While there are some confusing formulas presented, they are explained through examples and leave you more informed than any talking head on the boob tube could. There's an interactive applet A small application, such as a utility program or limited-function spreadsheet or word processor. Java programs that are run from the browser are always known as applets. See midlet, crapplet and Java applet. on Risk and Return, which will help you determine and explain your tolerance for risk. The site also includes a Double Quote feature, which permits you to enter a stock's symbol or name and search two company news and quote sites simultaneously. The results are shown in two browser windows. There's also a feature called QuoteTV, which provides quotes and company news about preselected stocks in your browser window. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE THE INVESTMENT FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) A group of commonly asked questions about a subject along with the answers. Vendors often display them on their Web sites for use as troubleshooting guidelines. | www.invest-faq.com The Investment FAQ is a collection of frequently asked questions (and answers) about investments and personal finance, including stocks, bonds, options, discount brokers, information sources, retirement plans and life insurance. This is a great site for investment newbies. It'll walk you through the basics of financial planning, teach you about stocks, bonds and mutual funds, and also clue you in to some common mistakes investors make so that you won't repeat them. The site includes informative articles on everything from analyzing reports to more sophisticated topics, such as Long-term Equity AnticiPation Security, or LEAP. The analyses are informative and well presented. If you have questions about investing, this site is a must-see. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE THE ONLINE INVESTOR | http://investhelp.com Once you've boned up on the basics or added a new topic to your investment vocabulary, point your browser to this site. For insight into stocks that may be on the rise, check out company spotlight. Each month the site offers an in-depth look at several publicly traded companies publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. and judges them on their merits. A disclaimer states that the site receives no compensation for these spotlights and does not make, buy or sell recommendations, but you should still seek secondary information before taking any action on the companies. The guide to research is a thorough compendium com·pen·di·um n. pl. com·pen·di·ums or com·pen·di·a 1. A short, complete summary; an abstract. 2. A list or collection of various items. of topics ranging from "how to spot when the bottom arrives" in Net stocks to "how to put stock valuations in perspective." The site also includes a weekly e-mail newsletter, an IPO (Initial Public Offering) The first time a company offers shares of stock to the public. While not a computer term per se, many founders, employees and insiders of computer companies have found this acronym more exciting than any tech term they ever heard. calendar, an announcement of mergers and more, for the discriminating investor. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE FIND A FUND | www.findafund.com This site is perfect for both first-time and seasoned buyers of mutual funds. You can view a listing of mutual funds by the fund name or ticker symbol Ticker Symbol An arrangement of characters (usually letters) representing a particular security listed on an exchange or otherwise traded publicly. When a company issues securities to the public marketplace, it selects an available ticker symbol for its securities which investors and get quotes. For first-timers who are not familiar with the lingo Lingo - An animation scripting language. [MacroMind Director V3.0 Interactivity Manual, MacroMind 1991]. , Find a Fund offers a glossary of mutual fund terms as well as FAQs on all aspects of mutual funds, such as the fundamentals, buying and selling, taxes, etc. This site also allows you to create a portfolio of mutual funds that you own or are interested in and Find a Fund will e-mail you a monthly update on performance. Find a Fund also offers a "similarity portfolio analysis," examining the similarities between two funds by comparing their sector weightings and individual holdings. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE | www.irs.ustreas.com In keeping with its new kinder and gentler stance, the IRS has a wealth of information on its site and uses an encouraging tone to present it. You'll find everything from a W-4 calculator with which to figure your federal income tax withholding to an interactive feature called Tax Trials, which gives you insight into deductions, credits and other issues. There's information on tax incentives for higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. , and the latest updates to the tax code. You can also sign up for the Digital Daily, which will keep you in the loop on the latest tax news and changes. Overall, it's an informative site that should be first on your list when you're in search of tax-related information. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE ESSENTIAL LINKS TO TAXES | www.el.com/elinks/taxes This exhaustive Website has links to online resources offering taxpayer tips and information on income tax preparation assistance, rules, the tax code, financial planners Financial Planner A qualified investment professional who assists individuals and corporations meet their long-term financial objectives by analyzing the client's status and setting a program to achieve these goals. and tax preparers, forms (from W-2 to Form 1040), publications, instructions, deductions and filing. You'll find links to sites that specialize in the tax code, tax law, international taxes, tax software, tax tips, associations and tax newsletters. If you can't find it on this site, it's likely that you'll have trouble finding it on the Web at all. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE 1040.com | www.1040.com 1040.com does its best to break down a complex subject. While there seems to be no way--barring legislation--to make our tax code simpler, this site does arm you with all the information you'll need to make sense of your deductions and credits. Find out which travel expenses and taxes are deductible That which may be taken away or subtracted. In taxation, an item that may be subtracted from gross income or adjusted gross income in determining taxable income (e.g., interest expenses, charitable contributions, certain taxes). , capital gains tax rates and more at this lean site. Download state and federal forms that are viewable with an Adobe Acrobat Reader The former name of Adobe Reader. See PDF. . 1040.com is a service of Drake Software, which sells tax software. