Search

The article discusses how investments, including bonds, fared in 2008, and offers a list of stocks, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds to invest in for 2009. The list includes the stock funds the Merger Fund and Permanent Portfolio, the stocks Berkshire Hathaway and Novartis AG, and the bond funds FPA New Income and TCW Total Return Bond. INSET: The Most Depressing Financial Quiz You Will Ever Take.

The article discusses alternative-energy stocks and why there are many choices to choose from. The author explains that a good way to invest in alternative energy is to put your money in a mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund (ETF) where they invest in renewable-energy. The article also explains that the best way to invest in alternative energy is through ETF's because they trade based on exchanges.

The article presents five strategies for identifying stocks that will keep one out of trouble during stormy markets. For statistics geeks, the intersection of safety and good performance means a stock has a high alpha and a low beta. Alpha measures the amount by which an investment's return exceeds the yield of risk-free Treasury bills. Beta compares a stock's movements with that of a benchmark for domestic stocks, typically Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. INSET: DISCOUNT hunters.

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.

This article focuses on some of the best broker-sold mutual funds in the U.S. They include Quaker Strategic Growth, Ivy Asset Strategy, Keeley Small Cap Value, Legg Mason Partners Aggressive Growth, Calvert Large Cap Growth, Pioneer Cullen Value, Thornburg Value and Thornburg International Value. It explains the reasons for the attractiveness of these types of mutual funds. It presents information on the performance of these funds and the people who manage them.

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.

Presents a list of the top U.S. international and global stock funds for the year 2005. Trimark Small Cos.; Allegiant Small Cap Value; Balanced Wealth Strat. INSET: TAILOR this data to your needs.

Recommends ways to manage inheritance, bonus, insurance settlements, severance package or lottery jackpot. Plans of railroad employee Geoffrey Reeder for the estates he inherited from his mother and grandmother; Investments made by sales executive Krysten Gillette Franks after selling interests in her grandfather's dairy farm; Percentage of portfolio placed by a recipient of an insurance payout in cash, bonds and stocks.

Interviews David Winters, chief executive officer chief investment officer of Mutual Series, about the Mutual Series funds. Favorite stock of Winters; Mistake committed by Winters as chief investment officer; Description of the Mutual Recovery fund.

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 a chart of several U.S. stock funds categorized by investment profile as of August 2004, including ABN Amro's Growth N. INSET: TAILOR this data to your needs.

Focuses on the performance of the shares of several companies in 2003, and its possible performance for the year 2004. Adolph Coors; Toys "R" Us; Computer Associates International; Dillard's; Monster Worldwide.

Offers forecasts for bonds and stocks in the U.S. for 2004. Performance of the stock market in 2002; Comments from Stacey Bartlett, a market researcher and caterer in San Francisco, California; Prices of the stocks.

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 the efforts of electric utilities to attract investors. Impact of the lack of credibility on the stock performance of electric utilities; Profitability of investing in electric utilities; Factors to consider in investing in electric companies. INSET: GO WITH THE FLOW.

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 author considers personal finances, and how consumers should know whether to buy stocks or a house. The article discusses how U.S. housing prices and mortgage loan interest rates are down and offers advice from financial professionals about how to make a decision between a house and stocks. The advice includes taking your time in making the decision, not assuming that housing prices will be the same everywhere, and looking past the raw numbers.

The article describes the author's ground rules for managing her investment portfolio in preparation for a market upturn. Some of the strategies discussed are her initial choice of stocks and funds and her decision to use a discount brokerage. She also explains why she chose a mechanical strategy instead of actively managed funds.

This article focuses on business students at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business that analyze stocks. Both undergraduate and master of business administration students observe small companies in the southern U.S. for their stock performance and publish it in their "Burkenroad Reports." The students often go on to business careers or use knowledge gained for their own money management.

The article presents the four stock funds which are built to avoid losses. These include the T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation which delivered a 12% return annually and gained 5% in 2007 to December 1, the Jensen Portfolio which requires companies to produce a return on equity of at least 15%, and the Longleaf Partners International which buys stocks that are selling below 40% of their estimated company value and is run by Mason Hawkins, Staley Cates, and Andrew McDermott.

The article provides suggestions to shareholders on monitoring the performance of stocks. Consider these broad areas in which the Web can make one a more informed shareholder. These include setting up portfolio through online brokerage account, analyzing historical trends in stock performance, spending some time with the latest earnings release and finding an expert opinion.

The article features Cambriar Opportunity, a mutual fund in the U.S. Brian Barish, who runs the fund, is seeking low-risk stocks with big appreciation potential. To fulfill the low-risk requirement, Barish first pinpoints stocks that look cheap relative to their own operating history, using measures such as price-earnings and price-sales ratios. With a return of 6%, Opportunity trailed the market by three percentage points in the first five months of 2007.

The article deals with the effect of employing hedging strategies on investments. The author mentions that the strategies of hedge-fund-like mutual funds vary, but their basic mission is to try to defend against market declines and still deliver decent returns. If implemented effectively, hedging strategies can produce steady returns that move out of step with the stock and bond markets.

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.

Discusses the advantages of preferred stocks over money-market funds and corporate bonds. Percentage of average yield of preferred stocks; Comparison of preferred stocks and bond risks; Reasons for selecting preferred stocks.

Offers advice on investing in cable companies. Rebound of cable stocks since August 2002; Causes of the financial losses within the cable television industry, such as their need for large cash flows; Positive signs of a recovery, such as an end to a spending boom which initially caused setbacks; Price and consideration of such companies as Comcast, Cox Communications and Cablevision Systems.

