Tocqueville Gold Fund (TGLDX)

One of the popular and best precious metals mutual funds is Tocqueville Gold fund. This Tocqueville fund has been rated among the best gold mutual fund. Details about this fund review can be found below.

Tocqueville Gold (MUTF: TGLDX)

The investment aim of Tocqueville Gold fund is to provide long-term capital appreciation. This precious metals equity fund uses its assets to purchase gold and securities of companies engaged in mining or processing gold. The companies may be located around the world, either developed market or emerging markers. It may also invest in other precious metals.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: June 29, 1998
• Ticker Symbol: TGLDX
• CUSIP: 888894862
• Beta (3yr): 68.94
• Rank in category (YTD): 21%
• Category: Equity Precious Metals
• Yield: 0.00%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.25%

Top 10 Financial Sector Stock Mutual Funds 2012

This post is about top 10 financial sector stock mutual funds of 2012. Best funds are Prudential Financial Services, Burnham Financial Industries, FBR Small Cap Financial,  Royce Financial Services, etc.

Best Financial Mutual Funds

Intro

U.S. domestic equity mutual fund may specialize in a specific sector of the stock market. These specialty categories are financials, communications, natural resources, real estate, utilities, technology, health care, and miscellaneous.

These sector equity funds invest in its specific sector according to the fund objective. For instance, the real estate sector stock mutual fund will invest its assets in companies operated in real estate industry, etc.

The financial sector stock fund typically uses its assets to purchase stocks of companies operated in financial or banking services. It may include brokerage, investment, insurance, credit services, and asset management business. More details can be found in its fund prospectus.

Best Financial Mutual Funds

These best financial sector equity funds are selected based on its long term performance. You may find information such as fund review, yield, performance, management, load, rating, top stocks, etc.

Top 10 Financial Sector Stock Mutual Funds of 2012 are:

1. Prudential Financial Services A (PFSAX)
2. Burnham Financial Industries A (BURFX)
3. Kinetics Market Opportunities Advisor A (KMKAX)
4. FBR Small Cap Financial Investor (FBRSX)
5. Royce Financial Services Service (RYFSX)

First Investors Tax-Exempt II Fund (EIITX) Class A

This next article you will find the fund review of First Investors Tax Exempt II fund which is one of national municipal bond mutual funds. If you want a tax free income, you should choose municipal bond. Using mutual fund, investors can diversify their investment in this muni bond.

First Investors Tax-Exempt II A (MUTF: EIITX)

The First Investors Tax Exempt II fund objective is to provide a high level of interest income exempt from federal income tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax. This fixed income fund typically invests only in high quality municipal securities that are rated as investment grade at the time of purchase. The fund will purchase bonds with maturities of 15 years or more.

First Investors Tax Exempt II

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: July 26, 1990
• Ticker Symbol: EIITX
• CUSIP: 30157P300
• Beta (3yr): 1.27
• Rank in category (YTD): 10%
• Category: Muni National Interm
• Yield: 3.59%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.01%
• Net Assets: $ 240.82 million
• Number of Years Up: 18 years
• Number of Years Down: 3 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 91%

Updated on 5/26/2012

Best Fidelity Mutual Funds 2012

The top 10 best Fidelity Mutual Funds of 2012 are Fidelity Mega Cap Stock, Fidelity Total Bond, Fidelity Small Cap Discovery, etc. This post will provide each fund review (stock and bond).

Intro

Mutual funds are one type of the investment funds. Mutual funds combine money from various investors and invest the money in stocks, bonds, money market, or the combination. These mutual funds may be managed by a portfolio manager or passively managed based on index.

One of the popular mutual fund families is Fidelity Investments. Fidelity offers wide selection of mutual funds. There are several of categories to choose from. Some of the categories are domestic stock fund, international stock fund, municipal bond fund, emerging market stock fund, real estate equity fund, diversified bond fund, high yield bond, and balanced fund. There are 263 Fidelity mutual funds; currently there are 238 mutual funds that are open to new investors.

