Mutual Funds & E.T.F.s

In South Korea, it’s common for friends to form what are known as gyemoim to save for vacations, meals and other social activities.

By Krissi Driver

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with governments’ reactions to that, might mean that prices rise. Or they could fall on fears of a global economic slowdown.

By J. Alex Tarquinio

Socially conscious funds often hold lots of growth stocks, especially tech shares. That’s been painful this year, as the stock market has favored value stocks like energy and industrial companies.

By Tim Gray

After falling sharply for weeks, the stock market recovered much of its lost ground, though bonds have kept falling. With major risks unresolved, there may well be worse to come.

By Conrad de Aenlle

A TIPS fund can shield investors from inflation to some extent, but so can other choices, like real estate, dividend-paying stocks and commodities.

By Tim Gray

Inflation and the coronavirus did not hold back the stock market last year, but in 2022, investors face new worries.

By Conrad de Aenlle

Stocks keep hitting new highs and getting more expensive, as if nothing could go wrong, and that’s when it often does.

By Conrad de Aenlle

The world’s highways, ports, electric wires and roads need repair and upgrades. That could be an opportunity for funds investing in infrastructure.

By Tim Gray

Three fund managers found winners in such diverse small-cap niches as energy, consumer electronics and auto sales.

By Tim Gray

The conversion of the first few mutual funds into cheaper, simpler exchange-traded vehicles could herald a broader trend.

By Conrad de Aenlle

After years of lagging performance, practitioners of an old approach to investing are hoping their time is nigh.

By Geraldine Fabrikant

Various types of exchange-traded funds aim to reduce stock market volatility; some work well, but there may be better ways to smooth returns

By Conrad de Aenlle

Diverse investing styles yielded winners, with funds investing in Latin American, clean energy and value stocks all toting up big gains.

By Tim Gray

Once you have set up your stock and bond portfolio, avoiding further action is the most important and also the hardest task, our columnist says.

By Paul B. Brown

Our columnist is searching for his own niche in a universe dominated by giants.

By John Schwartz

Many stocks in developing nations have underperformed for years, but they could thrive in a post-pandemic world.

By Conrad de Aenlle

Low interest rates and paltry yields prompt money-market managers to waive fees and close funds.

By Brian J. O’Connor

Does the latest twist herald the end of a bull run or the beginning of a shift toward long-neglected niches?

By Conrad de Aenlle

Managers of three of the third quarter’s top-performing mutual funds bet on a music streamer, a solar-panel installer and a beverage-can maker.

By Tim Gray

Once, exchange-traded funds all tried to mirror the market. Now some are trying to beat it, in some cases by concealing their day-to-day trades.

By Norm Alster

Yes, you need to do some math if you want to handle your finances well. But don’t forget your heart. Two new books show you how to use both.

By Paul B. Brown

The yield from a dividend fund can beat the scant rates paid these days by Treasuries and investment-grade bonds, if you can stomach the ups and downs of the underlying stocks.

By Tim Gray

U.S. Treasuries have been the bonds of choice for safe retirement income. But they could deliver no real return for the next decade.

By Carla Fried

After decades of striving for money, our columnist says he is focusing on other things.

By Paul B. Brown

One of the worst stretches in market history has included one of the most rapid stock rallies. How can investors get through this ordeal?

By Jeff Sommer

As a defensive part of a portfolio, health care has been reasonably solid — and that is a mixed blessing, some analysts say.

By Brian J. O’Connor

Making money in a crisis never goes out of style, our columnist says.

By John Schwartz

The founder of Vanguard, who died on Wednesday, changed how ordinary people invested. Here are some of his tips.

By Amie Tsang

After a big year for stocks in China and India, emerging market stock funds are now attracting attention from bargain hunters.

By Paul J. Lim

We’ve pulled together some of the biggest issues in investing in a quarterly report that can help you navigate the murky waters of finance, with some laughs and lessons along the way.

By Jeff Sommer

The stock market has remained strong, despite hurricanes, earthquakes, tensions in Asia and political turbulence in the U.S., Spain and Germany.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Low-carbon mutual and exchange-traded funds shun fossil-fuel producers like companies that drill for oil and mine coal, and those that emit excessive amounts of greenhouse gas.

By Tim Gray

Dodge & Cox is an old school investment manager that does not advertise or promote its funds, which have some the lowest fees in the industry.

By Landon Thomas Jr.

