bonds

The True Cost of Investing

There is over $16 trillion invested in mutual funds. Mutual funds are an excellent way to invest and grow your wealth, however there is a great disparity in their fees. Studies show these fees are the greatest indicator of mutual fund performance. You may be even more surprised to learn that most financial advisors, professionals, […]
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SMART Mutual Funds

When it comes to investing, mutual funds are one of the most common ways to invest. Many investors enjoy selecting individual investments and monitoring their progress on a regular basis. This can be rewarding and fun if you have the time, experience and patience to research your investments and monitor their progress. Like many people, […]
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What Are Corporate Bonds?

A bond is a debt obligation, like an IOU. Investors who buy corporate bonds are lending money to the company issuing the bond. In return, the company makes a legal commitment to pay interest on the principal and, in most cases, to return the principal when the bond comes due, or matures. To understand bonds, it is helpful to […]
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What Are Savings Bonds?

Savings bonds are debt securities issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to help pay for the U.S. government’s borrowing needs. U.S. savings bonds are considered one of the safest investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Starting January 1, 2012, you can no longer buy […]
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What Are Municipal Bonds?

Municipal bonds (or “munis” for short) are debt securities issued by states, cities, counties and other governmental entities to fund day-to-day obligations and to finance capital projects such as building schools, highways or sewer systems. By purchasing municipal bonds, you are in effect lending money to the bond issuer in exchange for a promise of […]
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What Are Bonds?

A bond is a debt security, similar to an IOU. Borrowers issue bonds to raise money from investors willing to lend them money for a certain amount of time. When you buy a bond, you are lending to the issuer, which may be a government, municipality, or corporation. In return, the issuer promises to pay […]
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What are Target-Date Investment Funds?

Target-Date Investment Funds During the past twenty years target-date funds have become more popular with investors. Target-date investment funds also known as life-cycle, retirement, or age-based funds were first introduced in the early 1990s. Mutual funds offered instant diversification by pooling money and investing in the major asset classes (stocks, bonds, alternative investments, cash). This gave […]
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SMART CHART – Real Return of Cash

SAM RO When investors get scared and they have nowhere to hide, they move their money to cash. Cash is arguably a great place to store your wealth briefly until you make your next investing move. However, cash itself is not really an investment. “The one thing I will tell you is the worst investment […]
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Setting An Investment Strategy

 Setting up an investment strategy can seem incredibly complex. You can find plenty of information on investing from the web, magazines, news sources, books, seminars, and even tips from friends. Unfortunately some people spend a great deal of time on investment strategies that are more likely to reduce rather than increase their investment portfolios. A […]
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