Why InvestingMinds?

How can InvestingMinds help me to be a better investor?

We offer a number of features to help investors with varying degrees of experience:
· Through our social networking features you can connect with other investors and share experiences and ideas
· We bring you a carefully selected collection of articles targeted to addressing critical investment strategies. Unlike other sites and publications we strive to avoid redundancy.
· Through our collaborative stock research area you can see what the consensus is of other investing minds like yours and contribute your own insights.
· If at any time you encounter a concept that you want more information about please check out our financial encyclopedia. Feel free to contribute any particular insights you may have that are not already covered.
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What are the benefits of joining an investor community?

Being a member of an investor community such as InvestingMinds is a great way to benefit from the collective wisdom of individual investors that share a common interest in the markets and investing. Members benefit from the interchange and exchange of stock research and investment information and know-how with other members of the community. By working together to research stocks and other investment products, members are able to be more effective, as well as efficient, in managing their investment portfolios.
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My company recently started a “defined contribution” (401K) retirement plan. How can I use InvestingMinds to help in the management of my plan?

You have definitely come to the right place. InvestingMinds was set up specifically with you, the self-directed investor, in mind. You will be able to seek and get “expert” advice free of charge from the community on how to manage your retirement assets. At InvestingMinds you will find articles and resources on managing your retirement assets from determining your investment criteria to choosing an appropriate asset mix or selecting specific investments. In addition, you will have at your finger tips the ability to access the investment advice and know-how of a vast community of like-minded investors.
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Profile/Email Preferences

How do I create an investor profile?

When you sign up just continue all the way to the end. During the signup process you are given the opportunity to review your account settings. Once you review your account settings you can either click the “save changes and continue” button at the bottom or the “investor profile” link on the left. When complete, you can check out the profile you created for yourself by clicking on the My Profile link on the Investor Community menu bar.
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How do I change my investor profile?

It’s easy. Just click here. This will open your Investor Profile. Edit the form and save it. You can check out the profile you created for yourself by clicking on the My Profile link on the Investor Community menu bar.
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How do I send an email?

Email is only available to members of the community. In order for you to send and receive emails from other InvestingMinds members it is necessary to first register. Email is only sent to members in the community. It is not delivered to email address external to InvestingMinds.
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How do I get in contact with customer support?

Members having trouble navigating the site, registering, or using site features should direct their questions to support@investingminds.com.
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How do I change my email address?

Go to Account Settings inside of Investor Central. Here you can change your email address and password used to register and sign on to the site.
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Membership/Account Information

How do I log-in?

After registering with investor minds. Click the log-in button at the top of the home page or when the system requires you to log-in to access registered areas within InvestingMinds. Fill in the username and password to login.
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How do I change my username?

At this time, members are not able to change their username. If you have forgotten your username or wish to change it, contact us at support@investingminds.com.
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I forgot my password. Can you help me?

Your username is your email address. If you forgot your password you can click on the “forgot your password?” link below the login box and we will email you a temporary password. This password will be so secure that you will not be able to remember it so please be sure to immediately change it to something easier to remember. This can be done under “Account Settings”.
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Why do you ask me to create a username, but require my email to sign on to the site?

Some areas of the site use a username to identify you. For privacy reasons we don’t’ want to reveal your email address to others. However, we use your email address to sign on to the site because it will be easier for you to remember.
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How do I change my password?

Go to Account Settings inside of Investor Central. Here you can change your email address and password used to register and sign on to the site.
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What do you do with my registration information?

Nothing. InvestingMinds is vehemently committed to respecting your privacy so we never share this information with third parties. We simply ask this information so that people who you choose to share this information with will be able to understand your background and your perspective. This facilitates people finding like-minded individuals.
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I am a financial blogger. How can I contribute to InvestingMinds’ blogs?

Begin by registering with InvestingMinds and setting up an account. Once registered, you can begin contributing to the community by either starting your own personal blog or by commenting on other blogs in the community.
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How do I know if InvestingMinds is for me?

Are you having questions about the investment process and managing your investment portfolio? Are you looking for a way to objectively research investments and obtain answers to questions you may have about investing? Want a convenient way to exchange and share investment advice and information with trusted peers and like-minded investors. Spending too much time combing through mountains of information and not having anything to show for it? Want to learn how to avoid common mistakes made by even the most affluent investors? If this sounds like you, InvestingMinds may be just the place for you.

At InvestingMinds, you will find solutions to your investing needs. Benefiting from the vast community resources, and working together with a trusted network of investors, you will be better equipped to build and manage your investment portfolio and handle many of the challenges confronting today’s investor. You can become a participant in the community’s development of investment research and market intelligence. As a group of conscientious and dedicated investors, the InvestingMinds community collectively strives to lessen the hurdles to investment success by demystifying the investment process and encouraging the mutual development and utilization of community resources.
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Site Navigation

How do I use your search engine?

