Book description
Position your portfolio for growth with one of America's bestselling mutual fund books
Indicators are pointing to a rebound in mutual funds, and investors are returning! Newly revised and updated, Mutual Funds For Dummies, 6th Edition, provides you with expert insight on how to find the best-managed funds that match your financial goals. With straightforward advice and a plethora of specific up-to-date fund recommendations, personal finance expert Eric Tyson helps you avoid fund-investing pitfalls and maximize your chances of success.
This revised edition features expanded coverage of ETFs, fund alternatives, and research methods
Tyson provides his time-tested investing advice, as well as updates to his fund recommendations and coverage of tax law changes
Sample fund portfolios and updated forms show you exactly how to accomplish your financial goals
Pick the best funds, assemble and maintain your portfolio, evaluate your funds' performance, and track and invest in funds online with Mutual Funds For Dummies, 6th Edition!
Table of contents
- Copyright
- Praise for Eric Tyson's Mutual Funds For Dummies®
- About the Author
- Author's Acknowledgments
- Publisher's Acknowledgments
- Introduction
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I. Mutual Funds: Sharing Risks and Rewards
- 1. Making More Money, Taking Less Risk
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2. Mutual Funds: Pros and Cons
- 2.1. Getting a Grip on Mutual Funds
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2.2. Opting for Mutual Funds
- 2.2.1. Fund managers' expertise
- 2.2.2. Funds save you money and time
- 2.2.3. Fund diversification minimizes your risk
- 2.2.4. Funds undergo regulatory scrutiny
- 2.2.5. You choose your risk level
- 2.2.6. Fund risk of bankruptcy is nil
- 2.2.7. Funds save you from sales sharks
- 2.2.8. You have convenient access to your money
- 2.3. Addressing the Drawbacks
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3. Funding Your Financial Plans
- 3.1. The Story of Justine and Max
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3.2. Lining Up Your Ducks Before You Invest
- 3.2.1. Pay off your consumer debts
- 3.2.2. Review your insurance coverage
- 3.2.3. Figure out your financial goals
- 3.2.4. Determine how much you're saving
- 3.2.5. Examine your spending and income
- 3.2.6. Maximize tax-deferred retirement account savings
- 3.2.7. Determine your tax bracket
- 3.2.8. Assess the risk you're comfortable with
- 3.2.9. Review current investment holdings
- 3.2.10. Consider other "investment" possibilities
- 3.3. Reaching Your Goals with Funds
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II. Evaluating Alternatives to Funds
- 4. Selecting Your Own Stocks and Bonds
- 5. Exchange-Traded Funds and Other Fund Lookalikes
- 6. Hedge Funds and Other Managed Alternatives
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III. Separating the Best from the Rest
- 7. Finding the Best Funds
- 8. Using Fund Publications
- 9. Buying Funds from the Best Firms
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IV. Crafting Your Fund Portfolio
- 10. Perfecting a Fund Portfolio
- 11. Money Market Funds: Beating the Bank
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12. Bond Funds: When Boring Is Best
- 12.1. Understanding Bonds
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12.2. Sizing Up a Bond Fund's Personality
- 12.2.1. Maturity: Counting the years until you get your principal back
- 12.2.2. Duration: Measuring interest rate risk
- 12.2.3. Credit quality: Determining whether bonds will pay you back
- 12.2.4. Issuer: Knowing who you're lending to
- 12.2.5. Management: Considering the passive or active type
- 12.2.6. Inflation-indexed Treasury bonds
- 12.3. Investing in Bond Funds
- 12.4. Eyeing Recommended Bond Funds
- 12.5. Exploring Alternatives to Bond Funds
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13. Stock Funds: Meeting Your Longer Term Needs
- 13.1. The Stock Market Grows Your Money
- 13.2. Using Mutual Funds to Invest in Stocks
- 13.3. The Best Stock Funds
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14. Specialty Funds: One of a Kind
- 14.1. Sector Funds: Should You or Shouldn't You Invest in Them?
- 14.2. Landlording Made Easy: Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Funds
- 14.3. Profiting from What Everyone Needs: Utility Funds
- 14.4. Arming for Armageddon: Precious Metals Funds
- 14.5. Commodity Funds
- 14.6. Hedging: Market Neutral (Long-Short) Funds
- 14.7. Matching Morals to Investments: Socially Responsible Funds
- 15. Working It Out: Sample Portfolios
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16. Applications, Transfers, and Other Useful Forms
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16.1. Taking the Nonretirement Account Route
- 16.1.1. Filling in the blanks: Application basics
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16.1.2. Buying in to discount brokerage accounts
- 16.1.2.1. Borrowing money so you can invest: Margin accounts
- 16.1.2.2. Getting personal
- 16.1.2.3. Accessing your cash: Checks and debit cards
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16.1.2.4. Transferring your dough into a new brokerage account
- 16.1.2.4.1. Information about your (new) brokerage account
- 16.1.2.4.2. Information about the account you're transferring
- 16.1.2.4.3. Brokerage account transfers
- 16.1.2.4.4. Mutual fund transfer forms
- 16.1.2.4.5. Bank, savings and loan, or credit union transfers
- 16.1.2.4.6. Attach your account statement!
