Money

Manufacturer:	The Time Inc. Magazine Company
List price:	~~$51.87~~
Our price:	$19.95 that is 62% off!

Money

Average rating: Stars

Great for Beginners, gets repetitive after 10 years

Money was a great magazine to read when I was 19. I used to go to the public library and read all the issues on the racks. Now looking back, the magazine is only good for beginners. It will contradict itself by saying invest for the long term, diversify and then give out stock picks and predictions about the stock market for next year. More and more, it is focused on mutual fund reviews. It does not do a good job of explaining risk management in personal finance, frankly, the hardest part of personal finance because everyone has different objectives and feelings about how much risk to take.

Money - The Time Inc. Magazine Company

Monthly Financial Advice - Some Value To Beginners

This magazine is of little value unless you are a beginner to investing. Monthly advice is almost worthless in an information age that is very fast moving. This magazine is dangerous if it leads one to believe that he/she can make decisions based on monthly advice. The magazine can, of course, be used in combination with other information sources. However, it is probably not needed. It is much better to read the WSJ daily.

The Time Inc. Magazine Company - Money

Good for beginners for some things, dangerous for others

Money is a decent magazine. I subscribed to it for a year and learned some interesting things. It is good for beginning finance, but I also believe it can be a little dangerous. See my pros and cons.

Pros:

1. Good at outlining sound, traditional, general financial advice from issue to issue. Nearly every issue covers basic information on 401(k)'s, IRAs, home ownership, education, etc. They do an especially good job at providing narrative to help explain some of the more technical issues. Instead of writing a technical treatise on 401(k)'s, for example, they will instead describe the experiences of actual families with different needs and problems. This is probably Money's greatest strength, even if the stories can sometimes be a little sappy.

2. They do a good job outlining major new trends in investing, taxes, etc. with a healthy dose of buyer beware.

Cons:

1. I believe mass market magazines are a HORRIBLE place to find stock tips. Please be very, very careful when reading their stock tips. I could write an essay here, but I hope that financial neophytes take all Money's stock advice with a heavy ladle of salt. I don't think Money is doing anything unscrupulous, I just think a monthly magazine is a poor forum for this kind of information.

2. I wish they would stay out of the consumer product reviews. I would rather read a couple more articles on finances than wade through a special section on automobiles, electronics, etc. Money should be about money. Sure, making good purchasing decisions is a part of a healthy financial lifestyle, but I personally believe their reviews sections are very thin and are just there to get people to buy the magazine off the newstand. No one should use Money, for example, to figure out which car to buy. I hope they don't.

I am mostly pleased I subscribed to Money magazine. It helped me learn about a lot of great stuff. I believe I have outgrown it now, but I wouldn't dissuade others from subscribing to it as long as they are very careful with the stock advice and don't treat it as a checklist for stocks to by. Be careful, be careful.

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