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The article profiles seven new mutual funds that are run by skilled managers at reputable fund companies. It explains the benefits to investors of investing in newly launched funds. It offers a look at the performance of some new mutual funds in the U.S., including WHG Large Cap Value, Harbor Large Cap Value, Marsico Flexible Capital and Artisan Opportunistic Value. It also advises investors to look for new funds that invest in small-company stocks and which have seasoned managers with good track records. INSET: Dividends from abroad.

The article discusses ways to measure the performance of stock funds in the U.S. market, based on Morningstar data. Morningstar analyst Paul Herbert suggests that investors should combine consistency with other factors, such as low expenses, experienced management and a reasonable strategy. But funds that deliver consistently good results deserve a bit of extra consideration. Selected funds that have beaten their benchmarks in at least 85% of calendar years since 1990 include Driehaus Emerging Markets, Oakmark Global and Templeton World.

The article talks about tripling investment gains in the U.S. To triple money in five years, an investor must earn an annualized 24.6 percent return, such as investing in T. Rowe Price Media & Telecom. To compound money by 14.7 percent annualized, invest with a talented fund manager who looks for small and middle-size companies capable of generating growth of that magnitude. By investing in Selected American Shares, investors can triple their money in ten years. INSETS: TRIPLE PLAYS;How LEVERAGE hits home;A bet on COLLEGE costs.

This article explains that a proper mix of factors can help investors create their own perfect investment portfolio that is less risky and tailored to meet their goals. It illustrates the investment portfolio created by brothers Greg and Jeff Clark of South Carolina that gave them good returns and at the same time secure their financial power. It says that there are many factors at play into how much risk an investor can afford to take in his portfolio.

The article focuses on several successful investors. Brett Platt is a computer engineer whose investing focus is on undervalued small-company stocks. To avoid overload, he limits his portfolio to nine to 11 stocks. He realized annualized gains of 30% plus since 1999. Deirdre Brazil, an employee at Prudential Financial, has started investing in 2003. She chose Vanguard 500 Index fund which tracks Standard & Poor's 500 stock index.

Recommends better deal to take advantage of rising rates of yields. Information on Fidelity Floating Rate High Income; Stock yields of Canadian Oil Sands Trust; Benefits of a real estate investment trusts to investors.

Presents advice for investors on when to sell stocks. Difficulties in selling stocks; Factors to consider in gauging the value of stocks; Benefits of studying past stocks' price-earnings ratio; Impact of accounting scandals on the value of stocks.

Discusses why people are seeking second opinions from financial advisors. Morphed image of financial planners from bully to sympathetic friend; Reasons people are seeking the guidance of financial advisors; Skills and traits to look for in an advisor before choosing one. INSET: HOW TO FIND GUIDANCE YOU CAN TRUST.

Presents an interview with mutual fund manager Chris Davis. Description of Davis as one of the most compelling mutual fund managers of his generation; Davis' background and his family history of investment banking; Davis' approach to evaluating and analyzing companies; How Davis decides upon investments.

The article presents a profile of U.S. commercial investor Warren Buffett in relation to his influence on the economic conditions of the nation in 2009 and its future policy trajectory. A brief overview of Buffett's successful career in market investment is given, highlighting his self-earned wealth and influential business philosophies.

An interview with financial expert Jim Ross is presented. When asked if exchange-traded funds (ETF) could eliminate the market for mutual funds, he says the will compete, but neither one will eliminate the other. When asked how ETFs are often misunderstood, he says people trade them too much instead of holding them for the long term. He adds that ETFs will probably begin expanding into fixed-income financial portfolios.

The article discusses the benefits and drawbacks of exchange-traded funds (ETF). ETFs are similar to mutual funds, but they are publicly traded. They allow individual investors to buy diversified stock indexes through a single investment. This saves money on management and record-keeping fees, and also allows investors to control when they pay taxes on their gains. The biggest drawback to ETFs is that they make people less likely to buy and hold their investments for long periods.

The article discusses companies that are established in alternative energy and the range from large to up and coming. The article breaks them into three categories and the companies include MEMC Electronic Materials, Energy Conversion Devices, Suntech Power Holdings and Yingli Green Energy Holding.

