Internet sitings

www.prars.com

what: a web site that provides annual reports, for free, on any of more than 3,600 public companies.

The best parts: The site lets you search for reports by state, company name, industry, or stock exchange. Then you can order them online or by calling 800-4-annual. You'll probably get the report within a week.

To research a particular company, click on "Our Other Sites" and pick the corporate window link. There you can access financial profiles of firms, their home pages, financial press releases, and stock quotes. It also links to postings of stock and growth charts.

On the home page, you can peruse short- and long-term anticipation charts and "favorite picks" of income, growth, and speculative stocks.

What you should know: Everything on the site is free. PRARS, which stands for the Public Register's Annual Report Service, makes money through its newspaper, advertisers, and by publishing Web IDs. It's a co-op with the 3,600 companies.

You may not find the report you want (there are more than 3,600 companies that publish annual reports), but the site is one of the most comprehensive.

How to get there: Link via Work & Money's Web page: www.csmonitor.com/workmoney/