A Sampling of Economic Newsletters

Economic Outlook

When, usually after years of labor, the family income exceeds the demands of the monthly budget, many people find themselves wanting to put their extra cash to work. And while certificates of deposit, IRAs, and savings accounts are probably the first steps taken, some of those neophyte investors will, sooner or later, begin to daydream about entering investment arenas that hold potential for greater returns. However, the possible rewards to be won in the stock market or in the purchase of precious metals or collectibles are balanced by equally great risks, and all too often a beginner will find him- or herself paying a heavy fee in losses while learning the rules of the game.

There is, however, a way to reduce that risk a bit. By subscribing to one or more of the many investment newsletters published today, you can, in effect, hire an experienced investor to "show you the ropes." Now it's true these limited-distribution periodicals are not inexpensive, and they're certainly not infallible, but the very fact that many of them have been around for decades can be seen as evidence that a goodly number of people have found the advice offered by newsletter editors to be well worth the cost.

The following list should serve to give you an idea of the wide range of investment newsletters available . . . though it's by no means all-inclusive. (Those newsletters marked with a star will send a free copy if you request one, mentioning that you read about their publications in MOTHER. The others charge varying prices for sample issues. When writing for price information or a free copy, always enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope . . . and please don't take advantage of the free copy offer unless you're seriously considering subscribing to the publication requested.) We've tried to provide a little information on the particular focus of each, but your best bet is to select a few from the list below that seem to cover your particular areas of interest, then compare the sample copies before subscribing. After all, the price of a subscription can be a fairly significant investment, and investing blindly is never wise.

THE COMMODITY INVESTMENT ANALYST

($480 a year—12 issues—from TCIA Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 39815, Phoenix, AZ 85069.) As the title indicates, the emphasis is on com modities (gold, cattle, wheat, sugar, soybeans, and so forth) rather than stocks.

CONSENSUS OF INSIDERS

($247 a year—52 issues—from Consensus, P.O. Box 24349, Fort Lauderdale, FL 333074349.) Consensus focuses on the stock market.

DAILY NEWS DIGEST

($97 a year—48 issues—from Daily News Digest, P.O . Box 39850, Phoenix, AZ 85069.) Digest maintains a "conservative, free-market economics philosophy," and reports on the possible economic and social significance of world events. It also runs summaries of the opinions of editors of other financial newsletters.