Conference nyoss1::market_investing

    
    	Investors Alliance of Ft. Lauderdale, FL are the same people
    who bring you Mutual Fund Forecaster (another worthless piece of
    junk) and are not even in the same league as AAII. Toss the mailer
    into the same place you out your dead fish parts.
    
    		the Greyhawk

         Please do not hold back!  8^)
    
         I'm not familiar with Mutual Fund Forecaster either.  But I tend
    to be pretty skeptical, so I haven't sent them a dime.
    
         AAII could be interesting.  I did see some stock analyses from 
    an AAII application posted in this conference that look very good.
    
    
    	Thanks for the warning Greyhawk.
    
        Bob

I suggest you try a trial subscription with each outfit and decide
for yourself.  

Personally, I think while AAII may have a better newsletter, their
software sucks and their update plan is even worse.  With Investor's
Alliance, I can dial in at any time and get my entire database of
5K+ stocks, 2K+ mutual funds and charting info updated to the most 
recently closed trading day in minutes.  I can define my own sets 
of sorting criteria and slice/dice the database any way I please
in seconds.

Their new Windows-based application expands the database to include 
every single publicly traded issue in the US.  At $89 a year for
computer membership + a $29 one-time charge for the Windows CDROM,
I think it's the best deal going.

But ultimately, you have to define what's important to you (advice
from professionals?  good software? cheap access to market info?)
and make a selection based on what service meets your criteria 
the best.

- Matt

    I tried Investors Alliance that gives a 100% money back guarantee. 
    
    T H E Y   L I E D   B I G   T I M E .
    
    They have all sorts of ADMINISTRATION CHARGE where not more than 40-60%
    of your money will come back.  Their NEWSLETTER SUCKS.  Their database
    they send out is good but without updating it regularly, it is like an
    old morningstar report or and old s&p report.  
    
    AAII has a better deal for the base subscription.  They offer a piece
    of software that does not have any on-line updates available - just 4
    times a year they send out disks with the latest data.  That is a
    better deal than Investors Alliance (considering long distance calling
    and competing with all other callers).  
    
    AAII also has lot more followers across the country and they conduct
    seminars from time to time with power-hitters (Successful Money
    Managers, BIG Newsletter writers, Mr ZACKS etc etc).  These seminars
    are at a very nominal cost and include dinner or breakfast with it. 
    They are usually PACKED. 
    
    So, there's more info for you.  But as the other note said......You
    have to see if this fits you and meets any part of you investment
    needs......
    
    Ken 

There is also another discussion about Investor's Alliance in note 609,
and information on AAII in note 744, which is where the base noter should 
probably have been referred in the first place.

From those topics and the gusty winds in this topic, it would appear 
the salient points are:

			AAII			Investor's Alliance
			----			-------------------
Basic membership	$49 yr			$49 yr
			- newsletter		- newsletter
			- perceived quality:	- perceived quality:
			  excellent		  fair/good
			- guide to mutual funds	- investing home course

Computer option		$30 yr			$29 yr
			- includes Computer
			  Investing guide

Computer updates	mutual funds		free
			$24 yr			- 24x7 dialup updates
			- quarterly updates	- all stocks & mutual funds
			stocks			- long distance charges apply
			$99 yr			  
			- quarterly updates
						

Other publications	Basics Booklet		Closed-end funds newsletter
			$12			$29 yr
			Home study course	Int'l closed-end funds nwsltr
			$55			$29 yr
			Basics video
			$98
			Mutual funds video
			$98
			Computer Investing
			Guide
			$19

Other features		Local chapters		BBS system w/ Internet access
			nationwide
			Forum in AOL
			Seminars


From opinions rendered, it would appear to this writer that AAII has the
better written materials and access to local/national expertise, whereas
Investor's Alliance offers a better (more flaxible, cheaper) plan for the 
investor who is more computer oriented.  Too bad you couldn't combine 
the best parts of each.

    Thanks to everyone for your feedback.  Like many consumers, I try
    to get word of mouth information from people who actually use the
    products, before plucking down the green.  Not belonging to an Online
    service, this conference is very useful.  
    
    Also, I generally don't opt to try something, because of a money back
    guarantee.  I don't thing that it is worth the potential hassles and
    all the mailings that follow.  Not to mention the junk mail, which I
    get too much of already, when they resell your name.  So just trying
    both is not likely to be an option for me.
    
    What I am primarily looking for is something more useful than Value 
    Line, that I can use to research listed companies.  Particularly
    smaller companies, which Value Line is unlikely to list.  Also I want 
    to try screening on criteria, ie. low P/E or Market Value to Sales.

    Being a subscriber to the Journal and Barron's, I think I get all the 
    opinions from professionals I'll ever need.  So I don't want to be 
    paying for reseach reports.
    
    I am lacking a CD ROM on my PC.  I have a (3+ yr old) AMD 386-40, which
    I'm assume (maybe incorrectly) would be too slow to bother adding a 
    CD-ROM.  Also, I'm trying to avoid purchasing hardware for a system 
    that is only worth a few hundred dollars.  AAII say that they offer 
    both disks and CD-ROM versions.  
    
    I could be interested in the seminars, which sound like a plus for
    AAII.  As far as mutual funds go, I'm quite satisfied going to the
    library and using Morningstar to check for potential opportunities. 
    
    Lastly, I'd like to obtain copies of SEC filings.  I noticed that 
    IA has this.

    That summarizes my requirements.  Of course they can change.  Thanks 
    again for your comments.  And Mr. Lapine, your comparison is
    excellent.
    
    Bob

>   I am lacking a CD ROM on my PC.  I have a (3+ yr old) AMD 386-40, which
>   I'm assume (maybe incorrectly) would be too slow to bother adding a 
>   CD-ROM.  Also, I'm trying to avoid purchasing hardware for a system 
>   that is only worth a few hundred dollars.  AAII say that they offer 
>   both disks and CD-ROM versions.
A 386/40 is definately not too slow to add a CD-ROM drive.  Not for this
type of usage anyway.  Maybe if you want to view full motion video, but
not for reading files.  The CPU will be waiting for the CD-ROM reader.
In any case, if you think your 386/40 is too slow than you can replace
the mother board with one that has a 486 DX2/66 for about $250 or so,
maybe less.