From the category archives:

Mutual Fund Investing

A Match Made in 401(k) Heaven – Almost

July 30, 2010

We talk about the 401(k) match as the benefit most needed for investors to achieve the kind of retirement they need.  We call it free money – which it really isn’t.  We call it an incentive – which isn’t always the case. We call it a benefit worth considering – which it can be depending [...]

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Middle Class: The Money Class? Part Two

July 29, 2010

Part one of our series on the Middle Class: The Money Class? can be found here. Who are you? The mutual fund industry has been asking that for decades and the answers still aren’t quite clear.  But they are getting closer to understanding that the vast majority (85%) of the owners of mutual funds are [...]

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Middle Class: The Money Class? Part One

July 28, 2010

According to the most recent Investment Company Institute Factbook, the fund industry, based on what they refer to as emergence of fund entrepreneurs have made the middle class the money class.  With 90 million households owning mutual funds, either in their 401(k)s or some other type of defined contribution plan available n the workplace or [...]

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The F in ETF Doesn’t Mean Free

July 25, 2010

Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs, those index funds that mimics those of the mutual fund world that trade openly on the stock exchange throughout the day have made investors who don’t use them wonder if they are missing something and those that do, want the F in ETF to stand for free. But they only [...]

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Retirement Planning: The Odds ‘n’ Ends Edition

July 20, 2010

Although on most day I address a single topic concerning your retirement plan, your 401(k), your IRAs, investments such as mutual funds or bonds, there are several tidbits that are worthy of inclusion – just not a full-on article.  Our Odds ‘n’ Ends edition on retirement planning hopes to fix those items that slip through [...]

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Mutual Funds: Dividend Growth vs Dividend Yield

July 16, 2010

As investors look for anything that might enhance their portfolio’s overall return, the subject of whether dividends are worth the effort have moved to the forefront.  Many current retirees and those poised to retire understand the nature of what this provides but there are subtle differences in what they actually are, the story they tell [...]

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Mutual Fund Investing: Index Funds vs Actively-Managed Funds

July 15, 2010

Almost all of the information you receive on this epic battle suggests that it will rage on for years with no apparent winner.  And, ironically, almost every financial writer who stages this event always comes down on the side of index funds.  They cite important considerations like tax efficiency and costs.  But the real conversation [...]

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What Happens When ETFs are Actively Managed?

July 13, 2010

For most of us, the exchange traded fund is an index fund dressed up like a stock.  It trades actively on the exchange.  Investors can purchase the fund throughout the day and many of these ame investors have found this security a good place to follow trends.  My only real concern with ETFs as they [...]

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Your Retirement Plan: What Corporate Executives Think

July 3, 2010

For most of us, retirement will consist of our ability to draw on many different sources. We’ll use 401(k)s, IRAs, pensions and the stock market. Some of us will rely on Social Security more than we would like and our houses may still play an important role for some as a source of financial security. [...]

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