Here are two worthwhile articles if you're an investor that likes to do it yourself:

First, Kiplinger's just rated online brokers on a variety of criteria, and the results are here.

optionsXpress, which I am not at all familiar with came out on top, with Muriel Siebert (again, unfamiliar) next on the list.

I must be missing out on a lot, because my broker is down the list quite a ways. I don't get complicated enough to really care, though. I make simple trades & only care about the transaction fee for the most part. As long as the orders go through and it's not too expensive, I don't have any big complaints.

(Hat tip to The Financial Ladder for pointing out the Kiplinger's comparison.)

Second, the latest Fortune 40 is out. The Fortune 40 is a list of 40 stocks with great long-term prospects that should weather any stock market swings over the long haul. The first Fortune 40 beat the S&P by 7% last year, so it's worth a look.

If you're like me, you'll look at this list casually and not go out and buy any of the stocks because you don't like other people telling you what to buy and so you'll do worse than you could have if you had listened to people with a heckuva lot more experience and wisdom than you.

(Hat tip to Flexo for pointing out this article.)