Investing in Convertible Closed End Funds

Investing in convertible closed end funds can be done easily. You can buy these closed end funds from your brokerage.

Convertible Bond Funds

Investing in convertible securities can be very attractive for investors. Generally, these convertible bonds are interest-paying bonds that can be swapped for shares of the issuing company's stock at a predated price. The bond-like yield aspect of a convertible protects against stock declines, while the ability to convert into stock offers shelter against falling bond prices.

Using closed end funds, investors can maximize its return if there is an arbitrage between the fund’s NAV and fund’s price. The yield of these convertible closed end funds can be higher than convertible ETFs or convertible mutual funds.

Top Closed End Funds

These top performing closed end funds are selected based on its year-to-date performance in 2014. Most of these convertible bond mutual funds are also rated among the best in their category. I have also provided some details about its management, performance, expense ratio, initial investment requirement, risk, top holdings, etc.

Top performing convertible closed end funds in 2014 are:

1. AGIC Convertible & Income II
2. Calamos Convertible & High Income
3. AGIC Convertible & Income
4. Bancroft Fund
5. Advent Claymore Convertible Securities & Income
6. Ellsworth Fund
7. Calamos Convertible Opportunities & Income
8. Advent Claymore Convertible & Income

Updated on 5/18/2014

Top Foreign Large Growth Mutual Funds 2014

Find top foreign large growth mutual funds 2014 review. Foreign large growth funds invest in non-US companies located in developed countries.

Foreign Large Growth Funds

Foreign large-growth funds focus on high-priced growth stocks, mainly outside of the United States. The mutual funds invest mainly in variety of developed markets such as Japan, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, etc. The funds invest in stocks of big companies with high growth potential. They may invest in U.S. stocks as well (less than 20% of assets).

Top Stock Mutual Funds

This best performing funds list is sorted based on the fund’s performance for the past 1 year. You may find each individual fund review. You can find the fund performance, expense ratio, and yield or dividend from the table below.

Top foreign large growth mutual funds 2014 are:

1. Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. International Opportunity Portfolio Class A
2. Gerstein Fisher Multi-Factor International Growth Equity Fund
3. Selected International Fund Class D
4. Nuveen International Growth Fund Class A
5. Davis International Fund Class A
6. Oppenheimer International Growth Fund Class A
7. MassMutual Premier International Equity Fund Class A
8. Oppenheimer International Growth Fund Class N
9. DFA International Large Cap Growth Portfolio
10. Vanguard International Growth Fund Investor Shares
11. WHV International Equity Fund Class A

Top Stocks Week 20, 2014: Home Health Care & Networking

Find best performing sector stocks of week 20 of 2014. Top stock industries are Home Health Care, Internet Service Providers, Networking & Communication Devices, etc.

Top Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, sector, and market capitalization. Major market indices have turned negative or flat in 2014. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 0.03%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 0.46%. The Russell 2000 has a negative return of -0.34%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 20, 2014 (May 12, 2014 – May 18, 2014) are:

1. Home Health Care – 8.54%
2. Internet Service Providers – 7.93%
3. Music & Video Stores – 5.54%
4. Networking & Communication Devices – 5.16%
5. Dairy Products
6. Photographic Equipment & Supplies
7. Copper
8. Beverages - Wineries & Distillers
9. Drugs Wholesale
10. Long-Term Care Facilities
11. Drugs - Generic
12. Data Storage Devices
13. Synthetics
14. Security Software & Services
15. Apparel Stores
16. Foreign Utilities
17. Steel & Iron

Best Short Term Bond ETFs 2014

Find best short term bond ETFs 2014 list. These short term bond exchange traded funds provide low risk and income for investors.

Short Term Bond ETFs

Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs are popular among active investors. With their low cost and liquidity, you can use ETFs to build your investment core assets. You can invest in bond, stock, or money market. There is variety of ETFs offered by ETF providers such as Vanguard, iShares, SPDR, etc.

Short term bond ETFs are investing mainly in high grade corporate and government with short duration (1 to 3.5 years). These debt ETFs typically great for conservative investors or retiree, hence they are less sensitive to interest rates hikes. The funds do provide yield for income.

