Managed Funds For Dummies
Description
Find your way through the managed fund maze and make the most of your investments!
Multi-sector equities? Concentrated funds? How about index funds? If you're being deafened by the volume of investment options, this accessible and informative guide shows you the way! Find the best fund for your needs with lots of insider tips. Make smart investment decisions that will pave your way to financial success!
Understand what makes a managed fund tick — how managed funds differ from other investments
Work out your investor profile — weighing up the level of risk you're willing to take to reap your rewards
Appreciate class and style — how a mix of asset class and management style can produce the results you're after
Identify the key players — what makes some funds stand out and what keeps them on top of the pile
Calculate the costs — deciphering fees and commissions and making sure you're not paying too much
Make sense of ratings — what the ratings agencies do and how you can get your head around their research
Learn the tricks of the trade — easy tips and strategies for buying, selling and monitoring your fund
Analyse fund performance — how to assess returns to enhance your investment success
Open the book and find:
Charts and tables to illustrate how managed funds work
Checklists for understanding reports and filling in the forms
Concise descriptions of the different fund types
Useful websites for funds and regulators
Tips for managing your own investment portfolio
A comprehensive glossary to cut through the jargon
Learn to:
Understand the pros and cons of investing in Australian managed funds
Find the best types of managed funds to meet your financial goals
Implement investment strategies to maximise your money
Identify risks and returns
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Content
- Managed Funds For Dummies
- About the Author
- Dedication
- Author's Acknowledgements
- Contents at a Glance
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Conventions Used in This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- How This Book Is Organised
- Icons Used in This Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Part I: Coming to Grips with the Basics of Managed Funds
- Chapter 1: Getting Started with Managed Funds
- Making a Start with Managed Funds
- Examining What's Managed in Managed Funds
- Plunging into Managed Funds without Taking a Bath
- Dealing with and Keeping Track of Your Investments
- Chapter 2: Understanding the Pros and Cons of Managed Funds
- Accessing All Areas: The Everyday Investor's Backstage Pass
- Diversifying Your Portfolio
- Funds for Every Investor
- Four Reasons Why Managed Funds May Not Be for You
- Stacking Up Managed Funds against Other Investments
- Chapter 3: Examining the Structures of Managed Funds
- Easing through the Legalese
- Superannuation and Managed Funds
- Working Out Your Retirement Options
- Understanding the Differences between Various Funds
- Chapter 4: Identifying Asset Classes and Investment Styles
- Learning about Asset Class
- Setting Out the Types of Asset Class
- How Stylish Is Your Fund Manager?
- Chapter 5: Revealing the Cost of Investing: Fees and Commissions
- Examining the Costs of Investing
- Uncovering Management Costs through the Indirect Cost Ratio
- Managing Tax in Managed Funds
- Handling Upfront Fees
- Paying Ongoing Commissions
- Considering Other Fees
- Part II: Doing the Research for Your Peace of Mind
- Chapter 6: Assessing Your Appetite for Risk and Avoiding Indigestion
- Understanding the Risk-and-Reward Trade-Off
- Discovering What Type of Investor You Are
- Understanding Your Investor Type
- Matching the Results to Your Goals
- Chapter 7: Setting Your Goals and Making a Plan
- Making a Plan
- Working Out What You Want from Your Investments
- Setting Your Investment Timeframe
- Deciding When to Invest
- Chapter 8: Understanding Research and Ratings Agencies
- Discovering How Ratings Agencies Can Help
- Understanding the Ratings
- Digging into the Research
- Chapter 9: Making Sense of Performance
- Understanding That Past Performance Is No Guide to the Future
- Looking at the Many Ways to Measure Performance
- Applying Performance Results to Investment Choices
- Timing the Market
- Part III: Choosing, Buying and Selling Managed Funds
- Chapter 10: Discovering Who's Who in the Managed Funds Zoo
- Uncovering Australia's Key Players
- The Big Names versus Boutiques
- Choosing a Fund Manager
- Going for CLASS When Choosing a Manager
- Getting to Know the Person Looking After Your Money
- Chapter 11: Looking At Your Options: Taking Advice or Going It Alone
- Examining the Best Route for You
- Dealing Directly with Your Fund Manager
- Investing through a Managed Fund Broker
- Using Financial Planners and Advisers
- Chapter 12: Filling In the Forms
- Getting Your Head around the Product Disclosure Statement
- Who Can and Can't Invest
- Sealing the Deal
- Knowing What Else to Look Out For
- Anti-Money Laundering: How It Affects You
- Chapter 13: Buying, Selling and Monitoring Your Investments
- Calculating the Price You Pay
- Buying a Fund
- Monitoring Your Investments
- Selling a Fund
- Part IV: Determining How Funds Are Labelled
- Chapter 14: Understanding Standard Fund Types
- Considering Types of Managed Funds
- Looking at Eight Ways Australian Funds Are Labelled
- Following a Well-Travelled Path: International Equities
- Weighing Up Concentrated Funds
- Understanding Index Funds
- Chapter 15: Examining More Ways of Classifying Managed Investments
- Listed Investment Companies
- Exchange-Traded Funds
- Ethical, or Values-Based, Investments
- Agricultural Investments
- Chapter 16: Lifting the Veil on Hedge Funds and Structured Products
- Understanding What's Meant by Hedging
- Examining Types of Hedge Funds
- Fees to Make Your Eyes Water
- Structured Product Investments
- Chapter 17: Looking at Administration Services and Managed Accounts
- Understanding Administration Services
- Exploring Wraps and Master Trusts
- Understanding Managed Accounts
- Fees and Charges
- Part V: Following Some Sensible Ideas for Happier Returns
- Chapter 18: Borrowing to Invest
- Gearing Up Your Portfolio
- Multiplying Your Returns
- Managing Your Risk
- Finding Funds That Gear for You
- Chapter 19: Investigating Other Investment Strategies
- Benefits of a Regular Savings Plan
- Examining the Difference between Savings Plans and Dollar-Cost Averaging
- Compounding Your Investment Growth
- Chapter 20: Understanding What Can Go Wrong and What to Do If It Does
- Policing the Fund Managers
- Identifying the Crooks and Conmen
- Finding Out Where to Complain
- Frozen Funds
- Part VI: The Part of Tens
- Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Managed Fund Investing
- Saving for Retirement
- Lessons from History
- Being Patient Is a Virtue
- Mixing It Up with Asset Allocation
- Doing Your Research
- Looking for Income? Distribution History Is Key
- Choosing Fund Managers That Perform
- Managing Risk, Not Avoiding It
- Adding Fuel to the Fire: Dollar-Cost Averaging
- Managing Your Funds
- Chapter 22: Ten Traps and Pitfalls: What the Managers Don't Tell You
- Not Knowing What You're Buying
- Not Figuring Out the Costs
- Not Appreciating Inflation
- Believing in Guaranteed Returns
- Not Watching Out for Tax
- Listening to Economists
- Believing the Marketing Hype
- Not Following the Money
- Funds Growing Too Big, Too Fast
- Following the Crowd
- Glossary
- Index
