23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (2024)

Written by Walt Hickey

2013-07-14T22:39:00Z

Our experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here's how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (1)

As we've discussed, Wolfram Alpha is a fantastic website that knows basically everything.

Advertisem*nt

But one way that people don't use it enough is when it comes to money.

If you work in finance, play in stocks, invest, have a mortgage, or pay taxes, Wolfram Alpha is here to make your life better.

It's got incredibly detailed data for thousands of companies and if you work in finance it better be a bookmark if you want to make those back of the napkin calculations cake.

Advertisem*nt

1. Wolfram Alpha is full of comprehensive information about companies and stocks.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (2)

Here, we can see Boeing's (NYSE:BA) fundamentals.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (3)

Advertisem*nt

We can also check out details on the stock ratios.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (4)

We can check out the company's annual balance sheet.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (5)

Advertisem*nt

We can see fast data from the company's income statement for the past 12 months, as well as quarterly.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (6)

We can take a fast look at company cash flow.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (7)

Advertisem*nt

Wolfram Alpha also has a ton of data about the company's performance.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (8)

It even will tell you what analysts are saying about the stock with a full breakdown of opinions.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (9)

Advertisem*nt

It lets you compare the performance of the stock to competitors in its field — like General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for Boeing — as well as baseline asset performance.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (10)

It's full of analysis on the stock's past performance.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (11)

Advertisem*nt

It also can produce projections for future stock performance.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (12)

Plus it's a trove of data about company leadership.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (13)

Advertisem*nt

And it will also show you how much skin the executives have in the game.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (14)

2. The best part is, you can also use it to compare different stocks and companies.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (15)

Advertisem*nt

3. It's full of historical stock information, like this chart that will make you wish you made a certain stock pick 13 years ago

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (16)

4. Wolfram Alpha will let you compare data points from different companies, like this chart about one of the most fascinating rivalries in the history of tech.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (17)

Advertisem*nt

5. You can even plug in your portfolio to find out what it's worth and historical value.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (18)

6. You can compare analyst ratings of two different companies.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (19)

Advertisem*nt

7. You can also look to the past and see what analysts were thinking over time.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (20)

8. It's not just companies and stocks, though. You can look at indices, commodities, and plenty of other assets.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (21)

Advertisem*nt

9. You can look at — and compare — mutual fund performance.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (22)

10. You can plug in any commodity to find out price and history.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (23)

Advertisem*nt

11. You can compare historical monetary exchange rates.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (24)

12. Wolfram Alpha has an excellent calculator to price interest rates.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (25)

Advertisem*nt

13. It can even help you analyze your adjustable rate mortgage.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (26)

It will provide a full analysis of annual payments for the whole course of the debt.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (27)

Advertisem*nt

You can see how much of your money was spent on interest over time.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (28)

14. Naturally, it also works with fixed rate mortgages.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (29)

Advertisem*nt

15. You can do all sorts of calculations with bond pricing.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (30)

It can spit out any info you want about bonds.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (31)

Advertisem*nt

16. The same thing goes for options pricing.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (32)

Wolfram Alpha is a must-have asset for anyone working in finance, just for those back-of-the-napkin calculations.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (33)

Advertisem*nt

17. You can generate tons of plots as a function of underlying price.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (34)

18. Wolfram Alpha will help you figure out your taxes, too.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (35)

Advertisem*nt

Just tell it your Adjusted Gross Income to get all sorts of calculations about what you'll probably owe.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (36)

It'll even estimate your deductions.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (37)

Advertisem*nt

It can tell you all sorts of information abut U.S. taxation.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (38)

19. Are you in the online ad business? Well, Wolfram Alpha can help you.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (39)

Advertisem*nt

20. If you eat out with friends, pull out your phone to figure out how to split the check.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (40)

Of course it can figure out how much you need to tip.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (41)

Advertisem*nt

21. Plug in your annual salary and it'll tell you how much you're worth per hour.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (42)

22. Or if you work hourly, it'll tell you how much you'll make in a year.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (43)

Advertisem*nt

23. And if you want to find out which city is really killing you on sales tax, of course you can find out on Wolfram Alpha.

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (44)

23 Ways To Make Money Using The Nerdiest Site On The Internet (45)

32 Tricks You Can Do With Wolfram Alpha, The Most Useful Site In The History Of The Internet

Walt Hickey

Deputy Editor, Data and Analysis, Insider

Walt is Insider's Deputy Editor for Data and Analysis. Hickey is the author of You Are What You Watch,and also writes Numlock News, a daily morning newsletter. He came from FiveThirtyEight where he was chief culture writer. Walt previously worked at Business Insider from 2012 to 2013, and graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In additon to his work on elections and data journalism, he also edits comics at Business Insider.In 2022, Hickey won the Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting for his work on Business Insider's I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp documenting the plight of Uyghurs in China.