Microsoft Adds Premium Content and Tools to Investor, Delivering Integrated, Comprehensive Service for Individual Investors

REDMOND, Wash., June 3, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the latest version of Microsoft® Investor, (http://investor.MSN.com/) the online investing resource that provides information and services designed to help personal investors easily make investment decisions, track securities and understand the market. With powerful new features and content, Investor simplifies the often tedious detail work of investing by integrating valuable content and services into one location – a streamlined, one-stop-shopping convenience for novice and experienced investors alike.

With this version, Investor complements its existing broad array of no-charge services with unlimited access to new premium content and software for a low monthly fee ($9.95 per month; $6.95 for subscribers to MSN
™
, The Microsoft Network). However, through a special trial offer, all premium services are free to registered users through the end of June. The new premium services include comprehensive research information on more than 8,000 stocks and mutual funds, an investment finder, company news, and daily e-mail and alert services. In addition, Investor continues to offer a broad range of useful no-charge services such as portfolio tracking and analysis, unique editorial, investment discussion groups and chats, and access to online trading through leading financial institutions.

“Investor is made for the medium with its rich store of content, analysis and research delivered in near real time via the Internet,”
said Lewis Levin, vice president of the desktop finance division at Microsoft.
“By applying the latest technologies, developing choice relationships, and closely integrating information and services, Investor is a resource that’s optimized to help real people make important decisions.”

Premium Content and Enhanced Features

This version of Microsoft Investor blends enhancements to existing features with new premium content and services throughout the Web site. New and enhanced features include the following:

  • Research Central. Investors can access analyst consensus recommendations, earnings estimates, financial statements, key ratios, detailed company profiles, historical charting, mutual fund performance and ratings, and company news all in one convenient location. To offer this content, Microsoft has teamed with leading providers including Hoover’s Inc.*, Zacks Investment Research*, Morningstar Inc.*, Media General Financial Services*, Commodity Systems Inc. (CSI), PC Quote Inc., PR Newswire, Business Wire, MSNBC and Reuters*.

  • Investment Finder * . This feature lets users enter criteria and search more than 8,000 companies and funds to help locate the securities that meet their investment objectives.

  • Advanced charting. New charting features let users analyze their own portfolio value, performance and investment allocations, as well as view historical prices, performance and growth while researching investment opportunities.

  • Portfolio Manager. Redesigned, the Portfolio Manager now tracks transaction details, alerts users of stock splits and distributions and offers greatly improved personalization features.

  • Daily e-mail and alerts * . Users can receive daily e-mail messages summarizing their portfolio performance and a market summary of the day’s events. Investors can also set up automatic notification of price changes for their securities.

  • Brokerage account
    download. Investor allows users to download statement information from their brokerage accounts directly into the Investor Portfolio Manager. Investor will be the first Web site to support Open Financial Exchange (OFX), a technical specification that enables consumers and financial institutions to conduct home banking and brokerage services over the Internet. In addition, Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. will be the first financial institution to support OFX in Investor, allowing Schwab customers access to their account data.

  • Import Money and Quicken files. Users can import data from popular personal finance products including Microsoft Money and Quicken to take advantage of Investor’s online services.

  • Online trading. Investor now offers broader access to online trading through leading financial institutions, including Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., E*TRADE Group Inc., Fidelity Investments, PC Financial Network and Waterhouse Securities Inc. Microsoft also announces the addition of Accutrade Inc., Ceres Securities Inc., Discover Brokerage Direct (formerly Lombard Brokerage Inc.), National Discount Brokers, and Green Line Investor Services, which are scheduled to be available soon.

* May include premium subscription-based content or service

“Hoover’s is pleased to help Microsoft create the premier source of Web-based individual investor information,”
said Patrick Spain, Hoover’s CEO.
“Together we hope to raise the standard for investment resources on the Web.”

Broader Editorial Coverage

Investor is further expanding its commitment to exclusive, groundbreaking investment news reporting. Anchoring its Wall Street analysis is senior markets editor Jim Jubak, formerly with Worth magazine. Daily stock and bond markets coverage will be headed by assistant markets editor Aaron Task, formerly a Dow Jones and Bond Buyer writer.

Investor’s editorial is headed by former Los Angeles Times financial writer and foreign correspondent Dan Fisher and former Los Angeles Times investigative reporter and investments columnist Jon D. Markman. The columns, written by top reporters and analysts solely for Investor, focus on bringing hot trends, stocks, sectors, funds and strategies to light for Investor users.

Availability

Microsoft Investor is optimized for Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher but is accessible by most popular Internet browsers at (http://investor.MSN.com/) Investor can also be accessed through MSN, The Microsoft Network.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The Microsoft Network is operated by Microsoft Corp. on behalf of Microsoft Network LLC.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages

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