- 16.2. Preparing for Leisure: Retirement Accounts
- 16.3. Investing on Autopilot
- 16.4. Finding Help for a Overwhelmed Brain
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16.1. Taking the Nonretirement Account Route
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V. Keeping Current and Informed
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17. Evaluating Your Funds and Adjusting Your Portfolio
- 17.1. Deciphering Your Fund Statement
- 17.2. Interpreting Discount Brokerage Firm Statements
- 17.3. Assessing Your Funds' Returns
- 17.4. Deciding Whether to Sell, Hold, or Buy More
- 17.5. Tweaking and Rebalancing Your Portfolio
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18. The Taxing Side of Mutual Funds
- 18.1. Mutual Fund Distributions Form: 1099-DIV
- 18.2. When You Sell Your Mutual Fund Shares
- 18.3. Retirement Fund Withdrawals and Form 1099-R
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19. Common Fund Problems and How to Fix Them
- 19.1. Playing the Telephone Game
- 19.2. Trouble-Shooting Bungled Transactions
- 19.3. Specifying Funds to Buy at Discount Brokers
- 19.4. Making Deposits in a Flash
- 19.5. Verifying Receipt of Deposits
- 19.6. Transferring Money Quickly
- 19.7. Losing Checks in the Mail
- 19.8. Changing Options after Opening Your Account
- 19.9. Making Sense of Your Statements and Profits
- 19.10. Changing Addresses
- 19.11. Finding Funds You Forgot to Move
- 19.12. Untangling Account Transfer Snags
- 19.13. Eliminating Marketing Solicitations
- 19.14. Digging Out from under the Statements
- 19.15. Getting Older Account Statements
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20. Fund Ratings and Forecasters
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20.1. Avoiding the Bad Stuff
- 20.1.1. Looking into market timing and crystal balls
- 20.1.2. Keeping them honest and providing new fodder: The Hulbert Financial Digest
- 20.1.3. Using bogus rankings, token awards, and mystery testimonials
- 20.1.4. Pitching a product: Filler and ads in newsletter form
- 20.1.5. Investing newsletter Hall of Shame
- 20.2. Getting In on the Good Stuff
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20.1. Avoiding the Bad Stuff
- 21. Harnessing Your Computer's Power
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17. Evaluating Your Funds and Adjusting Your Portfolio
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VI. The Part of Tens
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22. Ten Common Fund-Investing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- 22.1. Lacking an Overall Plan
- 22.2. Failing to Examine Sales Charges and Expenses
- 22.3. Chasing Past Performance
- 22.4. Ignoring Tax Issues
- 22.5. Getting Duped by "Advisers"
- 22.6. Falling Prey to the Collection Syndrome
- 22.7. Trying to Time the Market's Movements
- 22.8. Following Prognosticators' Predictions
- 22.9. Being Swayed by Major News Events
- 22.10. Comparing Your Funds Unfairly
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23. Ten Fund-Investing Fears to Conquer
- 23.1. Investing with Little Money
- 23.2. Investing in Uninsured Funds
- 23.3. Rising Interest Rates
- 23.4. Missing High Returns from Stocks
- 23.5. Waiting to Get a Handle on the Economy
- 23.6. Buying the Best-Performing Funds
- 23.7. Waiting for an Ideal Buying Opportunity
- 23.8. Obsessing Over Your Funds
- 23.9. Thinking You've Made a Bad Decision
- 23.10. Lacking in Performance
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24. Ten Tips for Hiring a Financial Adviser
- 24.1. Communicator or Obfuscator?
- 24.2. Financial Planner or Money Manager?
- 24.3. Market Timing and Active Management?
- 24.4. Who's in Control?
- 24.5. Fees: What's Your Advice Going to Cost?
- 24.6. How Do You Make Investing Decisions?
- 24.7. What's Your Track Record?
- 24.8. What Are Your Qualifications and Training?
- 24.9. What Are Your References?
- 24.10. Do You Carry Liability Insurance?
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22. Ten Common Fund-Investing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- A. Recommended Fund Companies and Discount Brokers
Product information
- Title: Mutual Funds For Dummies®, 6th Edition
- Author(s):
- Release date: July 2010
- Publisher(s): For Dummies
- ISBN: 9780470623213
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