The article is about social networking websites where stock investors can share their ideas and successes. Major sites include Cakefinancial.com, Covestor, and ZeccoShare. Gabriel Dalporto, chief strategy officer at Zecco, thinks that the concept appeals to investors who seek validation from others who agree with their choices.

The article presents information on gold as an investment. The rise in gold prices from 2001 to 2007 is discussed and a variety of reasons for the metal's appeal is presented. Increasingly high costs associated with mining operations are thought to be distorting gold's traditional usefulness as a predictor of inflation. INSET: Four Options for Buying Gold.

An interview with Tom Forester, manager of the fund Forester Value, is presented. He discusses his business strategy and obsession with risk, how he managed to break even in 2008, what stocks look promising for 2009, his expectations for the overall market in 2009, and how he defines "safe" investing

The article discusses the career of financier William Miller, chairman of Legg Mason Capital Management Inc., who led Legg Mason Value Trust in outperforming the S&P 500 index for 15 consecutive years before 2006. In 2008, Miller made bad investments in the stocks of the firms American International Group Inc. and Freddie Mac, which drove Legg Mason to lose 55% of its value.

The article presents a profile of the Saudi Arabian financier Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman and chief executive of Kingdom Holding Co., in relation to his influence on the economic conditions of the U.S. in 2009 and its future trajectory. A time-line is given highlighting his leadership of Saudi Arabian foreign investment in the U.S. economy, particularly regarding his financial stake in Citigroup.

The article presents a profile of U.S. financier William Gross in relation to his influence on the economic conditions of the nation in 2009 and its future trajectory. Details are given outlining his career in business leadership with the Pacific Investment Management Co. and comments are given highlighting his philosophy of credit and debt finance.

The author discusses basic strategies for investing in exchange traded funds (ETF). ETFs are better than most mutual funds for young investors and other investors who do not have large amounts of money. ETFs allow people to diversify their investments with relatively small amounts of money. By investing money regularly into ETFs, even low-income investors can earn large returns.

The article offers information about different types of investor personalities for people older than 50, drawn from a study released by the U.S. advising company Transamerica Retirement Management. Venturers are described as confident risk-takers with special vulnerability during market instability. Adapters, anchors, and pursuers are the other investor types listed in the study.

The article reports advice for bond-investors from Marilyn Cohen, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Envision Capital Management. After describing several bond funds the author discusses what type of bonds to invest in and how to gauge bond risk. No matter what type of bond, Cohen's advice is to focus on the credit quality.

The article focuses on investing advice from Bruce Berkowitz, manager of mutual fund Fairholme. He discusses the advantage of having cash when stock prices are low and what he looks for when picking companies. The article also discusses some similarities between Berkowitz strategies and that of investor Warren Buffett.

The article discusses emerging markets for investment. Investors are searching beyond Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) for further opportunities in Namibia, Bangladesh, and Kazakhstan. Goldman Sachs, specifically, has taken interest in the markets of South Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, and Nigeria. The increasing demand for commodities as well as moving away from oil into real estate and tourism have aided the investment markets.

The article features four stock funds in the U.S. that were built to avoid market losses but are capable of rewarding shareholders over the long term. It offers a look at the performance of T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation, Jensen Portfolio, Longleaf Partners International and Yacktman fund. It also offers some tips to investors on investing in stock funds. INSET: Yacktman: Opportunity in adversity.

The article features four hedge-like funds that were able to post smooth returns despite volatile markets in the U.S. It explains the advantages of investing in hedge-like funds. It offers a look at the performance and annualized returns of Caldwell & Orkin Market Opportunity, Hussman Strategic Growth, James Market Neutral and Gateway Fund. INSET: How four hedge-like funds have performed.

The article recommends several no-load stock funds that require $1000 or less as an initial investment in the U.S. Just $250 gets an investor into the Hodges fund. Father-and-son team Don and Craig Hodges steer this fund toward firms of all sizes that have increasing profits. A fine choice with a $500 minimum investment is Excelsior Value & Restructuring. This fund invests in undervalued companies that are restructuring or are in industries that are consolidating. Selected American Shares' portfolio is made up of large companies and financial stocks account for about half of the fund's holdings.

