Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund (FULAX)

Find Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund (FULAX) review. This debt mutual fund invests in various bonds including investment grade and non-investment grade.

Bond Fund

The investment aim of Federated Ultrashort Bond Fund is to provide total return consistent with current income. This mutual fund utilizes its assets to purchase more than 50%, in investment-grade, fixed-income securities, but may invest up to 35% of its assets in noninvestment-grade, fixed-income securities. Its dollar-weighted average effective maturity is expected to be 18 months or less.

This taxable bond fund may invest in hybrid instruments and derivative contracts. It may also invest in government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as those issued by the Government National Mortgage Association.

Fund Details

• Fund Inception Date: October 10, 2002
• Ticker Symbol: FULAX
• CUSIP:
• Beta (3yr): 0.11
• Rank in category (YTD): N/A
• Category: Ultrashort Bond
• Yield: 1.13%
• Capital Gains: 0%
• Expense Ratio: 0.90%
• Net Assets: $ 2.4 billion
• Number of Years Up: 9 years
• Number of Years Down: 1 year
• Average Duration: 0.9 years
• Average Maturity: 1.3 years
• Annual Turnover Rate: 31%

updated on 1/3/2014

Powershares Commodity ETFs: Gold, Oil

Find Powershares Commodity ETFs for your investment. There are 8 commodity exchange traded funds below including oil, gold, agriculture fund, etc.

Investing in Commodity ETFs

Investing in commodities has become popular and easier as various commodity investment funds being introduced. There are variety of commodity funds such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds, or closed end funds. This article will look into recent ads by Invesco Powershares about commodity ETF funds. You may be able to invest in them for asset allocation or diversification.

Whether the commodity is oil, gold, silver, corn or soyabeans; you can invest in any commodity through exchange trade funds. You can find 8 different commodity ETFs offered by Invesco Powershares. Find the fund review below.

The investment ad is as follows:

PowerShares

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management 

PowerShares DB – Commodity ETFs

• DBC – Commodity Index Tracking Fund
• DBO – Oil Fund
• DBA – Agriculture Fund
• DGL – Gold Fund
• DBS – Silver Fund
• DBP – Precious Metals Fund
• DBB – Base Metals Fund
• DBE – Energy Fund

Top Performing U.S. Stock Closed End Funds 2013

Find top performing U.S. stock closed end funds 2013. Best CEF funds are H&Q Healthcare Investors, Gabelli Equity Trust, Liberty All-Star Growth, etc.

U.S. Stock Funds

U.S. stock markets have performed very well in 2013. Looking into indices such as S&P 500, Dow, or NASDAQ; you will notice YTD returns of 25%-40%. Investing in individual stocks has been challenging as well. Using investment fund such as closed end fund can minimize your risk and increase your return. The following is the top performing U.S. stock closed end funds in 2013.

From the list you may find variety of fund’s sectors. Most of the top performer sectors include Health/Biotech sector, general equity, tax managed equity, finance, energy MLP, etc. Find whether these top funds are suitable for your 2014 investment plan in your brokerage or retirement accounts. Check the fund review and performance below.

The 10 top performing US stock closed end funds 2013 are:

1. H&Q Healthcare Investors
2. Gabelli Equity Trust
3. H&Q Life Sciences Investors
4. Liberty All-Star Growth
5. Royce Micro Cap Trust
6. Gabelli Dividend & Income
7. Kayne Anderson MLP
8. Nuveen Tax-Adv Total Return
9. JH Financial Opportunities
10. Nuveen Core Equity Alpha

Updated on 12/31/2013

Best Exchange Traded Funds for 2014

Find best exchange traded funds for 2014. The top ETF funds are PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund, Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF, Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, etc.

Top ETF Funds

In 2013, investor who invests in stock funds has seen a huge return. Investing in bond funds has seen a challenging performance in 2013. Investing in exchange traded funds is easy and popular because of its low cost. In 2014, I still think we need to diversify our assets in bond fund. Whether it is an up year or a down year, bond fund can provide a buffer through income.

