Topic: Mutual Funds

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Briefing
Facebook IPO: five things to know before buying the stock

About 1 out of every 8 people on the planet have a Facebook account. Now, with the arrival of a public stock offering, all those people have a chance to be part owners of this social hub. Should you buy? Here are five things to consider.
Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
Stock prices tumbling? Four ways to control your risk.

If the wild plunges and rebounds in stock prices have made a yo-yo of your portfolio, welcome to a very big club. The gyrations in stock markets worldwide have forced investors everywhere to confront an uncomfortable reality: Short of stuffing your money in a bank or under your mattress, you have to cope with volatility and risk. Fortunately, there are ways to tame risk – even turn it to your advantage. Here are four steps that you can take to begin to reduce the risk of falling stock prices for your long-term portfolio:
Billionaire as Russia's president? The 5 richest men in Russia.

A record number of billionaires now call Russia home – 114 of them, according to an annual list of the 500 richest Russians published Monday by the Moscow-based Finans magazine.
Investment strategies for a new decade? Here are five.

If you're wondering how financial planner Charles Failla sees the next decade of investing and beyond, consider this: Both his 3-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter are studying Mandarin. "That gives you some idea about my conviction on emerging markets," says Mr. Failla, principal at Sovereign Financial Group in New York. While the "jury is still out on the US – which has a lot of problems to fix – I am very optimistic about China and India over the next 20 years." There's plenty of advice about what investors should do for 2011. But where do financial pros suggest you put your money through 2020? Here are five themes for the new decade:

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Briefing
Facebook IPO: five things to know before buying the stock

About 1 out of every 8 people on the planet have a Facebook account. Now, with the arrival of a public stock offering, all those people have a chance to be part owners of this social hub. Should you buy? Here are five things to consider.
Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
The Reformed Broker
Hedge funds: Should you bother?

Hedge funds have traditionally been a very rich man's game, but one broker is trying to bring the hedge fund experience to the medium rich.
Tax VOX
Five challenges for the IRS's new capital gains reporting rules

The new rules for reporting capital gains is a laudable aim, but the IRS faces a number of challenges to make this initiative work.
The Reformed Broker
Legendary bond manager: Get out of bonds

Bond manager Dan Fuss sees dark times ahead for the bond market and advises investors to switch over to stocks.
The Reformed Broker
Axl Rose and your investment team

While band names and fund families may keep the same names, finding out if there are different players behind the scenes can mean a very different final outcome. Just look at the failure of the latest Guns 'N Roses album.
The Simple Dollar
Investing 101: How to invest your retirement savings

Don’t put off investing because you’re not sure what to invest in. Instead, make a sensible choice and start saving now. 
What keeps SEC chairwoman up at night? Money market funds (+video)

The health of money market funds leads the list of worries of SEC chairwoman Mary Schapiro, America's top financial market regulator. Past wild swings in the stock market rank up there, too.
The Reformed Broker
The hedge fund mini-crisis

The hedge fund industry may be just as overbuilt as the credit and housing markets were.
Hedge funds: Did they trigger financial crisis?

Hedge funds didn't cause the financial crisis. But new research suggests that when a few hedge funds figure out how to tell good securities from bad ones, they can trigger a systemic collapse.
Five ways to invest in Europe – seriously

Just because there's a sovereign debt crisis doesn't mean there's no opportunity in Europe, especially if investors are selective and defensive.
Tax VOX
Why does Mitt Romney manage his investments from the Caymans?

Mitt Romney's holdings in the Cayman Islands have generated lots of interest in investment funds that are managed from the U.S. but incorporated in foreign jurisdictions. The real winners in these arrangements are U.S. tax-exempt entities, not Mitt Romney and the investors themselves.
The Reformed Broker
Stock prices rally, but investors drop out

Stock prices have been buoyant in the opening weeks of 2012, but rallying stock prices may not stop investors from staying away from the markets
The Reformed Broker
A brave new mutual fund

If the mutual fund industry is to survive in anything even remotely like its present form, it's going to have to get tough and creative. At least one firm is stepping up to the plate.
Real estate investment: Make money with REITs, ETFs, not tenants

If you think housing prices are bottoming out, real estate investment through REITs, ETFs could be profitable. But it's still a gutsy move for many pros.
The Reformed Broker
What will be the biggest investment trends of 2012?

The three dominant themes investors should watch for in the coming year
Stocks fall for the second day in a row

The Dow dropped 134 points to close at 11770 amid renewed worries about Europe's debt crisis
The Simple Dollar
Comparing investment fees

There isn't much difference between investment fees at certain firms, unless you are investing a very large amount of money
The Reformed Broker
Should the retirement age be raised to 70?

One expert argues that life expectancy is up, so raising the retirement age is necessary to preserve benefits.
The Reformed Broker
A "window dressing" stock market rally

Window dressing is the phenomenon where mutual fund managers and other institutions that report quarterly performance results will buy more shares in their biggest holdings headed into the end of a month, quarter or year. If it sounds illegal, it is.
The Reformed Broker
Does the mythical 'permanent portfolio' work?

A popular investment model examined.
Money market funds get boost from jittery investors

Money market funds gained $69 billion in August, while stock and bond funds lost $32 billion. Besides money market funds, investors put $1 billion into ETFs.
Stocks go up for second straight day

The Dow rose 44.73 points to close at 11,105.85 after a choppy Tuesday session
Green Economics
In defense of finanacial engineering

How new innovations in finance help both Wall Street brokers and regular investors
Stock prices tumbling? Four ways to control your risk.

If the wild plunges and rebounds in stock prices have made a yo-yo of your portfolio, welcome to a very big club. The gyrations in stock markets worldwide have forced investors everywhere to confront an uncomfortable reality: Short of stuffing your money in a bank or under your mattress, you have to cope with volatility and risk. Fortunately, there are ways to tame risk – even turn it to your advantage. Here are four steps that you can take to begin to reduce the risk of falling stock prices for your long-term portfolio: