The Standard Poor S Guide To The Perfect Portfolio

Many people devote their time to choosing “the right” stocks. Yet they bypass an important step that will have an even greater impact on their portfolio’s performance: asset allocation. The Standard & Poor’s Guide to the Perfect Portfolio is the definitive road map to diversifying your financial holdings in order to get the highest returns with the lowest risk and ensure a secure financial future. You can beat 90% of money managers with a properly balanced portfolio of mixed investment classes. Investment expert and columnist Michael Kaye presents a clear and reliable approach to asset allocation. He helps investors at every level to better understand all the major investment products available and how to best use them to achieve investor’s specific goals. Kaye shows you five essential steps to allocate your assets: Identify your goals and objectives Choose the right asset classes for your portfolio Determine how much of your assets belong in each class Pick your investment products Monitor your portfolio and make adjustments as needed The Standard & Poor’s Guide to the Perfect Portfolio is packed with examples of portfolio mixes that illustrate many ways to balance your assets based on different risk profiles and investment goals. A range of relevant, reliable advice shows you how to successfully consider such factors as where you are in your career, what your financial needs are, and your personal tolerance to risk.

How the greatest thinkers in finance changed the field and how their wisdom can help investors today Is there an ideal portfolio of investment assets, one that perfectly balances risk and reward? In Pursuit of the Perfect Portfolio examines this question by profiling and interviewing ten of the most prominent figures in the finance world—Jack Bogle, Charley Ellis, Gene Fama, Marty Leibowitz, Harry Markowitz, Bob Merton, Myron Scholes, Bill Sharpe, Bob Shiller, and Jeremy Siegel. We learn about the personal and intellectual journeys of these luminaries—which include six Nobel Laureates and a trailblazer in mutual funds—and their most innovative contributions. In the process, we come to understand how the science of modern investing came to be. Each of these finance greats discusses their idea of a perfect portfolio, offering invaluable insights to today’s investors. Inspiring such monikers as the Bond Guru, Wall Street’s Wisest Man, and the Wizard of Wharton, these pioneers of investment management provide candid perspectives, both expected and surprising, on a vast array of investment topics—effective diversification, passive versus active investment, security selection and market timing, foreign versus domestic investments, derivative securities, nontraditional assets, irrational investing, and so much more. While the perfect portfolio is ultimately a moving target based on individual age and stage in life, market conditions, and short- and long-term goals, the fundamental principles for success remain constant. Aimed at novice and professional investors alike, In Pursuit of the Perfect Portfolio is a compendium of financial wisdom that no market enthusiast will want to be without.

Improve your investment returns with expert advice from the world's leading financial information organization Investors are rediscovering the profitable advantages of dividend-paying stocks, due to the "bird in the hand" nature of regular dividend payments, dramatically reduced historical volatility, and the current reduction in the federal dividend tax rate. The Standard & Poor's Guide to Building Wealth with Dividend Stocks tackles all the key issues for adding the stability and performance of dividend stocks to your portfolio, providing hands-on techniques for identifying the best dividend-paying stocks and companies, using dividend tax law changes to improve returns, and implementing innovative dividend stock strategies.

VALUABLE ADVICE FOR INVESTORS OF ALL TYPES FROM STANDARD & POOR'S, TODAY'S MOST TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR RELIABLE INVESTMENT INFORMATION Standard & Poor's brings the impressive knowledge and resources of Standard & Poor's to some of today's most challenging financial issues. Covering subjects from saving for college to technical analysis to risk management, books in the series will give both independent and institutional investors the knowledge they need to dramatically improve their overall financial decisions. Knowledge and insights new investors need to build wealth without risking what they already have Even veteran investors often can be confused by today's markets. So, where does that leave beginners? The Standard & Poor's Guide for the New Investor provides novice investors with solid, insightful Standard & Poor's data and research to help them make sense of investing in post-bubble markets and is the perfect introductory resource for those looking to smooth the transition from low-return savings accounts to high-return, long-term investing. Covering everything from basic stock investing rules and strategies to technical analysis and other advanced tools and techniques, this straightforward book provides investors with the knowledge they need to both manage their money today and invest it for the future. Discussing vehicles from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and even derivatives, it uses a simple, conversational style to explain: Tips for living within one's means Stock investing strategies from basic to more advanced All about 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement plans

Publisher Description

Written by a veteran financial planner, this guide uniquely covers the statistical and non-statistical issues involved in selecting and managing a balanced portfolio of mutual funds. It explains investment policy development techniques, explores all asset classes of mutual funds, and covers the critical issues of style analyses, data interpretation, and style management.

A do-it-yourself guide to investing like the renowned Harvard and Yale endowments. The Ivy Portfolio shows step-by-step how to track and mimic the investment strategies of the highly successful Harvard and Yale endowments. Using the endowment Policy Portfolios as a guide, the authors illustrate how an investor can develop a strategic asset allocation using an ETF-based investment approach. The Ivy Portfolio also reveals a novel method for investors to reduce their risk through a tactical asset allocation strategy to protect them from bear markets. The book will also showcase a method to follow the smart money and piggyback the top hedge funds and their stock-picking abilities. With readable, straightforward advice, The Ivy Portfolio will show investors exactly how this can be accomplished—and allow them to achieve an unparalleled level of investment success in the process. With all of the uncertainty in the markets today, The Ivy Portfolio helps the reader answer the most often asked question in investing today - "What do I do"?

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are revolutionizing the investment industry. From their introduction in 1993, ETFs have expanded exponentially over the past fifteen years. You, as an informed investor, need to know what makes ETFs unique, how they work, and which funds may help you achieve your financial goals. The updated edition provides the most current look at the ETF market, where the number of funds has doubled since the book first published in December 2007. A huge number of bonds funds, commodities funds, currency funds, leverage and short funds have been introduced. In addition, actively managed ETFs are here now, and some major mutual fund companies, like Fidelity and PIMCO, are getting into the market. Remarkably, the terminology in the ETP marketplace is also evolving at a rapid pace. The acronym ETP for exchange-traded product has become an industry standard. The term did not exist two years ago. Written by veteran financial professional and experienced author Richard Ferri, The ETF Book, Updated Edition gives you a broad and deep understanding of this important investment vehicle and provides you with the tools needed to successfully integrate exchange-traded funds into any portfolio. This detailed, yet clearly articulated guide contains the most up-to-date information on navigating the growing number of ETFs available in today's marketplace. Divided into four comprehensive parts, this guide addresses everything from ETF basics and in-depth fund analysis to the tax benefits of using ETFs. Included are a variety of portfolio management strategies using ETFs and examples of different model portfolios that you can easily adapt to your own investment endeavors. Whether you're just getting started or are a seasoned ETF investor, The ETF Book, Updated Edition will help enhance your understanding of this evolving field by: Examining the fundamental differences between exchange-traded portfolios Highlighting how to effectively implement a wide selection of ETFs?from Exploring specific ETF strategies?from buy and hold to market timing and sector rotation Introducing Index Strategy Boxes?a new way to understand index construction and how a fund is investing your money And much more Each chapter of The ETF Book, Updated Edition offers concise coverage of various issues. It is filled with in-depth insights on different types of ETFs and practical advice on how to select and manage them. The appendixes are an added benefit, offering an ETF Resource List, which will point you to more places for information on these structures, and a detailed Glossary to help you with industry-specific definitions. The ETF Book, Updated Edition is an invaluable road map for developing a winning investment strategy. Armed with the knowledge found throughout these pages, you'll be prepared to build a solid portfolio of ETFs that will benefit you for years to come.