What would you like to understand?
A stock catches your attention. These guides help you work out what to read, what the numbers mean and what deserves a closer look.
70 guides
Where do I find a company worth researching?
Find ideas, check a stock tip and choose what deserves more time.
7 ways to find stock ideas beyond trending tickers
Find stock-research ideas through products, competitors, Discover, disclosures and old watchlists, with a practical question for each starting point.
Read guideHow to decide which stocks to research
Give research time to a company when you can identify it, verify why it caught your attention and state a question that available evidence could answer.
Read guideI opened a brokerage app. How do I choose a stock to research?
Opening a brokerage account gives you access to investments; it does not require you to buy an individual stock immediately.
Read guideHow to find growing public companies before they become familiar names
Find growing companies by looking for changes in customer demand, revenue and business economics, then checking the filings behind those changes.
Read guide9 checks for a stock tip you found on social media
Check a social-media stock tip against its original sources, business evidence, valuation and funding risks before deciding what to investigate.
Read guideHow do I investigate the company?
Build a view of the business, its risks and what remains uncertain.
How to research a stock: a complete company walkthrough
Research a stock by connecting the business, financial statements, funding risks and valuation in one written explanation you can challenge later.
Read guideWhat makes a good company a good investment? Business quality, price and risk
A good company can be a disappointing investment if its share price already assumes more progress than the business delivers.
Read guideHow long should you research a stock before buying?
Work out when stock research is ready for a decision by checking the business case, valuation, unresolved risks and evidence you still need.
Read guideWhat do the numbers tell me?
Read growth, earnings, cash, debt and the share count together.
Stock fundamentals explained: the numbers to check before buying
Understand revenue, profit, cash flow, debt and ownership through a simple worked example, then see how the numbers connect.
Read guide7 checks behind a company's revenue growth
Revenue can grow because customers bought more, prices rose or an acquisition added another business.
Read guideRevenue growth, profit growth or EPS growth: what matters most?
Revenue, profit and earnings per share can grow at different rates. See how margins and share-count changes affect the figures you compare.
Read guideIs a company becoming profitable? How to read an earnings inflection
Check whether a company's first profitable quarter reflects lasting business progress, using margins, cash flow and the source of its earnings.
Read guideHow much debt is too much? 7 checks for a company's financial strength
To assess company debt, find out when it must be repaid and where the money will come from.
Read guideStock dilution explained: 6 checks for share counts and funding risk
Cash that keeps shrinking, debt coming due and expensive equipment plans can give you reasons to investigate dilution before an offering is announced.
Read guideWhat is revenue per share, and why can it fall while revenue grows?
Learn how revenue per share works, calculate it with an example and see why sales growth can leave shareholders with little progress per share.
Read guide6 checks when a company's profit and cash flow disagree
Understand why profit and cash flow disagree. Check working capital, non-cash costs, capital spending and financing with a fictional cash-flow example.
Read guideIs the price reasonable?
Understand the assumptions behind a valuation and test an apparent bargain.
How to find undervalued stocks and check whether they are really cheap
To investigate potentially undervalued stocks, first find a mismatch worth explaining, then test the business, financial risks and valuation assumptions.
Read guideHow to value a stock: fair value, assumptions and a worked example
Valuing a stock means estimating what its future economic benefits could be worth today, then identifying the part attributable to each share.
Read guideWhat is a good P/E ratio? Why a low number is not enough
Assess a P/E ratio in context: earnings quality, growth, debt and comparable companies. See why a low multiple alone does not establish value.
Read guideHow to compare a stock's valuation with its own history
A historical valuation comparison is useful only when the price, financial measure and business are comparable.
Read guideCheap stock or value trap? How to test the apparent bargain
A value trap is a stock that appears cheap on a familiar measure while the business or shareholders' claim is deteriorating.
Read guideWhy can an unprofitable company have a high stock-market value?
An unprofitable company can have value because investors expect future cash generation or value its assets and options.
Read guideThe stock is falling. What should I check?
Separate a price movement from a change in the business or your reasons for owning it.
Why is my stock falling? 7 checks before assuming it will recover
After a stock-price drop, verify the quote and chart settings, then look for company disclosures that could explain the move.