The article offers information on balanced funds. It is mentioned that because of bond holdings, balanced funds are usually less volatile than pure stock funds. It is emphasized that balanced-fund returns should trail those of stock funds. It is added that balanced funds are appropriate for investors who value simplicity.

Explains that commodity futures are good investments. Information on the factors that drive the growth of commodity futures; Impact of construction boom in China on the price of copper in the world market; Historical data on the increase of prices of commodity futures; Strategies that investors can employ in investing in commodities.

The article presents information on large-company stocks in the U.S. which are expected to offer good returns to investors soon. In the first 10 months of 2007, funds that invest in large, fast-growing companies returned 18%, on average. Chances are good that large-company stocks will lead the pack for several years. The Kiplinger 25 includes two excellent big-company funds: Marsico 21st Century, up 24% in 2007 to October 15, and T. Rowe Price Growth Stock, up 16%.

The article informs about the new funds from Fidelity Investments and Vanguard Group Inc. The Income Replacement funds of Fidelity combine features of target-date retirement funds and annuities. It contains a portfolio of Fidelity stock and bond funds that becomes more conservative over time and gradually return investors' money via monthly payouts and are depleted by the horizon date. Vanguard's Managed Payout funds generate monthly payouts without consuming principal.

The article presents information on three low-cost dividend-growth funds, namely Fidelity Dividend Growth, T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth, and iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index (DVY). Investors will find large helpings of financial, industrial and health-care companies in Fidelity Dividend Growth. A by-the-book rising-dividend fund is T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth. In addition to increasing dividends year after year, companies in this fund typically generate annual earnings growth of 8% to 10%.

The article explains the reason for the gap between reported and actual investor returns. The difference between a fund's published returns and what investors actually earn is the subject of important data from Morningstar. The company's figures underscore the emotional dangers of investing in high-octane funds. In contrast, investors in more-stable funds earned virtually the same amount as their funds stated returns over long periods.

The article offers investment guidelines for 2007. Certificates of deposit remain a good place to park one's money early in 2007, especially if one is willing to shop around rather than settle for what the neighborhood bank is paying. One should invest now in a high-yielding money-market fund. For investors in a high tax bracket, it makes a lot of sense to put the bulk of their bond money in a solid, tax-free municipal-bond fund.

The article explores the similarities between Metropolitan West Asset Management and Pimco, the bigger bond house. Long-term results of the firms' flagship funds are almost indistinguishable. Despite the similar results, Met West insists that it has an edge over Pimco: It is much smaller. Pimco runs $642 billion, and Met West controls $18 billion. Metropolitan West is a reasonable choice for investors seeking conservatively managed bond funds. Total Return's annual expenses of 0.65% are below average.

Discusses issues concerning fee-based accounts, wherein brokerage firms charge an annual fee based on the assets of the account, rather than collect commissions on trades. Estimate amount in fee-based brokerage accounts investors had at the end of 2004; Illustration of a case showing the advantage of commission-based accounts.

Answers several questions about mutual funds in the U.S. Actions to be taken by an investor if a fund manager left; Background on the fund ratings of Morningstar; Investment in a sector fund.

This article suggests that investors should focus on quality to cope with the current risk-averse environment of 2006. It makes senses to shift some money from small-company funds to large-company funds, especially those rich in dividend-payers. Robert Millen, co-manager of Jensen Portfolio, claims one way to discern quality is to study a company's return on equity. Although foreign stocks took the brunt of the recent correction, one can still make a case for them. INSETS: HEDGE funds that work;Preparing for ROCKY times.

The article profiles several U.S.-based investors. Some of the investors featured include Lebanon-born Rudolph-Riad Younes, Gotham Capital founder Joel Greenblatt, Chelsea, Massachusetts-raised Bruce Berkowitz, value investor John Buckingham, AMG Essex Small/Micro Cap Growth manager Nancy Prial and stock expert Ken Heebner.