The site has powerful search capabilities. You can search the site for another member as well as investment research and content. In the upper right corner there is a search box that will search every area of the site for the keywords you enter. Below that box is a link that will allow you to search for another member by either their profile or a short list of attributes (a quick search).
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How does Q&A work?

This is the place on the site where you can ask questions to the community. Every day members will read your question. A member of the community with knowledge or experience in your topic will respond with an answer to your question. Once a response has been posted to your question, you will receive an email notice in your Mailbox at InvestingMinds.
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How do I ask a question to the community?

Click on “New Topic” inside the Q&A Home page under the main Q&A tab. Pose your question for the community in the subject line on Post a New Topic. If you wish to elaborate and expand on your question use the text editor below the subject line.
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Site Features

What is an Investment Club?

An investment club is a group of people who meet on a regular basis and agree to pool their money together for the purpose of making investments. Usually, investment clubs are organized as partnerships and, after the members study different investments, the group decides to buy or sell based on a majority vote of the members. Club meetings may be educational and each member may actively participate in investment decisions.

One of the reasons that people come together in investment clubs is to learn how to invest. Successful investment clubs focus on learning as well as doing. Members take turns researching and reporting on promising companies in which they might invest or companies in which the club is already invested.

While investment clubs are commonly organized with members contributing money and investing as a group in a single club portfolio, members of other self-directed investment clubs simply meet and learn about investing but invest on their own. Just like traditional clubs, self-directed investment clubs meet regularly and share analysis, insight, and information in pursuit of investment opportunities. The difference is that after investment decisions are made, club members invest through their own accounts.
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Why join an Investment Club?

For starters, Investment Clubs are a good way for savers new to investing in stocks to learn about the process of picking quality investments and managing a diversified portfolio of stocks. Another reason for joining an Investment Club is to take advantage of the experience and expertise of the club members. To be successful at investing, it often takes the input and assistance of a number of dedicated individuals willing to do the work needed to hunt down good investments and build a sound stock portfolio. Lastly, an Investment Club can be a good way to bring fun and structure to a process that can be tedious and laborious.
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How do I start an Investment Club?

There are as many ways to start an investment club as there are people with investment ideas. There are numerous guides and resources on starting and running an investment club. Two good resources to check out are the NAIC’s “Starting and Running a Profitable Investment Club” by Thomas E. O’hara and Kenneth S. Janke, and “Investment Clubs for Dummies” by Douglas Gerlach and Angele McQuade (ISBN 0-7645-5409-3), published in 2001.

Although it is unlikely that any one method can be singled out for organizing and running a club, the following list of suggested starters was compiled in a recent IM article, Starting an Investment Club.
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How do I join an existing Investment Club?

If you know of anyone who is a member of an investment club, you can always ask them if they have any openings or provisions for taking on new members. Most investment clubs occasionally seek new members. Unfortunately, you may find it difficult to locate a club in your area that is taking on new members or for whom you feel comfortable joining. In this case, you might want to consider joining an existing online investment club. These clubs tend to be better organized to take on new members and willing to grow their membership. As well, being set up online, these clubs don’t usually have geographical restrictions.

You should first do a bit of homework. You will want to know whether or not the club is legally organized and in what state it is registered. You should ask to see a copy of their charter and by-laws. You may want to ask for club references such as an accounting firm, bank, brokerage or law firm used in organizing and operating the clubs investment activities. Some clubs may even have their own website. By registering at InvestingMinds, you will have access to all the clubs that are currently members of our community and see their performance history and ask questions of individual members.

You are likely to have questions about the handling and co-mingling of funds in an existing club. Depending on the sophistication of the club there is little need for worry. Most investment clubs have accounting systems that permit new members to merely begin contributing the standard monthly amount. Longer-term members will each retain bigger pieces of the pie, and everyone’s piece is calculated according to how much was contributed when. When seeking to join an existing club be sure to investigate their system for handling new investors.

InvestingMinds has a list of existing online clubs that are connected to our community as well as a state-by-state list of local area investment clubs that you may want to approach. Before joining an existing investment club do your homework. Be sure you understand the clubs by-laws and operating principles. Most importantly, you are going to want to join a club that shares your investing principles, philosophy, and style.
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How does joining InvestingMinds benefit our Investment Club?

Whether an online (virtual world) investment club or a local club looking to add an online presence, (this is overworked) InvestingMinds. Investment clubs can use many of the meeting “tools” available from InvestingMinds to hold club meetings, organize club activities, exchange club information, and make electronic announcements. As well, clubs can use the many investment tools found on InvestingMinds to store and analyze portfolio holdings, research stocks, and read about leading investment strategies and advice.

In addition to meeting and investment “tools”, club members will benefit from a rich network of informed investors. By joining the InvestingMinds “family”, members of an investment club will not only be able to communicate and interact with members of the club, but they will be able to contact and exchange information with all members in the community.
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How do I form a Discussion Group?

Any registered InvestingMinds member can create a Discussion Group or join an existing group. Click here to create a Discussion Group within the Clubs section of the site. To join an existing club or group, contact the club moderator and ask to be invited. For public clubs and groups, click the join link next to the club you wish to join.
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What is the difference between an Investment Club and a Discussion Group?

