Financial World, the oldest financial magazine in the United States, was founded in 1902 in Chicago by Louis Guenther, the originator of American financial magazines, and moved to New York in 1905. The magazine is committed to exposing securities fraud and advocating for the disclosure of financial data. Through two world wars, the Great Depression, the inflation scare of 1907, and the social upheaval of the 1960s, the magazine has continued to grow intact and has remained the foremost provider of financial data and industry intelligence.
As early as 1922, Financial World issued the world's first Independent Appraisals of Stocks, which established the foundational basis for the U.S. stock rating system and laid the groundwork for its future development. In 1938, Ralph Nelson Elliott, the editor of Financial World and a pioneer in the technical analysis of securities, published a book on the subject. That same year, Elliott published The Ware Principle, and for the first time in the magazine's history, it established an award for Excellence in Annual Reporting for the corporate world.
In the 1980s, Financial World once again broadened its horizons and enhanced its publishing capabilities. In 1983, it was purchased by world-class tycoon Carl Lindner Jr., and the magazine embarked on a rapid growth path. In 1992, Financial World began publishing brand value measurements and annual rankings of the World's Most Valuable Brands.
After 1995, Financial World's paid subscribers rose to 425,000 at one point. Despite the magazine's transition from attracting corporate executives to high-end investors, it continued to receive attention for its coverage of major financial events, and its annual valuation of professional sports franchises continued to bring it high visibility. In 1998, the print edition of Financial World was closed.
In 2025, the 123-year-old Financial World resumed publication in English, Japanese, and Chinese.