Cheers or Jeers - Financial/Retirement Magazines

[freebird5825]

I have 2 free investing magazine subscriptions coming to an end very soon. My guess is the unused airline miles left over from my c*reer will be once again offered in exchange for some more freebies. There aren't enough miles to get a free ticket and I don't travel that much to earn more.
I've seen various magazines (or links to online versions) sprinkled throughout our threads. I'm curious...
What is your favorite magazine and why?
What is your least favorite and why?
For both, what is the level of knowledge assumed for the reader - novice, intermediate, or expert investor?

For myself, along with links you all post, this is what I read:
MONEY - I know, I know, but it is written for the novice to intermediate, and it gives me a good insight of what the herd may be doing. So I can do just the opposite.
SMARTMONEY - much better quality from what I can tell.

 

[Midpack]

In my lifetime I have had subscriptions to SmartMoney, Worth, Fortune, Forbes, WSJ & IBD. I have bought Money, Kiplinger's, Barrons and others while traveling. IMHO they are all written for beginner to novice investors, nothing wrong with that. They don't tell you enough to manage your own finances (not in their self-interest), just enough to make recommendations --- they are after all, selling magazines first and foremost. But what I noticed is for the most part they're mostly repeating the same information using different words and examples. Compare the table of contents from one year to the next. Many of them even have the same general theme every month each year. There isn't enough new information to make subscribing worthwhile IMHO. I buy them (very rarely) on an exception basis, or read them at the library. There are many better resources online, including here, and in books.

If I had to take a couple of subscriptions, I'd be more inclined to take The Economist and one associated with a personal favorite hobby than any financial/investing magazine. My 2¢...

 

[clifp]

Money is pretty much worthless. Worth use to be worthwhile, but not so much anymore.

I'm letting my Kiplinger sub lapse, but I do thing it is pretty decent, better than SmartMoney but not a big difference.

Barrons, Fortune, Forbes I think all have valuable information on specific companies and for a few thousand miles probably worth subscribing to.

 

[W2R]

In my adult life I have never subscribed to magazines (other than professional journals) or newspapers, to cut back on my spending.

Like Midpack, I like The Economist. My tentative ER location in Missouri has a beautiful new library and I intend to read it there.

 

[Meadbh]

I agree with Midpack; it's the same old stories over and over. Many years ago when living in the US I had a subscription to Money, and in recent years, several magazines come regularly to my office for free (magazine publishers think all doctors have waiting rooms and believe this is good advertising! In this day and age, the generic information found in magazines is not worth the subscription. For specific questions, Google is a great tool. Having access to a university library (the research) online, combined with forums such as this one (the collected wisdom) is also great. What's more, the Economist is online too. I read it regularly, though it's hard to find the covers!

 

[Gotadimple]

Like Midpack, I like The Economist. My tentative ER location in Missouri has a beautiful new library and I intend to read it there.

Complete editions are available on their web site for no cost.

-- Rita

 

[tomintucson]

I'd add only that Barron's often has fabulous interviews with less-than-household names like Ray Dalio, Stephanie Pomboy, Rudolph Riad-Younes, et al. I've learned a lot from these folks and others. (Didn't stop me from having my a** handed to me in the collapse of 2008, though!)

Tom

ps Big thumbs up on the above comments about The Economist. Last month my expensive hardcopy subscription of many years expired. I now read it in its entirety every week online.

 

[yakers]

I love The Economist, occasionally pick up other magazines at the airport, barber etc and have not found the other worth reading although Financial Times comes pretty close.

 

[LOL!]

My mom gave me annual gift subscriptions to SmartMoney for a few years. I just recycled a 2-year stack of them from 2001-2003. It was amusing looking at the covers: Odd months were "Best investments to buy NOW!" and even months were "How to save on taxes NOW!". Sprinkle in "Bull run in banks!" and "Bear mauling in banks!" in alternating months and you have a magazine.

Oh, the word "retire" was on 8 of every 12 covers.

 

[CuppaJoe]

I used to read a few of the well-known brands and put then straight into the recycling after a quick glance thru. Seriously, I suggest just picking up one of the well-edited rags like "The New Yorker." In the April 13, 2009, issue there is a short fiction story, "The Color of Shadows" that touches on many of the issues we discuss here as well as a nice (beautifully edited) piece titled, "I.O.U., How we used to treat debtors." Best selling novels can also be good, I just finished "Honolulu" which tells a rags to semi-riches story, a how-to-it but otherwise I don't recommend it as I lost interest and balked at finishing it, didn't care how it ended.