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE MORTGAGE HOMEPAGE | www.loanpage.com Mortgage Homepage is a resource-rich site for home owners home owner home n → propriétaire occupant . On this site you can learn which mortgage is right for you using 20 different criteria (i.e., by state, whether you are looking to refinance Refinance 1. When a business or person revises their payment schedule for repaying debt. 2. Replacing an older loan with a new loan offering better terms. Notes: When a business refinances they typically extend the maturity date. , if you have imperfect credit, etc.). Mortgage Loanpage purports to have the largest searchable list of mortgage companies on the Internet. Loanpage.com can link you with thousands of lenders that will assist with both residential and commercial mortgages. Similar to search engines, the site's EZ-Loan feature allows you to fill out one application, which is routed to five different mortgage companies for rate comparisons. You can also shop for the right mortgage by rate. Like other sites, Mortgage Loanpage has a glossary of terms to help you better understand the basics of the mortgage industry. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE QUICKEN A popular financial management program for PCs and Macs from Intuit, Inc., Mountain View, CA (www.intuit.com). It is used to write checks, organize investments and produce a variety of reports for personal finance and small business. MORTGAGE | http://mortgage.quicken.com With over $1 billion in loans closed, Quicken's mortgage site is essentially an online loan officer. The site lets you customize your search for the exact loan you are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. , refinance your current mortgage or consolidate your debt through a loan search interview. The site even determines your adjusted gross monthly income (monthly income minus expenses) for loan eligibility. Since your credit history also comes under close scrutiny when you're borrowing money, Quicken gives you the option of applying for a credit report so your loan options will be more appropriate to your situation. You will then be able to compare loans that are available to you and apply online. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE MSN (1) (MicroSoft Network) A family of Internet-based services from Microsoft, which includes a search engine, e-mail (Hotmail), instant messaging (Windows Live Messaging) and a general-purpose portal with news, information and shopping (MSN Directory). HOMEADVISOR | http://homeadvisor.msn.com MSN HomeAdvisor is a premier guide for both current and potential home owners. While it's not as customizable as Quicken, it's resource rich. It allows you to conduct a search for homes and apartments that are available on the market in your area and price range. You can get preapproval on loans, reduce your monthly payments by refinancing Refinancing An extension and/or increase in amount of existing debt. your mortgage, review the options of a second mortgage and apply easily online. For first-time home buyers, MSN HomeAdvisor gives you tips on how to budget and suggestions on how to obtain cash for a down payment. Another plus for first-time buyers first-time buyer n → persona que compra su primera vivienda first-time buyer n → personne achetant une maison ou un appartement pour la première fois first-time buyer is the manner in which the site walks you step-by-step through getting started, financing making an offer on a home and closing. HomeAdvisor will also give you tax advice, explore financing options and assist you in finding a real estate agent in your area. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE INSWEB | www.inswweb.com Rely on InsWeb to help you clear up all insurance uncertainties. Staying true to its mission of linking customers to insurance companies, InsWeb assists you with a variety of insurance products, including auto, term life, individual health, home owners', renters' and condominium condominium In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. insurance. The site better serves you by providing a glossary of insurance terms and the answers to FAQs about insurance. InsWeb allows you to read comments from satisfied customers who used the InsWeb system and to read articles written by consumer groups and industry experts to help you select the proper insurance. Compare quotes from insurance companies such as State Farm, John Hancock and American Family Insurance American Family Insurance Group (aka "AmFam") is a private mutual company which focuses on property, casualty and auto insurance, but also offers commercial insurance, life, health, and homeowners coverage, as well as investment and retirement-planning products. , and apply online. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE FINANCENTER | www.financenter.com FinanCenter is the primary site for those who plan long-term and are concerned about their financial well-being. Through a series of calculators, this site will assist you in each of your financial situations. FinanCenter helps you select and finance your ideal vehicle, get credit cards with the best interest rates and benefits, manage credit card debt Credit card debt is an example of unsecured consumer debt, accessed through ISO 7810 plastic credit cards. Debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system. , get quotes on different life insurance policies and determine what your financial needs are. You can also learn the advantage of home equity and personal loans, if you need to borrow money, and if you are looking for a home or want to refinance your mortgage, you can easily find a home, compare loans and apply online. INVESTING TAXES MORTGAGES & INSURANCE PERSONAL FINANCE MSN MONEY CENTRAL | http://moneycentral.msn.com The Microsoft Network See MSN. Microsoft Network - The Microsoft Network does a fine job of designing a site that offers information catering to everyone's financial needs. MoneyCentral gives key advice about retirement, wills, money and banking, taxes, smart buying, family finance and investing. MSN also gives step-by-step guides to determining the amount of insurance you need, finding an online bank, filing for a tax extension, avoiding an audit, saving money on cars and travel, finding online deals, as well as saving and paying for college. There is information about U.S. Treasury U.S. Treasury Created in 1798, the United States Department of the Treasury is the government (Cabinet) department responsible for issuing all Treasury bonds, notes and bills. Some of the government branches operating under the U.S. Treasury umbrella include the IRS, U.S. bills and calculators for Roth IRA Roth IRA An individual retirement plan that bears many similarities to the Traditional IRA. Contributions are never deductible, and qualified distributions are tax-free. A qualified distribution is one that is taken at least five years after the taxpayer established his/her first and tuition savings. MSN also teams up with its partner, NBC-TV, to give you up to the minute financial news from MSNBC MSNBC Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company . With Additional Reporting By Tariq K. Muhammad |
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