You've met your financial obligations, and have accumulated some funds you'd like to invest in the stock market. But what companies should you buy?

Assuming that you're reading this article on-line, you've come to the right place. The impact of the Internet on the individual investor cannot be overestimated. The tools available to everyone rival those used by professionals just a short time ago. From fundamental analysis of how well a company is doing, to technical analysis of how a companies stock is trading, to recommendations on what to buy and sell, it may seem like there's too much information available.

And, unfortunately, some of that information might not be what it seems. Stock market touts have appeared in great numbers on the net, so stick with the larger well know sites, and analysts.

For this article, since you're just starting out and have limited funds, we'll concentrate on sites that provide information for free. Some of those to be discussed have additional information available for a fee, but their free information is of great value.

For stock recommendations, consider the following:

Yahoo Finance (www.finance.yahoo.com) This major Yahoo sub-site provides links to analyst recommendations on stocks and mutual funds, as well as research tools that enable you to screen for stocks and funds that meet your individual requirements. Graphs that can be used to analyze stocks technically, and fundamental descriptions of a companies business, it's cash flows, earnings, and analyst's ratings, are valuable tools.

The Motley Fool (www.fool.com) Don't let the name mislead you. Written with a light and wry touch, The Fool, as it's known, provides analysis of individual stocks and the overall market.

The Street (www.thestreet.com) Home of CNBC's Jim Cramer, you'll find Jim's picks from his TV show, as well as picks from other analysts, along with explanations of why they're being recommended.

Stock Picker (www.stockpickr.com) An affiliate of The Street, provides additional selections, and analysis of the selections, from a broad spectrum of sources.

Seeking Alpha (www.seekingalpha.com) Opinions, analysis and investment ideas from a stable of thoughtful writers on the markets.

Morningstar (www.morningstar.com) Morningstar is best know for it's mutual fund ratings and analysis, but has expanded into stocks as well. Ads for their premium services are sometimes annoying, but the free reports and screening tools are worthwhile.

Many of these sites provide basic tools for looking at potential stocks graphically. As your investment experience grows, you may be interested in applying more advanced technical analysis tools. Two of the better sites for this are:

Chart Filter (www.chartfilter.com) Screening tools and advanced technical charts are available at this site, completely free of charge.

Stock Charts (www.stockcharts.com) Another site that can annoy with it's ads for premium services. None-the-less, it provides another set of highly advanced screening and charting tools.

Finally, when you're starting out in investing, or want to learn advanced concepts, or whenever you run across a term that you're not familiar with, the following is strongly recommended:

Investopedia (www.investopedia.com) This site wasn't listed first in the article, because it doesn't specifically recommend stocks. But it is in the opinion of this writer, the best source of investment education on the Internet. An encyclopedia of investment knowledge, the site won't pick stocks for you, but it will go a long way toward teaching you how to pick them yourself.

Learn more about this author, Vic Moro.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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