Archive for October, 2008

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Why Invest in Mutual Funds

Sunday, October 26th, 2008
ANIRBAN GUHA asked:


Why invest in Mutual Funds?

Let us first define the concept of Mutual Funds. These are funds where money is collected from investors to form a common pool and then deployed into various asset classes (equities, debt instruments etc.) to meet some stated investment objective. When you buy shares of a company, it makes you a part owner of the company and its assets. Likewise if you subscribe to a mutual fund you become a part owner of the fund’s assets.

Mutual funds, as an investment option is really advantageous compared to other investment avenues particularly when the capital to be invested is small and the scope for an investor to carry out detailed market research is minimal. The advantages are as follows-

1) Diversification of Portfolio: Mutual funds invest in a well-diversified portfolio of securities. This enables an investor to hold a diversified portfolio irrespective of his invested amount.

2) Diversification of Risk: As investments are made in a well-diversified portfolio, the risk of investing directly in one/two shares or other debt instruments also gets reduced. Any loss in particular companies or sectors gets off-set by gains made in other companies or sectors

3) Benefit of SIP: SIP stands for Systematic Investment Plan. This allows an investor to invest regularly with whatever small amount one can invest, without worrying to time the market.

4) Professional Management: The persons running a fund are professionals who have got the skills of managing the money as well as technical tools and the much-needed research works behind them. So one can be sure that the money is in safe hands.

5) Reduced Transaction Costs: When one invests directly, he has to bear all the costs such as brokerage or custody of securities. Here the mutual funds enjoy “ Economies of Scale”, as the funds pay lesser costs due to trading/investing in larger volumes.

6) Liquidity: Mutual funds are highly liquid. One can sell the units to the fund, if it is an open-ended or one can also sell the units in a stock exchange, if it is a closed-ended fund.

7) Wide Investment Objectives: Usually one can opt for growth or dividend options from the same scheme of a mutual fund. If one wants to accumulate wealth, he can go for the growth option and if he needs regular income out of his investment he can choose the dividend option.

8) Various Services: Mutual fund companies provide various services e.g., one can easily transfer/switch their holdings from one scheme to another. Buying/selling of units can also be done through internet, email or other means of communication. The fund houses also provide updated market information.

Although certain disadvantages are there, but investing in a mutual

fund is worthy. The shortcomings are a) there is no direct control over the decision of fund managers in day-to-day running of various schemes; b) investors have to be happy with the common portfolio of the scheme irrespective of one’s personal risk appetite. However taking into account the various benefits that an investor enjoys in a mutual fund makes it a much better option than the other investment avenues.



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What are the mutual funds with the highest rate of return?

Friday, October 24th, 2008
Simon Templar asked:


Is there a chart or website I can check for the performance of mutual funds? Thank You for your time.

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Reasons to Fire Your Mutual Fund Company - Fresh out of High School

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Mark Brandon asked:


The fudging of expertise is appalling in our business. Believe me, I know. I am 35 years old now, and have been in the financial services business 13 years now. When I was 22, fresh out of the University of Texas with a History degree, my first job was with Fidelity Investments as a mutual fund adviser. I passed the Series 6 exam in a matter of days. After a few weeks of training, most of which was listening to one of the more tenured reps (by “tenured”, I mean someone with six months experience), I was on the phone taking calls from all over the country, advising people on how to take care of their financial future. If you had called an 800 number on a prospectus or an advertisement, you would have been speaking with someone like me. Dozens of reps like me fielded calls, and not one of them had more than three years experience. I, myself, only lasted a year and a half in that job. Call center work has a way of burning you out.

In the 1990’s, Fidelity was undergoing rapid growth, and they could not keep the place staffed. They had planned on staffing to a level where no more than five customers were holding at any given time. Shortly after I arrived, we were constantly on “red alert”, which meant that 30 people or more were holding all the time. So, they relaxed their hiring requirements. They had previously insisted on a college degree for their newly hired reps. Soon, I was sitting next to pimply-faced 18-year-olds who had been in a high school classroom only a few months prior. Looking back on it, who was I to feel so superior? It’s not like I learned how to plan someone’s financial future in my “Western Culture, 1865-present” seminar at UT.

Think about that, though. Customers were entrusting their retirement plans to kids. If you go to Fidelity, Schwab, E*Trade, TD Waterhouse, Ameritrade, T Rowe Price, Ameriprise, or any of the other purveyor of mutual funds, and click on their links to “talk to an adviser”, it is usually accompanied by a smiling, healthy, slightly graying middle-aged man with great teeth and his own corner office. In fact, you are more likely talking to a very young, underqualified, underpaid call center worker who barely has a cubicle and is definitely NOT smiling.

Of course, it is true that it does not take grand expertise to do what they do. Back in my day, we were given a script to inquire of a customer’s marital situation, age, risk tolerance, spending goals, and that is it. With that information, there was (wait for it) a Fidelity fund that met their needs. This is how it works at most firms. You need what they are selling. Financial planning requires more than that.

