VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Tool Comparison

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) vs Investopedia comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) adds Valuation Models, Financials, and Interest Rates coverage that Investopedia skips.

Investopedia includes News, Paper Trading, Videos, Newsletters, and Stock Handbook categories that Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) omits.

In depth comparison

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)

pages.stern.nyu.edu

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

US industry-level WACC dataset compiled by Prof. Aswath Damodaran. Includes sector betas, cost of equity, cost of debt (pre/after-tax), capital structure weights, and industry counts. Updated annually (January snapshot). Best used as a sector baseline; company-specific WACC should adjust for firm capital structure, tax, and risk. See 'Cost of Capital Central' for methodology deep-dives.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC.
Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis.
Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub.
Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

Investopedia

investopedia.com

Hands-on review

Free financial education site best known for its dictionary, guides, and market explainers. Includes a paper-trading Simulator with $100k virtual cash that supports stocks, ETFs, options, and select crypto on NYSE/Nasdaq (quotes delayed ~20–30 minutes). Investopedia Academy courses were discontinued in June 2024, with past purchasers given access instructions via email.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Extensive financial dictionary (14,000+ definitions) and more than 36,000 articles, attracting over 40 million monthly readers.
Free paper-trading Simulator with $100k in virtual cash, supporting market, limit, and stop orders on delayed data (~20 minutes).
Assets supported in the Simulator include stocks, options, ETFs, and select cryptocurrencies, limited to NYSE and Nasdaq listings.
Option to create public or private games with configurable rules such as margin use, short selling, or options trading, plus leaderboards.
Built-in research tools, price charts, company information, and a stock screener integrated with the Simulator.

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

Where they differ

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)

Distinct strengths include:

Valuation Models Financials Interest Rates

US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC.
Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis.
Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub.
Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).

Investopedia

Distinct strengths include:

News Paper Trading Videos Newsletters Stock Handbook

Extensive financial dictionary (14,000+ definitions) and more than 36,000 articles, attracting over 40 million monthly readers.
Free paper-trading Simulator with $100k in virtual cash, supporting market, limit, and stop orders on delayed data (~20 minutes).
Assets supported in the Simulator include stocks, options, ETFs, and select cryptocurrencies, limited to NYSE and Nasdaq listings.
Option to create public or private games with configurable rules such as margin use, short selling, or options trading, plus leaderboards.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)	Investopedia
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Education Unique: Valuation Models, Financials, Interest Rates	Shared: Education Unique: News, Paper Trading, Videos, Newsletters, Stock Handbook
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, Real Estate	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Cryptos
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC. Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis. Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub. Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).	Unique Extensive financial dictionary (14,000+ definitions) and more than 36,000 articles, attracting over 40 million monthly readers. Free paper-trading Simulator with $100k in virtual cash, supporting market, limit, and stop orders on delayed data (~20 minutes). Assets supported in the Simulator include stocks, options, ETFs, and select cryptocurrencies, limited to NYSE and Nasdaq listings. Option to create public or private games with configurable rules such as margin use, short selling, or options trading, plus leaderboards. Built-in research tools, price charts, company information, and a stock screener integrated with the Simulator. Regularly updated financial news coverage and opt-in newsletters, including Investopedia Daily.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Yes	Yes
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Highlighted	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and Investopedia both support?

Both platforms cover Education workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and Investopedia require subscriptions?

Both Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and Investopedia keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and Investopedia?

Both Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and Investopedia prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) differentiates itself with US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC., Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis., and Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub., whereas Investopedia stands out for Extensive financial dictionary (14,000+ definitions) and more than 36,000 articles, attracting over 40 million monthly readers., Free paper-trading Simulator with $100k in virtual cash, supporting market, limit, and stop orders on delayed data (~20 minutes)., and Assets supported in the Simulator include stocks, options, ETFs, and select cryptocurrencies, limited to NYSE and Nasdaq listings..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.