WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend ETF Funds

Find review of WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE). This index ETF is tracking WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index.

WisdomTree ETF

Investment ad is popular in financial magazine or newspaper. You may find lot of advertisements inside. Recently, you may find this an ad about “DFE, The only Europe Small Cap ETF by WisdomTree” in Barron’s newspaper. This investing ad is located at the lower portion section of the paper.

You would ask “Should I invest in this stock ETF fund or not?” This is very typical first question for long term investor including retiree. Investing long term for your brokerage account or retirement account or 401(k) account needs deep review and analysis. Find the fund review below as well.

Details about the ad are as follows:

DFE 

The only Europe Small Cap ETF 

Learn more at Wisdomtree.com 

Investing involves risk including possible loss of principal. Foreign investing risks include currency fluctuation or political/economic uncertainty. Funds focusing on a single sector/ smaller companies generally experience greater price volatility. Funds focused on Europe can be adversely affected by regional developments. The Fund tracks an Index. 

Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. A prospectus is available at wisdomtree.com. Read it carefully before investing.
WisdomTree Funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc.

Top Tax Advantaged Equity CEFs 2014

Find 5 best performing tax advantaged equity closed end funds 2014. Top CEF funds are John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund, Eaton Vance Tax Advantaged Dividend Income, etc.

Tax Advantaged Equity Funds

If you are investing in your regular brokerage account, you need to consider tax advantaged equity funds. These funds provide high return and income while minimizing capital gains taxes. The fund managers will use active tax management to maximize the fund’s return. These funds invest in U.S. stocks and possible non-U.S. stocks.

Tax advantaged equity funds are popular especially through closed end funds. You can find the top performing tax advantaged equity CEFs review below. These funds may provide high return in 2014.

The 5 best performing tax advantaged equity closed end funds 2014 are:

1. John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (HTD)
2. John Hancock Tax Advantaged Global Fund (HTY)
3. Eaton Vance Tax Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (EVT)
4. Eaton Vance Tax Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund (ETG)
5. First Trust Active Dividend Income Fund (FAV)

Updated on 2/2/2014

Investment Ad of BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund (BAICX)

Find BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund (BAICX) review. New BlackRock investment ad features this fixed income mutual fund.

Top Fund

BlackRock is not only well known with its iShares ETFs. BlackRock also offers variety of mutual funds for your brokerage account, retirement account and 401k plan. The mutual funds include U.S. stock fund, international stock fund, bond fund, municipal bond fund, balanced fund, etc.

Recently, BlackRock provides a big advertisement about one of its mutual fund, BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund (BAICX). The ad is titled as “Once Abundant, Now Elusive, Look Further for Income.” Whether this mutual fund is suitable for your investment account or not, you should find out the details. I have provided a short review below.

The investment ads is as follows:

Once Abundant. 

Now Elusive. 

Look Further For Income. 

BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund (BAICX) – Delivered double the yield of the average traditional bond fund, with less risk than a traditional stock and bond portfolio. 

With interest rates at record lows, once-reliable sources of income like traditional bond investments have dried up. And many investors have begun to wonder if the portfolio they have today will support the life they want tomorrow. That’s why you need a fund that goes beyond the bounds of traditional strategies and looks harder for income in more places, while seeking to protect your money. 

“So What Do I Do With My Money?” 

Talk to your financial advisor about how BlackRock and iShares can help you or visit BlackRock.com/MAI 

BlackRock – Investing for a new world

Blackrock Fund Review

According to the fund’s website, this BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund (BAICX) fund has provided consistently higher income than traditional stocks and bonds. The fund’s objective is to maximize current income with consideration for capital appreciation. It may invest up to 80% of its assets in equity securities and up to 100% of its assets in fixed income securities. The total net assets are $5.9 billion. It also has a high yield of 4.37%.

Morningstar analysts rank this bond fund with 4-stars and Neutral rating. The annual expense ratio is 0.80%. The YTD return as of January 20, 2014 is 0.14%. It has 5-year annualized return of 13.23% and 3-year annualized return of 8.63%. The fund has always returned positively since its inception in 2008.

The fund managers are Michael Fredericks, Peter Wilke, Philip Brides and Justin Christofel. The class C (BCICX) has annual expense ratio of 2.03% and the Institutional Class (BIICX) has 1.03%. The top portfolio allocation is Global Developed Equity (31.4%) and High Yield Bonds (24.4%).

As of the third quarter of 2013, the top equity holdings are Imperial Tobacco Group (0.7%), Roche Holding (0.6%) and Sanofi (0.6%). The top fixed income holdings are iShares iBoxx USD High Yield Corporate (5.8%) and iShares US Preferred Stock ETF (1.1%).

