About The Motley Fool

It all started with chocolate pudding.

When they were young, brothers David and Tom Gardner learned about stocks and the business world from their father at the supermarket. Dad, a lawyer and economist, would tell them, "See that pudding? We own the company that makes it! Every time someone buys that pudding, it's good for our company. So go get some more!"

The lesson stuck and in 1993 The Motley Fool began when David and Tom published a newsletter with a simple stated goal: to educate, amuse, and enrich their readers and help them make better financial decisions. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the privately-held multi-media company today has nearly 200 employees in the United States and UK and is a top provider of investment advice and financial information.

Recognizing the early power of the Internet, the Gardners moved The Motley Fool online to AOL in 1994. Three years later The Motley Fool migrated to its own award-winning website, www.Fool.com. Today The Motley Fool reaches millions each month online through its own site and partnerships with such leading portals as Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.com.

In partnership with Simon & Schuster and via its own self-published line, The Motley Fool has published best-selling books including The Motley Fool Investment Guide. For more than a decade, The Motley Fool's weekly newspaper column has been one of the most widely-read in the country and is currently syndicated in more than 200 newspapers. The Gardners and a host of other Motley Fool experts such as Dayana Yochim, Bill Mann, Robert Brokamp, and Shannon Zimmerman are regular frequently sought-after guests and commentators, appearing on such cable and broadcast outlets as CNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, NPR, and a wide range of newspapers and magazines.

The Motley Fool's market-beating newsletter advisory services are also industry leaders. The company launched its first service, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, complete with exclusive online discussion boards, newsletters, updates and executive interviews for subscribers. Delivering superior investment ideas and stock recommendations, The Motley Fool currently offers eight services that cover a range of strategies (including mutual funds, value, growth, small caps, etc.) and financial topics (including personal finance and retirement planning).

At the close of each year, the company also runs Foolanthropy, an innovative giving program that has raised more than $2.8 million for charities since 1997. Channeling the power of its robust online community, The Motley Fool selects five charities from the scores nominated by readers online.

In October 2006, The Motley Fool launched the public beta of Motley Fool CAPS. Motley Fool CAPS is a revolutionary online service that rates stocks and tracks investors from Wall Street to Main Street so that everyone has access to market-beating investment ideas. CAPS combines the power of community intelligence and great investment ideas, allowing people to pick better stocks and follow the best investors. CAPS is the next logical step in the company's mission of promoting transparency and accountability in the stock market and leveling the playing field for individual investors.