Mutual Funds

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About Mutual Funds:

Every kind of investing has its ups and downs. Those that deal in stocks enjoy the way that stock ownership works and that it meets their investing goals. The same can be said for those that invest in mutual funds. There are both positives and negatives to investing in mutual funds, and we’ll take a look at some of those positives right now.

Investing in Mutual funds:

Maybe the most reassuring aspect of investing in mutual funds is the knowledge that your fund is being managed and taken care of by a professional. With stock and bond trading, your best weapon is your gut instinct and a dog-eared copy of the Wall Street Journal. With mutual funds, you trust your investment to someone who probably has the Journal memorized and also has an entire corporation’s brain trust at his disposal.

Liquidity mutual funds:

For those that are working on a tight budget and may not have much wiggle room, mutual funds are a great choice because they have maximum liquidity.

Liquidity is the ability to get your cash back on your investment if you need to. With some investments, your money is tied up for extended periods of time with no way for you to access it without huge penalties.

Mutual funds allow you to sell back what you’ve bought at the end of every trading day so you can have instant access to your money.

Diversification in mutual fund investment:

A common buzzword associated with investing is diversification. It’s based on the premise that you don’t want all of your investments on the same thing. Since mutual funds invest in stocks, commodities, bonds and other things, you can help to diversity your investment portfolio instantly with mutual fund investing.

Advantage for first time investors in mutual fund investing:

A big plus for those that are new to investing is how easy mutual fund investing is. Most investors don’t even have to worry about paying the proper tax and keeping the right records because mutual fund companies provide these services as part of managing your money. They are a fantastic way for first time investors to experiment in the market.

Mutual fund choices:

Finally, mutual funds provide a huge amount of choice when it comes to investing. No matter how much you want to invest, how much risk you want to take or what your short and long term goals are, there is a mutual fund that is right for you.

Conclusion:

While no form of investing is risk-free, mutual funds provide a broad set of choices that are perfect for first time investors and seasoned vets, alike.

For a growing number of people, mutual funds are the best investment deal out there.

Related topics:

Criticism of mutual funds

Mutual fund Investing:

While mutual fund investing has exploded over the past 50 years to become one of the most popular forms of investing anywhere, there are still possible pitfalls that you can fall into if you’re not careful. Investing in mutual fund is still a risky business, even if everyone is doing it. Here are some tips to help you through any problems you might have.

Low return for investment:

One common criticism of mutual fund investing is that they don’t have a high enough return on their investment (low return for the amount invested) and that index funds, which aren’t as popular have historically returned a higher investment than the much more popular actively managed mutual funds.

Load funds (Load mutual funds):

A second common problem that some have with mutual fund investing is the use of load funds. You have probably seen the phrase “no-load mutual fund” in the newspaper or on television.

The reason the no-load type of fund is preferred is because load funds come loaded with fees. These fees can run anywhere between half a percent, all the way up to 8.5 percent of however much you chose to invest. It’s thought that these fees are a clear conflict of interest as they clearly benefit the people making the sale and hurt the person making the investment.

Load mutual funds are also thought to make your broker recommend funds that will maximize his fee, and not your investment portfolio.

Fee for the Size of mutual fund:

Some investors also point to a perceived conflict of interest in regards to the size of the mutual fund. Most mutual fund companies that manage the mutual fund charge a fee of between half a percent up to two and a half percent of the total amount of the funds assets. It’s thought that this fee could cause a fund to spend more on advertising than is actually needed so that they can get more people to invest in the fund and maximize their fee as much as possible.

Mutual fund market scandals:

The mutual fund market isn’t immune to scandals, either.

In 2003, a scandal involving the practice of unethical and dishonest trading practices.

Many funds were found to have participated in late trading and market trimming, both of which are illegal practices.

You obviously don’t want to invest in a mutual fund that is engaged in illegal activities.

Note:

Mutual fund investing is gaining in popularity on an almost weekly basis, and a few bad eggs in the business won’t ruin it for everyone.

However, it is always good advice to enter into any kind of investing with your eyes open, and if you feel your mutual fund is behaving improperly, there are authorities you can report them to.

Investing during an unstable market:

There are many buzzwords associated with investing, words that, as an investor, you’ll probably get sick of after a while. You can only listen to so much advice telling you to be disciplined when you just got a hot tip that Fidelity Investment’s mutual fund is about to explode.

Market Volatility:

One of those buzzwords that people hate to hear is market volatility.

Volatility is a part of investing, plain and simple.

If that concept makes you feel queasy, join the club.

There have been patterns over the years in the Dow and the NASDAQ where a slow and steady climb happened. Most of the mid to late 1990s saw a slow and steady rise in the markets. The only real blemish on the market during that time was the mini-crash of 1997. Even then, the market showed a gain for the year.

How do you cope with market volatility?

So, how do you cope with market volatility?

There are many different strategies that are used, and most of them include investing discipline. Studies have shown that during periods of extreme market volatility, like after the attacks of September 11, the market has rebounded and gone on a bit of a run.

A great way to deal with volatility like that is to move some of your money into funds or stocks that might be a little lower risk and focus on blue chip stocks.

When you and your broker feel that the market is at or near the bottom, you can invest in technologies or companies that you feel will be in high demand in the near future. Just because the market is doing its best yo-yo impersonation, is no reason to take your money and go home.

Dollar-cost averaging:

Another common practice is known as dollar-cost averaging. This is the practice of waiting until a particular stock that’s going through a rough period and waiting for it to bottom out. While the exact time of a stock bottoming out is unknown, most wait until the stock sets a record low, and then they pour thousands of dollars into that stock. The same technique can be used with the market as a whole.

If the Dow is experiencing a series of bad days, some investors with withdraw all their money, wait for the Dow to set a 30 or 60 day low, and then shove everything back in at once. While there is no guarantee of this working, it’s been a common practice recommended by brokers the world over for generations.

Note:

Dealing with market volatility isn’t easy, but it is part of investing.

If you’re a smart investor, however, market volatility won’t mean the end of your investment.

Kicking butt in Mutual fund investing:

For all investors, new and old, getting a leg up is a big deal. While there is no magic formula to guarantee that you’ll never lose your money in investing, there are a series of common sense tips that will help you avoid common traps in mutual funds that can lead to you meeting both your short term investing goals and long term investing goals.

Fees and No-load mutual funds:

A good first tip is to watch the fees and expenses.

While 1 percent here and 2 percent there may not seem like much, those fees are coming right out of your profit, so keeping them at a minimum is very important.

Try to stick to no-load mutual funds; they have fewer fees than load funds.

Also, watch the management fees that a company charges on their funds.

These vary a lot from company to company.

Tax for mutual funds:

Have a good idea what the tax implications are on your mutual funds.

There is more than just capital gains tax out there and the amount of tax, when your fund is taxed and how it’s taxed can vary. The amount of tax you have to pay also depends on what tax bracket your income falls into. Make sure you understand all the ins and outs of taxes before you choose a fund to invest in.

Mutual fund size:

Take a look at how large the mutual fund is and how long it’s been around for.

The size of the fund matters because the bigger the fund, the less impact one individual stock has.

If the fund has grown from the previous year, take that into consideration when checking last year’s performance reports.

It’s possible that last year’s results were because the fund was smaller and the performance of one stock, either up or down, had a much larger impact on the fund.

Volatility of Mutual fund:

Finally, make sure you understand the volatility of the fund.

While the old adage rings true that you can’t win the game unless you play, you can still invest in mutual funds and seriously limit your risk.

It all depends on what your financial goals are and how much risk you feel comfortable taking.

If your goals are close, then you might want to invest in lower risk funds.

If your goals are far off into the future, you can afford to take more chances.

Note:

The world of mutual funds can be exciting and fun for new investors.

But no matter how much money you’re making, you must remember that it can all go sour.

But with the proper knowledge and preparation, you can have a long and successful career in mutual fund investing.

How do you get your money back from your mutual fund?

Well, you’ve played the market like an expert, researched exactly the right mutual fund for you, and the fund that you’ve taken under your wing is showing a big, fat profit and you want to use a little of that money to go buy something nice.

But how do you get your money back that is in the fund? And what sort of fees will be associated with that? Let’s take a look.

Liquid funds:

One of the best aspects of mutual funds is that they are “liquid”. That means that you can change your cash into mutual funds and back to cash right away with no delays. For many investors, especially first time investors who may not have a lot of extra income, liquidity is extremely important in an investment. If you need quick access to your money, you get it with mutual funds.

Cheque in Mutual fund:

In some cases, you won’t even have to cash in your funds to use the money that is in them. A few different types of mutual funds, such as some fixed-income mutual funds and most types of money market mutual funds come with the ability to write cheques against the money in your mutual fund. These are exactly like the cheques your credit card company sends you.

You’re writing a cheque that will be withdrawn from the amount you have invested in your mutual funds.

Transfer money from your mutual fund to your bank account:

Many different mutual funds offer a program where you can contact the fund either over the Internet or by phone and let them know that you want to cash in a percentage of your holdings.

While this transaction can take a few days, the mutual fund company will immediately transfer the cash value of your transaction into an account that you’ll have checks for. So while it may take a few days to cash in your shares, you will have instant access to the money in your account.

Bank wire transfer for transferring your mutual fund:

A final way that people usually withdraw money from their mutual fund is by a bank wire transfer.

