Ever since I started out value investing 3 years ago, this has been my hunt and my journey.

Although, Alex, I think you give a great overview, something important is missing.

The elusive obvious, how I would call it.

You can find a lot of value investing ideas, but what do you do with them? There’s simply an information overflow on the web, especially regarding value investing advice and ideas.

What’s a good idea, and what’s not?

This is how I got stuck 3 years ago with bad initial investments.

I realized that, in the end, it’s all about true in-depth research. If you really want to do value investing, don’t just listen to guy A and guy B shouting out the next big idea. Collect a comprehensive set of quality valuation tools, and spent a HUGE chunk of your time properly analyzing and researching companies.

Even big name website many times provide great ideas, but lack some more in-dept research into these actual companies.

Because of the information overflow, there’s essentially 2 things I did and recommend:

1. I’ve found a few trusted “advisers”, who I subscribe to and listen to.
2. In addition, I really try and do a lot of in-depth research.

In the end, if you want to do proper value investing, conducting your own research with the right tools, or “using” the right advisors who do this research for you, is where its all about!

For example, I joined http://www.valueinvestingstocks.com ‘s private member program 1 year ago and really enjoy their services of providing in-dept research into a few exclusively selected companies. Companies they study for months, indicating the researchers really know what they are talking about.

When you value invest, don’t you think you’ll be able to make the best decisions when you have really studied a company, and can therefore really determine if value is created, or another accounting trick is simply applied?

Therefore, I recommend to all readers and (to-be) value investors the simple, but often forgotten, words: truly research!