Investing Advice

• This class A fund has a big sales load of 5.25%. Try to find other asset class if you want to invest.
• Performance wise has been good during the past 5 years.
• This best fund is also ranked with high rating by Morningstar.
• It has low minimum initial investment of $1,000 for regular brokerage account.

Top Performing Emerging Markets Bond CEFs 2014

Find top performing emerging markets bond closed end funds 2014. Top CEFs are AllianceBernstein Global High Income, DWS Global High Income, etc.

Emerging Markets Bond

Closed end funds are popular among income seeking investors. You can find an undervalue fund with high yield for investment. There are several different classes of closed end funds such as municipal bond fund, taxable bond fund, equity fund, international stock fund, etc. Most popular sectors are municipal bond funds and taxable bond fund.

With current high yield of emerging markets sector, you might want to check the opportunity in the region. This bond fund invests in variety of debts in developing countries such as Brazil, China, Russia, Argentina, Turkey, etc.

Best Closed End Funds

The top performing funds are selected based on its year-to-date performance in 2014 (up to 2/16/2014). You can find the fund review below including the fund holdings, expense ratio, return, yield, and many more.

Top performing emerging markets bond closed end funds 2014 are:

1. AllianceBernstein Global High Income
2. DWS Global High Income
3. Western Asset Emerging Markets Income
4. MS Emerging Markets Debt
5. Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt
6. Templeton Emerging Markets Income
7. Global High Income Fund Income
8. Western Asset Worldwide Income
9. Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Total Income
10. Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund

Updated on 2/16/2014

Aberdeen Global Fixed Income Fund (CUGAX): Ad

Find review of Aberdeen Global Fixed Income Fund (CUGAX). See Aberdeen ad of “On the ground, around the world.”

Aberdeen Mutual Fund

Aberdeen offers variety of mutual funds. The mutual funds include bond fund, stock fund, and balanced fund. Aberdeen provides diversified sectors of funds such as U.S., European, Asian, and global securities fund. Some of the best Aberdeen mutual funds are Aberdeen Total Return Bond Fund, Aberdeen International Equity fund, Aberdeen Emerging Markets fund, etc.

Aberdeen also provides an investment ad. The ad is titled as “On the ground, around the world.  Aberdeen Global Fixed Income.” Find the fund review below. Whether it is good for your brokerage account, or retirement account or 401(k) account; you need to find out the investment risks or rewards.

The investment ad can be found below:

On the ground, around the world. 

Aberdeen Global Fixed Income

Entering any bond market isn’t without its risks. 

So it matters who you put in the driver’s seat. 

Aberdeen is on the frontier of this global bond universe. 

With a worldwide network of over 150 fixed-income specialists, we meet issuers first hand, we analyze capital structures, we assess risks and we only invest when we like and fully understand what we see. 

It’s intensive work. But it’s how we seek to capture an information advantage in this diverse and expanding asset class. 

So if you think it’s time to take fixed income further, it could be time to consider Aberdeen. 

For more information please visit aberdeen-asset.us/fixedincome 

Aberdeen

Simply asset management.

4 Best Roth IRA Funds

Find best Roth IRA funds. These top Roth IRA mutual funds are great long term investment. Best funds are Doubleline Total Return Fund, Fidelity Contrafund, etc.

Roth IRA

If you are planning to retire in future, you should consider one of the individual retirement accounts. There are currently 2 individual retirement accounts: traditional IRA, and Roth IRA. There are pros and cons for each type. The other option is through company plan of 401k account.

A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account that provides a valuable future tax break: Tax-free income in retirement. Unlike traditional IRA, there is no up-front tax deduction for this Roth IRA. Roth distributions are tax-free when you follow the rules. Since you stash in a Roth IRA is your money, you can use your contributions (but not your earnings) any time tax-free and penalty-free.

To be eligible for Roth IRA, you need to find out about your current year income and your tax filing status. Most of the contribution limit is $5,500. The limit amount will drop depending upon your income.

Top Mutual Funds

Knowing the Roth IRA benefits, it is a great idea to invest in best mutual funds 2014. With low cost top funds, you can maximize your return through capital growth and/or income. You will find 4 best mutual funds below. There are from variety of classes such as balanced fund, core bond fund, stock fund, and international stock fund.

These best Roth IRA funds are selected based on its performance, management, rating, and costs. Also, all funds is open for new investors. You can buy with as little as $1,000 for these funds. You can find each fund review below.

The 4 best mutual funds for Roth IRA are:

1. Doubleline Total Return Fund (DLTNX)
2. Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX)

Ad of Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)

Find ad of Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) review. This top index fund invests in high quality debts including government or corporate bonds.

Vanguard ETF

Known for its index mutual fund, Vanguard has branched out to ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). Most of the ETFs is also index ETFs or passively managed ETFs. They offer stock ETFs and bond ETFs. Several popular sector ETFs are S&P 500 index ETF, emerging markets ETF, international stock ETF, total bond ETF, corporate bond ETF, etc.

