CALLING ALL INVESTORS – GET AN EDUCATION!

When it comes to money and investments, it pays for an investor to be as knowledgeable as possible. Some individuals, though, lack a solid foundation in personal finance matters, not to mention a working knowledge of investing principles. A rule of thumb is that those investors with some working knowledge of personal finance generally have superior financial performance over their lifetimes as compared those who do not.

To get the basics, an investor does not need to spend a substantial amount of time. In fact, he or she only needs to read a few minutes a day or perhaps a total of 30 minutes a week.
Here are some websites that can help provide first-time investors with the essential financial knowledge they need. All these sites offer free, valuable information that can make a real difference. Investors should take the time to get educated. It's the best thing one can do for financial success.

For general personal finance:
http://www.moneycentral.com/ – This website is a great, all-purpose personal finance site with outstanding columnists.
http://www.marketwatch.com/ – This site is another terrific, all-around personal finance site with outstanding columnists.
http://www.smartmoney.com/
http://www.fool.com/

For college saving information:
http://www.savingforcollege.com/ – This website provides important college savings plan information.

For general economic commentary:
http://www.bigpicture.typepad.com/

For evaluating the risk of your current investment portfolio:
http://www.riskgrades.com/

For specific stock information:
http://www.seekingalpha.com/
http://www.finance.yahoo.com/
http://www.investorshub.com/ – This site offers great message boards for company research.

Mr. Pugliese may be reached directly at spugliese@rubino.com. For more information about Rubino & McGeehin, please visit http://www.rubino.com/.