A surfer's paradise of free advice, research tools - PAUL BRENT

The old adage "you get what you pay for," doesn't necessarily apply to the Internet and investing. In fact, the Web is awash with free or near-free research tools, articles, sites and blogs aimed at the do-it-yourself investor.

The biggest challenge in drawing up a list of invaluable Internet locales is to make it short enough to be useful, yet long enough that it doesn't exclude some lesser-known gems.

THE 'MUST-HAVES'

http://www.bnn.ca: The name was changed, but BNN still has many free video replays of its financial programs and financial news reports.

http://www.globeinvestor.com: Yes, it's the home team, but the site offers breaking news, custom fund and stock screens and many other useful tools.

http://finance.yahoo.com: Yahoo's site houses a wealth of financial news, stock quotes, market roundups and personal finance columns.

http://www.thestreet.com: This free-membership U.S. site was one of the first and is still one of the best. Contains video interviews, stock news, reports, recommendations and investment personality Jim Cramer.

http://www.bloomberg.com: Yes, the tidal wave of data may induce seizures in some people, but pretty much everything you need is here. Also includes such cool tools as calculators, portfolio trackers and market monitors.

http://www.motleyfool.com: While some of this U.S. site requires a subscription, news, some columns and lots of cool calculators come free.

SPECIALTY SITES

http://www.goldmoney.com: This site has the latest prices on precious metals and is a place where Canadians can sign up and directly purchase gold bullion by the ounce, using wired funds from a Canadian bank account. The gold is held for safekeeping in a London vault and can be sold at any time following the online instructions.

http://www.321energy.com:This free energy-related site includes news, commentaries by energy experts, and the latest futures prices on crude oil, natural gas and uranium.

http://www.resourceinvestor.com: Covers such resources as uranium, gold, base metals, iron ore and oil and natural gas.

www.investorvillage.com/groups.asp?mb=6781: No, trusts aren't dead yet, and this free (but registration-required) site has attracted a group of knowledgeable amateurs on the subject of income-producing Canadian income trusts. They give their opinions and report the latest news and analyst recommendations.

www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=10677&clear

=1&pt=m: How is a city boy, or girl, going to know what's happening in the world of agriculture? This free forum (again, you must register) features agricultural stock recommendations, analyst reports and news from a group of experienced investors.

http://investingforincome.blogspot.com/2008/01/22-startling-predictions-for-2008-and.html: This participatory blog has useful recommendations on investing in Canadian income trusts, high-yield dividend stocks and the like. A good place to hunker down and wait out the market correction.

www.hardassetsinvestor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=

section&id=2&Itemid=4: Full-time investor and former Globe and Mail contributor Murray Soupcoff, who leans toward "things in the ground" as an investment theme, recommends this site for those into gold, silver, oil, agricultural products and other things earthy.

THE PROS

The following blogs and websites are run by financial advisers or other investment professionals.

www.valueinvestigator.com/index2.shtml: A free site for Canadian value investors run by ABC Funds portfolio manager Irwin Michael. It includes stock recommendations and value investing links.

http://www.raymondjames.com/inv_strat.htm: A personal blog by Raymond James broker/analyst Jeffrey Saut. Recent claim to fame: he accurately called the current bear correction. His website includes a blog and daily audio comments.

http://www.reportonmoney.com: This free site has tutorials about investing and regular market commentaries from John Stephenson, a veteran Canadian energy analyst and a regular commentator on energy.

http://www.wheredoesallmymoneygo.com: A blog from ScotiaMcLeod financial adviser and author Preet Banerjee, which includes regular commentary and many links.

http://petercohan.com: This U.S. site from oft-quoted economist and venture capitalist Peter Cohan features a blog to which you can subscribe. Warning: Mr. Cohan writes frequently.

http://www.kcmwealth.com: The site of Vancouver's KCM Wealth Management Inc. features a blog from portfolio manager Adrian Mastracci as well as useful articles and newsletters.

http://www.dsam.ca: The Internet home of tech guru Duncan Stewart Asset Management just got up and running, so it's bare bones yet. Includes Mr. Stewart's print and CBC radio column and will soon feature a blog, he promises.

GIFTED AMATEURS

http://nancyzimmerman.com: Vancouver-based self-described "money coach" Nancy Zimmerman doesn't sell financial products but gets people thinking about how they handle money. She's a busy blogger and offers lots of links to other sites.

http://www.thefinancialblogger.com: A former banker who uses only his first name, Mike, hooked up with a chartered financial analyst named Pierre and the two have created a site to provide tips and information about personal finance and investment. (Also contains many links to other bloggers.)

http://www.canadianfinancialdiy.blogspot.com: This anonymous "mid-50s Canadian" has been managing his own investments for the past decade. He goes through the rationale of his strategies and even includes his main portfolio spreadsheet at the bottom of the site.