Starting today, Yahoo Finance doesn't look quite the same - because it isn't! Yahoo made some major changes on the quote pages, mostly for the better. Despite the popularity of Yahoo Finance, it has been in need of a makeover since the beginning. Let's take a look at what has changed and if it was an improvement.

The biggest change is that the initial quote page appears more like the old detailed pages, so I will compare the new quote pages to the old detailed pages. Note: just by showing the detailed quote rather than making us click on it, Yahoo has made tremendous improvements!

Here are the major changes:

• Handy links on the left side of the page - GOOD
• More data up top - GOOD
• More ads up top - BAD
• Stock related headlines higher up on page - GOOD
• Stock related headlines crammed into a skinny column - BAD
• New icons for alerts, data and portfolio tracker - GOOD
• Key statistics show up on the quote page - GOOD

Overall, a much-needed improvement. I still encourage people looking for mutual fund quotes to use the "profile" page (the link can be found on the left on the quote pages) because it displays the morningstar stylebox, which is the key to diversifying between the different kinds of mutual funds, and it shows key information about the fees a fund is charging.