• Equity Research Service's ‘Edge'
• Here We Come to the MoneyShow in San Francisco
• Free Webinars on Aug. 5 and Aug. 19
• Timely Trades

Get an Edge with Equity Research Service

The secret to success in any field is having the right tools. EquityResearchService.com is ICLUBcentral's newest tool for stock investors, designed to streamline the process of analyzing stocks. Users can save hours of painstaking work to gather details about companies and learn with confidence on EquityResearchService.com's powerful analysis engine.

Leveraging an ultra-powerful website, EquityResearchService.com combs available sources to gather deep levels of information about prospective investments and presents it in a clear, easy-to-use format. Investors with a subscription to EquityResearchService.com can access professional-quality stock research, ratings, ratios and comparisons for any North American company, focusing on the elements of stock analysis necessary for long-term success with a portfolio.

Click here to sign up for a free 14-day trial of EquityResearchService.com.

California, Here We Come (to The MoneyShow)

The MoneyShow San Francisco kicks off Aug. 21-23, providing fresh inspiration to investors after a long, hot summer. This three-day event at the Hilton Union Square brings more than 50 top financial experts together in a powerful program, offering workshops, presentations and instruction.

ICLUBcentral's president, Doug Gerlach, on Aug. 21 will present his 7-step method for picking successful stocks. On Aug. 23, ICLUBcentral CEO Kamie Zaracki will discuss mastering fundamental stock analysis. Don't wait to make your plans! MoneyShow San Francisco to register for free.

Mark Your Calendar for Free Educational Webinars

If you're using Toolkit 6, you know why it's the world's most popular software for fundamental stock analysis. It has many features, and ICLUBcentral's Doug Gerlach provides a monthly free webinar to shed light on how to get the most out of this valuable tool. Join us on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 9 p.m. ET for the next Toolkit 6 Users Group webinar. Click here to register.

Our next free webinar about Investment Club Operations is slated for Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 9 p.m. ET. Gerlach, an investment club expert, provides fresh inspiration and ideas for clubs. Bring your questions and learn how other clubs are succeeding. Click here to register.

Timely Trades

Occasionally club treasurers puzzle over broker statements showing multiple dates for what should have been a simple buy or sell transaction. Why all the confusion? According to ICLUBcentral's support guru, Sean Pulring, it's all in the timing and requires a bit of explanation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission stipulates that whenever you buy or sell (trade) a stock, that company's books must be updated (settled) within three days of the transaction. That's why the statement from your broker might show a trade date, then a settlement date, Pulrang explains.

The record date is when the club must actually own, or be holding a stock, to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date comes into play here, as the date on which any new purchases of the stock will not be on record in time to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is usually two business days before the record date. (If the record date is not a business day, counting begins from the most recent business day instead of the actual record date.)

If you know that the record date for a stock in which your club is interested occurs on Thursday of a given week, the ex-dividend date will be no later than Tuesday. This means that if your club has been thinking about buying a certain stock, the broker would need to make sure the transaction (trade date) is no later than Monday to ensure that that settlement date occurs on Wednesday, before the record date of Thursday.

Got a question about your club? Running into technical issues? Visit the Community Forum in StockCentral.com to ask questions and get answers from our experts.

August 1, 2014