Best Fidelity Mutual Funds

These best Fidelity mutual funds are selected based on the following criteria:

• It has no transaction fees or sales load
• It provides diversification into variety of asset allocation
• It has good performance history
• It has low minimum initial investment requirement of $2,500

You will find other fund information and review such as fund management, expense ratio fee, Morningstar rating, fund performance, top holdings, etc. You can buy these best Fidelity mutual funds by opening Fidelity brokerage account online. They also offers 30 free commission iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Top 10 Best Fidelity Mutual Funds of 2012 are:

1. Fidelity Mega Cap Stock Fund (FGRTX)
2. Fidelity Small Cap Discovery Fund (FSCRX)
3. Fidelity International Discovery Fund (FIGRX)

Nuveen Tradewinds Value Opportunities A (NVOAX) Fund

Having large cap US stock mutual funds can be very essential for many investors. One of the best large cap US stock mutual funds are Nuveen Tradewinds Value Opportunities mutual fund.

Nuveen Tradewinds Value Opportunities A (NVOAX)

The investment objective of Nuveen Tradewinds Value Opportunities fund is to seek long-term capital growth. This large blend US stock mutual fund invests mainly in equity securities of US companies with varying market capitalizations (small-, mid-, and large-capitalization companies). It may invest in non-U.S equity securities and in emerging market countries companies stocks.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 12/9/2004
• Ticker Symbol: NVOAX
• CUSIP: 67064Y669
• Beta (3yr): 0.86
• Rank in category (YTD): 9%
• Category: Large Blend
• Distribution: 2.19%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.20%  
• Net Assets: $ 3.25 billion
• Number of Years Up: 5 years
• Number of Years Down: 2 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 77%

Updated on 4/20/2012

Columbia Acorn A (LACAX) Fund

One of the growth stock mutual funds category is mid cap growth fund. This stock mutual fund invests mainly in companies with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. One of popular mutual funds is Columbia Acorn fund.

Columbia Acorn A (Ticker: LACAX)

This Columbia Acorn fund uses its assets to buy small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of purchase. It invests the most of assets in U.S. companies, however also may invest some part of assets (<33%) in foreign companies in developed markets and in emerging markets.

Columbia Acorn Fund

Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: Oct 13, 2000
• Ticker Symbol: LACAX
• CUSIP: 197199102
• Beta (3yr): 1.22
• Rank in category (YTD): 34%
• Category: Mid-Cap Growth
• Distribution Rate: 0.05%
• Capital Gains: 0%

Top 10 Best Closed End Funds 2012 & 2013

This article will provide best closed end funds for 2012 and 2013. They are PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity fund, DWS Municipal Income Trust fund, John Hancock Tax-Advantage Dividend Income fund, etc. Investors will find best stock and bond CEFs review.

Introduction

Closed-end funds (CEFs) are one of investment funds available for investors. This fund can provide an attractive choice for you to get income and capital growth. These CEFs are traded like stocks during intraday trading. You can buy and sell these funds using your brokerage account.
Note: Brokerages: TD Ameritrade, Schwab, Lightspeed, Zecco, Scottrade, etc.

Most of these closed end funds are managed actively by the fund manager. It may trade either at a discount or premium to its NAV. Currently there are more than 600 closed end funds across various classes. Some of the fund classes are: covered call, core stock, growth stock, value stock, preferred stock, real estate stock, global stock, emerging market stock, convertible, corporate bond, emerging markets bond, mortgage bond, municipal bond, high yield municipal, etc.

Best Closed End Funds

These top closed end funds are chosen based on its performance, expense ratio, fund management, holding turnover. More review can be found below.

The top 10 best closed end funds for 2012 and 2013 are:

1. PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity (PTY)
2. Templeton Global Income (GIM)
3. PIMCO High Income (PHK)
4. DWS Municipal Income Trust (KTF)

PIMCO Convertible Fund (PACNX)

One of the popular PIMCO mutual funds is PIMCO Convertible fund. This convertible mutual fund invest in variety of convertible securities. You will find this bond mutual fund review below.