You simply tell the fund that you want to take some money out and they will wire it to your savings or checking account. Many funds, however, do require this request in writing and you will have to get an authorized form through your bank that can be sent to your mutual fund. This is done mainly to prevent fraud.

Note:

As you can see, taking money out of a mutual fund is quick and easy. The liquidity of mutual funds may be their strongest point since you know your money won’t even be out of reach when you need it.

New Investors in Mutual Fund Investing:

In the rush to be a part of the exciting and profitable world of mutual fund investing, many investors make mistakes. It’s human nature and nothing to be ashamed of, but they can and should be avoided. Here are a few helpful tips in avoiding the common mistakes that many other new investors make.

Cardinal sin in mutual fund investment by new investors:

First off, a cardinal sin that many new investors make is that they only look at a mutual funds previous performance and not at the possible future.

Sure, a stock or mutual funds performance in the past is a good sign of how it’s been managed and it always is a good sign to surround yourself with people who know what their doing, but you have to take the current state of the market into account.

For example, funds that may have been heavy on dot.com’s did great in 1998 and 1999, but if you had a fund that was heavy in tech stocks in 2000, you probably lost your shirt. Past performance doesn’t mean as much as people think it does, and you would be wise to not put as much emphasis on it when you go to invest.

Check fees for mutual fund:

While the percentages listed in the prospectus might seem low, operating expenses for mutual funds really do matter. If you’re looking at a fund that might have a higher than average percent fee for running the fund, you might want to look at other funds, instead. Most market experts think that the percentage of returns over the next few years will be down, and so that fee for running the fund takes a bigger and bigger bite out of your profit. It may not seem like much, but it can really add up over time, especially if profits are down.

Check your fund manager portfolio:

A small but important part of investing is checking out what your fund manager has on his plate. This can be done by checking the prospectus the fund company sent you.

Remember, if your fund is doing bang up business, it’s likely that the fund manager who is overseeing it is going to get more funds to manage or a promotion to look over an entire group of funds.

This could likely take away from the time he has to look over YOUR fund, and while we wish fund managers all the luck in the world in their career, you want someone who is going to be focused on making money for you.

Note:

As long as there are people investing in mutual funds, there will be mistakes made. While they can’t be avoided completely, a few common sense tips can help you avoid the biggies and keep your money working for you.

About Mutual Fund:

When you first buy into a mutual fund, most people have a thousand questions.

How has the fund performed in the past year?

How do the fees work and which ones do I have to pay?

Are there any penalties for withdrawing my money early?

What happens if the fund goes out of business?

All the answers to these questions are listed in what is known as a prospectus.

Mutual fund prospectus:

A prospectus is simply a book or pamphlet that lists all the information about a fund.

Every mutual fund company gives out a prospectus, and sometimes, if the performance for a particular fund hasn’t done well recently, it will even come with bad news about that fund.

A prospectus must be accurate.

The United States Securities & Exchange Commission checks on the validity of the statements in all financial documents released by investment firms to make sure they are honestly showing people what the fund has done and what they think it will do.

How do you read a mutual fund prospectus?

When you open the front cover to a prospectus, they usually hit on three different topics right off the bat:

the fees that this fund charges,

the objectives of the fund,

and the performance of the fund. While there are other concerns when you look at a prospectus, these three things are the most important.

Most mutual fund companies will present the fee schedule in an easy to read graph.

Remember, the fund must disclose all fees, there can’t be any surprises.

Before investing in mutual fund:

A mutual fund prospectus is also required by the SEC to list their performance. They must list this information, even if it’s not up to the expectations of the fund. It can usually be found within the first few pages of the prospectus. Most of this data is presented in the form of a table so that reading it and understating it is simple. Also, there is no shame whatsoever in asking questions. Every investor had to start somewhere and if you don’t ask questions about a particular mutual fund before investing in it, you might just be throwing your money away.

There will likely be more information in your prospectus as well, including profiles of the managers that handle the fund, as well as the founders of the investment company and so on.

Note:

A prospectus is like a bible for whatever mutual fund you choose to invest in. With oversight provided by the SEC, a prospectus must be an honest document that shows you exactly what you’re getting yourself into with every mutual fund.

Successful investing in Mutual fund:

If you ask a seasoned mutual fund investor what the three biggest keys to successful investing are, he or she is bound to say discipline, discipline and discipline. What does that mean, exactly? It means avoiding the temptation to react with the news.

New Mutual Fund Investors Behaviour:

A common behaviour by many new mutual fund investors is that when they hear on the news that a particular stock or mutual fund is poised to explode, they run to their computers or cell phones and switch over every penny in investments that they have to this new hot stock. While this practice can work some of the time, if it worked all of the time without fail, investing would be a lot easier and everyone would be doing it.

