You must have RealPlayer installed. But when it comes to analysts' research, what you see on the Web may be old news. In some cases, acting on the old information would have been a money-losing proposition. Once you know that you need to supplement the research with recent news, some reports, including large survey reports on entire industries, can serve as good background information. Think twice about paying the high fees.
Many reports are free, often in exchange for personal information.
Just be aware that your information could become fodder for brokers' cold calls. Many online brokers offer access to research, though when we rated the online brokers for our October 2000 issue, the offerings ranged from full access to delayed research to subscription based service. Muriel Siebert provides some delayed Lehman research with no account minimum. Full-service brokers that have ventured online often dole out their own reports to online customers. American Express provides research from its own analysts with no minimum balance, but only after the company's mutual fund managers have had a week to pore over it.