A Discussion Group is a type of club. It is formed for the purpose of discussing or sharing information around a specific theme, such as Technology Stocks. A Discussion Group also might be organized for exchanging information on a select group of stocks or portfolio of investments. An Investment Club is formed for the purpose of managing and investing an agreed upon sum of money in a portfolio of stocks. Belonging to an Investment Club requires that a member be willing to invest specified sums of money. At InvestingMinds, both Discussion Groups and Investment Clubs can be created by clicking the Create A Club link.
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What is the difference between a Forum and Chat?

A forum is a public exchange that can continue indefinitely. A record of the entire exchange is maintained for posterity. A chat on the other hand occurs in real time and once the chat is ended there is no record of the exchange.
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What is Chat?

A Chat room is a place to hold a meeting or communicate with other members of the community. Chats can be private or open to the community at large.
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How do I Chat with others?

From the Investor Community menu, click on Chat to open the Chat room page. Once there, click on a Chat room from the pulldown menu to join. Begin chatting by entering your message in the text box below the chat window.
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How does Instant Messaging work?

Launch Instant Messaging by clicking on the messenger link on the right side of any InvestingMinds page.  A messenger box will open.  Click on the member from your network that you wish to chat with.   You will only be able to messenger members in your immediate network.
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What is the difference between Chat and Instant Messaging?

Both occur in real time. A chat is open to multiple people and occurs in a virtual room - i.e. everyone in the chat room can see what everyone else is saying. In contrast, instant messaging is private between two individuals.
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I am a financial blogger. How can I contribute to InvestingMinds’ blogs?

Begin by registering with InvestingMinds and setting up an account. Once registered, you can begin contributing to the community by either starting your own personal blog or by commenting on other blogs in the community.
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Suppose I want to write an article?

We welcome article submissions. To submit your article for editorial review simply email a copy to articles@investingminds.com and state your approval for online publishing. We will then contact you via email with the appropriate next steps.
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I am interested in researching a particular stock. How can InvestingMinds help me and what can I expect to find?

Click here to visit the Stock Research section of our site. The Stock Research section of the site is a collaborative and structured forum that is based upon a Wiki (similar to Wikipedia). InvestingMinds members contribute their individual insights to this area, thus dividing and conquering the research task and filling in different pieces of the puzzle. Eventually, a comprehensive analysis of each stock emerges based upon the collective wisdom of the community. This area also supports less structured discussions of each stock. (Note: InvestingMinds makes no implied nor explicit claim to the accuracy, integrity or quality of the research provided by the community. It is solely the responsibility of the user to confirm the validity and soundness of any investment advise or research found on this site. It is recommended that all users of information on the site cross-reference all findings and content with other reliable resources.)
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I am a research analyst/stock picker. How can InvestingMinds help?

InvestingMinds invites all analysts/stock pickers to join InvestingMinds and begin contributing to the stock and investment intelligence of the site. InvestingMinds has many tools that existing and would-be analysts can use to begin building a portfolio of stock research. Analysts can create research blogs, write articles, and contribute and publish stock research. By contributing content and research to the site, analysts/stock pickers will be attributed for their work and gain notoriety in the community. InvestingMinds is planning to recognize leading contributors on the site with our “Top Researcher” tracker.
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What is the Portfolio Tracking tool?

Registered members can track the performance of their investments by creating a portfolio on InvestingMinds using the portfolio tracking tool.  You can access this site feature by clicking on the MyPortfolio link under the Research tab or in the MyStuff tab.
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How do I create a portfolio?

There are primarily two ways to create a portfolio.  Users can either manually enter the data into the portfolio template found inside the Manage Transactions tab or by uploading holdings that may be inside an Excel spreadsheet. 
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How do I upload my portfolio from an Excel spreadsheet?

Many stock brokers allow their clients to download (from their brokerage account to a spreadsheet) their investment holdings (name, ticker, # of shares, purchase date, cost, etc.) to a spreadsheet.   At InvestingMinds users can upload the Excel spreadsheet file to our portfolio tracking tool.  In order to do this correctly, it is important that the spreadsheet columns follow the following specific order (Stock Ticker, Transaction Type, Shares, Price per Share, Transaction Date, Notes).  Registered users can view specific instructions for creating and uploading a spreadsheet file beneath the Manage Transactions template.
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How many portfolios can I create?

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Can everyone see my portfolio?

A user has three different options for allowing other members to view his/her portfolio.  He can deny access by choosing the private option, restrict access to his personal network by choosing the MyNetwork option, or allow full access to all members by choosing the public option.
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What is a watch list?

A watch list is a group of stocks that an investor may wish to follow.  A watch list displays the following information:

Ticker

Last

Change

Open Date

Basis Price

Gain

Notes

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What are similar portfolios?

InvestingMinds displays the members that have similar holdings in their portfolio.  This way you can contact other investors to share and exchange information on similar holdings.
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