All investment products should be discussed in the larger context of a person’s life — not just financial life, either. If you take no other advice from me, take this one tidbit. If a “financial adviser” is selling you a product from which he is getting paid a commission, he will not have your best interests at heart. Period.



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How to determine which mutual or index funds are best to invest in?

Monday, October 20th, 2008
seena asked:


Hi,
I am new to this area of finance and have no experience or backround education in it. I wanted to know how to determine which funds are the best to invest in. I have read some material online (limited myselfto top performing funds) but still feel vulnerable since I don’t feel I have knowledge whatsoever to feel confident that a particular fund is what will be suitable for me. Are there any indicators which one should look while chooosing mutual funds?

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Tax Planning With Mutual Fund Investments

Friday, October 17th, 2008
Ryan Crown asked:


By nature Mutual Funds are not tax saving instruments but some mutual fund investment products also offers tax saving plans. Generally income that is earned from Mutual funds is categorized under two heads dividend and capital gains. Given that the tax implications can have a significant impact on the return earned it is necessary to understand the tax for both these heads of income. Income earned through dividends is tax free in the hands of the investor. The tax on most occasions is actually paid by the Mutual Fund Company itself. Investors who fall in the highest tax bracket should opt for the dividend option in mutual fund schemes. Capital gains from mutual funds are of two types - short term (1-3year) and long term (more than 5 years). This classification is based upon the period of holding. If the investment is sold within a year 15 days from the date of purchase, any capital gain made would be treated as a short term nature. Hence the tax deducted will be normal. If the mutual fund investment is sold after a year from the date of purchase, any capital gain made during that period will be treated as a long-term capital gain. Here the tax that would be deducted will depend on how long the investment is kept after a year prior to getting it sold. The longer the fund is kept the lesser the tax to be paid.

A Good Fund that could be used to invest upon is the equity linked saving schemes fund (ELSS). They are strong favorites for investing as they provide tax concessions on investments and are also exempt from long term capital gains tax. Apart from ELSS schemes, diversified equity schemes are a good investment considering that capital gains in equity funds below one year are taxed at a rate of 10% and over a year are tax-free. This option can be best exercised using Growth Funds. The primary objective of Growth Funds is to provide investors long-term growth of the capital invested. Dividend paid in Dividend Plans is tax free, and no distribution tax is deducted. However, every time we buy or sell equity shares a Securities Transaction Tax, STT, of 0.25% is paid and further when you redeem your investment, again STT is deducted from your redemption price.

Tax Planning & saving options requires a through study of the market conditions, especially if you are trying to do it in a period of slump. Proper Asset Allocation, research and the advice of the Fund Manager will definitely help. Long term capital loss can be set off only against long term capital gains. Short term capital can be set off against any capital gains, whether short term or long term.



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What is the cheapest way to invest in mutual funds?

Thursday, October 16th, 2008
The Misses asked:


What is the cheapest way to invest in mutual funds (broker, bank, or mutual fund company)?
Can you suggest something specific?
How expensive is it?
thank you very much. that’s nice of you!

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Doing a Mutual Fund Comparison to Decide Which Mutual Fund to Invest in

Friday, October 10th, 2008
Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


There are many different mutual funds companies for you to invest with. Since each of these has many different options you may want to look in to doing a mutual fund comparison. The comparison of various mutual funds and the many stocks and bonds that can be found in a mutual fund will show you which ones are suited for investment. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to select about 2 to 3 different mutual funds companies.

Look to see what types of funds they are offering and how these funds are distributed. While this may take some time it is best to know the differences that can be found. You can then check in the financial news how these same stocks and bonds have been performing over a certain set period of time. There is one item that you should keep in mind when you are doing a mutual fund comparison.

As the stock market has a tendency to fluctuate, the values of stocks and bonds in your portfolio may rise and fall according to what is happening in the market. You will have to be prepared to take this risk if you are doing any investing in mutual funds. One of the best ways to prepare for this is to see what the expenses are that can be affected by a fall in the stock market.

In a mutual fund comparison you will find most of these expenses are ones that we seldom think about. For instance you will find that your stock gets affected by the fees and expenses which are generated to the investors. A high fee charge will over time pay less money to you. Whereas a low fee charge will provide you with a higher return. You can use a mutual fund cost calculator to see what you will have paid in return to you.

The size of the fund and the age will also need to be examined in a mutual fund comparison. Most new mutual funds have really great performance records due to their short term operating.

This picture can get changed as time passes and the fund increases. To remedy this shortcoming you can check how a mutual fund has performed over a long period of time. You will also need to make sure that you have taken into account the ups and down periods that a fund will go through.

There are other factors which will need to be investigated in a mutual fund comparison. A few of these include ones like the volatility of the fund, the recent changes which have occurred to the fund, how the diversification will affect your mutual fund portfolio.

By looking at all of these factors and others which you may consider important it will be easy to decide what type of mutual fund you want to invest in. A mutual fund comparison is one of the better ways that a client can decide which mutual fund to invest in.



