Managing Your Portfolio

To build the best portfolio of mutual funds you must go beyond the sage advice, "Don’t put all your eggs in one basket:" A structure that can stand the test of time requires a smart design, a strong foundation and a simple combination of mutual funds that work well for your needs.

Which is best, a total stock market index or the S&P 500 Index? The answer depends upon the complimentary mutual funds or ETFs within the investor's portfolio. There are some mistakes to avoid in the total stock market index vs S&P 500 index debate. It is wise to compare and contrast the similarities and differences before investing.

Pick up any financial magazine or search for funds online and you will not have a problem finding a fund to buy. There’s no shortage of “top mutual funds” lists. On the other hand, it can be no easy task to find an article, blog post or mutual fund sales person to provide information that will help you decide whether or not to sell your mutual fund.

Core and Satellite is a common and time-tested investment portfolio design that consists of a "core," such as a large-cap stock index mutual fund, which represents the largest portion of the portfolio, and other types of funds—the "satellite" funds—each consisting of smaller portions of the portfolio to create the whole.

Proponents of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) are often index fund investors. However, not all index fund investors subscribe to the EMH. There is a wise middle ground. If you like the idea of investing in index funds but still want to tweak performance or find a wise but competitive edge as an investor, there is an investment strategy...

Plenty of articles, white papers and studies have been written about the ETFs versus mutual funds debate. But do any of these pieces actually help investors determine if they should be buying ETFs in place of their mutual funds? My question: “Should the issue of ETFs versus mutual funds be passive versus active, and then ETFs versus mutual funds?”

If you are a regular reader of the About.com mutual funds site, then you may have read about the so-called disadvantages of mutual funds. But what are the real cons of owning a mutual fund – the cons that are not as easily avoided or are impossible to avoid?

As part of an interview with John Hollyer, co-manager of the Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund, I asked, “What are the primary risks of investing in TIPS?” Whether you are a professional advisor or individual investing, John's answer will be helpful.

A “Google search” for mutual funds vs. exchange-traded funds will lead you to plenty of sites outlining the pros and cons of mutual funds vs. exchange traded funds. If you’ve tuned into this debate regarding mutual funds vs. exchange-trades funds, then you may be left in a state of confusion.

John Hollyer, co-manager of the Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund, delves into key issues related to TIPS and to the Vanguard Inflation-Proteced Securities Fund.

As a subset of emerging markets, frontier markets sound like an invitation to invest in countries that might offer an opportunity for fast growth. But these frontier markets do not come without risk. Of course, risks come with the territory of investing, but investors in frontier markets face additional risks due to lack of safeguards and infrastructure that investors find in more developed marke…

For those mutual fund investors who believe that the US dollar will lose ground against other currencies, how can you obtain an advantage? There is certainly more than one answer to this question. Let’s look at how a mutual fund investor can gain from a depreciating US dollar by investing in international mutual funds.

There are many issues surrounding how to invest your assets. Typical considerations are how to invest in stocks, how to invest in bonds, how to invest in mutual funds and the “how to invest” list goes on. There are a plethora of “how to invest” considerations. If you’re planning for retirement, how to invest in mutual funds in your 401(k) is usually the top priority.

Answering the question of whether to buy stock of individual companies or buy stock via mutual funds, takes an exploration of your objectives and your willingness to take risk. The next step is to decide if you would like to buy stocks of individual companies or buy stock via mutual funds.

What is market cap and how does it relate to mutual funds? Market cap refers to the equity capitalization of an individual stock. It is the price of a share of stock multiplied by the number of shares outstanding. Many equity mutual funds are categorized based on the average market capitalization of the stocks that the mutual funds own.

Budget deficits, interest rate differentials, and diversification of foreign currency reserves are several of the buzzwords and phrases associated with the volatility of the greenback. Do you think that the future of our beloved dollar is dismal at best? Maybe it’s time learn how a US investor profits from the falling dollar.

Once you decide on a long term investment strategy, you must commit to sticking with it. Develop rebalancing guidelines up front: rules that tell you how and when you will change your allocation.

No need to reinvent the wheel. Most 401k plans now offer foolproof ways to invest your 401k money. Learn how to identify these great choices.

Asset allocation is a snappy phrase that simply means dividing your investments among several different categories in an attempt to protect your portfolio from wild swings in any one section. Some experts believe that asset allocation is the single most important factor in investment success.

Brett Arends of the Wall Street Journal looks at the Great Depression and whether dollar cost averaging could have helped investors.

A featured article at American Association of Individual Investors discusses how many funds you should have in your portfolio.

There are many issues surrounding how to invest your assets. Typical considerations are how to invest in stocks, how to invest in bonds, how to invest in mutual funds and the “how to invest” list goes on. There are a plethora of “how to invest” considerations. If you’re planning for retirement, how to invest in mutual funds in your 401(k) is usually the top priority

Building a portfolio of mutual funds takes diligence, knowledge and time. The resources below will make the process of building a portfolio more simple and potentially more profitable for you.

If you are a mutual fund investor the end of the year is one of the best times to review your portfolio. In fact, it may be an excellent time to review several other related concepts such as Roth IRAs, estate planning and your 401(k). Let’s call these items “New Year’s Resolutions for Mutual Fund Investors.”

For an example of how to build an aggressive portfolio of mutual funds, take a look at this model allocation.

For an example of how to build an moderate portfolio of mutual funds, take a look at this model allocation.

For an example of how to build an conservative portfolio of mutual funds, take a look at this model allocation.

What is tax loss harvesting? Understanding the tax consequences (capital gains and capital losses) of selling stocks and stock mutual funds is an important aspect of successful investing practices.

Rebalancing your investment portfolio is the best way to 'buy low and sell high.' All you need to do is learn the best strategies.

What are the best year-end investment strategies? At the end of every year, investors should consider some valuable strategies to make their mutual fund portfolios ready for a new year.