One of these index ETFs is Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND). Vanguard also provides an ad for this bond ETF. You can buy this fixed income fund through your brokerage for your investment account or retirement account. Find this index bond fund review below.

You can find the Vanguard’s ad details below:

BND 

Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF 

Build a balanced foundation that helps meet your clients’ needs 

Are you Vanguarding your clients’ portfolios? 

There are a lot of investment factors to worry about when you’re trying to keep your clients headed in the right direction. But with the BND ETF, cost won’t be one of them. As a low-cost leader for over 35 years, Vanguard will continue to have options that can help lower risks and lower costs...

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Bond funds are subject to the risk an issuer will fail to make payments on time, and that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates or negative perceptions of an issuer’s ability to make payments.

Best Performing Total Bond Market ETF Funds 2014

Discover best performing total bond market ETF funds 2014. Top funds are CEF Income Composite Portfolio, iShares Core Short-Term U.S. Bond ETF, etc.

Top Bond ETFs

Bond exchange traded funds are another popular ETF’s sector. Some of these exchange traded funds are passively managed or actively managed. The passively managed bond fund is tracking its index, while actively managed fund is similar to bond mutual fund and managed by manager(s). These total bond market funds provide income by investing in high quality debts including government or corporate debts.

These top total bond market exchange traded funds is sorted based in 1 year performance up to January 29, 2014. Find the fund review whether they are good for your brokerage account or 401k plan or individual retirement account (IRA). Check the fund holdings, return, expense ratio, etc.

Total Bond Market ETFs

Best performing total bond market ETF funds 2014 are:

1. PowerShares CEF Income Composite Portfolio
2. iShares Core Short-Term U.S. Bond ETF
3. Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
4. Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Zero Duration Fund
5. Sage Core Reserves ETF
6. Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Negative Duration Fund
7. Vanguard Total International Bond ETF
8. RiverFront Strategic Income Fund
9. iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF
10. PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund

Updated on 1/26/2014

Transamerica MLP & Energy Income Fund (TMLAX): Ad

Find Transamerica MLP & Energy Income Fund review. This mutual fund invests in energy master limited partnerships (MLPs). TMLAX fund is a new equity energy mutual fund.

Mutual Fund Review

Transamerica recently placed an ad in Barron’s financial magazine. The advertisement is titled as “The Next Revolution: American Energy Independence.” This investment ad provides one new equity energy sector mutual fund. It invests in various energy companies especially master limited partnerships.

Should you invest in these mutual funds? Whether they are for your brokerage account, retirement account (IRA), or 401k plan, you need to find the funds details.

The investment ad is as follow:

The Next Revolution: American Energy Independence 

Transamerica MLP & Energy Income 

Class A: TMLAX Class C: TMCLX Class I: TMLPX 

Learn more about investing in the energy revolution. 

transamericainvestments.com/mlp 

Transamerica – Transform Tomorrow 

Mutual funds are subject to market risk, including the loss of principal. 

Before investing, clients should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Contact Transamerica for a prospectus and/or summary prospectus containing this information. Clients should read it carefully. Funds distributed by Transamerica Capital, Inc.

Top Performing Municipal Bond Mutual Fund 2014

See top performing municipal bond mutual funds 2014. Top muni bond funds are Fidelity Municipal Income 2017 fund, Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond, etc.

Top 20 Muni Funds

Municipal bond fund is popular among income seeker investors or retiree. You can get tax free income for your investment. The yield from the fund is tax exempt from federal income tax or possibly state income tax. Using mutual fund, you can mitigate the investment risk as well. Investing in mutual fund provide another chance for asset diversification.

This top performing fund is sorted based on its 1 year performance up to January 2014. You can find the fund review below. Some of these funds are top performing or best funds in its category. Check whether you should invest this best fixed income fund in your brokerage or 401k account or retirement account.

Top performing municipal bond mutual funds 2014 are:

1. Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt (HICOX)
2. Fidelity Municipal Income 2017 (FMIFX)
3. Wells Fargo Advantage CA Ltd-Term T/F A (SFCIX)
4. Transamerica Enhanced Muni A (TAMUX)
5. Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond A (FSHAX)
6. Fidelity Municipal Income 2015 (FMLCX)
7. Wells Fargo Advantage S/T Muni Bd A (WSMAX)
8. USAA Tax Exempt Short-Term (USSTX)
9. T. Rowe Price MD Short-Term Tax-Free ( PRMDX)
10. T. Rowe Price Tax-Free Shrt-Interm (PRFSX)
11. Capital Group Short-Term Municipal (CSTMX)
12. Western Asset Short Duration Muni Inc A (SHDAX)
13. Wells Fargo Advantage S/T Muni Bd Inv (STSMX)
14. Dreyfus Short-Intermediate Muni Bd A (DMBAX)

FlexShares Dividend ETFs: Northern Trust Fund

Investing in Northern Trust FlexShares dividend ETF Funds can provide growth and dividend income opportunity. There are 6 dividend ETFs for investment.

