Morningstar? Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success

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Format: eBook
Pub. Date: 2003-02-01
Publisher(s): WILEY
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Summary

Praise for Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds"Picking actively managed mutual funds is no mean challenge. And as the recent era underscores, past performance is of little help. The Morningstarreg; Guide to Mutual Funds helps cut through the fog with a solid volume of constructive advice. The central message-?truly diversify, keep it simple, focus on costs, and stick with it'-is not only timeless, it is priceless." -John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO, The Vanguard Group"There's nothing Morningstar doesn't know about mutual funds. And at last, for ready reference, there's a book. You'll find everything here you need to know about managing fund investments, inside or outside a 401(k)." -Jane Bryant Quinn, Newsweek columnist and author of Making the Most of Your Money"All serious mutual fund investors know that Morningstar is the source of impeccable data and sound investment advice. This book is the culmination of nearly two decades of research, analysis, and good old commonsense wisdom." -Tyler Mathisen, financial journalist, CNBC"Momentum investing, the hype in NASDAQ, the dot-com mania are mostly behind us. Now, we must navigate through the market debris. We need a compass as we look to allocate our financial resources in a way best suited to maintain purchasing power and fully fund retirement. The Morningstarreg; Guide will help investors find true north and steer a course to reach their long-term financial goals." -Mario J. Gabelli, Chief Investment Officer Gabelli Asset Management, a publicly traded company"A generation of investors who took the stock market for granted now know how important it is to understand-and control-their own investments. The Morningstarreg; Guide should be their most important resource." -Terry Savage, Chicago Sun-Times financial columnist and author of The Savage Truth on Money

Table of Contents

PART ONE: HOW TO PICK MUTUAL FUNDS.
Chapter 1: Know What Your Fund Owns
Using the Morningstar Style Box.
Using the Morningstar Categories.
Examining Sector Weightings.
Examining Number of Holdings.
Checking Up on the Frequency of Portfolio Changes.
Investor's Checklist: Know What Your Fund Owns.
Chapter 2: Put Performance in Perspective.
Understanding Total Return.
Checking Up on Aftertax Returns.
Putting Returns in Perspective.
Using Indexes as Benchmarks.
Using Peer Groups as Benchmarks.
The Perils of Return Chasing.
Return History: The Longer the Better.
Investor's Checklist: Put Performance in Perspective.
Chapter 3: Understand the Risks.
Evaluating Future Risks.
Morningstar's Risk Rating.
The Morningstar Rating (The Star Rating).
Investor's Checklist: Understanding the Risks.
Chapter.4: Get to Know Your Fund Manager.
Understanding Types of Fund Management.
Assessing Management.
Dealing with Management Changes.
Assessing Fund Companies.
Investor's Checklist: Get to Know Your Fund Manager.
Chapter 5: Keep a Lid on Costs.
Avoiding the Rearview Mirror Trap.
Understanding Sales Charges.
Investor's Checklist: Keep a Lid on Costs.
PART TWO: HOW TO BUILD A PORTFOLIO.
Chapter 6: Match Your Portfolio to Your Goals.
Defining Your Goals.
Setting Your Asset Allocation.
Targeting Your Goal.
Making Up for Shortfalls.
Diversifying Your Portfolio.
Investing for Goals That Are Close at Hand.
Investor's Checklist: Match Your Portfolio to Your Goals.
Chapter 7: Put Your Portfolio Plan in Action.
Building Your Portfolio's Foundation.
Knowing How Many Funds Are Enough.
What You Really Need: Diversification.
Avoiding Overlap.
Simplifying Your Investment Life.
Building a Simple Portfolio.
Investor's Checklist: Put Your Portfolio Plan in Action.
PART THREE: FINDING IDEAS FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO.
Chapter 8: Find the Right Core Stock Fund for You.
Understanding Value Funds.
Understanding Growth Funds.
Deciding between Style-Specific and Flexible Funds.
The Indexing versus Active Management Debate.
Using Exchange-Traded Funds As an Index Fund Alternative.
Investor's Checklist: Find the Right Core Fund for You.
Chapter 9: Move Beyond the Core.
Using Sector Funds Wisely.
Using Real-Estate Funds in a Portfolio.
Using Foreign Funds in a Portfolio.
Using Small-Cap Funds in a Portfolio.
Investor's Checklist: Move Beyond the Core.
Chapter 10: Find the Right Bond Fund for You.
Understanding Interest-Rate Risk.
Understanding Credit-Quality Risk.
Buying Core Bond Funds.
Specialty Strategy 1: Municipal Bond Funds.
Specialty Strategy 2: High-Yield Bond Funds.
Specialty Strategy 3: Prime-Rate Funds.
Specialty Strategy 4: Inflation-Indexed Bond Funds.
Putting It All Together.
Investor's Checklist: Find the Right Bond for You.
Chapter 11: Finding the Right Fund Companies for You.
Kicking the Tires: No-Load Fund Families.
Kicking the Tires: Load Fund Families.
Kicking the Tires: Boutiques.
Investor's Checklist: Finding the Right Fund Companies for You.
PART FOUR: MONITORING YOUR PORTFOLIO.
Chapter 12: Schedule Regular Checkups.
Knowing When to Rebalance.
Conducting a Quarterly Review.
Investor's Checklist: Schedule Regular Checkups.
Chapter 13: Know When to Sell.
Keeping an Eye on Asset Growth.
Knowing What to Make of Manager Changes.
Monitoring Fund-Family Growth, Mergers, or Acquisitions.
Spotting Yellow Flags.
Spotting Red Flags.
Knowing When to Sell.
Investor's Checklist: Know When to Sell.
Chapter 14: Keep a Cool Head in Turbulent Markets.
Investing in Bear Markets.
What to Do When Your Fund Owns a "Scandal Stock".
Plan for Taxes.
Rebalance.
Investing in Bull Markets.
Investor's Checklist: Keep a Cool Head in Turbulent Markets.
PART FIVE: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: MORNINGSTAR PORTFOLIOS.
Chapter 15Look Inside Morningstar's Portfolios.
Using the Portfolios.
Our Fund-Selection Process.
Putting the Pieces Together.
PART SIX: MORE ON MUTUAL FUNDS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
1. How Does the Morningstar Rating for Mutual Funds Work?
2. What Should I Do When My Fund Loses a Star?
3. How Does Morningstar's Style Box Work?
4. How Do I Buy My First Fund?
5. What Should I Do When My Fund Manager Leaves?
6. Should I Buy a Rookie Fund?
7. Should I Buy a Fund That's Closing?
8. Should I Buy a Fund That's Doing Really Well?
9. Should I Buy a Fund That's in the Dumps?
10. How Can I Pay Less in Taxes?
11. How Can I Determine Whether a Fund Is Best for a Taxable Account or a Tax-Sheltered Account?
12. How Can I Find the Best Fund Supermarket?
13. How Can I Find a Financial Planner?
14. How Do I Read a Fund's Prospectus?
15. What Do I Need to Know About the Statement of Additional Information?
16. How Do I Read a Fund's Shareholder Report?
RECOMMENDED READING.
OTHER MORNINGSTAR RESOURCES.
INDEX.

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