I am new to investing and have heard about “Stock Filters” that are av

I am new to investing and have heard about “Stock Filters” that are available on the Internet. Can you tell me where to find them?
-Robert

This question was answered on April 17, 2000. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

The Internet has had a great impact on many an industry, but few have been altered as much as the world of investing The difference between a smart investor and one that is “throwing the dice” is information, which is the cornerstone of the Internet In the past, if the average investor needed information about a company, industry or market trends, it could take days or weeks and cost hundreds of dollars The Internet has put this information at your fingertips on an “as need” basis and it updates this information by the minute!

Stock filters are very powerful programs that allow a user to input parameters such as “Market Cap>5billion” or “P/E ratio<10” You can use stock filters to find penny stocks or the companies that have the largest market capitalization The filter will spit out stocks that meet those requirements Of the thousands of sites that offer free information about investing, I like several of the features of the MoneyCentral website on MSN You can learn the basic terminology of investing at

<a href="http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/glossary/glossary.asp"><font color="#003399">http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/glossary/glossary.asp
</font></a> It is critical to learn what is important about a stock in order to make a stock filter a valuable tool Once you understand the basics, you can learn how to use stock filters by going to

<a href="http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/finder/welcome.asp"><font color="#003399">http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/finder/welcome.asp
</font></a> There, you will find pre-defined searches as well as a Custom Filter that will allow you to put in any combination of parameters that you desire Within moments, you will have a list ranking the stocks of the companies that meet your needs

If you are more the analog type and would prefer to read a book about these wonderful tools, one of the editors of MSN’s MoneyCentral, Jon Markman, has written a terrific book called “Online Investing” (ISBN: 0735606501 - Publisher: Microsoft Press).

Knowledge is power and the Internet is a great tool for leveling the playing field!