Hello Readers,
I wanted to take this opportunity not only to introduce myself, but to give you some news about the latest developments here at RealMoney. But first, Kristin Bentz, whom many of you know as "The Talented Blonde," has agreed to help us out by becoming a video star on TheStreet.com TV. Kristin has left RealMoney, although she may contribute from time to time in her new role as senior correspondent. Be sure to catch her videos, especially her "Random Acts of Fashion" segments on TheStreet.com TV.
As for myself, after 15 years in buy-side and sell-side research, I have joined TheStreet.com as the general manager of subscription services and as managing editor of RealMoney. My intent is to help deliver a sharper, more-focused Web site that will hopefully become a "must-read" for you throughout the trading day.
In the coming weeks, you'll start to notice a gradual evolution in the site. And all of these changes will be pegged off of the RealMoney mission. And what is that mission? To anticipate the news before it hits the wires. To find solid investment ideas that have not been widely disseminated. To make sure that we are two steps ahead of the economic calendar.
Unlike most other financial Web sites, RealMoney has always been the home for the "pros." Unlike a traditional media organization, the editors don't dictate the content the contributors focus upon. But the editor does guide them to achieve "the mission" and gives them a sense of what we're thinking about covering in the days and weeks ahead. That's what I'm here to do.
Email me your thoughts and critiques, and I'll work with our staff of professionals to deliver what you, the readers, want.
For our RealMoney subscribers, we're also looking at new products and features to help you sharpen your investing edge. Stay tuned to the site in coming weeks as we begin to roll out some of our new ideas.
For example, subscribers will soon gain free access to our proprietary stock ratings services. Also, at the end of each trading week, I'll be writing about the week ahead. Not a dry summary of the upcoming data points, but an "outside the box" take on what we should also be thinking about on Monday morning.
But sometimes, less is more. So with that in mind, we'll only be publishing stories that are insightful and forward-looking. That means a modest reduction in the number of stories we publish every day -- at least until all of our evolutionary changes are complete.
At the end of the day, we are accountable to you. So I invite you to let us know what works for you on the site -- and what does not. You can share your thoughts with me at rmeditor@thestreet.com.
But a few small requests: I'm likely to be overwhelmed by your feedback, so please keep your comments to a reasonable amount. We're a big fan of constructive criticism. Destructive criticism? Not so much.
Thanks you for your time. I hope you find RealMoney's new direction as enjoyable and informative as ever.
David Sterman has been an equity analyst and financial journalist for 15 years, most recently serving as Director of Research at Jesup & Lamont Securities.
