Note to financial neophytes—don’t let the
Wall Street Journal intimidate you. It’s a fabulous learning tool…and offers some fascinating reading… for everyone, no matter how much, or how little, you know. http://online.wsj.com/home-page
Sure it’s full of, what may appear to some, as indecipherable gobbly-gook, written in ‘broker-speak.’ But the WSJ is a very powerful resource, so ignore all of that and focus on the following:
1. Peruse the front page. Every once in a while there are some great human interest stories about the good, bad, and especially the greedy. Plus, the side-bar on the left is like “Current Events for Dummies”… a collection of news snippets giving you a speedy update to the latest news (financial and otherwise).
2. Glance over the following two sections: Marketplace and Money& Investing. A quick peek is all you need. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll pick up just by osmosis.
3. Savor the fourth section (called by different names depending on the day of the week): Personal Journal (Tuesday-Friday); The Journal Report (Monday); Weekend Journal (Saturday). This section is loaded with easy-to-read, often fascinating, and always useful tidbits….everything from fashion, sports and personal finance to restaurant, wine and book reviews.
Let’s take Monday’s WSJ’s Journal Report (theme for this report was “Your Money Matters”). The front page article was Best Online Tools for Personal Finance, and it was chock full of excellent (and free) website recommendations.
- Need help budgeting? Try; Mint.com or YNAB.com
- Want to create a financial plan? There’s; SimpliFi.net, Planwithvoyant.com, or Basic.esplanner.com.
- Looking for help with investments? How about; Socialpicks.com, Covestor.com, Cakefinancial.com, or Portfoliomonkey.com
Even if the only thing you do is glance at the Wall Street Journal everyday for 3 months, you’ll be amazed at how much you learn! Don’t be intimated. The Wall Street Journal is a great resource, and a must read if you’re serious about upping your personal “financial awareness quotient”! Try it and report back.
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