Should You Invest In Mutual Funds Or Stocks?

With so many options out there for the individual investor, it is sometimes difficult to determine that investments are right for you. The key to having a long-term, stable and profitable portfolio is to diversify your investments. For many investors the process of diversification includes investing in both mutual funds and stocks. The best course is to learn all you can about both types of investments and find your ideal balance between the two.

Mutual funds are open-end funds that are not listed for trading on a stock exchange. They are created by companies who use their capital to invest in other companies. Mutual funds will sell their own new shares to investors. Capitalization is not fixed and normally shares are issued as people want them.

1. Mutual funds have great characteristics for investors

Mutual funds are professionally managed. The mutual funds employ professional managers to operate all investing. These professional managers bring with them many years of experience. They are experts in selecting and evaluating investments for the fund. The managers make all of the buying decisions and selling decisions that relieves the individual investors from that responsibility.

2. Mutual Funds Are Diversified

Another advantage of mutual funds is that most of their portfolios are highly diversified. This means that the mutual fund is invested in a wide variety of stocks. The advantage of diversification is that if a few stocks drop in price the entire fund won

How to Buy Mutual Funds

Millions of Americans buy mutual funds by simply choosing them as an investment option in their 401k plan.  How do people go about investing in mutual funds outside of their retirement plan at work?

 

There are at least three popular ways average people buy mutual funds, each with its advantages and disadvantages.  Where to invest depends to a large extent on how involved you are willing to get in the process.  Some people want to learn how to invest, and others want to rely on someone else to handle their investments.

 

Let’s look at three popular ways to buy mutual funds, starting with how to invest if you want to rely on someone else.

 

If you want to buy mutual funds with a minimum of time and effort on your part, contact an investment professional.  Even though these folks usually call and solicit you, you can call them.  Look in the phone book under financial planners, stock brokers, or investment services.  Some life insurance agents sell mutual funds as well.  Perhaps your local bank or credit union has a representative on board who sells mutual funds.

 

The advantage of this approach is that someone helps you make financial decisions, and deals with the details, including the paper work.  The disadvantage is that you will pay sales charges (loads) and/or other fees that you can otherwise avoid.  Rather than choosing a professional at random, I suggest you ask investors you know who they deal with, and how they feel about them.  Needless to say, some professionals in the investing business are better than others at their job. 

 

A second popular way to buy mutual funds is the

7 Best Mutual Funds for 2009

As our economic outlook continues to be poor and as the stock market is in turmoil, stock investing has become increasingly difficult. Maintaining a solid investment portfolio can be hard work. One alternative to the difficult work of stock selection is to invest in mutual funds. With thousands of mutual funds to choose from, how can you tell which ones are the best? That’s why I have compiled a list of the . After researching the performance, stability, and income of hundreds of top-rated funds, I found the best mutual funds to invest in for 2009 and beyond. Income-Dividends One part of my selection process was to find mutual funds with cash flow, either through dividends or bond interest payments (in the form of dividends for mutual funds). This factor is becoming ever more important during a time when stocks continue to decline. Through dividends you can know that you will have an income of the yield percentage.Future Trends Another selection criteria was to find mutual funds that are going to perform well for years to come. As you will see, I have included a mutual fund that invests in stocks of alternative energy or “green” companies. The whole environmentally-friendly, green movement is just getting started and will be a boon to the economy for the next 10-20 years. One aspect that is somewhat more of a near-term strategy is the gold focused fund because of the predicted rise in the price of gold over the next year or two. Long-Term Performance The last and most important selection criteria was the long-term performance of the mutual fund. Any one stock or mutual fund can perform well over one or two years by luck, but it takes true skill to manage a portfolio that has good returns over a ten year period. A major failure of many investors that buy mutual funds is that they chase the fund that is currently performing the best or just recently had its best year. If the mutual fund is having an unbelievably great year, then either stay away from it because it’s too late or sell it if you own it.

The :