PIMCO Convertible A (Ticker: PACNX)

The investment aim of PIMCO Convertible fund is to achieve maximum total return, consistent with prudent investment management. This PIMCO fund uses its assets to purchase a diversified portfolio of convertible securities. It may use forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. This convertible bond fund may invest in both investment-grade and high-yield bonds.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: May 31, 2011
• Ticker Symbol: PACNX
• CUSIP: 693391849
• Beta (3yr): 1.06 
• Rank in category (YTD): 66%
• Category: Convertibles
• Yield: N/A

Top 8 Best Bank Loan Mutual Funds 2012

As part of taxable bond mutual funds, bank loan funds provide high income for investors. Some of the best bank loan funds are: Credit Suisse Floating Rate High Income fund, Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Advantage fund, Fidelity Floating Rate High Income fund, etc.

Top Bank Loan Funds

Intro

There are several types of taxable bond mutual funds. They are corporate bond, government bond, multisector bond, bank loan, etc. Bank loan are popular among investors who are concerned about rising interest rates. Bank loans or floating rate loans are debts that offered by banks to companies as part of a leveraged buyout deal.

These bank loan funds have limited interest rate risk, but they have high credit risk. These bond funds typically have low credit quality or non-investment grade rating. They also have higher yield than investment grade rated bond funds.

Best Bank Loan Funds

You find the fund review from this top mutual fund list. Investors can find the fund performance, management, expense fee, sales load, top holding, effective duration, etc.

Top 8 Best Bank Loan Mutual Funds of 2012 are:

1. Credit Suisse Floating Rate High Income A (CHIAX)
2. Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Advantage A (EAFAX)
3. Fidelity Floating Rate High Income (FFRHX)

Fidelity Total Bond Fund (FTBFX)

One of the most popular bond mutual funds is Fidelity Total Bond Fund. More about this fixed income mutual fund review can be found below. Investing in diversified bond mutual funds is essential for investors. Diversified bond funds can provide a predictable income stream.

Fidelity Total Bond (Ticker: FTBFX)

The Fidelity Total Bond fund’s objective is to achieve a high level of current income. This bond fund typically invests majority of assets in debt securities of all types. The fund’s adviser uses the Barclays Capital U.S. Universal Bond Index as a guide for allocating its assets through the investment-grade, high yield, and emerging market asset classes.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: October 15, 2002
• Ticker Symbol: FTBFX
• CUSIP: 31617K881
• Beta (3yr): 0.81
• Rank in category (YTD): 58%
• Category: Intermediate-Term Bond
• Yield: 3.54%
• Capital Gains: 0%

Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 Fund (VTXVX)

Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 fund is suitable for investors who want to retire around 2015. More fund review below. Finding the right target date mutual fund is important for passive long term investor. By selecting Vanguard fund, investor can find a wide selection of target date mutual funds

Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 Investor (VTXVX)

The Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 fund objective is to achieve capital appreciation and current income consistent with its current asset allocation. This balanced fund mainly invests in other Vanguard mutual funds according to an asset allocation strategy designed for investors planning to retire and leave the work force in or within a few years of 2015 (the target year). This fund will allocate its asset to become more conservative over time (fewer stocks and more bonds when over long term).

Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: October 27, 2003
• Ticker Symbol: VTXVX
• CUSIP: 92202E300
• Beta (3yr): 0.97
• Rank in category (YTD): 45%
• Category: Target Date 2011-2015 
• Yield: 2.39%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.00%  
• Net Assets: $ 15.35 billion

How to Distinguish Good Vs Bad Investment in Mutual Funds

Trying to pick individual stocks is a difficult proposition for regular investors. Investors will face with infinite risk and low return with wrong stocks selection. Most investors can achieve the same result by using mutual funds. There are several advantages using mutual funds such as having good management, reduce risk with diversified portfolio, invest in other risky area, and more.

Good vs Bad Mutual Funds

Good Management

Reputable manager or management team or professional analysts will devout many hours of study and research. Fund manager will analyze various stocks or bonds to invest in. Some mutual funds are also known to hire market experts to analyze their portfolio or divide their portfolio to co-managers & advisors. Analyzing various financial reports is not an easy task for investors; you need to sacrifice a large portion of your free time to get the good result. Unless you are willing to do this, then you won’t have as much information to make a decision as a mutual fund manager.

