Mutual Funds: Investing In Stocks Or Bonds For Retirement Planning, Asset Growth, and Wealth Preservation

bluecollardollar: mutual funds and etfs

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The exchange traded fund or ETF is slowly moving to the forefront of our investment options. The question for you, the one you will ask yourself: is this an investment worthy of my attention?
The Glow of Exchange Traded Funds

Much of what you read about the state of retirement planning, the headlines that grab your attention are often focused on many moving parts that are summed up in one concept: living comfortably in retirement.
Retirement Planning: Define Living Comfortably

The nineteenth century was a time when philosophers were wondering what exactly was free will.
Investing: The Lost Luster of Mutual Funds

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on investing: recently

Eventually they will wear you down. How do you listen to the ETF chatter and understand the investment risks? ETFs and Fixed income

As part of our continuing financial education on stocks and investing, I thought we'd discuss something that has stock pickers worried: correlation. On correlation

Is the Dow Jones Industrial Average still relevant?
On Investing in the Dow

Mutual Fund investors have advantages. Are those advantages clear?

on taxes and mutual funds

Did Melville write of mutual fund investors?
Investing in Mutual Funds: We are Ishmael

Are you looking for value from your mutual fund? It only comes when you understand the proxy.
Investing in Mutual Funds: Your Ballot Has Been Cast

on mutual funds and the etf

There are often fixed criteria when it comes to looking for a mutual fund: the cost or fees the fund charges, the long-term track record of the fund and lastly, the tenure of the mutual fund manager. One of these may not matter.
Do mutual funds managers matter?

ETF expert David Abner discusses ETFs

Inside a 401(k), where regular contributions rule the way you invest, ETFs can give the average investor less of an opportunity than proponents suggest they will.
The mutual fund vs etf debate

I know two things about exchange traded funds (ETFs). There is a high degree of likelihood that your 401(k) will soon have these investments available to you and that some of the basic selling points of why they might be a good choice will be too tempting to pass up.
ETFs: You will be tempted but should you bite?

So what is the attraction? Convenience plays a huge role in why we continue to use this investment.
Mutual Fund Investing: It is what You Believe It is

If you have been a passive investor in index mutual funds, ETFs have caught your attention and quite possibly your sense of wonder.
The Lure of ETF Investing: Why Exchange Traded Funds Misrepresent

Don't be fooled: ETFs are not free

on investing

To allocate assets is to take and spread risk across many different stocks and bonds. The idea here is that no market performs in tandem. Some corners will remain sluggish while others shoot for the moon. Asset allocation keeps you in both but keeps you involved in a measured way. Do you know how to asset allocate?

What I am suggesting is that after all this time, investors are still floundering in a sea of information that is both tidal and turbulent. Most investors still do not have a clue how much risk their fund manager is taking, whether it is right for them or their age. Most fund managers still compare their performance with indexes that don't accurately jive with what they are doing. How about a group picture?

What do we know about ETFs? We know they are low cost. But perhaps not as low cost as they might seem. For the investor moving millions of shares, or even thousands, the costs are just as low for them as it is for the investor owning a single share. What do you know about ETFs? The truth?

on bonds and annuities

While many of you want to believe that you are on track for retirement - and many of you actually are, confidence is not something you are comfortable with.
The "Now What" Investment Plan:

If I were to offer you a "guaranteed income for life" that grew at 4%, you'd think to yourself that this was too good to be true. If it were free of fees and locked in penalties and all sorts of hidden costs, it would be too good.
Why Annuities are Good (yikes!) and Bad for Your Retirement

on target date funds

Target date funds are a basket of missed opportunities wrapped in a potential failure, gift wrapped with hope.
The Target Target Date Funds Miss

Boomers should take note. There are two things which continue to pop up in missives such as these. Diversification is always key and should always be part of the subtle and not-so-subtle conversations about investments.
A Coordinated Effort is Key

Picking a diverse portfolio covering numerous asset classes (six index funds: three equity, one international, one bond, and one emerging market) will keep you invested for a very small amount of money. Investing: A Human Endeavor that Requires Super-Human Effort

on retirement planning

Suggest dividends to someone and watch their reaction. Depending on their age, they may seem put off by the concept (if they are young) and willing to embrace the notion (if they are near to retirement).
Do dividends matter?

They tell you: all investments come with risk. They add: know your risk tolerance. They suggest: caveat emptor or "let the buyer beware". How can you heed all of these pieces of sage advice and still build a retirement plan that will actually allow you to retire?
Caveat Emptor or what is "ordinary purpose"?

Oscar Wilde probably said it best: "What we have to do, what at any rate it is our duty to do, is to revive the old art of Lying." Nowhere is this resurgence in the falsehood more prevalent than when we tell a surveyor about our finances.
Retirement Planning: Fun with Numbers and Words
More on retirement planning here

on investment risk

How well do you know your finances?
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Investor Channel The Mutual Fund Glossary

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bluecollardollar: mutual funds and etfs