Investing in Exchange Traded Funds

Exchange traded fund is popular among investors and traders nowadays. You can invest in stock ETF or bond ETF. Most of exchange traded funds is an index ETF. This low cost index ETF can provide instant diversification opportunity for investors.

Recently, Northern Trust provides a big ad of FlexShares ETF Funds. According to the ad, these exchange traded funds are part of high quality dividend ETF funds. There are 6 ETF funds in the ads including U.S. dividend stock ETFs and International dividend stock ETFs. Whether you should invest in these ETFs, you need to do research and review for them.

The investment ad details are as follows:

Flex Shares | ETFs for Real-World Goals 

With dividend ETFs, there’s no substitute for quality. 

FlexShares quality dividend ETFs pursue income and long-term growth potential, with return characteristics keyed to risk tolerance. A proprietary optimization process looks to emphasize quality and manage risk while diversifying across sectors and industries. Scan to visit Flexshares.com 

For more information, visit flexshares.com/quality.

• QDF

• QDEF

• QDYN

• IQDF

• IQDE 

• IQDY

Managed by Northern Trust

Top Performing Core Bond Mutual Funds 2013

Investing in top performing core bond mutual funds 2013 may give consistent income in 2014. Top funds are Frost Total Return Bond Fund, USAA Intermediate-Term Bond Fund, Dodge & Cox Income Fund, etc.

Best Bond Funds

Investing in core bond mutual funds is essential for diversification. Core bond mutual fund invests in variety of investment grade debts. These funds can be an index fund or actively managed mutual fund. These funds invest in U.S. Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and investment grade corporate bonds). Some may invest in international bonds.

These best performing core bond mutual funds in 2013 are sorted based on its performance in 2013. Some of these best bond funds don’t have a sales load and transaction fee. Some funds do have a sales load. You can buy these bond funds for your brokerage account, retirement account, or 401k plan.

Top performing core bond mutual funds 2013 are:

1. Frost Total Return Bond Fund
2. GMO Core Plus Bond IV
3. USAA Intermediate-Term Bond Fund
4. Federated Intermediate Corporate Bond
5. Metropolitan West Total Return Bond M
6. Dodge & Cox Income
7. Orion/Monetta Intermediate Bond Fund
8. Brandes Core Plus Fixed Income E
9. ING Intermediate Bond W
10. Manning & Napier Core Plus Bond S

Updated on 1/24/2014

10 Best Canadian Mutual Funds for 2014 & 2015

10 best Canadian mutual funds for 2014 & 2015 are RBC Premium Money Market Fund, RBC Balanced Fund, BMO Dividend Fund, etc.

Top Canadian Fund

Investing in best mutual funds is essential for long term capital growth and income. Some website may provide screen based on its past performance, some may provide list only and without any research, some may provide details about the top funds. The list includes variety of funds’ classes such as balanced fund, money market fund, bond fund, dividend fund, etc.

Whether it is for your RRSP (retirement account) or regular brokerage account, you need to do research. You need to find out the fund management style, performance, fee, yield, future potential. Also assets allocation is important for mitigating risk and maximize return or reward.

The 10 best Canadian mutual funds for 2014 & 2015 are:

1. RBC Premium Money Market Fund
2. TD Canadian Bond Fund
3. RBC Balanced Fund
4. TD Premium Money Market Fund
5. RBC Canadian Dividend Fund
6. CI Harbour Growth & Income Fund
7. CIBC Monthly Income Fund
8. BMO Dividend Fund
9. King & Victoria RSP
10. Mawer Global Small Cap Fund

Updated on 2/1/2014

DWS Latin America Equity Fund (SLANX)

DWS Latin America Equity Fund (SLANX) is an international stock mutual fund. It invests in emerging markets stocks especially in Latin America such as Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, etc.

International Stock Fund

The investment objective of DWS Latin America Equity Fund (SLANX) is to seek long-term capital appreciation. This mutual fund utilizes its assets to purchase Latin American common stocks and other equities. It may invest up to 20% of net assets in the equity securities of US and other non-Latin American issuers and in debt securities including junk bonds (grade BB/Ba and below). The fund may also invest as much as 10% of net assets in securities rated B or lower. It is non-diversified.

Fund Profile

• Fund Inception Date: May 28, 2001
• Ticker Symbol: SLANX
• CUSIP: 23337R775
• Beta (3yr): 1.09
• Rank in category (YTD): N/A
• Category: Latin America Stock
• Distribution: 1.13%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 1.70%
• Net Assets: $ 429.2 million
• Number of Years Up: 8 years
• Number of Years Down: 3 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 163%

updated on 1/1/2014