Good managers are staying with the mutual funds longer. Long tenured managers typically have a high level of competence in running the mutual fund business or entity he oversees. Managers usually face steep learning curves when they first enter a new organization, making long management tenure a valuable asset.

Lord Abbett Intermediate Tax Free A (LISAX) Fund

One of the income producing mutual funds is municipal bond mutual fund or muni bond mutual fund. This municipal bond mutual fund provides regular income which is exempted from federal income tax. Some of these muni bond funds also provide tax free income from state tax. One of the popular choices is Lord Abbett Intermediate Tax Free fund. More fund review can be found below.

Lord Abbett Intermediate Tax Free A (LISAX)

The Lord Abbett Intermediate Tax Free fund objective is to seek the maximum amount of interest income exempt from federal income tax as is consistent with sound risk. This bond mutual fund uses its net assets to purchase municipal bonds issued by states, territories, and possessions of the U.S. (including the District of Columbia). The interest from this municipal debt is typically not taxed from federal personal income tax (i.e. tax free).

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: June 30, 2003
• Ticker Symbol: LISAX
• CUSIP: 543912604
• Beta (3yr): 0.94
• Rank in category (YTD): 39%
• Category: Muni National Interm
• Distribution Rate: 3.44%
• Capital Gains: 0%

Best California Municipal Bond Closed End Funds 2012

These Best California Municipal Bond Closed End Funds of 2012 are Nuveen CA Quality Income Municipal, BlackRock MuniHoldings CA Quality, Nuveen CA Performance Plus Municipal, etc. These CA municipal bond funds invest mainly in tax free CA municipal debt obligations.

Intro

There are two types of bond closed end funds. They are tax free bond CEF and taxable bond CEF. The tax free fixed income fund invests mainly in municipal bonds. These muni bonds are obligation issued by a state, city, local municipality for governmental needs or to finance specific public projects. One of the advantages in investing in this fund is investor will get an income on regular basis which is exempted from federal income tax.

The California municipal bond closed end fund invests mainly in California state municipal debts. These CA muni bond funds also provide tax free income from federal and California income taxes.

Top 10 Best California Municipal Bond Closed End Funds of 2012 are:

1. Nuveen CA Quality Income Municipal (NUC)
2. Nuveen CA Investment Quality Municipal (NQC)
3. Nuveen CA Select Quality Municipal (NVC)
4. BlackRock MuniYield California (MYC)
5. BlackRock MuniHoldings CA Quality (MUC)
6. BlackRock MuniYield CA Quality (MCA)
7. Nuveen CA Performance Plus Municipal (NCP)
8. Nuveen CA Premium Income Municipal (NCU)
9. BlackRock CA Municipal 2018 (BJZ)
10. Nuveen CA Dividend Advantage Municipal 2 (NVX)

Worst Performing Closed End Funds in Week 19, 2012

The following post will look into the worst performer closed end funds in week 19. Some of them are RENN Global Entrepreneurs fund, BlackRock EcoSolutions fund, Greater China Fund, etc. More review can be found below.

Worst Performing CEFs

Closed-end funds are traded like stocks and exchange trade funds (ETFs). There are top performer and worst performer funds. The following are the worst performer CEFs in week 19, 2012. Most of these funds are stock CEFs. Among the worst performer classes are sector equity, international stock, and emerging market stocks.

The Worst Performing Closed End Funds in Week 19, 2012 are:

1. RENN Global Entrepreneurs (RCG)
2. GAMCO Global Gold Natural Resources & Income (GGN)
3. BlackRock EcoSolutions (BQR)
4. Greater China Fund (GCH)
5. Morgan Stanley China A (CAF)
6. Templeton Russia & East Europe (TRF)
7. Central Fund of Canada (CEF)
8. Aberdeen Chile (CH)
9. ASA Gold & Precious Metal Ltd (ASA)
10. Central GoldTrust (GTU)

Note: Week 19 = May 7th, 2012 – May 13th, 2012

Top Performer Closed End Funds in Week 19, 2012

Some of the top performer closed end funds in week 19, 2012 are Firsthand Technology Value, Morgan Stanley Frontier Emerging Markets, Nuveen CA Select Tax-Free, etc. Most of the top performers are bond closed end funds. More review can be found below.