Read guideIs the business improving or getting worse? 5 checks beyond the stock price
Check whether a company's business is improving through revenue, margins, cash flow and funding, instead of relying on the direction of its share price.
Read guideShould you average down? What to check before adding to a falling stock
Averaging down lowers your average purchase price by adding shares below your earlier purchase price.
Read guideWhen a stock is down: how to review whether your reasons still hold
Review a losing stock by comparing today's business evidence with the reason you originally owned it.
Read guideIs your investment thesis broken? 7 developments to investigate
Review seven developments that could challenge your investment thesis, from weaker demand to funding pressure, and identify what evidence to check.
Read guideThe stock has risen. What changes now?
Revisit valuation and position size without treating a gain as an instruction.
A stock has doubled. What should you review before selling or holding?
After a stock doubles, review the current business case, valuation and portfolio exposure.
Read guideIs it too late to buy a stock after a big rise?
A stock has already risen. Check its current business evidence, valuation and remaining risks before deciding whether to investigate it further.
Read guideHolding a stock versus buying more: why the questions differ
Holding an existing position and adding new money both expose you to the company's future, but they change your finances in different ways.
Read guideWhat changed in the latest results?
Compare periods, read beyond EPS and follow the evidence into the next report.
How to read an earnings report: 8 checks beyond EPS
Read an earnings report with eight checks covering revenue, margins, cash flow, guidance and share counts, then identify what to investigate next.
Read guideWhy stocks fall after an earnings beat, or rise after a miss
A company can beat an earnings estimate and still disappoint investors on revenue, guidance, cash flow or the quality of the result.
Read guideYoY, QoQ and TTM: how to compare company results without mixing periods
Understand year-over-year, quarter-over-quarter and trailing-twelve-month figures, with examples of seasonality and mismatched reporting periods.
Read guideIs a company turning around? 7 checks beyond one good quarter
Assess a company turnaround with seven checks covering its original problem, operating progress, cash, debt and what the next report needs to show.
Read guideWhere can I verify the information?
Find original reports and learn where the useful details are.
5 places to find company financial statements
Find company financial statements on SEC EDGAR, issuer websites and research platforms. Check report dates, units and definitions before comparing figures.
Read guide7 SEC filings explained, including the difference between a 10-K and 10-Q
A 10-K explains the business and annual accounts; a 10-Q updates the results; an 8-K covers important events.
Read guideHow to read a 10-K: where to start and what to investigate next
Read a 10-K with a question rather than trying to memorise it from cover to cover.
Read guideHow to read a company's financial statements together
Read the income statement, balance sheet and cash-flow statement as connected views of the same business.
Read guideWhich research tool fits the job?
Compare documented capabilities, limitations and costs.
Best stock-research websites: tools compared by the job you need done
Compare stock-research websites by the work you need done: finding ideas, checking filings, reviewing financials and following companies over time.
Read guideBest stock-research apps for checking a company and following it over time
Choose a stock-research app around the task you repeat: finding candidates, reading financials, comparing arguments or returning to a company after an update.
Read guideBest free stock-research tools: what you can do without a subscription
You can verify disclosures, inspect company financials and build a research record with free tools.
Read guideBest stock screeners for fundamental and long-term research
Compare Finviz, TradingView, TIKR, Koyfin and Stock Analysis by their stock coverage, filter definitions and access to company accounts.
Read guideBest free stock screeners: useful filters, limits and upgrade costs
Compare free stock screeners by their filters, coverage and access limits. Learn what to verify before using a screening result as a research lead.
Read guideFinviz alternatives for stock screening and company research
The right Finviz alternative depends on what you want to change: geographic coverage, financial depth, portfolio analysis or the way you discover companies.
Read guideSeeking Alpha alternatives: research, ratings and stock ideas compared
Compare Seeking Alpha alternatives for company financials, written analysis, ratings and discovery, using documented features and access limits.
Read guideSimply Wall St alternatives for visual company research
The strongest Simply Wall St alternative depends on why its reports no longer fit your work.
Read guideStock Rover alternatives for screening, research and portfolio analysis
Compare Stock Rover alternatives for screening, financial research and portfolio analysis, and identify which parts of your workflow each can replace.