The article presents an overview of FuelCell Energy, a Danbury, Connecticut-based producer of fuel cells that power large facilities, such as hotels, universities and hospitals. Fuel cells generate energy by creating a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. FuelCell's devices are said to provide a reliable on-site energy source, which eases a facility's reliance on the power grid. Analysts estimate a loss of $1.35 per share for the firm in the fiscal year that ends in October 2007.

Charts are presented which show the performance of midsize-company stocks in the U.S., including American Century Giftrust, American Century Heritage and Eaton Vance Multi-Cap.

The article offers information on stock funds. For just $250, people can invest in the Hodges fund, which holds all sizes of companies with strong growth prospects. Its record is one of the best for any stock fund. If investors are looking for cheaply priced stocks, they should consider Homestead Value. Homestead Value has delivered an annualized 10% over the past decade. The minimum is $500, and the expense ratio is just 0.71%.

The article reviews the web site GurFocus.com.

The article offers information on index funds which seek to track market benchmarks. ProFund Utilities UltraSector seeks 1.5 times the daily returns of a utility index, and Direxion Developed Markets Bull 2x aims for twice the daily gains of a foreign-stock index. The older ProFund UltraOTC, which seeks to return twice the daily performance of the Nasdaq 100 index, lost 99% during the 2000 to 2002 bear market.

The article focuses on the businesses of small-company fund firm Forward International Small Companies. Over the past five years to November 1, 2006, its institutional share class returned 23% annualized, beating the typical foreign small-company fund by an average of two percentage points per year. Forward is one of the more conservative funds in its category. Run by Switzerland's Pictet Asset Management, the fund focuses on developed markets. INSET: Forward FAVORITES.

The article offers investment information for mutual fund company Long Leaf Partners International as of 2006. Long Leafs' annualized return of 14 percent over the past three years to September 1, 2006 places it in the bottom 10 percent of diversified foreign funds. The company, which buys cheap stocks, lagged by an average of eight percentage points per year as compared to other mutual fund companies.

The article presents information on the LKCM Small Cap Equity run by Luther King Capital Management Co. of Fort Worth, Texas. The fund buys shares of both fast-growing and value-oriented companies. It has attracted investors almost exclusively by word of mouth since its inception a dozen years ago. Its expense ratio is a relatively low 0.96%, and assets amount to just $525 million. In 2005, LKCM landed in the top 5% of small-company funds.

The article presents information on Brandywine Funds. The fund company was founded by Foster Freiss and managed by Bill D'Alonzo. Brandywine's two dozen associates conduct around 1,000 interviews per week searching for fast-growing companies to add to their portfolio. Analysts note that earnings of stocks owned by Brandywine reportedly grow faster than stocks in the Standard & Poor (S&P) Index due to the company's risk averse investment strategy and stringent research process.

The article describes how mutual-fund manager Manu Daftary has led Quaker Strategic Growth to victory over Standard & Poor's 500-stock index for eight consecutive years. Daftary's arsenal includes the ability to sell stocks short and hold large cash stakes. He hunts for reasonably valued stocks, but jumps rapidly from sector to sector. Between the fund's inception in 1996 and the end of 2005, the A shares returned an annualized 19%, 12 percentage points a year.

The article provides information on a selection of the favorite stocks of Michael Carmen, manager of Hartford Growth Opportunities. The stocks include clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, biotechnology firm Cephalon, pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

This article features U.S. companies with rapidly rising earnings and stocks that are outperforming the market during 2005. These are Apple Computer, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Prudential Financial, and United Health Group. An overview of the financial performance of each companies is given. Fund manager Shawn Price of Touchstone Large Cap Growth screens stocks for these companies.

The article features the market condition of FundX Upgrader, a mutual fund, in 2005. So far, the fund's short-term strategy has produced relatively long-term gratification. Upgrader returned an annualized 14% over the past three years to November 1, four percentage points per year ahead of Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. Buying this portfolio in a ready-made fund of funds is more convenient than following Janet Brown's letter and assembling one's own fund portfolio.

Features fund manager Bob Torray and the investment strategy he employs for his Torray fund. Selection of stocks of large companies; Effectiveness of his buy-and-hold strategy; Components of his fund.

Provides information on the favorite niche business stocks of Westport fund manager Ed Nicklin. EOG Resources; Pall Corp.; Precision Castparts.

Deals with the fondness of Jensen Portfolio and ABN Amro/Montag & Caldwell Growth of investing in blue chip companies, the large businesses that generate steady profits. Price of blue chip stocks; Outlook of the investment managers of Jensen and Montag & Caldwell on investing; Investment criteria of the mutual funds.

Presents an outlook on mutual funds in the U.S. for 2004. Suggestions on investing in mutual funds; Recommended bond funds.

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.

Provides solutions to several financial problems on improving investment. Suggestions in purchasing mutual funds and stocks; Importance of making a policy statement according to Jeffrey Rattiner, president of JR Financial Group; Tips on managing pension plan.

Evaluates the stocks of several U.S. companies. Signs of the recovery of the stock market; Profit gains of Paychex; Stock performance of Deere & Co.; Stocks of Cardinal Health. INSET: A technophobe finds comfort in BIG OIL.

Provides information on several growth stocks that are expected to yield investment returns in 2005. Ranking of the mutual fund Fidelity Select Technology among technology funds within the past ten years; Comparison of the rate of annualized lost of growth fund Marico Growth with other large-company growth funds; Factors that contribute to the increase in opportunity among stocks of medium-size companies such as Meridian Growth.

Provides information on the stocks performance of several companies in the U.S. Information on the stocks of Allstate and E-Loan; Annual percentage stocks increase of various drug companies; Advantage of investing in the stocks of Extreme Networks.