Fund picks and pans stocks

Being 23 yrs. old and relatively new to the world of financial markets, I of course am not presumptous enough as to think I am ready to start the next Vanguard chain of mutual funds.

But with such a passion for stocks, it certainly seems a possibility I might consider pursuing someday.

What exactly are the main steps in putting together a mutual fund (including federal regulations, advertising techniques, and the chances of 1 new mutual fund getting noticed in a sea of over 40,000 existing ones)?

Thanks for your help!

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Tags: advertising techniques, financial markets, mutual fund, mutual funds, passion, stocks, thanks for your help, vanguard |

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Is now the right time to buy ETFs or Index Funds?

April 23rd, 2010

I am new to investing. After quite a bit of research I have decided to buy some ETFs like Vanguard’s Emerging Mkts, Energy and Materials ETF and Index funds like Vanguard’s REITS, Small Cap and S&P 500.

I just want to know if I were to buy the ETFs and Index Funds now, would I be entering the market when it is already at its peak?

Is there any imminent "down cycle" of the market that will make me incur only losses?

I do not want to enter and exit the market at the wrong time.

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Why are mutual fund companies with high expenses still around?

April 23rd, 2010

I’ve noticed that there are numerous, numerous mutual fund companies that have funds with expense ratios exceeding 2, 3, and even 4 percent. With fund companies like Vanguard and Fidelity offering funds with expeses that are a fraction of that, why are people still investing in high-expense funds?

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Why don't more mutual fund companies offer index funds like Vanguard?

April 21st, 2010

Why does Vanguard seem to have the monopoly on index funds?

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Buying Vanguard mutual fund through Vanguard or a Broker?

April 21st, 2010

I was planning on purchasing shares in Vanguard’s 2055 retirement mutual fund. However there is a 00 minimum initial deposit to start a fund.

Does this minimum still apply if I bought shares in the fund through a low-cost broker such as Tradeking that let me purchase individual funds and stocks? Or would this fund not be available through them?

If it is, would it make sense to buy it through them and avoid the fees associated with Vanguard?
Tradeking is .95 per trade. I don’t believe there are any other fees with them.

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Should I buy index funds or the comparable ETF?

April 18th, 2010

Right now I own index funds through vanguard. Most of their index funds have ETF equivalents whose price changes are basically the same.

The midcap index funds expense ratio is .21% and the etf is .13% but i have a 5 dollar comission everytime i buy. If I plan on keeping these for over 20 years and I buy in 500 dollar increments which strategy is better?

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Is now the right time to buy index funds?

April 15th, 2010

I’ ve been saving up some money to invest in index funds such as REITS, Small cap stocks and Vanguard S&P 500. I’ ve been contemplating if it is the right time to buy these funds now. I am new to investing and I keep hearing that market always goes in up and down cycles.

When i checked out the charts for the index funds I mentioned, it seems there has already been a down cycle between 2002 – 2003. From 2003 onwards there has generally been an upward trend in the charts till now (2007).

Is it ok to buy index funds now hoping that the market will continue to perform well or is there any imminent "down cycle" of the market?

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Why is it bad for a mutual fund to have too many assets?

April 11th, 2010

I keep reading on morningstar and other finance sites about how "such and such a mutual fund is getting too bloated with assets," and that this is especially a problem for funds that focus on small-cap stocks. And I see that Vanguard and many other companies have closed funds to new investors–even Vanguard’s Windsor II, which focuses on huge corporations, has restricted new investors. Let’s say a mutual fund purchases more that 50% of a company, why is that bad? Isn’t that what Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway does?

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Mutual fund?

April 5th, 2010

I will be soon a college student, in 2009. If I have some money, I will like to invest it in mutual fund in Vanguard. However, I think there would be a tax implication. I dont understand the tax thing. and there is many things that confuses me.