Average Rating: 
Rating: - Best of the Big Three
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.
Rating: - I'm Not in the Forbes 400, Yet . . .
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!
Rating: - My favorite of the three major business mags
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.
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