"all around the web" - World Wide Web sites listing

Black Enterprise, March, 1999 by Ron Cadet

B.E. picks the top 50 sites to make your life easier and more productive

LAST YEAR, WE BROUGHT you the 25 best Websites to help improve your business, social and personal life. In keeping with the Internet's explosive growth, this year we're upping the ante to 50.

Selection for this list is based on three factors: content relevance to BLACK ENTERPRISE readers, utility or ease in finding information and design. First, these sites contain practical information to enhance your bottom line and/or lifestyle. Second, we favor sites that allow for immediate and effortless searches of information. Last, they have strong visual appeal and fast download speeds. These sites not only meet all of these requirements--they surpass them. Of course, we believe the newly revamped blackenterprise.com is one of the top 50 sites, but we'd rather let you make that decision.

THE STREET

www.thestreet.com

TheStreet features free content and premium subscriber content services such as twice-daily financial news e-mail updates. You can scroll down listings of the S&P, Dow and Nasdaq stock indexes. If you're so inclined, sign up for a free 30-day trial or get full access for $9.95 a month.

QUICKEN

www.quicken.com

Quicken--best known for its financial planning software--offers a Web site with the standard news, stock quotes and tickers. Other extras allow you to set up an online investment portfolio that links to Quicken 99 and get information on start-up business financing.

E*TRADE

www.etrade.com

E*Trade allows you to set up a stock portfolio account and begin buying and selling stock. You get analysts' recommendations, real-time quotes and more for a minimum initial deposit of $1,000. Put your financial market intelligence to work for only $14.95 per trade.

BIG CHARTS

www.bigcharts.com

Big Charts is a great tool for getting quick analysis on companies. Type a company's stock symbol and select a time period (one month, two years, etc.). You'll get a chart of the company's performance and links to sites providing more detailed profiles.

DATEK ONLINE

www.datek.com

Datek's site is comparatively leaner in investment information. Nonetheless, with some digging, you can find most of what you'll need to become a smart investor at a cost of $9.99 per trade.

FINANCENTER

www.financenter.com

FinanCenter sheds light on a number of topics ranging from credit management to retirement planning. It also features handy calculators for determining home loan payments and savings plans.

CHARLES SCHWAB

www.schwab.com

Uncomfortable putting your money into an exclusively Internet-based account? Well, the dependability of this "brick and mortar" financial service may help to quell any doubt. Set up an investment account online or in person at your local Charles Schwab branch and conveniently maintain it online.

MORNINGSTAR

www.morningstar.net

Morningstar is a well-respected, veteran investment research service. At this site, you can learn about investing, map out a portfolio, research stocks and mutual funds, and communicate with other investors through message boards.

THE MOTLEY FOOL

www.fool.com

Motley Fool's clever mix of humor and common sense makes it easy and fun to learn about the finer points of financial management. Seasoned investors can set up and manage their own stock portfolio while novices can go to "fool's school" and learn the 13 steps to investing and other valuable tips.

SMART BUSINESS SUPERSITE

www.smartbiz.com

This site is an entrepreneur's dream. Choose from 80 categories of resources on everything from advertising to tax liability. Even tricky issues such as municipal zoning codes are answered in simple, no-nonsense language.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

www.sba.gov

The Small Business Administration helps businesses get started and keep going strong. If funds are slow in coming from your local banks, try site for more financing leads. You can also get information on government contracts and services.

MONSTERBOARD

www.monsterboard.com

Browse through 50,000 local, national and international job listings then set up a profile. A search agent will contact you via e-mail with available positions matching your criteria.

CAREERPATH

www.careerpath.com

This site combines classified ads from over 50 top newspapers and companies to offer more than 275,000 jobs. Research potential employers and conduct job searches by title and function.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/forms

Don't wait and scramble around during tax time. Use this site to find the exact forms you need to meet the April 15 deadline. Do your filing electronically and get answers to your most taxing questions.

CINET: THE COMPUTER NETWORK

www.cnet.com

CINet, also a television show on the Sci-Fi Channel, is comprised of several sites. Cnet.com is a general purpose site featuring the latest computer industry news and shopping. Builder.com can help you create your Web pages while Shareware.com lets you search for free software.

IBM'S e-BUSINESS

www.ibm.com/ebusiness

What's all the hype about ecommerce? Visit IBM's site to learn all about doing business on the Internet. Read case studies of successful e-businesses to help decide if this is right for your company.