1. American Century High-Yield Fund (AHYVX) – With the current state of the economy, your best bet for making money is finding an investment with a stated income (i.e. dividends, bond interest payments). American Century’s High Yield Fund has a dividend yield of 9.38%, which is much larger than most high yielding mutual funds or stocks.2. The New Alternatives Fund (NALFX) – this is the perfect mutual fund for times when people and companies are looking for environmentally-friendly ways of doing things. This mutual fund invests in companies that focus on renewable energy sources, as well as companies that are concerned with energy conservation and environmental protection. Over the next decade green and alternative energy stocks will most likely sky-rocket with gaining popularity and necessity.3. Franklin Utilities Fund (FKUTX) – A utilities fund is also a great way to get a flow of decent income during a time of poor stock performance. This mutual fund has a dividend yield of 4% and a 10-year annualized return of 5.17%, which is very impressive. Utility companies are a solid investment for having a stream of dividend income.4. ING Corporate Leaders Trust Fund (LEXCX) – Although its 10-year annualized return has been hurt by the recent stock market downturn putting it at 3.67% (which is better than all but two main value strategy mutual funds), ING’s fund has performed 10% better than the S&P 500 over the past year. It also has a dividend yield of 2.46%.5. Franklin Gold and Precious Metals (FKRCX) – This mutual fund has been a top performer over the past decade with a 10-year annualized return of 14.42% and a current dividend yield of 8.34%. This mutual fund has performed amazingly, and it will continue to perform with gold becoming more of a flight-to-safety investment for investors. 6. Vanguard Energy Fund (VGENX) – although the commodities boom of earlier this year has faded, oil prices will come back. It is only a matter of time. Vanguard’s Energy Fund has had a 10-year annualized return of 14.81%, which is better than most mutual funds of any kind. It is positioned to perform well over the next few years.7. Municipal Bond Fund (of your choice) – municipal bond rates have gone up in recent months and continue to be a great source of extra income. For example, some bonds in Florida are paying 6% a year in interest. Remember with municipal bonds that interest payments are tax-exempt; just make sure you pick a bond that is within your state (otherwise interest payments become taxable). How does a tax-free income of 5% or 6% on your investment sound for 2009- with the U.S. still in recession?

All About Mutual Fund Investments

Definition

One definition of Mutual fund states that they are mutually admitted assets invested in different securities. Shareholders are issued bonds as grounds of their control and benefit proportionately in the earnings of the fund.

Various mutual fund options

One of the vital factors that an individual must study when looking at various mutual fund options is that if their money should be an actively managed fund or an indexed fund. All assets include individual stocks, but an actively managed fund will modify these stocks on a regular basis in an endeavor to acquire as much profit as possible. Indexed assets are intermeshed around specific index containing a good cross section of the stocks within this index. The shares are rarely traded and the performance is usually indicates the sole performance of the index. While it is wise to consider the gains form certain sectors, you also should be cautious about sectors that can be adversely affected by a single factor.

Some of the benefits of mutual fund

As in any other investment opinions differ, some suggest that mutual funds do not have a diverse investment potential, whereas other argue that there are a number of advantages in mutual funds.

Mutual funds adapt a strategy to invest funds in various investments, which is the key to high profits. As mutual funds do not compel clients to invest big money, the low investment capital encourages even the small investor to utilize the opportunity to earn high profits. Purchasing mutual funds certificates or selling them is very easy, which makes it convenient for every type of investor. As mutual funds are managed by professionals with good experience in investments, the chances of high profit is greater than in other investments made by an individual.

Safety concerns

As far as mutual funds are concerned safety of the investments are not guaranteed. Moreover the performance of the mutual fund highly depends on the expertise of the managing professionals. With no assurance of guaranteed profits and possibilities of losing money in case of major change in economy, mutual funds only become a secondary or tertiary option for long term investors. However, most short term investors have gained much by investing in the mutual funds only at their own risk.

Securities and Exchange Commission which regulates the mutual funds ensures that all mutual funds are set up and run according to the rules of the government. The commission also sees to that there is a certain degree of transparency between the mutual funds and the investors. It also ensures that other costs and fees of the mutual funds are properly documented so that it gives the investor a crystal clear picture of their investments.

Top Mutual Funds in India

 

Deciding or searching for the top mutual funds generally requires lot of things to be taken into consideration. It is here that the role of the fund manager creeps in. The fund manager determines the performance of the fund for that particular period, so it is a compulsion that he is consulted prior to making the investment. Another important segment that should be taken care of is the proper selection of Assets. Asset Allocation is the art of bifurcating your finances into a mixture of Assets (stocks, bonds, etc). It is imperative that some amount of research is done prior to choosing a fund for investment. The performance of a mutual fund over the last few years does give an insight to it’s value. The Mutual fund performance can be known by Mutual Fund NAV i.e. Net Asset Value. It is disclosed on daily basis in case of open-ended schemes and on weekly basis in case of close-ended schemes. It is necessary for all to put their NAV’s on the web site of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) thus the investors can access NAVs of all mutual funds at one place.

 

.According to latest researches and data available with Association of Mutual Funds in India (body that governs the Mutual Fund houses in India) , it can be described that, since the last 6 months, the entire asset under management or AUM, along with thirty one mutual funds covered at Rs 5,18,123 Crore or Rs 5,181.23 billion. All of the top five mutual funds of India made record in the development of total AUM. They have increased the AUM rate of the Indian mutual fund industry. Being the top mutual fund organization of India, the Reliance Mutual Fund rose the AUM to Rs.80,780 crore from Rs.77,765 crore. On the other hand, the ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and UTI Mutual Fund rose to Rs.56,854 crore from Rs.52,180 crore. So going through the snapshot you do have an idea as to which Mutual Fund should be invested upon and the factors you would need to take into consideration.