Top Performer CEFs

In week 19, the top performer closed ends mainly consists of bond closed end funds. If we look in further, I could see municipal bond closed end funds are among the top choice for investor. The other top performer categories include emerging markets stock, sector equity, corporate bond, high yield municipal, etc.

Top Performer Closed End Funds in Week 19, 2012 are:

1. Firsthand Technology Value (SVVC)
2. Morgan Stanley Frontier Emerging Markets (FFD)
3. BlackRock Limited Duration Income (BLW)
4. Franklin Limited Duration Income (FTF)
5. Western Asset Municipal High Income (MHF)
6. Eaton Vance OH Municipal Bond (EIO)
7. Managed Duration Investment Grade Municipal (MZF)
8. BlackRock New Jersey Investment Quality (RNJ)
9. Nuveen CA Select Tax-Free (NXC)
10. Nuveen Municipal Value 2 (NUW)

Fidelity Magellan Fund (FMAGX)

Fidelity Magellan fund is one of the Fidelity flagship mutual funds. This fund was managed by Peter Lynch from 1977 to 1990. Lynch managed to achieve 29% annualized return for this period. As part of large growth mutual funds, this Fidelity Magellan fund has become one of the laggard mutual funds for the past decade.

Fidelity Magellan (MUTF: FMAGX)

The investment objective of Fidelity Magellan fund is to provide capital appreciation. This large growth mutual fund invests mainly in common stocks of domestic and foreign issuers. It may invest in either growth stocks or value stocks or both using fundamental analysis of factors. Management will use financial condition and industry position of companies, and market & economic conditions to select investments.

Fund Profile

• Inception Date: 05/02/1963
• Ticker Symbol: FMAGX
• CUSIP: 316184100
• Beta (3yr): 1.13
• Rank in category (YTD): 97%
• Category: Large Growth
• Distribution: 0.64%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.59% 
• Net Assets: $ 15.47 billion
• Number of Years Up: 37 years
• Number of Years Down: 11 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 42.00%

Updated on 5/11/2012

Best Income and Preferred Stock Closed End Funds 2012

Some of the best income and preferred stock closed end funds are: John Hancock Premium Dividend, TCW Strategic Income, DNP Select Income Fund, etc. This income and preferred stock fund invests in various assets classes such as dividend stocks, preferred stocks, multisector bonds, high yield, corporate bond, money market, and more.

Intro

In general, there are two types of companies stocks. One is common stocks and another one is preferred stocks. Most people trade or buy common stock when they are investing through brokerage account. This common stock can be acquired through initial public offering or IPO and secondary market (like NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange, AMEX, etc). Some of the common stocks do pay dividend. This dividend paying common stock is typically known as dividend stocks or income producing stocks.

On the other hand, preferred stock is considered as less risky than common stock. It may be less liquid than common stocks. Preferred stock is named because it has preferential rights in matters such as liquidation and board representation. It is rated like bond with ratings range from AAA (top rated) to D (worst rated) or unrated. If the company declares bankruptcy, the preferred stock holders are entitled to the company’s assets before common stock holders.

Best Income & Preferred Stock CEFs

Closed End Funds can be used to invest in preferred stocks and other income producing securities. These funds are typically diversified into variety of asset classes and sectors. The 10 best income and preferred stock closed end funds of 2012 are:

1. John Hancock Premium Dividend (PDT)
2. TCW Strategic Income (TSI)
3. DNP Select Income Fund (DNP)

YTD Top Performer Exchange Traded Funds May 2012

This post will look into the year to date top performer exchange trade funds up to May 6th, 2012. Some of the best performer funds are Market Vectors Vietnam ETF, First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index, Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF, etc.

