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How to Read an Annual Report
Every publicly traded company is required by the SEC(Securities and Exchange Commission) to provide annual reports to it's shareholders, and the general public as well. These annual reports contain very important financial information, as well of summaries of the companies progress made by the CEO, board members, etc. I use annual reports to decide whether or not im going to buy stock in that company. How to obtain an annual report - There are basically two ways to get an annual report from a company. The first way is to call the Investor Relations department of a company and asked to have an annual report be sent to you. They send the annual reports free of charge to you, and it would usually arrive in 4 to 5 business days. These annual reports look like magazines, and are very professionally prepared. Usually if you go to the website of the company you're researching, they will have a "Investor Relations" link, and then you can fill out an online form with your name and address to recieve an annual report. The second way to get annual reports from a company is to go to The SEC's Website at http://www.sec.gov. If you click on "Search for Company Fillings" located under "Filling and Forms", you'll be taken to a webpage called "Search the EDGAR Database". On that webpage, click on "Companies & Other Filers". Then enter the name of the company you need an annual report form, and then click "Find Companies". Look for a report labeled "10-K". That will be their the companies annual reports. Now the reports on the SEC's website are in no way glamourus! They are just in basic text format, and can be very boring to read. But, they provide the same important information from the company. Inside of the annual report, you will find many things that are useful in helping you decide whether or not to invest in that company. Here's what you'll find in just about every annual report: Corporate Profile - This is just a small summary of the basic operations of the company, what the company does, etc. Letter from the President - This is a letter written by the president or CEO of the company, and most of the time the letters talk about the financial successes of the year. This letter may also mention major contracts or partnerships the company has formed, and give a general analyzation of the companies revenues and sales. Be careful when reading the letter from the President, because the business could be running to the ground, but while reading the letter you may get the immpression that all is well! Independent Auditors' Report - Before a company can distribute their annual report to the public, the financial information inside of the annual report must be checked for accuary so shareholders are not misled. That's the job of the independent auditor. They auditing firm will search for evidence that supports the financial information in the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, etc., and then will write a letter if all is well. Income Statement - The income statement in the annual report shows the net income or net loss for that particular year. It also shows net sales, cost of goods sold, and the expenses of a company. Income statements from different years can be compared to see if the company is improving financially. I like to compare income statements from the past 5 years, to see if the net sales and net income of a company is increasing. Balance Sheet - The balance sheet shows the business' assets, and liabilities. The assets are listed in order of liquidity. The quicker an asset can be converted to cash, the more liquid it is. That is why Cash is at the top of the list of assets, because it is the most liquid asset. Under assets you may see items such as Accounts Recieveable (the amount of money that's owed to the company), Property and Equipment, and Other Invesments. In the list of Liabilities, you'll see items such as Accounts Payable (The amount the company owes to other businesses), Income Taxes Payable, and Long-term Debt. Cash Flow Statement - The cash flow statement shows how the money the business makes, is moving in the business. The cash flow statement also shows if the business was able to increase their cash on hand during the year or not. Risks - Usually in the back of the annual report, you'll find the risk that are associated with the business. Reading all the types of things that can affect the business is depressing, especially if you own stock in that company. But, to get a good idea of what can affect a business, reading the risks section of the annual report is the best way to go. Michael Press is an investor and teenage entrepreneur. He currently owns and operates www.passiveincomeinfo.com">PassiveIncomeInfo.com, a free website with articles about how to build wealth. He also writes for and distributes the www.passiveincomeinfo.com/newsletter.php">Creating Wealth E-zine.
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Emotional Trading The single most expensive stock market trades are those made with emotions, but, of course, you are not an emotional trader are you?Before you bought that stock, mutual fund or Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) you did your research to be sure that what you were buying would return a good profit over the long haul. You bought it and over time you look at it less and less. An Old Proverb for Investing "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."This very much applies to the your retirement plans especially if you are investing in the stock market. Investing in Dividend Paying Stocks I was recently interviewed for a press release through a financial question and answer format. One of the questions asked of me in the interview was:Where do you think the stock market is headed over the next five years?My Answer!Charles M. 9 Deadly Trading Mistakes! The following are a list of nine things you want to avoid at all costs. Anyone of them can literally destroy your financial dreams and goals!1. Lifestyle Funds Provide Greater Security? With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and smooth out, Wall Street has been scrambling to come up with "product" they can sell to gun shy investors.One such new concept is the Lifestyle fund; an extremely diversified package designed to be the single fund in an investor's portfolio. Evaluation II As I said in Part I everyone in the insane asylum looks normal, but at least the doctors are sane. Unfortunately, in the insane asylum known as the stock market all the doctors (brokers) are also insane. Downdraft For the year 2000 we have seen hundreds of mutual funds lose 40%, 50% and more of their value. This does not seem right since the fund is supposed to be managed by a professional. Basics of Stock Market Financial markets provide their participants with the most favorable conditions for purchase/sale of financial instruments they have inside. Their major functions are: guaranteeing liquidity, forming assets prices within establishing proposition and demand and decreasing of operational expenses, incurred by the participants of the market. Bollinger Bands Strategies The Bollinger Band theory is designed to depict the volatility of a stock. It is quite simple, being composed of a simple moving average, and its upper and lower "bands" that are 2 standard deviations away. Trading Stocks -Never Forget About A Past Trade We all know that emotions control every decision that an investor makes in any type of money related vehicle. Whether is be the stock market, real estate, art work or antiques, emotions ultimately set the final price on both sides of the transaction. How To Beat The Mutual Fund Companies At Their Own Game You'd have had to be living on a desert island with no TV, newspaper or internet connection to have missed hearing about the great mutual fund scandal of 2003.The issue was that some mutual fund companies allowed certain hedge funds to engage in after-hours trading, sometimes incorrectly referred to as market timing. Quality Investment Information: Standing Firm In the Face of Opposition THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR standing firm in the face of opposition. Interestingly, most of the best stock decisions have come at times when the mainstream is saying precisely the opposite. Shorting Stocks - The Basics, Part II of II After the publication of the first part of this two part series, I had a few questions asking if shorting stocks is legal and I will quickly reply with a big YES. Some people believe that shorting shares of American companies is not patriotic or does not seem like the right thing to do. Economists #2 Economists know more about how the fragments of society work than anyone. In school they are taught to break down the economy into its tiniest parts and to quantify each minutiae so it can become part of a formula. War Market There is no question that the stock market is being affected by war jitters. When it looks like peace we have a strong rally. Oil Stocks CHK WLL - What Is Their Worth? (1) CHK stock price $16.74, NAV $32. The Surgeon General The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health. It is printed on every pack of smokes you buy. Political Investing We have two candidates for president that have really different ideas on how to make the economy grow.Bush believes in the entrepreneurial approach. Gurgle Gurgle Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life vest or other device to save you. It Cant Be Done Wouldn't it be nice if you were only in the stock market when it was going up and have everything transferred to cash while it is going down? It is called 'market timing' and your broker or financial planner will tell you "it can't be done". What that person just told you is he doesn't know how to do it.
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