Where Reliable Information Comes From

Primary sources first

A company's own regulatory filings are the primary record: annual reports, quarterly reports, and disclosures of material events. In the U.S. these are freely available through the SEC's EDGAR system.

Ownership disclosures, fund holdings reports and insider transaction filings are also public. Commentary about a filing is not a substitute for the filing.

A source hierarchy

Rank what you read by how far it sits from the underlying evidence.

• Regulatory filings and official company disclosures
• Company investor materials and earnings calls
• Regulator and government statistical data
• Reputable financial journalism
• Analyst commentary and newsletters
• Social media posts and anonymous forums

Free and independent resources

Investor.gov (SEC) and FINRA publish free investor education and fraud alerts. S&P Dow Jones Indices publishes the SPIVA Scorecards on active manager performance.