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Generally speaking “invest for the long term” is a very fine maxim by which to conduct your financial affairs.  So when you pick a mutual fund in which to invest you are hoping for a fruitful long-term relationship rather than an ill-advised one-night (or one-quarter) stand.  Nonetheless for all things there is a time, and that includes a time to sell.  Investment advisors and managers all speak of a “sell discipline” that motivates their actions.  Here are four warning signs for the general investor to heed that may make the case for initiating splitsville:

Read more on Four Reasons to Reconsider Your Mutual Fund Manager…

There are over 18,000 mutual funds available to US investors. Each of them have different characteristics, objectives, investment styles and strategies. If you’re a new investor to the world of mutual funds, terms used to describe funds such as “a mid-cap value stock fund” or an “international large cap growth fund” may be daunting when you first get started, though they’re likely to become second nature in no time.

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How often have you seen personal finance websites and magazines publish ‘Top 10′ and ‘Best of Year’ fund lists as ways to hook your interest? I have often wondered if they are just fun eye candy, or a meaningful input that really help individuals make considered investment decisions. A recent article by Zacks Investment Research which highlighted the Top 5 performing growth mutual funds using the fund’s year to date return serves as a good test case. You can find the article here: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/38570/Top+5+Best+Performing+Growth+Mutual+Funds

Read more on Zacks Top Five Growth Funds, eye candy or useful investment guide?…

In a post last week we began the conversation about Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and described some of their general characteristics and differentiating features from mutual funds. ETFs can be an important part of your investment portfolio. Since they trade like common stocks they are as easy to buy and sell as any other stock – through your broker or online trading system or however you manage your investments. They don’t come with multiple share classes or layers of fees and expenses like mutual funds – and because they are passively managed vehicles the management fee component tends to be lower than that of mutual funds. Finally, because ETFs offer you direct access to numerous investment styles, industry sectors, asset classes and geographic locations, they are very useful as an asset allocation tool in constructing risk-efficient, diversified portfolios. We will be talking more about asset allocation in forthcoming blog posts. The purpose of this discussion is to set a foundation for conducting effective ETF research and understanding the risks, returns and trade-offs from alternative ETF strategies.

Read more on Conducting Effective ETF Research…

The stock market can get ugly. I think we all know that. And yet, when you’re in the middle of a brutal, never-ending recession, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, that there have been recessions before and that eventually, the market will bounce back.

Read more on Why I Refuse to Panic Because of the Recession…

Portfolio management:  It’s a phrase that conjures up the idea of hard work and complicated subject matter.  But with the right approach, portfolio management can be a key to your long term investment success.  Who knows, you may even have some fun with it along the way!  Here are some basic building blocks to get you started in the right direction.

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Earlier this year, we wrote about the impact of fees on fund performance. These fees come in many shapes and forms. Here’s an explanation of some of the main ones so you’ll have a better understanding of what these fees mean when you next see them listed in a data table or prospectus.

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When conducting your mutual fund analysis, many websites and tools take it for granted that you are aware of the different types of mutual funds available. Here is a primer on bond mutual funds to help you with your mutual fund research. We’ve kept it brief so that you can read this in between watching all the World Cup soccer action!

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Asset allocation is at the heart of the portfolio management process.  For investors seeking to enjoy risk-efficient returns over a long time period, prudent allocation decisions are most likely the most important component for sustained success.  With this post we continue the recent focus on the role of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and suggest how in the course of conducting effective ETF research you can put together an intelligent allocation strategy based on individual ETF exposures.

Read more on Etfs As A Tool For Asset Allocation…