Hello,
I've been designing and developing websites and web applications since 2008. WordPress is a specialty for me and I have been using the platform since 2010. I understand you need a website similar to the Yahoo Finance Buddy site you referenced. I expect this project to take, at the most, three weeks for initial construction (excluding populating content). Ongoing maintenance, updating, and optimization options are also available. We can discuss these options upon completion of the initial project.
The most effective way to reach your goal will be to start with a vanilla WordPress installation. I'll add some filler content and design the site's user interface, based on the Yahoo Finance Buddy site (and any other websites you may be using as an example). I try to avoid using plugins, and will hard-code as much functionality as possible to avoid over using plugins. We can include chat, e-mail newsletters, news feeds, a web store, and any additional functionality and features you'd like to see. From start-to-finish, this would be a fun project for me, and I would be honored to add it to my portfolio with the other WordPress solutions I've built over the years.
If you have any questions, please reach out at your convenience.
Thank you!
Robby Emslie