Conference nyoss1::market_investing

    
    yes.  try reaching them by telephone.  then expect to need to call
    them at least once per quarter.  If this amount of aggrivation is
    acceptable, then it may be a pretty good deal.  You get a wealth
    of data and price downloading is free, but you can't take the data
    outside the program, and they have a long-standing P/E ratio 
    calculation error that they are aware of but evidently are not
    willing or not able to correct.
    
    a lot of value for the money, but a lot of aggrivation, too.
    

    Yes, I subscribe to the yearly subscription and I bought last years
    stock and mutual fund data base. I also bought their IT (Investment
    Tracker) program. Very satisfied with their newsletter. They represent
    no one, no brokerage, no company, no affiliations. They are statistical
    in nature using huge databases for their conclusions and hypotheses.
    They have a very 'academic approach and can learn allot from their
    writers. For $49, you can't go wrong. Cheers, Mark

    I get the impression that once you sign up there are additional fees.
    For example they advertise that you can call an 800-number and get any
    corporate annual report sent to you - what do you pay per report? What
    do you pay to update your databases?

re: .1

>    they have a long-standing P/E ratio 
>    calculation error that they are aware of but evidently are not
>    willing or not able to correct.

Please explain.  What do they do that is wrong?

re: .3

>    For example they advertise that you can call an 800-number and get any
>    corporate annual report sent to you - what do you pay per report? 

Zero.  Actually, this service is available to anyone for free.

>    What
>    do you pay to update your databases?

Zero.  Well, you pay for the 5-minute phone call to do the download.

    The plot thickens...
    
    Yesterday I received nearly the same offer from the American
    Association of Individual Investors - AAII.  Again for the sum of $49 I
    get "21 benefits" - Journal, Shadow Stock coverage, guides, local clubs
    etc. For $79 they throw in a subscription to Computerized Investing.
    
    I seem to recall positive comments about AAII - started in 1978 etc.
    
    Anyone subscribe to AAII, or both?  Which is more reliable,
    professional, well-thought of etc. ?

    I have subscribed to the AAII service (both regular newsletter and the
    Computerized Investing newsletter) for a year now.  I also purchased
    the AAII Stock Investor software.
    
    The regular newsletter is pretty good.  I like the interviews with fund
    managers.  They also explore lots of investment theories, and
    historical market trends every month.
    
    The Computerized Investing newsletter is ok.  It does reviews of
    various investment software programs, screening techniques, and details
    of all these obscure (to me) technical investment algorithims.
    
    The Stock Investor software ($99 per year) is excellent.  It was
    exactly what I was looking for.  It is NOT a daily, weekly or whatever
    on line update for quotes.  It IS a screening tool.  They give you
    disks each quarter with updated info.  You can build screens on 30 or
    40 predetermined variables.  You can assign your own variables.  You
    can combine variables for a screen.  For example, list all stocks with
    P/E less than 10, Yields greater than 3%, profits greater than X, and
    price less than 200 day moving average.  There are lots of interesting
    combinations.  The software will also create portfolios.  The nice
    feature I like is the industry comparisons for each stock.  When
    viewing data on any stock it presents 3 columns of information.  The
    first column is the stock you selected.  The next two columns are
    industry cuts by 2 digit and 3 digit SIC codes.  This really gives you
    a good view of how this company ranks against others in the same
    industry.
    
    The newsletters come with a money back gaurentee.
    

    
    re: P/E ratio bug
    
        the bug was that the 'E' was based on the 12 months ending the 
        most recently completed fiscal year, which can be as much as
        12 months ago.  Using the earnings of the period beginning
        2 years ago and ending 1 year ago relative to the current price
        is a pretty significant bug if you think that the P/E ratio has
        useful information in it.
    

    
    I just found out about their "PC Charting Databank".  From the
    automated phone line (I guess you cannot reach human support for the
    AIA anymore!!), it sounds like you can get unlimited downloading of
    price/vol/relative strength data for a mere $39/year, but you must 
    sign a waiver to not distribute the data to anyone else.  It isn't 
    entirely clear, but it is implied that you can take the data out of 
    the program (else why the waiver?).
    
    You're also supposed to be able to test trading strategies, and various
    other things.
    
    If this is really true, then I'm signing up (again).  $39/yr is a bargain.
    
    (p.s. I've always had a gripe about their lack of technical support,
          but making it impossible to reach a human voice is sinking to a
          new low, IMO).

    
    I thought that the "PC Charting Databank" which you say costs an
    additional $39 per year was included in the original $89??  What is the
    database that comes with the original purchase???  Alsohave there been
    any changes since the last notes??

    
    the main database is the "Stock Market Database", or SMD.  SMD
    contains fundimental data on about 4700 companies going back as
    many as 8 years.
    
    there's _no way_ to find out what's in the PC Charting databank
    without buying it first...  or talking to someone who has.  They
    even made their Ft. Lauderdale number _unlisted_, just to make
    sure they won't receive any pesky inquirys or bug reports from
    their users.
    
    with these guys, you pays your money and takes your chances.
    
    /jim
    

    
    re: -.1 unlisted
    
        I was wrong about that... they changed the name of the company from
        "American Investors' Alliance" to "Investors Alliance".  I still
    	haven't found any way to reach a human voice, though.
    
    /jim
    

    AAII offers an Investment Course.  Anyone ever take it? Care to
    comment?
    Also - anyone have AAII phone # handy?

	FWIW, I just got one of their ("Investors Alliance") mailings.
	They now say you can get historical and current daily quote files
	not only via modem, but over the internet.  Any current members
	using this?

	It also says membership includes two "any stock, any exchange"
	zero commision stock trades with "one of America's leading discount
	brokers".  Anyone know which broker this is, and what the
	fine print on this is (like market orders only, limited # of shares,
	etc)?

	They also list their email address as info@investor.freequote.com.
	which I could attempt to email these questions to, but from reading
	the two IA topics in this conference it sounds like a response may
	be long time in coming ....