INVESTMENT PRODUCTS

What do Woody Allen and personal finance have to do with each other, you ask? Maybe not a whole lot, but if we dissect his films closely, there are definitely lessons to be learned.

The over opinionated Woody Allen is constantly placing social criticisms, personal quips, and when examined closely, financial advice into his movies. By extracting these gems from across the span of his films and bringing them together, we can gain insight into some valuable tips on spending, saving and more.

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Thomas J. Feeney has been in the investment industry for over four decades. As the chief investment officer of both Marathon Asset Management Co. and Mission Management & Trust Co., there isn’t much of the financial world he hasn’t seen. As much as his schedule allows, he also breaks down his thoughts and strategies on his blog, Measure of Value.

Every other week, we’ll tap the insights of Tom to get a deeper perspective of what’s going on in the market and see through his eyes what the smart money is thinking about investments.

The best mutual funds in the U.S. were highlighted by Standard & Poor’s on Monday with its first U.S. Mutual Funds Excellence Awards Program. The idea of the program was to find value in domestic funds, which are becoming less popular since many investors of mutual funds are looking overseas to make investments.

Criteria for Program

Investors who’ve had their confidence in the stock market rocked over the past few years have been flying to gold. With skyrocketing gold prices reaching new heights seemingly each day, it’s hard to tell whether investors are simply along for the ride or if they’re the ones pushing it up.

Regardless, if you got into gold early, then good for you. There’s no such thing as cheap gold anymore. With an ounce of gold priced at well over $1,300, latecomers to the new gold rush need to seriously consider whether or not the precious metal is a sound investment. When it comes to money, those who are late to the party are usually the ones left holding the bag.

Investing in any type of market can be a tricky prospect these days because of recent history of unexpected crashes. However, for those who have been thinking about investing in mortgage-backed securities, the prospect is even scarier because of the downfall of the housing market in 2008 and the struggles associated with both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Despite the suffering economy, some experts say Ginnie Mae’s mortgage-backed securities are safe to invest in and still offer a good chance for growth. So is investing in Ginnie Mae really a good idea considering the volatility of the housing market?

A trailing return is a presentation of information that shows the investment return for a particular period of time. Trailing returns are normally evaluated every year. For example, if you have an investment with a trailing return of one year, you would expect to see returns over the previous twelve-month period.

What is a financial professional? The term loosely covers anyone that works in an industry dealing with, well, finance. This could be someone as prominent as a stock broker on Wall Street or someone as common as your local insurance agent or tax accountant. Knowing the area of expertise each one deals with will help you pinpoint the right hire to help you meet your financial goals. After all, you wouldn’t have your insurance representative do your taxes or your CPA accountant picking your stocks.

The following is a simple break down of five of the most common industry professionals working in finance. While some responsibilities do blend together and some professionals do double dip in expertise, this guide should help clarify where each professional fits in the world of finance.

A stable-value fund is an excellent way for those approaching retirement age to diversify their portfolios. Stable-funds tend to offer higher returns than similar investments like money market accounts, but do involve slightly more risk.

Until recently, stable-value funds were an incentive only available through employer 401(k) benefit plans, but things have changed. Now individual investors can take advantage of this conservative type of investment through their IRA as well.

Before investing in municipal bonds, it’s good to first explore the advantages and disadvantages of doing so to make sure you’re making the most informed investment decision. But just what is a municipal bond? To help you out, we will explore various pros and cons of this investment tool so that when you’re ready to invest, you’ll feel better prepared.

Municipal Bond Tax Exemptions

A blended fund is a mutual fund that, instead of being comprised of only one or two types of assets, has a blend of a number of different types. Many investors find that they benefit well from this investment option and try to always ensure it is included in their portfolio.

What is the Purpose of a Blended Fund?