Top Bond ETFs

These top performer ETFs are sorted based on its 1 year to date performance in 2014 (up to May 2014). You can find the fund review from this article. Other fund information can be found below such as expense ratio, Morningstar rating, fund’s NAV, managers, fund’s holdings, yield, etc.

Best short term bond ETFs 2014 are:

1. AdvisorShares Newfleet Multi-Sector Income ETF
2. iSharesBond Mar 2016 Corp ex-Fincls Term
3. Vanguard Short-Term Corp Bd Idx ETF
4. iShares 0-5 Year Invmt Grd Corp Bd
5. Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
6. SPDR Barclays Capital Short Term Corp Bd
7. iShares Short Maturity Bond
8. iShares Core Short-Term US Bond
9. iSharesBond Mar 2016 Corporate Term
10. iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond

Top Covered Call Closed End Funds 2014

Find top covered call closed end funds 2014 review. Best option strategies CEFs are: Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, ING Risk Management Natural Resources, etc.

Covered Call CEFs

Covered call portfolios invest in stocks and also sell call options on stock indices or individual stocks. The indices include U.S. markets (NASDAQ, NYSE, S&P, and Dow) or international markets (FTSE, Nikkei). Some funds may also purchase put options to try to shield the portfolio from extreme decreases in the stock market. Potential return from these funds comes from stock dividends, premiums received from selling call options, and stock appreciation/depreciation.

Covered call portfolio may be suitable for income seeker investors. Some of the fund’s yields are higher than your typical mutual funds, ETF, or stocks.

Best Closed End Funds

The top performing list is sorted based on its year to date performance in 2014. You can find the fund review, performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, fund’s NAV, management, leverage, fund’s sponsor, premium/discount info, etc.

Top covered call closed end funds 2014 are:

1. Columbia Seligman Premium Tech
2. ING Risk Mgt Natural Resources
3. Cohen & Steers Glb Income Builder
4. EV Tax-Managed Buy-Write Income
5. JH Hedged Equity & Income Fund
6. GAMCO Nat Res Gold & Income
7. ING Glb Eqty Div & Prem Opps
8. Madison Strategic Sector Premium

Best Moderate Allocation Mutual Funds 2014

Find best moderate allocation mutual funds 2014 review. Top moderate allocation funds are Dodge & Cox Balanced fund, Federated MDT Balanced fund, etc.

Moderate Allocation Funds

Moderate allocation mutual funds invest in stocks and bonds. These investment funds typically has higher portion of their assets invested in stocks (60-70%) and the rest of assets invested in bonds or money market (30-40%). You can buy these funds with as little as $1,000 initial investment for your brokerage or retirement accounts.

These best performing moderate allocation mutual funds are sorted based on its past 1 year performance in 2013-2014. You can find other fund information such as objective, share price, expense ratio, sales load, Morningstar rating, top holding, maturity, etc.

Top Funds

Best moderate allocation mutual funds 2014 are:

1. SCS Tactical Allocation (SCSGX)
2. Dodge & Cox Balanced (DODBX)
3. Scharf Balanced Opportunity Inv (LOGOX)
4. Disciplined Growth Investors (DGIFX)
5. CornerCap Balanced (CBLFX)
6. BlackRock Growth Prepared Investor A (BAGPX)
7. Federated MDT Balanced A (QABGX)
8. Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Income A (HWIAX)
9. Osterweis Strategic Investment (OSTVX)
10. Wells Fargo Advantage Growth Balanced A (WFGBX)

Top Stocks Week 19, 2014: Multimedia & Graphics Software

Find best performing sector stocks of week 19 of 2014. Top stock industries are long distance carriers, confectioners, multimedia & graphics software, etc.

Top Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, sector, and market capitalization. Major market indices have turned positive in 2014. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of -0.05%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of -1.26%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 19, 2014 (May 5, 2014 – May 11, 2014) are:

1. Long Distance Carriers – 5.66%
2. Confectioners – 4.84%
3. Multimedia & Graphics Software – 3.85%
4. Toy & Hobby Stores – 3.68%
5. Health Care Plans – 3.45%
6. Processed & Packaged Goods
7. Beverages - Brewers
8. Music & Video Stores
9. Telecom Services - Domestic
10. Publishing - Books
11. Conglomerates
12. Basic Materials Wholesale
13. Drugs Wholesale
14. Home Health Care
15. Credit Services
16. REIT - Residential