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Portfolio


  • Emerging Stars

    May 1, 2012

    With diversified emerging markets funds, you can add performance pop to your portfolio without taking on too much risk.

  • Fight Night: ETFs vs. Open-End Funds

    May 1, 2012

    It's the distribution platform driving the battle between these two investments products.

  • Fight Night: ETFs Versus Open-End Funds

    May 7, 2012

    It's the distribution platform driving the battle between these two investment products.

  • Catch A Falling Dollar

    April 1, 2012

    The U.S. currency is seemingly in inexorable decline. Planners can use that knowledge to make smart choices for their clients.

  • Beyond Borders

    April 1, 2012

    Despite wildly different 10-year returns, international stock funds all have similar impact in a 12-asset portfolio.

  • The Decline of the American Dollar

    April 1, 2012

    The fall of the U.S. dollar could lead to higher inflation, so what's an investor to do?

  • Small Thoughts

    March 1, 2012

    A portfolio that doesn't include small-cap U.S. stocks is probably producing weaker returns than it otherwise would have.

  • First Impressions

    March 1, 2012

    Does a resurgent IPO market signal dot-com II or an opportunity to find the next Google?

  • Too Many Investors Sell Low—Help Clients Avoid That Pitfall

    March 1, 2012

    We applaud diversifying into different asset classes, but memories of recent losses are keeping too many people out of the equity markets.

  • Mid-Cap's Role

    February 1, 2012

    If you've taken the time to assemble a truly diversified portfolio, almost any mid-cap fund will work well.

  • A Moving Target?

    February 1, 2012

    When a client has target-date funds in a 401(k), you must decide whether to shake up the portfolio and start from scratch.

  • Short-Term Lending

    February 1, 2012

    Helping clients deal with cash flow issues takes a lot of listening, creative thinking and some hard-nosed honesty.

  • ETFs Hit Saturation Point (Just Like Good TV Shows)

    February 1, 2012

    Why SPY is the Law & Order of exchange-traded funds, while SPDR Dow Jones Total Market is more like Boston Common.

  • Retirement by Design

    January 1, 2012

    As one advisor found, planners need to know how to do much more than build wealth for their clients.

  • Going for Growth

    January 1, 2012

    Investors who look in the right places can still find companies with accelerating revenues and profits.

  • Swapping Out

    January 1, 2012

    If you've got the right asset allocation model, it doesn't really matter what large-cap equity fund you use.

  • Lifting the Clouds Over Annuities

    January 3, 2012

    There are fresh messages about the value of annuities—but don't assume your clients are aware of them yet.

  • Decoding Mortgage REITs

    December 1, 2011

    To see if mortgage REITs might be right for your clients, analyze these companies like the levered bond funds they really are.

  • Shock Absorbers

    December 1, 2011

    Equity-income funds provide a buffer against extreme market volatility.

  • All That Glitters

    December 1, 2011

    Planners aren't as enthusiastic as some of their clients are about gold and silver.

  • Better Tools for Financial Advisors

    December 1, 2011

    Indexes have come a long way and can be effective tools for advisors, but you have to know how to use them

  • Unlisted REITs: Caveat Emptor

    November 1, 2011

    These controversial products promise a high, consistent dividend, but the pitfalls are real.

  • Better Than Cash

    November 1, 2011

    Portfolio diversification isn't only for equities.

  • The Latin Quarter

    November 1, 2011

    Latin American stocks have led their emerging-market peers over the last decade, but can they continue to overachieve?

  • Made-to-Order Indexes

    November 1, 2011

    Index creation is becoming ever more specialized as demand for new ETFs grows unabated.

  • Going Into Reverse

    November 1, 2011

    If a reverse mortgage makes sense for your client, it may make sense to apply now in case home prices fall further.

  • Volatility, It's Here to Stay

    November 1, 2011

    As the market swings wildly, are your clients' portfolios holding their own?

  • Part Stock, Part Bond, These Hybrids Pay Real Dividends

    November 1, 2011

    Preferreds are getting popular because they generate income—but they require a lot of diligence and involve a lot of fine print

  • Multiply Returns by Dividing

    October 1, 2011

    For complete equity market exposure, three funds may be better than one.

  • High Energy Yields

    October 1, 2011

    Some lesser-known investment options may add pep to the portfolios of clients seeking more yield.

  • Buoyant Bonds

    October 1, 2011

    As sovereign debt keeps rising, so have the prices of fixed-income investments.

  • Getting the Best Fee

    October 1, 2011

    Fund fees make a difference, so get your clients the best deal.

  • With Easy Gains Gone, Emerging Markets Still Offer Value

    October 1, 2011

    After a decade-long bull run, the pace will slow—but the performance will still beat anything you'll find at home.

  • Dividend-Paying Stocks Should be Foundation of Portfolios

    October 1, 2011

    With people living longer and retirements stretching to 35 years, the need for income is greater than ever.

  • Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?

    September 1, 2011

    Running a risk analysis can help advisors and their clients figure out if it makes financial sense.

  • Target Funds: To or Through?

    September 1, 2011

    Should your clients stay in a target-date fund beyond the target date?

  • Double Plays

    September 1, 2011

    An ever-expanding roster of total return funds take different paths towards their goals of cash flow and asset growth.

  • You Say Potato, I Say Value

    September 1, 2011

    If the lines between value and growth are blurred, how should advisors determine a benchmark?

  • Municipal Bonds: Opportunity or Wealth Destroyer?

    September 1, 2011

    Local revenues are on the rise—the first quarter of 2011 market the sixth consecutive period in which state and city revenues have increased.

  • Seeking Steady Income In an Unstable World

    August 1, 2011

    Advisors will be increasingly called upon to create endowment-like portfolios and will need to combine several routine techniques.

  • Keeping It Simple

    August 1, 2011

    Clients can achieve a broad-based, globally focused portfolio of stocks and bonds with just four funds.

  • Being Reasonable

    August 1, 2011

    One of an advisor's greatest challenges? Directing client expectations - and meeting them with portfolio performance.

  • Eyeing REITs for Growth

    August 1, 2011

    Investing in distressed commercial real estate could pay off if advisors screen the options carefully.

  • The Hedging Game

    August 1, 2011

    Structured products' risk-reward ratio is worse than you think.

  • The Benchmarking Game

    July 1, 2011

    Using the S&P 500 as a benchmark probably means you're overstating performance and understating risk.

  • Piece by Piece

    July 1, 2011

    Take a close look at the risk and performance over four decades of seven asset classes in a diversified portfolio.

  • Looking for Laggards

    July 1, 2011

    Contrarians must decide if underperformers offer profit potential - or could burn investors yet again.

  • Performance And Flow

    July 1, 2011

    Skeptics who doubt investors' ability to identify good buys may be surprised

  • Like a Stock, But Different

    July 1, 2011

    When it comes to trading, there are some considerations advisors can take into account to make their utilization of exchange-traded funds more efficient.

  • Price Controls

    June 1, 2011

    When choosing inflation hedges, planners should consider valuations as well as historical performance.

  • Costly Harvest

    June 1, 2011

    Experts debate whether tax-Ioss selling adds value or postpones a growing tax bill.

  • The Rebalancing Premium

    June 1, 2011

    The extra return generated when a 60/40 portfolio is regularly rebalanced can provide a clue to performance.

  • The Next Big Thing Is Here

    June 1, 2011

    Structured CDs seemed to come out of nowhere. But they quickly became, arguably, the hottest products in the bank channel.

  • Using Alternatives to Your Clients' Benefit

    June 1, 2011

    Despite claims to the contrary, Modern Portfolio Theory isn't dead—it's just being used improperly.