1. WIKINVEST (Yuting) Samantha Lu June 03, 2010 ISM 158

2. Why was it created?  Problem was how do users who want to track spendings/savings for their stocks or taxes do it easily instead of manually like the other sites available?  Other website, Mint.com, helped Web users who were willing to enter bank/credit card information track their spending/savings  Wikinvest wants to do the same for investments

3. Why was it created? (continued)  It is a site with user-generated information information about stocks (Wikipedia meets Yahoo Finance)  More people paying attention to markets, but no good way to do this  Some people enter manually in spreadsheets or on sites like Yahoo or Google Finance but is not commonly used because requires entering information manually  Will introduce a tool that imports information from user’s brokerage and investment accounts and arranges in readable way

4. What does it do?  Will sync with 25 brokerages (i.e. Scottrade, Charles Schwab, Vanguard)  The users will enter their brokerage account log-ins on Wikinvest first  Wikinvest will import investment information and present in easy-to-read columns that show additional information (like 52-week price range for stocks, recent news headlines, Wikinvest articles that could affect investments)

5. What does it do? (continued)  Charts would compile all user’s investments, access brokerage accounts, dividends and fees, compare performance to rest of market

6. Why is this useful?  All information piled in one place is useful especially when tax season comes around because Wikinvest could fill in Schedule D forms  Easier to access information  Easier to fill in, instead of doing it all manually

7. Additional Features  Will add personalized, real-time e-mail alerts about news related to stocks that individual owns  Company is also building features for iPad and iPhone  Service is free for everyone, so furthers attraction

8. How would Wikinvest make money then?  Plans on making money by running various types of advertisements  Examples of ads: - suggesting index fund similar to one that somebody owns but with a lower fee - could refer users to accountants, brokers, financial planners

9. Why should you use Wikinvest?  They hope that the result provided would be worthwhile  Site has taken pains to secure hardware and encrypt the website - even if someone hacked the website and could see a user’s balances, it would be impossible to trade or access brokerage accounts from the site

10. Sources  http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/wikinve st-introduces-tool-to-track- investments/?scp=9&sq=information%20technology &st=cse