Finance, Investment, & Banking Resources
Engaging with different types of resources will help you understand your industry on a deeper level.

Caution
When using resources on this guide, continue to evaluate credibility and relevance for your audience. A resource can be considered credible in one situation but questionable in another, or its quality can suddenly degrade. Additionally, credible resources can still contain problematic content like content marketing, inaccurate opinion pieces, flawed research, or misrepresented evidence.
Professional Organizations
Professional organizations and trade associations promote their industries and provide networking opportunities to members. Their websites offer information and educational materials for professionals in the industry.
The following examples are organizations for professionals in finance-related fields:
Trade Publications
Trade journals or trade magazines provide industry-specific insights, giving prospective professionals an insider’s view of the field.
The following examples are trade publications with a focus on finance:
Note: This source must be accessed through the library database linked above, and not through the magazine’s website. Articles on the website are mostly content marketing.
Embargoed/delayed 365 days by publisher
Embargoed/delayed 365 days by publisher
- Global Finance
- Government Finance Review
- Institutional Investor
- Investment News
- Investment Week
Full text of current issues available through library database, but direct link not allowed; perform a Journal Search
Was formally Middle Market Growth
- NAPFA Advisor Magazine
- Pensions & Investments
Full text of current issues available through library database, but direct link not allowed; perform a Journal Search
- Private Equity News
Full text of current issues available through library database, but direct link not allowed; perform a Journal Search
- Private Equity Research
- Risk Magazine
- The Secured Lender
- ThinkAdvisor
- Traders Magazine
- Venture Capital Journal
- Wealth Management
- WSJ Pro Private Equity
Published by the publisher of the Wall Street Journal but not the same as the Wall Street Journal.
Published by the publisher of the Wall Street Journal but not the same as the Wall Street Journal.
Ratings and Data
Professionals in this field often consult the following types of resources:
- Federal Reserve Economic Data
- Fitch Ratings
- Moody’s (Also available via library journal search as “Moody’s Ratings Announcements“)
- S&P Global Insight Daily Analysis (Available via library journal search; most recent articles embargoed)
Popular Magazines
Popular magazines, although aimed at a general audience, can be useful for understanding an industry in a larger context or from a consumer’s point of view.
Popular magazines that may be useful to professionals in finance-related fields include:
Newspapers
Newspapers cover current events relevant to professionals in all fields.
Newspapers with useful finance coverage include:
Most recent month is embargoed
UW-Madison students can create a free personal account through the library, in particular, see the “Dealbook” section
UW-Madison students can create a free personal account through the library
Podcasts
Most industries have reputable experts who podcast about their chosen field, providing an insider’s look. These types of information resources vary widely and require vetting, but can be credible.
The following resources may offer useful perspectives to finance professionals:
Websites
The following sites are examples of resources that may be useful to finance professionals:
Books
Most industries have notable books that insiders find useful or that have had an influence on that industry. Asking insiders is the best way to find out which books are considered essential in your field.
Here are a few examples of influential finance books:
- Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco (Bryan Burrough and John Helyar)
- Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors (Michael E. Porter)
- Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (Ben McKenzie with Jacob Silverman)
- Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports (Howard M. Schilit, Jeremy Perler, Yoni Engelhart)
- Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire (Rebecca Henderson)
Scholarly Journals
Scholarly journals publish in depth research, usually conducted by professors.
The following resources offer academic perspectives on finance:
- Annals of Economics and Finance
- Global Finance Journal
- Financial Analysts Journal
- Financial Management
- Journal of Alternative Finance
- Journal of Banking & Finance
- Journal of Corporate Finance
- The Journal of Finance
- Journal of Financial Economics
- Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting
- Journal of Securities Operations & Custody
- Review of Asset Pricing Studies
- Review of Corporate Finance Studies
- The Review of Financial Studies
- Review of Finance
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