Intro

Exchange Traded Funds are unlike mutual funds. These ETFs are traded like stocks. They are also similar to closed end funds (CEFs). Most of the funds are index funds. Like mutual funds, ETFs are categorized into two main categories such as bond ETF, and stock ETF.

Some of the popular ETFs sponsors are Vanguard, BlackRock (iShares), and StateStreet (SPDR). These fund families have several popular ETF such as Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (VWO), SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (EFA), etc. You can purchase these ETFs from stock brokers such as TD Ameritrade, Lightspeed, Fidelity, Schwab, etc.

Best Performing ETFs

As described before, this article will look into the year to date top performing exchange traded funds. Similar to top performer mutual funds, most the best performers are international stock ETF especially emerging markets stock ETF. There are also some sector ETFs and European stock ETF. You can find the details from the table below.

YTD Top Performer Exchange Traded Funds of May 2012 are:

1. Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM)
2. First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index (FBT)
3. Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (EGPT)
4. iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction (ITB)

Year to Date Top Performer Mutual Funds May 2012

The following year to date top performer mutual funds are Forward International Real Estate fund, Fairholme fund, Nile Pan Africa fund, etc. These mutual funds have managed to achieve great return up until May 6th, 2012.

Intro

Mutual Funds are one of the most popular investment funds in the world. Investors can choose mutual funds to diversify their portfolio into many different sectors such as stocks, bonds, convertible, preferred, money market, etc.

From this top performers list, you may observe stock mutual funds have outperformed bond mutual funds. These stock funds can be divided into two main classes such as U.S. domestic stock fund and International stock funds. Most of the international stock funds have managed to achieve higher return for the first half of the year especially the emerging markets stock funds.

On the domestic stock front, growth stock fund has been the top performer fund. Another top performer sectors are: global real estate, technology, health, etc.  More details about best performing funds can be found below.

Year to Date Top Performer Mutual Funds of May 2012 are:

1. Forward International Real Estate A (KIRAX)
2. Fairholme (FAIRX)
3. Nile Pan Africa A (NAFAX)
4. Berkshire Focus (BFOCX)
5. Biondo Focus Investor (BFONX)
6. EP Asia Small Companies A (EPASX)

Year to Date Top Performer Closed End Funds May 2012

This article will provide the YTD top performer closed end funds. Some of the top performer close end funds are: Thai Capital Fund, DH Financial Trends Fund, Alpine Global Premier Property fund, etc.

Closed End Funds are traded like stocks and exchange traded funds. They may invest in stocks, bonds, convertibles, preferreds, investment funds, etc. Investor can buy these closed end funds through secondary market such as NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and AMEX. Investor can buy these CEFs from regular brokerages such as Charles Schwab, Zecco Trading, Lightspeed Trading, Interactive Brokerage, Fidelity, E*Trade, etc.

The following top performers list has been sorted based on its year-to-date return up until May 6th, 2012. You will find fund review information, news, and more.

The YTD Top Performer Closed End Funds of May 2012 are:

1. Thai Capital Fund Inc (TF)
2. Thai Fund Inc (TTF)
3. DH Financial Trends Fund (DHFT)
4. Foxby Corp (FXBY)
5. Alpine Global Premier Property (AWP)
6. Cornerstone Strategic Value (CLM)
7. Engex (EGX)
8. BlackRock EcoSolutions (BQR)
9. Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)
10. H&Q Life Sciences Investors (HQL)

1. Thai Capital Fund (Ticker: TF)

This Thai Capital Fund objective is to provide long term capital appreciation by investing in equity and unlisted securities of Thai companies. Its total net assets are $44 million. As of May 2012, the fund market price is trading 5.59% discount to the fund NAV. The fund sponsor is Daiwa SB Investments. It also has an annual expense ratio of 2.48%.

Brown Advisory Flexible Value A (BAFVX) Fund

Majority of investor portfolios typically have one element in common; the largest asset class is typically allocated to large cap stocks especially growth stocks. One of the most popular investor’s choices is investing in the large cap mutual funds. The Brown Advisory Flexible Value fund is classified as large blend stock mutual fund. More review about this fund below.

