fund
SEC votes to scrap mutual fund ‘12b-1′ fees
By Mark Jewell, Associated PressBOSTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday voted to revamp fees that most mutual funds charge to cover sales and distribution costs, and that have become a source of confusion for investors and industry insiders alike.
Revenue from so-called “12b-1″ fees can be used for a wide range of fund services beyond upfront sales costs, and an investor can pay the fees for years after they’ve gotten › Continue reading
Investing in mutual fund companies can pay off
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYDo you want to know how to make money in up and down markets? Do you want to know the secret to all-weather profits? Would you like to collect millions of dollars, even in the worst bear market since the Great Depression?
Easy. Run a mutual fund.
That’s why you should consider buying the stock of a company that manages mutual funds.
INVESTING: Steps to take if you fear a depressionREAL ESTATE: › Continue reading
Mutual fund prospectus will explain more about holdings
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYYou should always prioritize your to-do lists. For many people, the list looks like this.
1. Walk the dog.
2. Tidy up the viper pit.
3. Read a mutual fund prospectus.
Unpleasant as it is, however, you really should read your prospectus, as well as the Statement of Additional Information. For investors in target-date funds, the prospectus may soon have new information that might help › Continue reading
Target fund: Set a retirement date, and it does the rest
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYYou may think that there are more interesting pastimes than fretting about your retirement portfolio. Watching ants, for example, or staring at the rug until you burn a hole in it with your eyes.
There’s no shame in that. Fortunately, you can use a target date portfolio and hand the management duties off to a professional. Just be aware that all target-date funds are different, and that ultimately, you’re looking for › Continue reading
Target fund: Set a retirement date, and it does the rest
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYYou may think that there are more interesting pastimes than fretting about your retirement portfolio. Watching ants, for example, or staring at the rug until you burn a hole in it with your eyes.
There’s no shame in that. Fortunately, you can use a target date portfolio and hand the management duties off to a professional. Just be aware that all target-date funds are different, and that ultimately, you’re looking for › Continue reading
How you can lose money in a money fund: Fees
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYIf you invest in a money fund, you probably think you won’t lose money.
But if your money fund is in a variable annuity, you probably lost anywhere from 1% to 3% the past 12 months — not because the funds’ investments were bad, but because of additional fees the variable annuity charges.
After fees, some money fund accounts in 401(k) plans may have lost money the past 12 months for the same reason.
International mutual fund’s hot returns have risks
By John Waggoner, USA TODAYInvestors sent billions of dollars overseas last year in search of better returns than they could get in the U.S. stock market. The results were mixed. But 2009’s hottest international markets might be the place to avoid this year.
The average U.S. diversified stock fund soared 31.8% in 2009, according to preliminary data from Lipper Analytical Services. The average international large-company core fund — one › Continue reading