5 Free Tools Analysts Use but Beginners Miss

A simple, practical mini-toolkit of free websites I personally rely on to read companies faster, avoid rookie mistakes, and think like an analyst.

Hello and welcome back to The Finance Lens!

When I started learning investing years ago, I remember staring at financial statements like they were written in some ancient language. Everyone told me, “Just read annual reports.”

Cool… but where do you find everything?

No one tells you that part.

So here is a tiny shortcut I wish someone had given me earlier, a handful of free websites I still use almost daily. Nothing fancy, nothing paid, just simple places where real analysts quietly hang out.

Think of this as your starter kit before you feel the urge to subscribe to something expensive.

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1. Screener. in

What it is: The place almost every Indian investor eventually ends up on.
Why use it: Clean numbers, long-term trends, segment data… everything a beginner needs without getting overwhelmed.
One tip: Save one basic custom screen. Mine used to be “ROCE > 15% AND Sales Growth > 10%.” It was not perfect, but it forced me to look at good businesses instead of random hype.

2. Company Annual Reports (Direct from the Website)

What it is: The raw, unfiltered truth—straight from the company.
Why use it: Annual reports tell you how the company thinks about itself. Presentations are polished; annual reports are honest (well… mostly).
One tip: Go straight to the MD&A section. It is where management accidentally reveals more than they intend to.

I still remember reading an MD&A where a company kept using the word challenging five times in two pages. Stock tanked six months later. Since then, I take adjectives seriously.

3. NSE/BSE Corporate Announcements

What it is: The real-time feed of everything companies officially disclose.
Why use it: Results, insider trades, pledging, board meetings—it all shows up here before anywhere else.
One tip: Every Monday, check “Insider Trading/Shareholding” for your watchlist. It is a tiny habit that teaches you more than any trading course.

4. Tofler / ZaubaCorp (for Unlisted Insights)

What it is: MCA filing data for both listed and unlisted players.
Why use it: Sometimes, a company’s story looks totally different when you check its subsidiaries or private competitors.
One tip: Always peek at subsidiary financials. Many times, they quietly carry the whole business on their shoulders.

Once, while researching an engineering company, I discovered the real profits were coming from a tiny private subsidiary no one talked about. That is when I realised the power of unlisted data.

5. TradingView (Free Version)

What it is: A charting website that is weirdly addictive once you start using it.
Why use it: Even if you are not doing technical analysis (yet), seeing how prices move day-to-day sharpens your instincts.
One tip: Create a Watchlist of 5–7 names you actually care about. Check them for 20–30 seconds daily. Over time, patterns begin to make sense in ways textbooks can not explain.

Quick Checklist (Do This Before You Close the Tab)

Bookmark these three pages:

• Screener → your favourite company

• NSE/BSE → Corporate Announcements

• TradingView → your Watchlist

Set 1 alert

Just one—on TradingView or your broker app. It builds the habit.

Save 1 PDF

Download the latest annual report of a company you actually follow (not the trendy ones).

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