A: There are lots of sources, but few are worth perusing ... here are the best I've found.

If you want to research and invest in stocks of your own choosing, leverage off of good resources that are out there. Be aware that you will have to pay for some of these, unless you frequent a public library that subscribes to them.

Common to all of these recommended resources is that the firms producing the research don't have notable conflicts in terms of performing paid services for the companies they are evaluating. Many brokerage firms, for example, produce research reports on stocks of companies from which they derive highly lucrative investment-banking business.

Among the more cost-effective and quality resources of use to individual investors are:

—Schwab. If you are a customer at Schwab, one of the nation's largest brokerage firms, you have free access to their own independent research, which has a solid track record as well as the research from other independent firms such as Argus Research and Standard & Poor's.

—Value Line. This firm has been one of the longest-running providers of stock research reports. Its reports pack an enormous amount of information into a single page and its rating system has a pretty good long-term track record. The software or print version of its reports costs $598 per year ($75 for a three-month trial).

My biggest caution with all of these research report sources is to be careful to not blindly use their numeric or letter grades (or suggested prices for buying and selling or price targets). Read and understand the reports. To learn more about analyzing and researching stocks, including how to read and analyze a company's annual report and other financial publications, please see my book "Investing for Dummies" (Wiley).