A sportscaster and a financial planner have started an exchange-traded fund aimed at enabling avid sports fans to invest in what they know.

By Ken Belson

Three mutual funds crimped the number of their holdings in hopes of plumping up their total returns. It worked in the third quarter.

By Tim Gray

A surge in new assets can create economies of scale for a fund, but it can also lead to poor decisions by managers, hurting performance

By Conrad De Aenlle

Is an inability to talk openly and honestly about money and investments hurting you in the proverbial pocketbook? A new book argues that it is.

By Paul B. Brown

The prospect of further interest rate increases, despite signs of economic softening, makes investors nervous. Yet the stock market has been buoyant.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Fund fees have hit record lows. So why are many investors still stuck in high-cost funds?

By M.p. Dunleavey

Where do you go when stocks and bonds are too rich? Commodities, at least price-wise, might offer an answer despite their volatility.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Three of the better-performing stock funds scored with picks as varied as well-known technology companies, micro-cap stocks and Asian innovators.

By Tim Gray

Environmental, social and governance investing — a.k.a. socially responsible investing — requires careful decisions. There are many choices.

By Tim Gray

Faced with waves of store closures, malls look far and wide for new visitor magnets. Golf, anyone? Karaoke?

By Norm Alster

Misbehaving technology executives and investors need more than sensitivity training and public scorn.

By John Schwartz

Tax-advantaged municipal bonds, which were expected to struggle under Trump administration policies, are actually a bright spot in the bond market.

By Paul J. Lim

You may not want to read a weighty tome on finance right now. But how about a novel, with financial lessons embedded in it? Here are three choices.

By Paul B. Brown

One book pushes value stocks; the other advises following trends. One is helpful; the other is frustrating.

By Paul B. Brown

Despite the Trump administration’s support for coal and other carbon fuels, there is a reasonable case for investing in renewable energy.

By Norm Alster

A surge in commodity prices fueled a powerful rally in emerging-market stocks. But any further advances may have to come from other factors.

By Paul J. Lim

We can learn so much from captains of industry, especially from their mistakes. Expert apology-watchers take a cold look at statements from Travis Kalanick and William Ackman.

By John Schwartz

Alphabet and Facebook are growth stocks, sure. But MasterCard, Domino’s and Sherwin-Williams are also in growth fund portfolios.

By Tim Gray

Some mutual funds already have stakes as companies go public. This can be a high-risk and high-reward proposition.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Thanks to the power of its index funds, Vanguard is pulling in more money than all of the other fund companies in the business.

By Landon Thomas Jr.

Political sound and fury about tax cuts, tax reform and infrastructure spending may not actually portend major upheaval for tax-exempt bonds.

By Carla Fried

Stocks have soared in the hope the president’s business-friendly proposals would be enacted. But after the recent failure of the health care bill, all bets are off.

By Conrad De Aenlle

A new book provides a good base for building what many desperately need: financial literacy.

By Paul B. Brown

Three of the top-performing mutual funds for the fourth quarter stuck with stocks much longer than most do. That paid off.

By Tim Gray

President-elect Donald J. Trump advocates big spending on infrastructure. Someone will profit, but it may not be mutual fund investors.

By Norm Alster

As interest rates rise, money market funds, certificates of deposit and short-term bonds are delivering higher yields — but investors should be choosy.

By Carla Fried

The imminent presidency of Donald J. Trump has given the stock market a ride higher. It’s also produced big changes in the bond market.

By Paul J. Lim

University endowments and insurance companies own timberland. Ordinary people invest in forests, too — not necessarily to make a lot of money.

By Tim Gray

The stock market has risen, but it faces rising interest rates, sluggish earnings and uncomfortable political realities.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Only 9.4 percent of American mutual fund managers are women. The hiring pipeline needs work from start to finish.

By M.p. Dunleavey

Big, Small, American, Chinese: Different stocks produced outstanding results for investors and the funds that hold them.

By Tim Gray

As dividend-paying stocks have become more expensive, investors have been forced to seek other options.

By Paul J. Lim

As the market fluctuates, these books remind us to use common sense and stick to the basics when saving and planning for retirement.

By Paul B. Brown

Though markets have stabilized since the vote for Britain to leave the European Union, where investors and businesses go from here is uncertain.

By Conrad De Aenlle

If you can use augmented reality to find cartoon monsters, why not use it to capture weirdly enticing investments?

