Magazines: personal finance, investing, entrepreneurship

I usually browse through the general-appeal magazines that friends and family receive, like National Geographic and Reader's Digest, but I'm not usually very interested in them. Because I've been trying to learn more about personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship recently, I decided to check a few magazines out of the Herrick District Library.

Here are the magazines I sampled, listed from most-liked to least-liked. First I include the magazine's description, then my thoughts on it.


Kiplinger's Personal Finance

• Description: investments, taxes, insurance, paying for college, planning for retirement, home ownership, major purchases such as cars and computers and other personal finance topics.
  
• Filled with practical financial advice for the middle-class, like how to save money and how to choose mutual funds, index funds, and retirement accounts.
• Rating: 5/5 stars; continue reading regularly
  

Money

• Description: increasing the value of your home, financing vacations, planning for retirement, paying taxes, protecting finances, investment strategies for building wealth, remodeling and refinancing homes, life insurance, and tips on getting the best life at the best price.
  
• Includes lots of personal finance (saving, investing, retirement), tips and opinions, market trends and explanations of financial concepts.
• Rating: 4/5 stars; continue reading regularly

Entrepreneur

• Description: for businesses owners, offering inspiration and information on marketing, management, technology, the latest trends and strategies.
• Aimed at starting and growing a business. Tells where to find inspiration for business ideas, products, and services, where to get funding, and how to market and sell. Includes articles about startups and interviews with entrepreneurs. Also describes growing markets and franchise opportunities.
• Rating: 4/5 stars; continue reading regularly

Inc.

• Description: to guide CEOs and owners of small-to-midsize companies to success. Inc. provides fresh, insightful analyses to give the major players in the business world the tools they need to excel. Each issue uses real life examples of strategies, case studies, and successes and failures edited specifically to illuminate new ways in which its readers can benefit.
• Good balance of information for new and existing businesses. Includes tips for improving your current company, or for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to build into their new ventures. Includes strategy (finance, marketing, etc.) for new and existing businesses. Contains lengthy, often interesting interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders.
• Rating: 4/5 stars; continue reading regularly

SmartMoney

• Description: straight from the editors of the Wall Street Journal, the best financial reporters in the business. Every issue brings you the information you need to know to deal with markets and protecting your wealth. Turn to SmartMoney for no-nonsense advice you can put into action.
• Too focused on stock picks and product recommendations. Not much personal finance. Aimed at people with money (feels a little elitist; not surprising, since it's from the Wall Street Journal)
• Rating: 3/5 stars; read if there's a particularly interesting topic covered
  

Forbes

• Description: top management and those aspiring to positions of corporate leadership in business. This insider publication features information on successful companies and individuals, industries, marketing, law, taxes, technology, computers, communications, investments, management performance.
• Covers too broad a range of topics (tech, health, companies, marketing). Contains too many ads.
• Rating: 2/5 stars; read only if there's nothing else available, or if there's a particularly interesting topic covered

Fortune

• Description: filled with expert advice on winning in business and investing, every issue brings you closer to success. Offering practical strategies and direction.
• Contains a few interesting short articles about the economy and business trends, but has mostly long articles about companies and executives. Not much personal finance.
• Rating: 2/5 stars; read only if there's nothing else available, or if there's a particularly interesting topic covered

The Economist

• Description: explores domestic and international issues, business, finance, current affairs, science, technology and the arts.
• Covers too broad a range of topics (world news, business, science, arts). Way too much content for casual reading.
• Rating: 0/5 stars; don't waste time reading