Read guideTIKR alternatives for company financials and stock research
Choose a TIKR alternative by the work you need to replace: detailed financial comparisons, screening, written analysis or ongoing company research.
Read guideFinviz vs Stock Rover: screening and company research compared
Compare Finviz and Stock Rover on screening, financial data, portfolio tools and documented pricing, with the limits of each research workflow.
Read guideTIKR vs Stock Rover: financial data, screening and research workflow
Compare TIKR and Stock Rover on financial data, screening, portfolio tools and documented pricing to decide which fits your research workflow.
Read guideSimply Wall St vs TIKR: visual reports or detailed company research?
Compare Simply Wall St's visual reports with TIKR's detailed financial data, including documented coverage, pricing and research workflows.
Read guideSeeking Alpha vs TIKR: investment analysis and financial data compared
Compare Seeking Alpha's investment analysis with TIKR's financial data, including documented features, pricing and the research tasks they support.
Read guideIs TIKR worth paying for? Costs, limits and who it suits
TIKR is worth considering when you regularly compare company financials, investigate international stocks or build valuation scenarios.
Read guideIs Stock Rover worth paying for? Costs, limits and who it suits
Stock Rover is worth considering when detailed screening and portfolio analysis are tasks you perform regularly.
Read guideIs Simply Wall St worth paying for? Costs, limits and who it suits
Simply Wall St is worth considering if visual company reports help you investigate businesses and you regularly exceed the free report allowance.
Read guideIs Seeking Alpha worth paying for? Costs, limits and who it suits
Compare Seeking Alpha Premium's documented features, annual price and limits with the research tasks you actually do.
Read guideHow do I build a research habit?
Keep a research note, define a checkpoint and return with a useful question.
How to learn stock analysis: a practical route from first report to research note
Learn stock analysis by working through one understandable business, checking its figures and writing a short research note.
Read guideHow to build an investment thesis you can test
Write an investment thesis that connects the business, valuation, evidence and risks, with clear reasons to revisit it.
Read guideFree stock research journal template: record your thesis and track what changes
Download a free stock research journal to record why a company interests you, the evidence behind the idea and what the next report needs to show.
Read guideWhat to do after buying a stock: a quarterly business-review checklist
After buying a stock, check the transaction record, preserve your reasons and review the business when new information can change those reasons.
Read guideHow does Helmbeam help?
Understand the product, its method and the limits of the information.
What is Helmbeam, who is it for, and what does it help you do?
Learn how Helmbeam helps self-directed investors discover public-market opportunities, examine company evidence and follow how it changes over time.
Read guideHow Helmbeam's five lenses help you examine a company
Explore Helmbeam's five lenses: Business, Earnings, Resilience, Shareholders and Price. See what each helps you investigate and where its limits lie.
Read guideYour first company in Helmbeam: from Discover to Numbers and a return visit
Research your first company in Helmbeam. Explore Discover, examine Numbers and build a shortlist you can revisit as the evidence changes.
Read guideWhat a stock timeline can tell you: three dated company case studies
A stock timeline is useful when it separates what was known on each date from what became clear later.
Read guideStock screener, stock-research app or brokerage: which job do you need done?
A screener narrows candidates, a research app helps investigate them, and a brokerage handles investment accounts and orders.
Read guideHelmbeam vs Finviz: which fits the way you research stocks?
Compare Finviz's screening and market views with Helmbeam's discovery, company research and follow-up workflow, using documented features.
Read guideHelmbeam vs Seeking Alpha: which fits the way you research stocks?
Compare Seeking Alpha's analysis and ratings with Helmbeam's discovery, company evidence and follow-up workflow, using documented features.
Read guideHelmbeam vs Simply Wall St: which fits the way you research stocks?
Compare Simply Wall St's visual reports with Helmbeam's discovery and company-research workflow, including how each helps you revisit an idea.
Read guideHelmbeam vs Stock Rover: which fits the way you research stocks?
Compare Stock Rover's screening and portfolio tools with Helmbeam's discovery and company-research workflow, using documented features.
Read guideHelmbeam vs TIKR: which fits the way you research stocks?
Compare TIKR's detailed financial and valuation research with Helmbeam's discovery and follow-up workflow, using documented features.
Read guide