By John Schwartz

Mutual fund managers are holding their ground, which may be a stabilizing force in the market.

By Norm Alster

Dollar-cost averaging offers investors a way to avoid the risks of trying to time the markets, and to save gradually, at a reasonable price.

By John F. Wasik

Despite the prospect of higher interest rates, the imminent presidential election and heightened uncertainty in Europe, shares have for the most part risen.

By Conrad De Aenlle

The markets’ traditional moves may be altering, denting bonds’ appeal. But it’s not really dire. And remember: There’s always the safety of cash.

By Carla Fried

In “You Only Live Once,” the author Jason Vitug says starting financial planning with specifics can be a mistake, but he offers few details on how to achieve economic security.

By Paul B. Brown

Various factors could prompt owners of equity portfolios to go on the defensive. If so, it’s crucial to determine whether to focus strategies on the short or long run.

By Conrad De Aenlle

Real estate investment funds, which produce income from sources like malls and data centers, are appealing but some potential pitfalls loom.

By Norm Alster

The top-performing funds of the second quarter included three that identify small and midsize companies with earnings that are expected to grow at above-average rates.

By Tim Gray

Troubled by low returns and high expense ratios, investors are fleeing the struggling asset class. But portfolio managers say the worries could be overblown.

By Tim Gray

The jury is still out on whether negative yields will spur economic growth, but central banks have engineered short-term gains for American bond investors.

By Carla Fried

Technology is fine for steering around traffic jams, but can it be trusted with our retirements?

By John Schwartz

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union bolstered the dollar, which could hurt the earning of American companies that make most of their sales abroad.

By Paul J. Lim

Stocks thrashed higher and lower in the second quarter — and didn’t go very far. With valuations and uncertainty high, where are investors to go?

By Conrad De Aenlle

The first quarter took investors on a wild ride, with stocks plunging into an abyss and then rocketing back out. But worries about earnings persist.

By Conrad De Aenlle

The quarter’s top-performing mutual funds sought stock in companies that not only paid dividends, but that also had a durable business and a burly balance sheet.

By Tim Gray

Two new books on saving and investing discuss making career moves that raise the value of your labor, which in turn can help you save more.

By Paul B. Brown

The popular vehicles don’t guarantee returns and may not provide the blend of investments that you want.

By John F. Wasik

Polls show no clear tilt for the June 23 referendum, but experts warn that the effects of a British exit from the E.U. have not been factored into prices.

By Conrad De Aenlle

As part of the riskier stock side of a portfolio, high-yield bonds can deliver more income than dividend-paying stocks without so much volatility.

By Carla Fried

Emerging-market stocks could again become one of the best-performing asset classes, but another “supercycle” may be years away.

By Paul J. Lim

If the N.R.A. can use fairy tales to promote guns, then surely we can use them to make investing less boring to children.

By John Schwartz

Fund managers find ways to manage the risks inherent in this volatile sector and maximize the benefits.

By Norm Alster

Top high-yield bond funds, a.k.a. junk funds, are down as much as 11 percent since summer of 2014, and market volatility points conservative investors toward safer bets.

By Carla Fried

Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack offer financial planning tips you can fit on an index card, and Jane Bryant Quinn writes about having enough money in retirement.

By Paul B. Brown

Exchange-traded funds suffered huge losses when stocks plummeted in early trading on Aug. 24, revealing hidden dangers in short-term trading of the funds.

By Conrad De Aenlle

In moderation, consumer debt can help encourage economic activity, but in excess, it can create bubbles that threaten the economy.

By Norm Alster

Business leaders have become social-media crazy, with interesting implications for both court cases and the volume of information available to investors.

By John Schwartz

More investors are committing money to socially responsible funds, and companies are rolling out offerings. But it can be hard to determine what funds will and won’t invest in.

By Tim Gray

Investments in well-known tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Google fueled three top-performing funds in the fourth quarter.

By Tim Gray

It’s not the first time emerging-market stock funds have lost ground, so playing this volatile group of stocks for the long term may be worthwhile in the end.

By Paul J. Lim

Total percentage returns for the quarter, the year and five years, annualized, and the fund’s rank within the universe of Nasdaq-listed stock and bond funds.

By The New York Times

Total percentage returns for the quarter, the year and five years, annualized, and the fund’s rank within the universe of Nasdaq-listed stock and bond funds

By The New York Times