The market is, in the end, close to a popularity contest — prices rise when investor attention gathers. So the starting point is filtering for good companies likely to earn that attention. Even the world's largest market, the US, can be screened with free tools alone — no fluent English required.
This post reorganizes the key points of a Brunch article, "US Stocks? It's Not Difficult" (NOWKO).
1. Set your own criteria
The heart of screening isn't the tool — it's the criteria. Decide first on conditions you can stand behind: steady revenue growth, stable margins, a history of rising dividends.
2. Filter with Finviz
Finviz's Screener offers 60+ filters — market cap, P/E, P/B, analyst ratings, technicals. Far more powerful than a typical domestic trading app, it narrows US stocks to just those matching your rules in one pass.
3. Verify 10-year growth on MacroTrends
Once you have candidates, check MacroTrends for 10+ year charts of revenue, net income, dividends and P/E. See whether the trend is genuinely up over the long run — as a picture, not just numbers.
4. (Optional) Check the legends on DataRoma
DataRoma tabulates the quarterly holdings (13-F) of star value investors like Warren Buffett and George Soros — a reference for where smart money flows. For deeper theses, browse Value Investors Club.
⚠️ Beware the dividend trap
A high dividend yield isn't automatically good. It can signal an unpopular stock whose price fell, inflating the yield. A truly good dividend stock is one where the company grows AND the dividend itself keeps rising.
Finally — fundamentals alone aren't enough
Good financials don't guarantee a rising price. For the "fact" of growth to become actual appreciation, market attention has to follow. Screening only narrows good candidates; the rest is the domain of flow and timing.
Set criteria → screen on Finviz → verify growth on MacroTrends → (optional) check legends on DataRoma → buy via your brokerage app. A complete routine using only free tools.