How to Listen to Conference Calls

BestCalls.com makes it easy to listen to investor conference calls. Here's how:

1. From the BestCalls.com home page, type the symbol of the company that interests you. Click "submit."

2. If the company has a conference call listed in the BestCalls.com directory, you'll see summarized conference call access information. Click "details" to learn the access instructions. Registration is required to view conference call access information.

3. You are now on the "Conference Call Listing" page. There are three common forms of conference calls: The live call, the replay, and the web broadcast. Most companies restrict the live telephone call to analysts and institutions only, although the live and replay webcast is usually open to the all investors. To access any call, whether it's the live call or the replay, do not attempt to access the call until the designated time. Most replays run at least 24 hours, so you can listen anytime after the "start time."

4. Asking questions. If you attend the live call, and the company allows you to ask questions, the conference call operator will provide instructions on how to ask a question. It's usually best to allow the analysts to ask their questions first. Most likely, any question you want to ask will be asked by the analysts. Remember, it's a privilege to be allowed to ask a question during the live call, so conduct yourself with dignity and respect. Ask smart, informed questions. These are not the Yahoo message boards!!!

5. Webcasts: If the company lists a web broadcast address for the live call or the replay, you will most likely need to have RealPlayer or Windows Media Player software installed on your computer. It's a good idea to install both. RealPlayer software is free from http://www.real.com and Windows Media Player can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/players.asp

6. What if a company in your portfolio doesn't have a conference call listed? - If a company you track doesn't have a call listed, it probably means that they haven't scheduled a call yet. Be sure to ask all the companies in your portfolio to post their events on BestCalls.com. You can find the main phone number for each company in the "corporate capsule" listed on each company's event page.