Chuck Jaffe's Lifetime Guide To Mutual Funds An Owner's Manual

by Jaffe, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780738202730
• ISBN10: 0738202738
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-16
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Encyclopedic in its scope yet easy-to-use, this mutual-fund "owner's manual" is a one-stop resource for anyone who wants to go beyond the basics and start planning long-term, profitable fund investments. Breezy, readable, and organized into manageable mini-chapters, it will prove indispensable for investors with all levels of financial experience and knowledge. Syndicated columnist Chuck Jaffe is an idea coach to the ins and outs of mutual-fund ownership, from buying and selling funds to passing them on to heirs. He cuts through the clutter that confuses many investors and costs them money.

Author Biography

Charles A. Jaffe writes the syndicated column "Your Funds," which appears in over fifty newspapers nationwide and is read by an estimated twenty-five million Americans every week. He is also a personal finance writer for the Boston Globe. As one of the best-known experts in this area, Jaffe speaks at dozens of major personal-finance conferences annually and is a trusted lifeline for mutual-fund investors everywhere.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
A User's Guide to This Book	p. xvii
When You Buy	p. 1
What is a Mutual Fund?	p. 3
Why Mutual Funds?	p. 7
Seven Steps to Buying a Fund	p. 13
Twelve Questions to Ask Before You Buy	p. 19
Characteristics of a Winning Fund	p. 29
Characteristics of a Losing Fund	p. 35
Investment Objectives	p. 41
Types of Funds	p. 45
Investment Styles	p. 57
Risk	p. 65
Types of Funds Not to Buy	p. 71
Load Versus No-Load	p. 79
Expense Ratios	p. 87
Turnover	p. 93
What Past Performance Really Says About a Fund	p. 99
Ratings Versus Rankings	p. 105
Money-Market Funds	p. 109
Bonds Versus Bond Funds	p. 113
Tax Efficiency	p. 117
Retirement Accounts	p. 123
Risk Measures	p. 129
Registering Your Fund Purchase	p. 133
When You Own	p. 137
Section 23	p. 139
Monitoring Your Funds	p. 145
Asset Allocation	p. 151
Diversification	p. 155
Rebalancing a Portfolio	p. 159
Measuring Performance and Benchmarking	p. 163
Figuring Your Real Performance in a Fund	p. 167
Fund Supermarkets and Wrap Accounts	p. 171
Paying Taxes on Your Funds	p. 177
When a Fund Closes or Reopens	p. 183
What's a Nav?	p. 187
Your Fund's Paperwork	p. 191
How Your Fund Group Can Make Your Life Easier	p. 199
Dealing with Your Fund Company	p. 205
When You Sell	p. 209
Deciding Whether You Should Sell	p. 211
Don't Make Excuses for Your Fund	p. 219
Take the """"Sell Everything"""" Test	p. 223
Analyzing What Went Wrong	p. 227
Tax Strategies When Selling a Fund	p. 233
Pulling the Rip Cord	p. 239
You'Ve Got Your Money-- What Next?	p. 245
How to Reach Your Fund by Phone	p. 247
Reaching Your Fund Family Via the Internet	p. 265
Index	p. 273
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.