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How do I find out which mutual funds that hold a certain stock?

Friday, October 10th, 2008
Big Ron asked:


For example, all mutual funds that hold AT&T (T)?

Keep in mind that AT&T was just an example. I want to be able to search mutual funds based on any particular stock it may hold. Where could I search for this information?

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Stock Versus Mutual Funds - Safe or Sorry?

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
Benjamin Wise asked:


It seems a little odd to compare stocks to mutual funds. Actually, mutual funds are largely composed of stocks. It is important to make the distinction between the two as there are some very real advantages to using mutual funds.

It is fun to invest in individual stocks because each company has its own story to tell. However, you want to focus on making money! Investing is not a game and should not be taken lightly.

When you invest in mutual funds, you are able to diversify and reduce your risk of losing money. Do you think that those wealthy investors out there just put their money in a couple of stocks? No! Either they are investing in mutual funds or are buying large numbers of stocks.

When you purchase mutual funds, you are hiring a professional manager at a relatively inexpensive price. It would be a little off the wall to think that you have more knowledge than a mutual fund manager! Most managers have been around the track a number of times and have the academic credentials to back up their knowledge.

Mutual fund companies have the advantage of capitalizing on economies of scale because they pool investors’ monies together. Since these companies have large amounts of money to invest, they usually have personal contacts at many brokerage firms and often trade commission-free.

Mutual funds are easy to take care of. The bookkeeper is much more challenged when there are hundreds of stocks to keep track of!

Mutual funds are very liquid. Put in your order for money in the morning if you are short on cash, and by the time the market closes you may have a check waiting for you. Stocks, on the other hand, are much more difficult. It all depends upon what you have invested in. CDs are not at all liquid and bonds are difficult as well.

If you are new to investing then mutual funds may be the way to go. You can invest small increments of money at regular intervals and not have to pay a trading cost. If you invest in stocks, you will find that they carry high transaction fees. This makes it quite difficult for the small investor to realize a profit.

If you are a wealthy stock investor, then you have it made because you get preferential treatment from the brokers. Wealthy bank account holders usually get the red carpet treatment from the banks. However, mutual funds do not discriminate. Whether you only have a paltry $50 or a huge sum of $500,000, you all get the same manager, the same investment and the same account access.

Generally speaking, mutual funds have a much lower risk than stocks. This is largely to diversification which was mentioned earlier.

With stocks, there is always the worry that the company you are investing in will go belly up! With mutual funds, that is next to impossible.

As you can see, there are many advantages in investing in mutual funds over stocks. It is not to be said that you should never invest in stocks, but if you are just getting your feet wet with investing it would be best to go with mutual funds!



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How to Find Value in No Load Mutual Fund Investing

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
Ulli G. Niemann asked:


What are you thinking when it comes to your no load mutual fund selections? Are you saving pennies and sacrificing dollars?

Are you spending your time looking at expense ratios, analyzing Morningstar ratings and searching for funds with low fees and no 12b1 charges? If you are like most people, you know these things in and out. You’ve spent hours evaluating them, and your chosen mutual funds cost little to purchase and maintain. But they still don’t perform to your hopes and expectations.

So, why is this happening? Because this kind of investing focuses on cost as opposed to value.

Investors with this philosophy have usually interviewed numerous advisors. But instead of trying to find someone suitable with a sensible approach, they only want to know who has the lowest fees. That’s like going to the cheapest auto repair shop and getting the best price, but your car still doesn’t run well.

Then there are the investors who call or email me wanting a recommendation on a no load mutual fund. They want one with no 12b1 charge, but they completely ignore the issue of how the fund might perform.

Both these kinds of investors spend their time trying to save pennies and in the process they are losing dollars. Instead of falling into the penny wise, dollar foolish trap, here are some ideas that will assist you in evaluating the end profit rather than just the short term saving.

1. Shift your focus from penny pinching to looking at the big picture: What can a mutual fund or an advisor do for you, not how much does it cost? Why? If you buy a given no load mutual fund at the right time and it gains a tidy 15% for you over a 6 week period, would you really care about the costs? If a mutual fund—or an advisor for that matter—can give you superior performance and an increase of several percentage points over your bargain price pick wouldn’t you pay an extra 0.25%?

2. Consider finding a fee-based investment advisor who uses a facts-based methodology and has a track record indicating those kinds of returns. For example, in my own practice I used a trend tracking approach to get my clients into the market on April 29, 2003. Plus, our research and homework led us to recommending funds that gained anywhere from 11.50% to 22.00% over the following 6 week period. How did you do during that time? Do you think any of my clients care whether one of these funds has a small 12b 1 charge? Or whether they have the lowest expense ratios in the industry? I know they don’t.

The bottom line is to look at costs as balanced by performance and that’s where you find value. Then seek true value not simple savings, enjoy healthy dollar-level returns and don’t sweat the pennies.



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