Top 7 Financial Magazines Smart Investors Should Read

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Many millionaires and successful entrepreneurs swear by reading the morning newspaper or keeping up with monthly subscriptions. If you want to stay on top of the latest financial trends, as well as getting solid, long-term insight that you can use in your financial planning efforts, reading financial magazines can be a big help.

To get the most benefit out of these financial magazines, choose two or three, and read them regularly. This will allow you to develop a solid understanding of which way the markets are blowing, as well as providing you with the information you can use to shore up your financial situation.

However, there are so many magazine titles on the market that choosing which ones to read can feel even more challenging than picking the right stock!

Here at Investor Junkie, we've pinpointed the top seven financial magazines for smart investors to consider reading.

Editor's Note: Although it's not specifically a magazine, special mention must be made of The Wall Street Journal. The Journal has been a go-to resource for financial news since 1889.

1. Barron's

As we've previously stated in our Barron's review, few magazines are as respected as Barron's when it comes to investing and finance.

Barron's is published every week and is devoted entirely to investing, unlike other magazines that also feature general business and world news. Every issue is chock full of ideas for the individual investor, with in-depth analysis, charts, and everything else you need to make an informed decision.

Although Barron's is written with the assumption that you understand the market basics, it's not an overly technical read. And you'll learn a lot.

You can also head over to Barron's website, where you'll find quick links to details about your favorite companies and their stocks. There's plenty of information and analysis on what's happening in the markets and how to profit from what's happening day-to-day.

Every week, Barron's includes a pullout called “Market Week.” This special section focuses on news-driven analysis from the previous week and includes several different trading ideas for the international markets. “Market Week” also lists the closing prices for the most active stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, closed-end funds, commodities, bonds… you name it… from around the world.

Together, Barron's and “Market Week” are a weekly one-two punch and a vital resource for investors.

2. The Economist

The EconomistIf you are into economics and how the larger picture might change your smaller picture, The Economist is a solid choice.

This venerable publication has been around for a long time (since 1843!), and bringing an intelligent view of the world to your doorstep every week. In its pages, you'll find in-depth articles about politics, economics, science and technology, and more, as well as business and finance.

With a subscription to The Economist, you'll really feel as though you have a handle on the situation, whether it's a local or global effect, no matter what that situation is. And if you sign up for both a print and digital edition, you'll also receive The Economist Espresso a daily morning briefing from the magazine's editors.

Every December, The Economist publishes The World in…, a collection of predictions and insights for the year ahead.

3. Kiplinger's

If you are looking for practical advice and information on what to do next, Kiplinger's Personal Finance is an excellent choice. This magazine has long been the top choice of investors and economy-minded individuals for personal finance topics.

Kiplinger's is published every month, but its publishers also release a range of weekly newsletters on subjects from taxes to planning your retirement. The “Kiplinger's Tax Letter” is excellent for those who want to make sure they are legally and properly handling their taxes and investments.

Kiplinger's recently unveiled another tie-in service, an email service called “Kiplinger's Alerts.” These briefings deliver actionable information to your computer or mobile device.

The magazine's website is also an excellent resource for topics including investing, insurance, taxes, retirement, and even small business.

4. Investor's Business Daily

Investor's Business Daily is a great choice for serious investors. It's a finance magazine aimed at investors and offers investment research and education, delivering a lot of great information. As its name implies, it's released daily.

Until recently, Investor's Business Daily would arrive on your doorstep every morning. But times have changed now subscribers receive only one physical copy a week. For the rest of the week, they can access their daily issues on the publication's website — investors.com.

Read the market analysis, as well as other commentary and information about finances and investing. It's solid information from a respected resource, so you can be sure you're always up on current events and have the most accurate information possible.

5. Bloomberg Businessweek

]Bloomberg BusinessweekAlthough it's sometimes a little sensationalist, Businessweek is still one of the more respected business publications. You can get a great insight into business and management and read commentary on how the latest economic and political news will impact your investment portfolio.

Bloomberg Businessweek also features a website that provides you with a comprehensive look at what's happening right now and helps you figure out how it is likely to affect you and your portfolio or finances.

They offer three ways to subscribe and receive this regular publication: print only, mobile/web-based, or tablet membership. Or choose all three and make sure you never miss any important information.

6. Forbes

ForbesForbes magazine is a great source of information for news and financial updates. This business-focused magazine publishes articles related to finances, economics, investing, and marketing. In recent years the magazine has been completely revised to make it much more current. This is no longer your father's financial magazine.

Forbes also reports on things like technology, science, and law in relation to how these industries will affect your investments or business. It showcases up-and-coming entrepreneurs, startups, and tech that are expected to change the future of our culture.

The magazine is also well-known for its lists and rankings of the wealthiest people and companies in America, such as the Forbes 400.

Forbes also publishes actionable investing newsletters, which are delivered right to your email inbox, as well as a new digital network intended for female Millennial entrepreneurs, called [email protected].

