Fidelity to put biz news on site

Ross Gerber of the Boston Globe writes about how mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments is putting business news articles and personal finance columnists on its Web site, plus budgeting tips and other research from outsiders.

Gerber writes, “Fidelity had already begun posting a separate news page inside its site that is edited by journalists hired from outside. Contributors included James B. Stewart of SmartMoney magazine and CNN.com‘s Gerri Willis, as well as Fidelity’s own staff.

“Those articles will move to a top-billed ‘Breaking News’ section of Fidelity.com starting at the end of this month for randomly selected customers, with all users of Fidelity.com receiving the revamped site by March, he said. Other features will include financial tools, such as one that shows how much people pay for mortgages and other expenses, broken down by ZIP code.

“Boston business consultant Patricia Seybold, who assisted Fidelity with the design, said it is based on studies showing customers are more interested in what’s happening to their assets than in abstract financial planning tools. Many were previously using www.finance.yahoo.com rather than Fidelity’s own site, which she said was a ‘wakeup call’ for the investment firm.”

Read more here.