Mutual Funds For Dummies®, 6th Edition

Introduction

Whether you're a regular reader of investing books or this is your first, Mutual Funds For Dummies, 6th Edition, which is completely revised and updated, provides practical and profitable techniques of mutual fund investing that you can put to work now and for many years to come.

Mutual funds aren't literally for dummies — in fact, they're a wise investment choice for people from all walks of life. Mutual funds are investment companies that combine your money with that from many other people to create a large pool of assets that can be invested in stocks, bonds, or other securities. Because your assets are part of a much larger whole, the best mutual funds enable you to invest in securities that give you low-cost access to leading professional money managers.

With the best money managers investing your nest egg in top-flight investments that match your financial goals, you can spend your time doing the activities in life that you enjoy and are best at. Mutual funds should improve your investment returns as well as your social life!

I practice what I preach. All my investments that I've devoted to securities (stocks and bonds) are invested through funds. Why? For the simple reason that I'm confident the best fund managers that I recommend in this book can do a superior job (higher returns, less cost) than I could by researching and selecting individual stocks and bonds on my own.

I've enjoyed successfully investing in mutual funds for more than 25 years. As a financial counselor, ...