American Association of Individual Investors?

[siamond]

I am pondering about spending a few bucks for a membership, at least to try it out for a year.

AAII: The American Association of Individual Investors

Anybody being a member? Useful/not-so-useful experience?

PS. I stumbled on AAII by looking for more literature from Jonathan Guyton. If you happen to know where to find his 2008 article on "Squeezing More From Your Retirement Portfolio", please share!

 

[mickeyd]

I pondered it a few years ago but you can get better info here and at Bogleheads than you can get from their newsletter IMHO.

 

[siamond]

I pondered it a few years ago but you can get better info here and at Bogleheads than you can get from their newsletter IMHO.

Yes, this is exactly why I wasn't so sure I should try...

 

[clifp]

I've been a member on and off (more off) for the last 15 years. It is is really gear more for the individual stock picker than someone who is going to invest primarily in index funds.

Plus some of the system are pretty screwing.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I went to a local meeting years ago. It seemed like most of the attendees were financial sales people looking for clients.

 

[walkinwood]

I was a member in the roaring 90s. Like clifp says, it is geared to stock pickers.

The internet boom did not end well for me so I gave up picking individual stocks & now use mainly broad index funds (and some broadly diversified mutual funds that I've had for a couple of decades)

 

[haha]

I have belonged for years, and find it easily worth the small dues. I no longer go to meetings, because most of them are on Mercer Island and would take a bit of getting to for me. When I did go, I find them to be high quality.

As long as I manage a portfolio, I will have a membership.

Ha

 

[siamond]

Ok, I think I got my response then... As I am done with the stock picking...

Thanks for the feedback, you saved me some bucks, some time, and quite possibly some aggravation!

 

[nvestysly]

I am a life member. IMO it's worth the price. In fact I reviewed some AAII information today. I tend to be an individual stock picker so I use AAII and Value Line to obtain useful information.

AAII is not exclusively for individual stocks. AAII provides information for mutual funds and ETFs too. In addition, they have useful articles on asset allocation, withdrawal rates and a host of other investing and retirement subjects. I'm amazed at the information AAII produces for such a low price.

The annual membership is $29 and according to the AAII web site includes the following:

12 Issues of the AAII Journal
AAII Model Stock, Mutual Fund, and ETF Portfolios
Access to AAII.com
Top Mutual Funds Guide
Yearly Tax Planning Guide
Access to Local Chapter Meetings (over 50 nationwide)
60 On-Line Stock Screens
And much more!

on edit: I just noticed AAII offers a free 30 day trial.

 

[siamond]

on edit: I just noticed AAII offers a free 30 day trial.

Ah thank you, I didn't see such a trial first time I checked, but now I found it here. Maybe I'll give it a try after all...

 

[ERhoosier]

I've also been AAII member for years, though there are no member meetings in my area. Like most sources, there are articles (magazine & website) on individual stock picking but also other topics like sector investing, AA, and retirement investing. Unlike many sources, articles in AAII seem generally balanced in outlook. I find it useful.

 

[FinancialDave]

I have belonged for years, and find it easily worth the small dues. I no longer go to meetings, because most of them are on Mercer Island and would take a bit of getting to for me. When I did go, I find them to be high quality.

As long as I manage a portfolio, I will have a membership.

Ha

I have been a member for a few years now as well.

Just went to a meeting on Mercer island in Jan. where they had Christine Benz of Morningstar.

Once a year they publish a comprehensive listing of the top Mutual Funds. This years Feb issue lists 1560 Funds. So it is not just for stock pickers. I also enjoy their annual tax guide issue which provides quick access to the important tax rate tables and earning limits for various types of investments.

fd

 

[jimnjana]

I'm a life member too. I enjoy reading their updates on the model mutual fund and stock portfolios. I find their articles worthwhile as well. Trying them out will give you online access to years of articles from their journal. Not a bad deal as you can create a library of articles you find worthwhile.

 

[Malcolm2]

I also was a member in the mid 1990's and enjoyed the newsletters. After moving a couple times and relying on web based tools and articles I never renewed and had forgotten about them. Never knew they have a life membership and may give it a try again after reading the comments above.

M

 

[nvestysly]

Once I became a life member I never paid much attention to the membership prices. I think I paid $299 and that was many years ago. Right now, AAII is offering special membership prices. I don't know if that's something they do from time to time or if this is a one-time offer.

1 Year: $29 ($49 regularly)

4 Year: $99 ($316 regularly - although this doesn't seem to be a multiple of the 1 year price)

Life: $290 ($490 regularly)

If you click on Join Now you'll see the prices. When you leave the Join Now page you'll see the offer to join for 30 days for free.

DW and I are considering attending the AAII Investor Conference in 2015. We cannot attend this year and they only hold it on odd number years.

 

[FinancialDave]

Once I became a life member I never paid much attention to the membership prices. I think I paid $299 and that was many years ago. Right now, AAII is offering special membership prices. I don't know if that's something they do from time to time or if this is a one-time offer.

1 Year: $29 ($49 regularly)

4 Year: $99 ($316 regularly - although this doesn't seem to be a multiple of the 1 year price)

Life: $290 ($490 regularly)

If you click on Join Now you'll see the prices. When you leave the Join Now page you'll see the offer to join for 30 days for free.

DW and I are considering attending the AAII Investor Conference in 2015. We cannot attend this year and they only hold it on odd number years.

Thanks for the note. I think I might add another 4 years.

fd