7. Money

Money MagazineNow available in only digital format, Money Magazine gives investors access to topics that include investing, saving, retirement, and taxes. It also offers practical tips on lifestyle topics like paying for college, credit, career, and home improvement.

The best part that will interest you as an investor, though, is you can read up on stocks, find out news about the economy, insurance rates, loans, and more. The magazine frequently does features on retirement-related topics by showcasing real-life case studies and stories.

No matter what stage of life you're in, Money Magazine aims to share the advice you need.

Readers: There are many other financial magazines out there. What are your favorite financial publications?

Miranda Marquit

Miranda is a journalistically trained freelance writer and professional blogger specializing in personal finance. Her work has appeared and been mentioned, in various media, online and off. You can follow Miranda on: Twitter

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14 Comments

  1. Barron’s is a great source, and affordable especially with into deals. It’s all business as it should be.
    Investor’s is fabulous too, but pricey. I myself could care less for digital (too hard to read for me). So 1 hard copy a week for $35 is not acceptable, but it’s all good coverage.
    As for the WSJ, and FT. I have to say both are like reading any other national paper, with lots is useless fluff, and not nearly enough in-depth investing/business coverage… especially weekend editions. It’s like reading the awful NY Times. However, both papers offer decent intro deals making it quite affordable (at least to try it out). Deals for a 1-year subscription to the WSJ can be found both on Amazon & E-Bay, that are far cheaper than the offers direct from the WSJ website.
    Bottom line…for the price & coverage, nothing beats Barron’s, which is peppered with excellent writers. Also…for the younger crowd…they include a decent app, and if you wish…tons of daily notifications, alerts, etc.
    Have Fun…Happy Investing, and my great fortune find it’s way to all 🙂
    Billy H. Philadelphia

  2. All are good sources of info, except for Forbes Magazine. which I think has very very little substance. Has anyone read the Oct. issue of Forbes? I flipped thru 120+ pages of it, and found maybe 3-4 pages of useful tidbits, the rest are mostly marketing garbage about the ranking of top 400 richest Americans. Seriously, who cares if Mackenzie is ranked 13th or the 3rd? what advantage does knowing this fact bring us? page after page of these useless facts of famous people, not much else.

  3. Money Magazine was a great a magazine its no longer being written. I would like to add that WSJ should probably be right behind Barron’s.
    Also I disagree with your prescriptive on Forbes, I think people read Forbes and they only dream of having billions and not how people can invest hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands and turn that in to much more. They are a well respected magazine but they shouldn’t be in the category of “Must reads for Investors”.

    1. I came here to see if there were other good options because I was getting MONEY and my neighbor lets me read their WSJ so now that Money is gone I was looking for something else. So you like Barron’s? Someone above said they thought Kiplinger’s was a good step up from Money also.

  4. Thank you for the post.

    I am in a final year of Software Engineering and had great GPA so far. But I’ve had doubts about whether I would be happy as a programmer. And yesterday I decided it won’t make me happy. I considered creating my own business or carefully build up my wealth in the long term by investing. And I want to do the latter.

    So naturally I wanted to read anything about investing I could get my hands on. Your post helped me to narrow down on my search for magazines. I’ll subscribe to Barron’s, Forbes, Economist, and Money. Thanks again.

    1. After 3,5 years, what do you recommend a beginner invester like myself? Also how are you doing with investing a.t.m.?

      1. Depending on many MANY factors (age, how much initial capital, what are you passionate about, etc, etc). Can you be more detailed?

  5. I have subscribed to Investors Business Daily for years and never been disappointed by only complaint is that they provide TOO MUCH information that I cannot possibly read in an entire day =)

  6. I read those and everyone I can get my hands on. I do not just limit my reading to business magazines. I like Fast Company, Wired, New Yorker, newspapers and online publications too.

  7. Do you have any suggestions for a person who is just starting to invest and wants to learn? It feels overwhelming as a beginner to read those investment periodicals. I realize that it is a good idea to start reading the articles and I am doing this. Do you recommend taking a finance class at a college or university? Or is this too academic and not practical? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    1. Hi Mary,

      I don’t think the idea of taking a course at a college or university is bad. It just depends upon the subject. Do I think for example taking an economics course is bad? No. Is it directly applicable to daily use? Maybe. What are you looking to learn more about? Finance is a large subject it can be of many things. I also have a web page that talks about the best finance books.

      https://investorjunkie.com/5262/best-finance-books/

      It doesn’t cover every subject, but at least the books I got the most out of.

      Let me just say, there are no short-cuts.. Read and keep reading.

    2. I Started with Money Magazine over 20 years ago to get my feet wet . I always felt that they made things easy to understand for beginners. My financial vehicle has been Mutual funds.
      Kiplingers is also great for beginners but is the next step from Money in my opinion as they seem to go more in depth .

    3. I wouldn’t mind some advice as well. I’m an older guy but still fairly young. I’m in college and wanting to save for a retirement so I can finally have a small house for when I get older. I opened a td Ameritrade account. I’m doing the best I can with what money I have, by investing in the companies I love.

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