For 2014, I also simplify my best ETFs list. You will find 4 funds to invest. It consists of 3 main funds for core investment and 1 fund for alternative asset. You will find 2 bond ETF funds and 2 stock ETF funds. If you invest in brokerage or retirement account, please check the fund review below. You may find the expense fee, fund’s return, holdings, yield, etc. If you want to find best mutual fund, you can check my previous article as well.

The 4 best exchange traded funds for 2014 are:

• Schwab Large-Cap Core (SCHX)
• Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (VEU)
• PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund (BOND)
• Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB)

Updated on 12/31/2013

Best Performing Taxable Bond Closed End Funds 2013

Find best performing taxable bond closed end funds 2013. The top CEF funds are NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund, PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income, and more.

Top Bond CEF Funds

Bond funds have not performed very well for the past year. In 2013, any investors are either loss capital or gain very little. No one would expect a big gain for bond funds. However, some of the bond closed end funds managed to achieve just that a big return in 2013. Most of the top performing funds are senior loan fund, multi sector, convertible debt, high yield debt, etc.

Will these top funds stay on top in 2014? Find the fund review below. Whether you are investing for your brokerage fund or retirement fund, you need to be sure you are making the right choice. You may find the fund yield, performance return, expense ratio, total assets, and rating. You can also find my previous top performer municipal bond CEFs article.

The 10 best performing taxable bond closed end funds 2013 are:

1. NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund
2. PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income
3. PIMCO High Income Fund
4. Oxford Lane Capital Corp
5. AGIC Convertible & Income II
6. AGIC Convertible & Income
7. Advent Claymore Conv & Income
8. Advent Claymore Cnvt Secs&Inc
9. Calamos Convertible Opps & Inc
10. Pioneer High Income Trust

Updated on 12/29/2013

Top 3 Banks or Brokers for Stock and Fund

Find top 3 banks or brokers for stock and fund investment. Check the pros and cons of the banking services for fund investment and stock trading. It is essential to find the right bank or broker for your investing account.

Best Banks for Financial Investing

It is difficult to find the right bank or brokers to use for your investing account. There are lot of selections from new online broker and well established bank. Investors can also choose a cheap online broker for their investment account such as retirement account or regular brokerage account. The most respected and well established banks or brokers are continuing to offer the best deal.

About 20 years ago, retail investors are having a hard time to invest in stocks or investment funds (mutual fund, ETF, CEF). Currently, you can find tons of online stock brokers or bank with low commission fees and lot of benefits or services. Banks or brokers may offer great customer services, high speed platform, new tools of software, and low fees. My top 3 banks for investing are:

• Merrill Edge
• Fidelity Investments
• Charles Schwab

Top Performing Municipal Bond Closed End Funds 2013

Find performing municipal bond closed end funds 2013 article. The top CEF funds are BlackRock CA Muni 2018 Term fund, BlackRock FL Municipal 2020 fund, Nuveen Select Maturities Muni, and more.

Best Muni Bond CEF Funds

Investing in municipal bond closed end funds is popular among investors and tax free high yield income seekers. In 2013, any bond funds have returned either a little return or a big negative return. This post will look into the best performing funds. You may find various different type of municipal bond closed end funds including diversified national muni bond fund, California muni bond fund, high yield bond fund, etc.

Will these top funds stay on top in 2014? Find the fund review below. Whether you are investing for your brokerage fund or retirement fund, you need to be sure you are making the right choice. You may find the fund yield, performance return, expense ratio, total assets, and rating.

Top performing municipal bond closed end funds 2013 are:

1. BlackRock CA Muni 2018 Term
2. BlackRock FL Municipal 2020
3. BlackRock Muni 2018 Term Trust
4. BlackRock Municipal 2020
5. Nuveen CA Muni Value
6. BlackRock NY Muni 2018 Term
7. Nuveen Select Maturities Muni
8. Western Asset Muni Defined Opp
9. Neuberger Berman CA Inter Muni
10. BlackRock Investment Quality Muni

Updated on 12/25/2013