Finding the information you need about individual
investments can be time consuming. That's especially true
if you're looking at new or small companies rather than the
largest or best-known firms. That's one reason that many
investors turn to professional advisers for help.
Meet EDGAR
Publicly traded companies are legally required to provide the
relevant financial information in an annual report, known as a
10-K, and quarterly reports, or 10-Qs, to the Securities &
Exchange Commission (SEC).
While a company typically announces its quarterly earnings before
the SEC filing date, the official report it files must include
all the supporting footnotes and other potentially revealing details
about the company's actual financial situation.
Shareholders also receive annual and interim reports, containing
much of the same information, though these reports are sometimes
packaged to emphasize the positive. They're available from
financial advisers, in public libraries, or online at the company's
website.
Finding professional research
You can also get an analyst's version of a company's
financial information in reports from independent research companies
such as Standard & Poor's or Value Line, and from publications
such as Investor's Business Daily, either in libraries
or by subscription.
These reports, which many investors consider valuable research
tools, compile figures from current and past reports and provide
an assessment of companies and their prospects.
Thomas J. Dorsey, President and
co-founder of Dorsey, Wright &
Associates
Online resource
Financial reports are available in hard copy or online
through EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis,
and Retrieval system) on the SEC Web site
(www.sec.gov
/edgar.shtml)
Thomas J. Dorsey, President and
co-founder of Dorsey, Wright &
Associates 
