A review

I use Yahoo Finance for stocks and Morningstar for funds. After a day or two of using it for quotes, the main feature Google has over these sites is its graphs, which are excellent and far more convenient than those of the competition.

We'll use this graph for an example: for a quote of Microsoft, the graph allows you to control the period of time you look at. Each day's close is viewable just by mousing over the day.

Additionally, Google uses letters for you to reference key stories, which is another innovation that makes the graphs superior. Let's say Microsoft's stock drops, oh, today for example due to Vista's delay. In a year when I'm looking at a 2-3% one-day decline I'll be able to click on the letter "S" and see the headline relating to that drop. That is a really good feature.

That said, Yahoo has Google beat in terms of overall aesthetics, as well as data available. The Google site is too plain jane, although the absence of annoying video and flash ads is nice.

Rather than simplifying things and replacing my other finance bookmarks, Google has complicated my life by making me check one more site. I can't wait until they take over the world: life will be so much more simpler. As soon as they give me the green Kool-Aid I'll gulp it down and believe. I already own their stock. Maybe my wife will let me name our next kid Google Davison.

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