Business and Financial Research
Please contact Patricia Smolin at psmolin@mppl.org.
Be the Next New Business Success Story
The Village of Mount Prospect is seeking new businesses – with a focus on retail and restaurants. The Village is teaming up with the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center, Mount Prospect Downtown Merchants Association and the Mount Prospect Public Library to help new businesses get established in Mount Prospect by providing a package of innovative economic development resources. Tools to help ensure business success in Mount Prospect - education, mentoring, marketing opportunities and contact with successful existing business owners - will be available through this program.
For more information, contact Clare O'Shea at 847/818-5312 or coshea@mountprospect.org.
Databases
Subscription databases are accessible from within the library or if noted, at home or remotely with a registered MPPL library card.
Business eBook Collection (Gale Virtual Reference Library) 
use at home
use in library
Searches business plans, company and industry information, management, finance, national and international economics, and small business information.
Business Source Premier and Regional Business News (Ebsco) click here to use
text of more than 2,150 business publications as well as market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles, and SWOT analyses. Includes full text of Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Money, and Kiplinger's.
Legal Forms (Gale / Cengage) use at home
use in library
Thousands of legal forms available with more forms being added daily. Official, State Specific, Federal, Business, Personal, Real Estate and General forms covering hundreds of legal subjects and issues.
LexisNexis Library Express
use at home
use in library
Access over 1,000 national, regional and international news publications, information on over 44 million U.S. and international companies, legal information including case law, statues and regulations, and biographical information. (Access outside Library excludes Legal infomation.)
Morningstar Investment Research Center
use at home
use in library
Provides access to information on stocks and mutual funds for potential investors and researchers.
NetAdvantage (Standard and Poor's)
click here to use
A comprehensive source of business and investment information, offering on-line access to popular Standard & Poor's research products such as Stock Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, The Outlook, Mutual Fund Reports, and Bond Reports.
PIERS Directory of US Importers/Exporters
Only available in the library
Search over 150,000 importer and 50,000 exporter company listings. Includes U.S. ports of entry, countries of origin, SIC codes, number of shipments, product descriptions, and more.
Public-Record.com
use at home
use in library
Illinois Public Records provided by Record Information Services
Scroll through Chicagoland's public records. Real estate transactions, mortgages, foreclosures, and more. Keep an eye on housing values in your community and help safeguard your biggest investment - your home. Sort by name, city, zip code, and more. Record Information Services is a 17 year old data compiler of public records serving the Chicagoland area.
ReferenceUSA
click here to use
Search for businesses, as well as residential listings. Users can locate businesses by a number of criteria, including geographic details, company size and revenue.
Regional Business News (Ebsco)
click here to use
Regional Business News provides full text for nearly 100 regional U.S. and Canadian business publications including Crain's Chicago Business.
USA Trade Online
Only available in the library, see Reference Desk for login information
Access current and cumulative U.S. export and import data for over 18,000 export commodities and 24,000 import commodities.
Value Line
use at home
use in library
Online investment research service including stocks and mutual funds.
The following sites are Free Web Resources 
General Resources
Associations & Organizations
Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce (Village of Mount Prospect)
SCORE (Chicagoland Chapter) more info » The SCORE Association is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, "Counselors to America's Small Business".
Small Business Association (United States Small Business Administration)
Business News
CNBC on MSN Money (Microsoft and NBC)
CBS Market Watch
Crain's Chicago Business (Crain Communications)
MSN News (MSN) more info » Business and financial news.
SEC Investor Information Site (U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission)
Business Portals
Commerce Clearinghouse [CCH] Business Owners Toolkit (a Wolters Kluwer Business)
more info » Guides, business tools, and current news information.
Illinois Real Time Corporate/LLC Information Search (State of Illinois) more info » State of Illinois Business Portal with links to guides, forms, and more.
Company Research
The Directory of Online Annual Reports (Annual Report Service) more info » Over 4,500 annual reports and 10-K filings for online viewing with additional companies added daily. Free registration required.SEC Filings & Forms EDGAR (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) more info » Free access to company disclosure files of all forms.
Directories and Marketing
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (Thomas Register) more info » Products, services, and supplier listings link industrial sellers to buyers. CAD drawings and product news also available.Advertising World : a marketing communications directory (University of Texas at Austin Department of Advertising) more info » Marketing communications directory portal.
Legal
Everyday Law for Everyday People (Nolo) more info » Wills & estate planning, property & money, and more do-it-yourself legal solutions for individuals and small business.
FindLaw for Business (Part of the West Group) more info » 'Comprehensive guide to legal information including more than 5,000 human-edited site listings in more than 30 practice areas, as well as state-specific, federal, and international materials.'
EPA Small Business Gateway (Environmental Protection Agency)
Illinois Business Forms (Cyberdrive Illinois: State of Illinois) more info » Forms in PDF format.
Small Business
Startup & Development
Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity - DCEO)
SBA Small Business Startup Toolkit (United States Small Business ADministration)
SBDCNet (National Information Clearinghouse) more info » A full service site with tools, resources, and advisor info.
Small Business Help: kits and free news (AllBusiness.com) more info »'AllBusiness is based in San Francisco, California and backed by VantagePoint Venture Partnets, Sutter Hill Ventures and Reed Elsevier Ventures.
Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Business in Illinois (State of Illinois) more info» Large site; click on the Site Map and then on "Business Start-Up Guides" to find a link to the complete, 47 page "Starting a Business in Illinois Handbook", in PDF format.
Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College (Harper College) more info» Receive free counseling at the Illinois Small Business Development Center site associated with William Rainey Harper College.
Business Plans
BPlans.com (Palo Alto Software Inc.) more info » Free business plans online, along with tools and help about managing your business.Business Owner's Toolkit (Commerce Clearing House) more info » Planning, financing, managing, and more on this comprehensive site.
Franchising
Franchise Finder (Franchise Solutions, Inc.)
Franchise Handbook (Enterprise Magazines) more info » Database of franchises; directories, articles, events calendar and more
Finance and Investment
Investment Sites, Stock Symbols, and Quotes
Big Charts (Market Watch) more info » ews, markets, historical quotes, interactive charting
Financial Planning Toolkit (Commerce Clearing House: Wolters Kluwer)
News, Quotes, Research (Microsoft Money)
Pink Sheets
Ticker Symbol Lookup (Yahoo Finance)
Exchanges Online
NASDAQNew York Stock Exchange
"How to Read Stock Tables" (New York Stock Exchange)
Learn How to Read Financial Reports (IBM) more info » Click on 'Investor Tools', then 'Investment Guides' to find the guide.
Research Guides
Small Businesses Can Get Help more info » Resources, local and state, guides and counseling. Marketing Resources more info »Key resources for marketing and advertising research.
Jobs and Career Development
