Some websites you visit and forget. Others you go back to, again and again. Here are five that I visit regularly. Sometimes it’s for data. Sometimes it’s just to explore something interesting. Whatever the reason, there’s always something to learn.
Morningstar.com Investment websites abound. But none is as complete, or as useful, as Morningstar. I’ve been using their mutual fund data in columns since they distributed it on floppy discs back in the late 1970s. Today the website includes data on mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds and common stocks.
One of the best features is their standardized presentation format. Learn it – an exercise that is entirely worthwhile — and you can compare investments quite easily.
Portfoliovisualizer.com For a few years I thought of portfolio visualizer as a well-kept secret. Today it’s no longer a secret – you can see source references to the site in financial writing all over the web. The site has been free for years but a recent notice indicated that a subscription charge is coming soon. Much of the site, however, will still offer free access.
Using a base of Morningstar data, the site allows you to back-test portfolios by raw asset class and by individual mutual funds. And it compiles very complete reports with levels of statistical data that would drive some mad.
I store a variety of Couch Potato portfolios on the site so I can quickly compare the Couch Potato way to portfolios readers send.
But my favorite use of the site is doing Monte Carlo analysis of different asset class portfolios to project the results of long-term withdrawals, including required minimum distributions.
What I’ve learned is that basic Couch Potato portfolios perform nicely for RMDs. In most cases they provide level to rising purchasing power until deep into retirement and old age. Here’s a link to a 2019 column on the subject, “Falling in Love with Required Minimum Distributions.”
I’m not talking about “median” level experiences here. I’m talking about Monte Carlo runs that track the bottom 10 percent of returns. I’ll be writing more about this later in the year.
SmartAssets.com I use this site almost exclusively for its tax calculators. They have one for people who are younger and still working. And another for retirees. Either way, you can check your federal and state tax burden.
Will it do a complicated tax return? No. You’ll need TurboTax or an accountant for that. But if you want to see how something compares from one state to another, the impact of the taxation of Social Security benefits or what you’ll actually have left to spend from your next $1,000 of IRA rollover withdrawal, this is the place to go. It’s quick and it’s free.
DQYDJ.com The initials stand for “Don’t Quit Your Day Job,” an indication that the site’s creators have a sense of humor. This is definitely a site for statistics nerds, but if you’re looking for intelligent mining of public data on income and wealth, this is the place to go.
Want to know how your income ranks relative to all other Americans or workers in your age group? This is the place.
Want to know where you stand on the wealth ladder? This is the place.
Visualcapitalist.com Some people can read pages of numbers and be entertained. Others go to sleep. This is the site for seeing data, often in animated form. Get on their mailing list and you’ll be sent notices of new posts. One recent and striking animation: “How China Overtook the U.S. as the World’s Major Trading Partner.”
Another is “The World Population Pyramid (1950-2100)” showing the traditional tent-like structure broadening into something more like a yurt.
Earlier this week the site launched “The Dominance of U.S. Companies in Global Markets,” a visualization of how much of different industries around the world was controlled by U.S. companies.
Sources and References:
Morningstar.com: https://www.morningstar.com
Portfoliovisualizer.com: https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com
Smartassets.com: https://smartasset.com
DQYDJ.com: https://dqydj.com
Visualcapitalist.com: https://www.visualcapitalist.com
This information is distributed for education purposes, and it is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement of any particular security, product, or service.
Photo: Scott Burns, 2/2020 Sunset in Sanibel
(c) Scott Burns, 2020