 

What Is The Difference Between Domestic And Offshore Mutual Funds?

In understanding the difference between domestic and offshore mutual funds, it is important to know what these funds are. It is true that there are a number of different mutual funds that are available to investors, but the basic construction of a mutual fund is that it is created by a firm that takes the money of many investors and invests that money into stocks, short-term money markets, bonds, and other types of securities. It is then that the manager of the portfolio manages that money by investing and trading the underlying securities of that fund. What happens is that capital gains or losses are realized and those gains and losses are then passed to each individual investor.
The United States and Canada have mutual funds that operate in a similar manner. These funds are open-end funds, closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts. Those investing in offshore mutual funds may find that the term is used more broadly. It is used to refer to any type of collective investment. The names that the investor may see these referred by include open-ended investment companies, unit trusts, undertakings for collective investments in transferable securities, and unitized insurance funds. That may seem like a lot to swallow, but many investors find that their offshore mutual fund investment opportunities are not as restricted because there are more types of mutual funds to invest in.
The offshore mutual fund
There are tax advantages to the offshore mutual fund that individuals will not find with their domestic mutual funds. Unless one of the rare loopholes is found, United States residents will still be fully taxed on their offshore mutual fund. This is usually referred to as “foreign arising income” on IRS tax forms. Nevertheless, individuals have found that investor-friendly countries allow savings on investments through tax incentives. Some offshore locations, such as the Virgin Islands, do not require tax to be paid. This allows the portion of the gain that would normally go to tax to be reinvested.
There are certain organizations that argue that allowing no tax to be paid or reducing the amount of tax is a form of legalized tax evasion. However, tax incentives are a way for individuals to invest into that economy, making that economy even stronger.
But what one will find is that there is a high degree of regulation when it comes to offshore mutual funds. One may find that there may be a minimum investment of $100,000 and that an individual is required to identify him or herself as a “professional investor.” In the U.S., Canada, and various other countries around the world, a person does not have to be a professional investor to invest in mutual funds. They have brokers who can take care of that for them and guide them through the process or simply take care of 100% of the account transactions.
There may also be instances in which the number of investors is limited because of stipulations set forth in constitutional documents. It is these types of regulations that can limit the number of foreign investors in mutual funds, but they can prove to be quite profitable.
The differences
So as you can see, there are differences between domestic mutual funds and offshore mutual funds. Offshore mutual funds can be a fantastic investment for the investor once the hurdles are cleared. Domestic mutual funds may be easier to invest in, but an individual may find that the return on their investment is not as high. However, many prefer their domestic mutual funds over the confusion that surrounds offshore mutual funds. Nevertheless, many find that the confusion is worth it and that the process becomes easier for them over time.

Seeing What the Top Mutual Funds Have in the Way of Stock Options

When people want to invest their money they generally look to the different mutual funds. These many groups have lots of different stock options for you to look into. With all of these mutual funds groups have one thing in common though. This commonality is the potential risk that its clients face by investing. To save yourself grief you can see what the top mutual funds have in the way of stock options.

These top mutual funds are the ones that have provided their customers with a superior service. They have given consistent performance for the past number of years. Additionally there are various options for diversifying your portfolio. These top mutual funds are also ones that are reliable and yet they have their terms published clearly for the public to see.

You can find these many top mutual funds in the Morningstar reports and also in other financial news items. A few of these top mutual funds are ones that we are familiar with. We have either heard about these companies or we know someone who has invested some of their money with these top mutual funds.

These companies can be ones like Mutual of America, Vanguard Group, Hartford Mutual and Fidelity Mutual. You will also find that index mutual funds are also regarded as a being in the top positions with the top mutual funds. While all of these mutual funds are regarded as being great companies you should still look into the services of each one.

The main item to remember about mutual funds even the top mutual funds is that there always times when stock prices will drop very low. These price fluctuations will not help investors gain the full price for what they have paid. There are also a number of items that you will need to look into when you are thinking about investing.

These items also pertain to the top mutual funds. The first item that you should check out is whether the company is financially stable. This means seeing what their performance factor has been for the past 5 to 10 years. While this is not always accurate it will help you to develop a good picture of the mutual funds company’s capabilities.

The next item you will have to look for is the various expenses that you may be expected to help with paying. Remember that these expenses will not always be clearly stated, even with the top mutual funds. For this reason before you think about investing in any mutual funds group