Investment Plan:

Discipline is the practice of sticking with your advised investment plan, even if a more tempting offer comes along. When you first start to invest, you should have a good idea of your risk profile, your short and long term goals and the amount of money you’re able to invest. You should pick a fund that meets all of those criteria and then settle in for the long haul. The only way to make a lot of money with mutual funds is to trust that they will give you the returns you desire, and stick with it.

Stable mutual fund:

There are times, however, when sticking with a fund may not be a good idea. If your fund is haemorrhaging money and has been for months, you may want to switch to a more stable mutual fund. But you can’t switch over your money with every bump and swerve in the market. Not only will fees and taxes eat your principle up, you’ll have no long term plan to help you invest and meet your goals.

Fear and Greed in Mutual Fund Investment:

The two biggest demons you have to deal with are fear and greed. Both of which are valid human emotions, but both can get in the way of logical, disciplined mutual fund investing. If you can manage both your greed and your fear, you can stay away from the lemming-over-the-cliff mentality that grips so many other investors. Mutual fund investing is one case where you do want to stay the course.

Note:

Temptation is a scary thing in all aspects of life. The temptation to run to the smoking hot and fashionable mutual fund of the week is extremely high, so high in fact that many investors take it like a month to a flame.

If you don’t want to get burned, avoid the investment tips from your friends and use discipline as your number one investment strategy.

Investing in Mutual Funds:

For most people, investing in mutual funds is pretty straight forward. You have specific goals that need to be met. You and your partner are approaching mutual fund investing with your eyes open and you’re both on the same page. Granted, she may want that pretty cottage down by the lake and you want that new speedboat, but both your goals involve water, and that’s close enough for you.

But what if you’re in a completely different boat? What if you know you need to invest, but you have two equally important goals pulling you two different ways? This is the case with thousands of parents who see the need to save for retirement but also want to save for the kids’ college education. How can you do both at the same time? Here are a few tips.

Tips for saving for college and retirement:

One of the biggest factors in the college vs. retirement battle is the fact that people are putting off having kids until later in life these days. Fifty years ago, this wasn’t the case, and saving for both college and retirement usually happened during two distinctly different phases in one’s life. These days, now that we realize that saving for retirement is something that should be started when you’re 18, not 48, the two overlap more than ever.

Matching funds:

The gut instinct of most parents is to put the kids’ future ahead of their own and cut back on retirement savings in favour of college. While this is a popular choice, it really only should be a last resort. A technique that is becoming more and more popular with parents who face saving for both at once is offering your prospective college student the chance to get matching funds from you. This is simply the idea that for every dollar they pay for, you’ll match it. If you’re not sure how junior will pay for half, remember, there are many ways for teenagers to save for college themselves. Almost everyone qualifies for student loans; there are scholarships for good grades as well as an after school and summertime job. Most college students work while they are attending classes, as well.

Note:

While walking the tightrope of saving for two goals at once can be stressful, a logical and determined approach to the situation is really the only way to go. Choosing retirement over your kids’ education isn’t a “wrong” choice, and neither is choosing college over retirement.

Everyone’s situation is different and you need to make the right choice for your situation.

College education:

When you think back, the days of sitting in your dorm room debating the merits of your schools football team don’t seem that far away. But before you know it, little Billy and Sally are going to be headed off to the same hallowed halls that you once ran amuck in.

College Loans:

Of all the goals that people save and invest to meet, the college education of their children is near the top of the list. While you may still be paying off your college loans, getting an idea of how much school will cost for them is a valid concern.

Taking a look at the cost over the last few years, prices are continuing to go up. While the average increase per year is about 5 percent, from 2003 to 2004, public universities and colleges raised their tuition by a staggering 14 percent in one year. That is more than four times the current rate of inflation.

College fees:

Assuming you didn’t choke reading that last paragraph, what can you do to try to figure out what college will cost for your kids? Well, the first step is trying to figure out which kind of school little Billy or Sally will want to attend. The least expensive choice would be an in-state, public university. The average cost of these in 2005 was around $67,000 for four years. And that is assuming that your child graduates in four years, most students these days do not.

The next choice up the ladder is attending a public school out of state. This can be a good choice if your child shows an aptitude for a major that another school out of state is highly regarded in. The average cost in 2005 for four years at an out of state public school is around $100,000 dollars.

Expensive education:

The most expensive but some believe the best option would be a private university. These schools don’t figure in residency into their tuition numbers. For four years at a private school in 2005, the cost was around $137,000. Also, you should take into consideration majors, such as medicine or law, which take more than four years.

Note:

A final tip to consider is that these days, a bachelor’s degree is worth less and less. Graduate school is becoming more and more common just to be able to get a good job. And the tuition rates charged for grad school are usually much higher.

Paying for college isn’t easy.

But with sound financial planning (mutual fund investment) and a good knowledge of what it will cost in the future, saving for school doesn’t have to be as nightmarish as you think.

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