I renewed my WSJ subscription through Amazon because it saved me over $125 per year. ($249 vs. $376.) Amazon states that you can renew through their service, as well as buy new subscriptions. But it has been a major headache. I started receiving 2 issues. When I called WSJ, they said that you cannot renew through Amazon, that this has to be handled as a 2nd subscription. All they could do is put my first subscription on hold for 12 months until my new subscription runs out. Then restart my first subscription for the 2 months that remain on it. WSJ is inflexible and acts like they don\’t have anything to do with the subscriptions purchased through Amazon. I would advise anyone else purchasing a renewal to Wall Street Journal through Amazon to wait until you have about 3 weeks left on your subscription before renewing. You may end up missing a few issues before your new subsciption kicks in, but that is better than trying to deal with WSJ\’s customer service dept.

As of today, July 18,2010 one can find multiple web sites which offer the WSJ print edition for one year at the price that Amazon is charging for a 6 month subscription. That being said, watch out for sneaky overcharges to your credit card after your year runs out as noted by another reviewer here.

Easy John

First: the papers market coverage is the best in the USA. The Regular wrap-up features & the Heard On The Street column give colorful nuances to the information. The amount of information itself can be overwhelming to absorb. From the NYSE, junk bonds, to blue chips, this paper is good for both the casual, or serious investor. For me the often underpublicized & finest part of the paper is the investigations & feature reporting. The Journals reporters seem to have more freedom over their work than their competitors, & this approach pays off. Most times column four of the front page has a story that will disgust the reader, or he/she will laugh out loud. It is odd & a bit sad the WSJ\’s staff rarely gets their kudos when compared to the Washington Post or NYTimes.

Also, of note: the special sections the paper runs from time to time on technology, e-bussiness, international markets, mutual funds, & education are often exceptional. This is usually the part of the paper I enjoy most, because they come at the story presented from most every angle possible. Now the negatives: the paper should stick to the areas I\’ve just described. The arts & lifestyle coverage is mediocre & is less well done & in depth than say the NYTimes. Only Joe Morgenstern\’s movie reviews are occasionally worth raeding. Granted, I rarely go to the movies. Lastly, the editorial pages are often the ideological opposite of those which one finds in the Times. I like them, & often agree with their “Milton Friedman” points of view. But, like the Times they give little room for opposing perspectives. Still, it is the nations best newspaper.