Brown Advisory Flexible Value A (BAFVX)

The Brown Advisory Flexible Value fund seeks to achieve long-term capital growth. This stock fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, especially in ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). This fund may invest in investment grade and non-investment grade debt securities or unrated debt securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: 01/24/2007
• Ticker Symbol: BAFVX
• CUSIP: 74316J508
• Beta (3yr): 0.93
• Rank in category (YTD): 93%
• Category: Large Blend
• Distribution: 0.19%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.35%  
• Net Assets: $ 34.26 million
• Number of Years Up: 3 years
• Number of Years Down: 1 year
• Annual Turnover Rate: 33%

Updated on 05/04/2012

Top 10 Foreign Small and Mid Cap Stock Mutual Funds 2012

Some of top foreign small / mid cap stock mutual funds are: Driehaus International Small Cap Growth fund, Templeton Institutional Foreign Smaller Company fund, etc. These international stock funds are investing in small cap & mid cap non-U.S. companies stocks. Additional fund review can be found below.

Intro

These Foreign Small and Mid Cap Stock funds seek principal appreciation by investing in small- and mid-sized international stocks which are value- or growth- oriented. Small-and mid-cap stocks have market capitalizations less than $10 billion. It typically uses the MSCI EAFE Index as its benchmark. These stock mutual funds may invest in U.S. stocks or emerging markets stocks.

Best Foreign Small / Mid-Cap Funds

These best foreign small / mid cap mutual funds are selected based on its long term performance. You will find other fund review information such as fund objective, management, top holdings, dividend yield, performance, top sectors, beta or risk, etc.

Top 10 Foreign Small and Mid Cap Stock Mutual Funds of 2012 are:

1. First Eagle Overseas A (SGOVX)
2. Driehaus International Small Cap Growth (DRIOX)
3. Templeton Institutional Foreign Smaller Company Series A (TFSCX)
4. Westcore International Small Cap (WTIFX)

Top 10 High Yield Corporate Bond Closed End Funds 2012

The top high yield bond closed end funds of 2012 are: PIMCO High Income, Dreyfus High Yield Strategies, Pioneer High Income Trust, etc. These bond closed End funds are traded like stocks or ETFs (exchange traded funds).

Intro

There two main types of income closed end funds: tax-free income closed end funds and taxable income closed end funds. Tax free bond CEFs mainly invest in municipal bonds while taxable bond CEFs include taxable corporate and government bond funds, and senior loan funds.

Corporate bonds are issued by companies to finance their business activities and usually being rated by credit agencies such as S&P’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. There are two main types of corporate bonds such as investment grade corporate bond and high yield corporate bond. High Yield bonds typically have lower credit ratings or not rated. These bonds usually have a higher risk of default than investment grade bonds. It also provides high yield to its investor as well.

Best High Yield CEFs

Based on its performance for the past 5 years, the 10 best high yield bond closed end funds of 2012 are:

1. PIMCO High Income (PHK)
2. Dreyfus High Yield Strategies (DHF)
3. Pioneer High Income Trust (PHT)
4. AllianceBernstein Global High Income (AWF)
5. Invesco High Yield (MSY)

Fidelity Freedom 2020 Fund (FFFDX)

Fidelity Freedom 2020 fund is part of Target Date Mutual Funds. This target date funds are available to investors who invest in their retirement account such as 401k, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 403b, etc. This balanced fund automatically adjusts its assets as the time progress (i.e. bonds portion will be higher as time progress). You may get the fund review below.

Fidelity Freedom 2020 (Ticker: FFFDX)

The investment aim of Fidelity Freedom 2020 fund is to provide high total return until its target retirement date. This mutual fund invests in a blend of underlying Fidelity domestic equity funds, international equity funds, bond funds, and short-term funds. It will use a moderate asset allocation strategy designed for investors expecting to retire around the year 2020. It uses an asset allocation strategy that becomes increasingly conservative over time.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: Oct 17, 1996
• Ticker Symbol: FFFDX
• CUSIP: 31617R605
• Beta (3yr): 1.15
• Rank in category (YTD): 43%
• Category: Target Date 2016-2020