THAT... is the Question.
Friday, February 21, 2025
Last week, I had a client ask me if I trusted mainstream media. Regardless of my feeling on the matter, it was a reminder that most mainstream media outlets have lost credibility in the eyes of many Americans. The clients follow up question: “If I don’t trust the media, who do I listen to? How do I know a source is trustworthy?” This question was clearly a general question on news and information, but it got me thinking about what sources people turn to for news and information on the stock market.
At Riverfront, we sort through many, many different sources to try to get a wide array of opinions and perspectives. But we also understand that most clients don’t want to spend hours a day sorting through articles, earning reports, and financial newsletters. So, I’ve gathered a list of a few sources that I have found consistently useful and informative.
If I don't trust the media, who do I listen to? How do I know a source is trustworthy?
If you’re interested in understanding investing concepts and vocabulary, its hard to beat Investopedia.com. While I don’t often read their opinion pieces or news articles, I do find that their wikipedia inspired repository of financial terminology to be both informative and friendly to someone just getting into finance.
If you’re looking for a news source, the websites / newspapers I read most often are the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and Morningstar. I find these three sources to be the most consistently “market focused”. While business news is less tainted by politics than other news, every outlet and writer has opinions and biases that might show through in an article. I find that these three sources have less of that than others, and seem more information focused. In order to really trust a source of financial news, I think it is important to watch / read the source for an extended period of time. If you find the information to be consistently accurate, over time, then naturally you’ll begin to trust the source, or at least a specific writer at that organization.
Now, lets switch gears and talk about places you should avoid getting your financial information. I can confidently state that investing information posted to social media platforms has a much higher likelihood of being untrustworthy. As we’ve all noticed with social media, anyone can post almost anything at any time. This means the quality of the information can be highly suspect. It is also a good idea to avoid getting financial information from AI chatbots. All of the commercially available AI chatbots are trained on existing information on the internet. This can be both a good and a bad thing, as there is a LOT of bad information on the internet.
While business news is less tainted by politics than other news, every outlet and writer has opinions and biases that might show through in an article.
One of the best ways to navigate the complex world of the financial markets is to get a professional working alongside you to help sort fact from fiction, take some of the emotionality out of investing, and guide you toward financial independence. If you or anyone you know could benefit from our help (see Our Services), please reach out! We are ready and willing. It’s what we love to do.
Have a great weekend!
M. Grant Pannell
Financial Advisor
(The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.)
Comments