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Investment Planning Issues

INVESTMENT OPTIONS FOR FUNDING COLLEGE EDUCATION

(09/01/04)-- One of the biggest challenges for families saving for their children's college education is that there are so many options for saving, and one size does not fit all. Which options are right for you depend in part on the age of your child, family income, potential for financial aid, and the expected cost of college. Here are the major college-savings options to consider. Click here for the complete article.

SHOULD YOU CONSIDER INVESTING IN COMMODITIES?

(08/01/04)-- Are you concerned that bonds have run their course as interest rates start to climb, and that the returns for stocks in the coming decade may be below their historical average, as some observers predict? How about adding a little pork belly to your investment portfolio? Or soybeans, copper, gold, timber, cattle futures, or oil? Click here for the complete article.

SHOULD YOU CONSIDER EQUITY-INDEXED ANNUITIES?

(01/04/03)-- Would you invest in a product that lets you participate in stock market gains but protects you against market declines? That’s the promise of equity-indexed annuities, and considering the state of the stock market these past three years, it’s a tempting promise. But equity indexed annuities are complicated, with many variations, and they’re not right for everyone. Click here for the complete article.

ARE YOU DREADING YOUR ANNUAL PORTFOLIO REVIEW?

(11/01/02)-- For many investors, the thought of reviewing the performance of their portfolio over the past year is about as appealing as having to go down to the basement to investigate the source of that foul smell: you know you need to do it, but you dread what you’ll find. Click here for the complete article.

SHOULD YOU BE PREPARING A 'WAR' PORTFOLIO?

(06/10/02)-- Should you be bulletproofing your portfolio for wartime? Click here for the complete article.

DO YOU HAVE REALISTIC MARKET EXPECTATIONS?

(05/23/02)-- What kind of market returns do you expect in the coming decade? Will stocks bounce back to the high returns of the late 1990s, equal historical averages or slip below that? Will the returns you anticipate be enough for you to meet your personal financial goals? What will you do if returns come in below average? Click here for the complete article.

SERPS BOOST EXECUTIVE RETIREMENT INCOME

(02/06/02)-- Because of the contribution limits of qualified retirement plans and individual retirement accounts, an increasingly popular method to enhance the retirement income of highly paid executives is the supplemental executive retirement plan. Click here for the complete article.

PRIVATE EQUITY INCREASINGLY POPULAR ALTERNATIVE TO MUTUAL FUNDS

(02/06/02)-- Once the domain of institutions and the wealthiest of investors, a sophisticated alternative form of investing known as private equity is trickling down to less affluent investors. Although the current market has taken some of the steam out of this increasingly popular form of investing, qualified investors may want to consider adding this asset class to their more traditional portfolios of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Click here for the complete article.

CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES: INVESTING FOR THE WARY

(01/04/02)-- The sale of convertibles had a banner year in 2001, and we aren’t talking about car sales. Click here for the complete article.

SHOULD YOU PREPAY MORTGAGE IN A DOWN MARKET?

(11/07/01)-- Disenchanted with stock and bond returns, some homeowners are diverting their investment money into their home mortgage. But many financial advisors think this is not always as good an idea as it might first appear. Here are some points for you to consider before you decide whether to prepay your home mortgage. Click here for the complete article.

WHERE TO FIND HIGHER-EARNING CASH ALTERNATIVES

(11/07/01)-- In uncertain times such as these, cash is king. Frightened investors are fleeing to cash, and well-funded cash emergency funds can prove invaluable for families worried about losing their jobs or facing other emergencies. However, with the Fed pushing down interest rates, the after-tax yields on standard cash equivalents such as money markets and savings accounts are not much better than stuffing your money under the mattress. Click here for the complete article.

INVESTING SHOULD REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE LONG TERM

(10/05/01)-- It's not easy to grasp. It goes against our instincts. But the fact is, despite the horror of the terrorist attacks on September 11, investing basics remain the same. Click here for the complete article.

MUTUAL FUND LABELS: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

(08/01/01)-- What's in a mutual fund's name? Not as much as many investors might think, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC earlier this year imposed new rules requiring that the assets in a mutual fund and the investment style suggested by the fund's name more closely match each other. This was done because investors often are confused or misled by mutual fund names. Click here for the complete article.

NEW SEC INSIDER TRADING RULES EASE PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFICATION

(06/12/01)-- Click here for the complete article.

GOING YOUR SEPARATE WAY WITH A SEPARATE ACCOUNT

(03/07/01)-- There's nothing quite like receiving a year-end 1099, showing a large amount of taxable distributions from a losing mutual fund, to send shareholders scrambling for alternatives that can better manage investment taxes. Buying individual stocks is always one strategy, but investors typically give up the inherent diversification and professional management benefits that mutual funds provide. The increasingly popular exchange-traded funds, which trade like stocks, is another way, but these generally are index funds, not classic actively managed funds. Another method that some investors, especially wealthier ones, may want to consider is separate accounts. Click here for the complete article.

INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE THROUGH REITS

(02/01/01)-- Amid the carnage of the stock market in 2000 it was easy to spot the survivors and the winners. One winner was U.S. Treasury securities, which as a group returned around 13.5 percent for the year. The other, a surprise many investors may not yet realize, was real estate in the form of REITs and the mutual funds that invest in REITs. Click here for the complete article.

FANNIE AND GINNIE MAES OFFER ALTERNATIVES TO TREASURY SECURITIES

(11/01/00)-- Bond buyers seeking safety have traditionally bought U.S. Treasury securities. But the U.S. government's efforts to reduce the national debt is shrinking the pool of Treasuries and forcing bond buyers to look elsewhere. Two alternatives recommended by many fixed-income experts are Fannie Maes and Ginnie Maes. Click here for the complete article.

HOW TO DIVERSIFY YOUR EMPLOYER'S STOCK

(10/04/00)-- Bill Gates did it. So did Michael Dell and the Walton clan and many of the wealthiest people in America. Why shouldn't you? Click here for the complete article.

INVESTORS SCURRY FOR NEW BENCHMARK

(06/30/00)-- What's an investor to do? For better than a quarter century, investors of all stripes have looked to the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond as the benchmark against which to judge all other investments. But that benchmark is in tatters. So where should investors, particularly bond buyers, turn to now for safety? Click here for the complete article.

LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROVIDES TAX BREAKS FOR INVESTORS

(06/05/00)-- Interested in a tax shelter that provides steady-if unspectacular-returns, and at the same time benefits the community? Consider an overlooked but increasingly popular investment called the low-income housing tax credit. Click here for the complete article.