Reader question: Writing resources for equity research analysts?

“What are some good resources to improve my investment writing skills with an emphasis on equity research writing?” This question recently arrived in my email in-box.

Here are my suggestions:

I offer customized writing workshops for corporate clients in investment and wealth management. I’m not a research analyst. However, I’m good at analyzing client writing samples and then using them as the basis for training.

Equity analysts, can you suggest any additional resources?

I’m always interested in readers’ ideas.

 

July 24, 2013 update: Warren Miller, CFA, CPA of Beckmill Research, LLC has some more suggestions for you, starting with “Read what good analysts write, and then copy it by typing it into a Word document.” As you re-type that research, study what makes the reports good. That means looking at how the analyst tells the company’s story and at details such as sentence length, transitions, and measures of reading difficulty, such as the Fog Index. As Miller says, “Good writers read great writers.”

Disclosure: If you click on the Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I only link to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers. – See more at: http://investmentwriting.com/blog/?s=disclosure#sthash.NlvDZLSB.dpuf

May 30, June 3, and June 27, 2014: I updated this with additional links.

Disclosure: If you click on the Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I only link to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers.

Disclosure: If you click on the Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I only link to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers. – See more at: http://investmentwriting.com/blog/?s=disclosure#sthash.NlvDZLSB.dpuf

 

 

 

12 replies
  1. chris stuart
    chris stuart says:

    I guess the obvious answer is to read other sell-side reports. If you have an account at a large brokerage, most will offer reports from many of the sell-side analysts. I would recommend reading a few of these to get a good idea of some of the things expected out of any specific research report.

  2. Susan Weiner, CFA
    Susan Weiner, CFA says:

    Stephen Horan of the CFA Institute says “I would recommend the following two resources.
    1. Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts: Essentials for Buy-Side and Sell-Side Analysts at http://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/products/publications/books/Pages/best_practices_for_equity_research_analysts__essentials_for_buy-side_and_sell-side_analysts.aspx , and
    2. Writing Effective Equity Research Reports at http://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/products/events/Pages/02142011_49365.aspx

  3. kathy
    kathy says:

    What would you consider as `best in class’ investment writing? How would you describe an investment writer that is best in class? What does it take to get there? Thanks much!

  4. Susan Weiner CFA
    Susan Weiner CFA says:

    Kathy,

    Thank you for your question. It’s hard to answer in a brief comment. Engaging writing that’s easy to read ranks high of my list for the best investment writers.

    As for additional specifics, I think my body of blog posts gives a good idea of what I value.

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