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February 17, 2020 Mutual Funds No Comments

Market Regulator May Widen Stock Universe for India Mutual Funds

Market Regulator May Widen Stock Universe for India Mutual Funds India’s markets regulator plans to revise the definition of large- and mid-cap shares for mutual funds, a move that will grant money managers the flexibility to invest in a wider set of stocks. “We … Continue reading at bloomberg.com Euro’s Fate Lies in Who Blinks […]

February 16, 2020 Mutual Funds One Comment

3 Must-Have Northern Mutual Funds for a Solid Portfolio

3 Must-Have Northern Mutual Funds for a Solid Portfolio Below we focus on three top-ranked Northern mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank 1 (Strong Buy). Continue reading at finance.yahoo.com Best And Worst Q1 2020: Energy ETFs And Mutual Funds The Energy sector ranks fourth out of the 11 sectors as detailed […]

February 13, 2020 Personal 16 Comments

Trump’s budget could make it harder to stay on Social Security disability insurance

Trump’s budget could make it harder to stay on Social Security disability insurance Though President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to protect Social Security benefits, his budget includes big cuts to parts of the program. One proposal could make it more difficult for individuals … Continue reading at cnbc.com How zero-based budgeting can transform your […]

February 12, 2020 Mutual Funds No Comments

Big Technology Stocks Dominate ESG Funds

February 11, 2020 Personal 10 Comments

12 Budgeting Tips for New Parents

February 9, 2020 Mutual Funds No Comments

Best And Worst Q1 2020: Consumer Cyclicals ETFs And Mutual Funds

Best And Worst Q1 2020: Consumer Cyclicals ETFs And Mutual Funds Based on an aggregation of ratings of the 449 stocks in the Consumer Cyclicals sector. XLY is our top-rated Consumer Cyclicals sector ETF and FSRPX is our top-rated Consumer Cyclicals mutual fund. The … Continue reading at seekingalpha.com Mutual Funds Are Still Keeping Secrets […]

February 6, 2020 Dividends 3 Comments

Lockheed Martin Has Growing Dividend Income For 18 Years And Great Total Return

Lockheed Martin Has Growing Dividend Income For 18 Years And Great Total Return The dividend was last increased in September 2019 for an increase from $ 2.20/Qtr to $ … and I look at this as an opportunity to buy BA at a decent price . From the latest news on Boeing is a … […]

February 5, 2020 Mutual Funds No Comments

The Difference Between Hedge Funds and Mutual Funds

The Difference Between Hedge Funds and Mutual Funds You keep hearing about these big hedge funds making big bets on stocks, but you’re only invested in mutual funds. They both pool together money from a group of investors and manage the total chunk of … Continue reading at thestreet.com Mutual Funds Are Still Keeping Secrets […]

According to Lubaszka, the U.S. dollar has lost more than 80% of its original value since the early 70's when we went to a floating currency, a situation not helped very much by the debut of the Euro in the late 1990s. Unlike American dollars, a portion of the Euro is gold-backed, a stability feature that has helped it outperform the dollar over the long haul. It is for this reason that many foreign investors have been taking money out of U.S. dollars and putting it into gold and oil instead, one explanation for why the price of both has continued to rise in recent months.

Wherever you look, you will find various rating systems on mutual funds, each of which uses a different approach. All of them are designed to weed through the thousands of funds to get to the best ones. But is there really such a thing? Does a high rating really mean a fund will do better in the future? Many people seem to think so. A recent study showed that Morningstar, North America's most recognized rating system for funds, has a tremendous influence on fund sales. If Morningstar gives a five-star rating, those funds typically enjoy increased sales as a result.

Performance will vary. Fund performance often falls off and risk levels rise during the subsequent three years after a fund is given an initial five-star Morningstar rating, suggests another recent study by Matthew Morey, a professor at Pace University. One reason for this is that after receiving a five-star rating the size of the fund grows dramatically, which then makes the fund unwieldy to manage, he suggests. Since Morey's study was completed, Morningstar also has changed the way it doles out top rankings to make them more precise. One of the biggest problems with all rating systems is that they are not necessarily predictive in nature. This means they're not really set up to tell you whether certain funds will necessarily do better in the future. For the most part, the ratings indicate how much you might have made and how much aggravation you faced in the process.