Customer Reviews

Forbes (8-month)

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Forbes ain't what it used to be. I read it a long time ago and recently accepted a $12/year subscription to get it again. Boy, was I disappointed. It was the same stuff, month after month, talking about how rich rich people were. No insights, no observations, no analysis, lots of ads.

Before you subscribe try to get your hands on a current issue and see if it is what you want it to be.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews can take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and work hard to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and if there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

I am a voracious reader of business periodicals. I subscribe to and read four business magazines and three financial newspapers on a regular basis. Between Forbes, Fortune and BusinessWeek, I always look most forward to receiving my next issue of Forbes. Why? Several reasons:

- The articles are generally shorter and more "to the point" than Fortune. Forbes is also not as beholden as BusinessWeek is to cover the hot news stories.
- This magazine is the best of the three for discovering new investment ideas and it is generally more investor focused than either Fortune or BW.
- The editorials throughout the magazine are usually thought-provoking and I guarantee you will develop your own favorite columnists whom you will look forward to reading in each issue
- Forbes has a politically conservative and pro-business slant (with Steve Forbes as Editor-in-Chief, that should be no surprise).
- Forbes offers two supplemental issues, which are quarterly. Forbes ASAP is entirely focused on technology and many articles are actually thought pieces written by influential executives, investors, and technology visionaries. Forbes FYI features lighter articles which are thematically aimed at the upper class. You will probably find some of the stories (and the ads) irrelevant to your life (we're not all millionaires yet, are we?). But it's an amusing magazine and it's a good break for me from the stream of more business-oriented stuff I read.

I do enjoy all three of the major business magazines I mentioned. But if you made me drop two of them, I'd keep Forbes. The reasonable price is just icing on the cake and gives you no excuse not to try it out. I bet you'll be hooked.

If someone put a gun to my head and told me I had to choose between Forbes, Fortune and BusinessWeek, I'd go with Forbes. The articles seem crisper to me, and they have an attitude about them. You never have any doubt about where Forbes stands on something.

I also like the fact that they don't seem beholden to the news cycle. Some of their best stories come from digging up up the story you *don't* see everywhere else. If you want day-to-day news, you can always turn to daily sources like the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, then use Forbes to get your 'Fact and Comment' (the name of Steve Forbes' bi-weekly contribution, by the way).

In fact, the beginning of the magazine alone is worth the subscription price:

- 'Flashback' follows up on previus stories that have appeared in Forbes. Yes, they'll gloat if they got the story right, but more importantly they'll take 40 lashes if they called it wrong.

- 'Fact and Comment' by Steve Forbes is always a good read...maybe it was better in the days of Clinton; Forbes differences with Bush are not as sharp of course, but terrorism and tax cuts are red meat subjects for him.

- The 'Current Events' column in a pleasure to read. You get rotating columns by Lee Kuan Yew, Paul Johnson, Ernesto Zedillo and Caspar Weinberger. Wow, talk about a world-class crew.

- Most underrated part of the magazine - Rich Karlgaard's column. Rich is the Publisher of Forbes, and his column is called 'Digital Rules' It's excellent writing. Always provocative and timely.

A subscription to Forbes would make a great gift to anyone interested in business. It's a bargain at this price.

If you are sensative about your politics then this magazine will have a profound effect upon you. Liberal? You'll hate it - and miss its more subtle and profound insights into raw capitalism. Conservative? You'll love it - and miss its more subtle and profound insights into raw capitalism.

Forbes must be read with an open mind. It is unabashedly capitalist, boldly conservative, and stunningly pro-business. But it's editorial arguments (the various editorals are its best feature) are always intelligently written and very effectively made. Regardless of your personal views you will find the opinions compelling. This magazine will make you think and, as a result, you'll get more than your money's worth from your subscription.

Each issue also offers a variety of thoroughly explained investment recommendations, analysis of current economic and business conditions, extended articles on major topics of the day. Most fun, however, are the periodic 'annual issues' such as "The Forbes 400" (Fascinating. Again, regardless of your personal views you won't be able to put this issue down).

Forbes' unapologetic focus on wealth and profits will irritate some, inspire others, and fascinate all.

i've been a Forbes reader for more than 20 years. They used to be the best; especially in exposing crooks. but in the last two or three years, they have started mixing political content into the news pages. Their columnists are interesting and have every right to express an opinion - and that's where i expect to find the opinions. but news articles are tending to look more like product placements, written to support a certain point of view instead of to tell both sides of a story impartially. It has becoome the moral equivalent of Fox for business. Fine if you want to read politics, but not where you go for the whole story.

I've been a Forbes subscriber for years. I scan each page of every issue and read many of the articles and columns--something I don't do with most of the other magazines I receive. You don't have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet to find information that will help you run your business or manage your investments. The articles are well-written and to the point, and the magazine is a pleasure to read. Several regular columns offer insight and analysis unlike I've found anywhere else.

If you want to know what is really going on in business, Forbes is the magazine to read. Subscribers also get supplemental publications, including the Best of the Web and FYI. FYI is a lifestyle magazine and, well, it's not my lifestyle. But articles by contributors such as P.J. O'Rourke and editor Christopher Buckley are a delight.

Even though I'm not on the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest people, if I keep reading and following their advice, maybe I'll get there!

This is a great magazine. I recently Started reading it and a few others similar to it. It does give helpful business strategies and financial planning advice. It really is an eye opener to all the ways there are to make money and to have a business not just in one market but in a variety of Markets.

I learn quite a bit about what is going on in the business world from this magazine. It has stories about companies and business leaders from every industry imaginable, as well as plenty of information and advice about personal investing.

I do wish they devoted a bit less space to conservative editorial content. I understand it's important to keep up to date on the workings of government, and how they will affect the world, but the very one-sided editorial pages tend to detract from the fairly balanced stories in the rest of the magazine.

By far the best business magazine that I have read. Really good articles about up and coming (or down and leaving) entreprenuers, markets, and investing. If you like CNN, you might as well stick with Fortune. But if you are more of a Fox News viewer, then you'll like Forbes much better. It doesn't simply reprint the conventional wisdom de jure like other business publications. Most of the opinion is right-of-center when it comes to politics, but that is probably only 10-15% of the magazine. It is generally pro-business though, which is probably the genesis of the right-wing comments that you see. You also get FYI (lifestyle) and ASAP (technology) supplements.

Forbes is a conservative business publication that delivers excellent reporting and feature articles. The content is concise, blunt, and to the point because Forbes recognizes the importance of time and clarity. The magazine is especially strong in providing advice to individuals, and businesses about upcoming changes in the tax code, and legislation that would impact the bottom line. However, I have found that the editorial content has become a venue for editors to make personal attacks towards Obama and the democratic party.

Pros:
As a business magazine, Forbes does an excellent job at delivering succinct articles about business, economics, and stocks. In each issue, the magazine devotes a large section towards dispensing advice about money and investing. There is a depth and detail that can only be found in this magazine. Forbes assumes its readers are astute and smart, and is unwilling to dumb down its content to boost circulation numbers. In a recent article, Forbes provided detailed advice about retirement accounts, and their tax implications.

Cons:
Forbes can improve its publication by editorializing less and focus more on business issues, and less bashing upon liberal politics. For example, Forbes can take the lead and recommend to businesses ways to reduce health care costs by writing about Safeway, which has been able to tame healthcare inflation. If the magazine authors wants to express their political beliefs, then they are working for the wrong magazine.