Investing

PowerShares Shut down 19 ETFs

Posted by Sun on May 4, 2009 (5) Comment

On one hand, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry continues to expand at a record pace (the total number of ETFs at the end of 2008 grew to 747, up 118 from 2007); on the other hand, funds that get no love from investors are being eliminated. Last Friday, PowerShares, one of the major players in [...]

Categories : ETF, Investing Tags:

I-Bond Rate for May 2009 – November 2009 Is 0%

Posted by Sun on May 2, 2009 (8) Comment

I hope you have bought some I-bonds before May 1, so you can still enjoy a little bit the 5.64% yield I-bond rate that was good till April 30. If you missed the deadline and bought some bonds yesterday, May 1st, then too bad because the rate for Series I Savings Bonds issued between May [...]

Categories : Bond, Investing, PF blogoshpere Tags:

Take a Big Picture View of the Stock Market

Posted by Sun on May 1, 2009 (3) Comment

The S&P 500 Index lost about 46% between August 2008 and September 2002 when the internet bubble burst.

Then it took the benchmark 5 years to reach a new all-time high in October 2007.

Then there came the subprime mortgage crisis, the collapse of the housing market and the financial market, eventually, the recession. In about one [...]

Categories : Investing, Stock Tags:

Stock Trades Since October 2008

Posted by Sun on April 30, 2009 (5) Comment

I am by no means a trader. I am not always looking for stocks to buy. However, since last October when the stock market started to sink, I have been active, relatively, on trading stocks. In fact, stocks I bought and sold since October 2008 are more than the total number of trades I did [...]

Categories : Investing, Stock Tags:

Prosper Relaunches, Becomes Prosper Loans Marketplace

Posted by Sun on April 29, 2009 (2) Comment

Prosper, once the largest operator of peer-to-peer lending until it shut down its operation in October 2008 amid regulatory scrutiny, has relaunched yesterday and now it’s called Prosper Loans Marketplace, with a twist on how to lend and borrow. However, since the Prosper is still in the process of completing registration with the Security and [...]

Categories : Personal finance, Stock Tags:

Investing in My SEP-IRA Account

Posted by Sun on April 28, 2009 (5) Comment

Before the April 15th tax deadline, I opened and funded a SEP-IRA account with Fidelity. The reason I chose Fidelity is that it is also the custodian of my 401(k) and my daughter’s 529 account (I am using the Fidelity UNIQUE plan which is tied to the Fidelity 529 Rewards Card). In addition, I also [...]

Categories : Investing, Mutual fund Tags:

Index Mutual Funds Are Still Not Popular, But

Posted by Sun on April 23, 2009 (5) Comment

Are you investing in equity mutual funds? If so, are you using index funds or actively managed funds?
I have mentioned a few times in the past that even though I use all index funds in my retirement savings accounts, I have nothing but actively managed funds in taxable accounts. The reason isn’t that I don’t [...]

Categories : Investing, Mutual fund Tags:

Target-Date Funds Aren’t That Safe

Posted by Sun on April 21, 2009 (4) Comment

One of the main advantages of target-date funds, or lifecycle funds, is that the asset allocation of these funds is automatically adjusted as the target date approaches, going from aggressive (more stocks, less bonds) in the early stage to conservative (more bonds, less stocks). With target-date funds, investors leave the the job of adjusting and [...]

Categories : Investing, Mutual fund Tags:

Morningstar’s New Chart Tool Is Impressive

Posted by Sun on April 20, 2009 (5) Comment

Whenever I need data on mutual funds, whether it’s a fund’s expense ratio, risk measures, or return, I always go to morningstar.com. It has been my trust tool for fund research for year, not only for mutual funds, but for ETFs as well. Then yesterday when I went to Morningstar to get some data for [...]

Categories : Investing, Tools Tags:

Discount Broker Comparison

Posted by Sun on April 17, 2009 (16) Comment

The best online discount brokers don’t necessarily offer the best value for investors. Before selecting an online brokerage, it’s better to know how much it will cost you to invest with it, even though cost isn’t the only concern.
When I look for a discount broker, one of the most important pieces of information I always [...]

Categories : Brokerage, Investing Tags:
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