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The best (and cheapest) funds around

09.01.09

Question: In your article in the January issue of Money, you recommend buying total market index ETFs. But I don't find being able to trade ETFs like stocks throughout the day to be an advantage for me. For example, if I buy the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF I will have to pay commission when I buy and sell, whereas I can buy their Total Stock Index mutual fund with no fee. I don't understand why ETFs are better than mutual funds.

Consumer bankruptcies surged in July to the highest level since October 2005 as U.S. households struggle under the burden of past debt and rising unemployment. At times the market acts like the fool. Protecting yourself from its folly is simpler than you might think. Question: I'm 55 years old and have my entire retirement savings plan at work invested in a total stock market index fund. I'm worried, though, that my account is too heavily skewed toward equities given my age. Any suggestions for how I might take a more balanced approach? --Ray K., Oakland, California



Target-date funds, those all-in-one portfolios of stocks and bonds that are supposed to be age-appropriate, have become targets themselves lately. The charge: that they failed to protect older investors from last year's downturn. Constant news of layoffs, pay cuts, and stock declines has all of us tightening our belts: A recent Money poll found that in light of the financial crisis, 89% of us are changing the way we manage our finances, and 88% plan to be more frugal. Max. It. Out. Of all the personal finance rules -- diversify your portfolio, pay down high-interest debt first -- perhaps no single piece of advice has been so widely touted as this: The key to financial security is putting as much money as you can into your 401(k). After all, what other retirement savings vehicle is portable, benefits from an employer match, provides a tax deduction, and allows the average clock puncher over the course of a career to rack up a seven-figure nest egg?

Question: I'm 48 years old and have about 90% of my 401(k) invested in my company's stock and the rest in an international equity fund. I want to diversify further, but don't know where to turn. Any suggestions? --J.D., Glenville, New York

Your 401(k) may have returned to pre-crash levels. But just treading water won't power you to a comfortable retirement. These four moves will. There's plenty to distract you from financial planning this time of year, from cheering on your favorite football team to daydreaming about Thanksgiving dinner. But you don't want to let some end-of-year deadlines slip by without taking steps to minimize taxes and maximize savings. Especially in this economic climate, a little extra cash can go a long way.

Some Macy's stores overcharged holiday shoppers who used debit cards to make purchases on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Arena Resources has pleased investors with rocket-fueled growth, but the oil and gas producer seems to have hit a wall. Bankruptcy filings by American consumers increased nearly a third in 2008, according to a new report.



Just a few years ago you could count on getting the bulk of your money back for almost any home-improvement project you took on. Today merely replacing a toilet seat can feel like throwing caution, and cash, to the wind. According to a study from Remodeling magazine, the average return on value for an upgrade declined from 87% in 2005 to 64% in 2009. But these six new rules will help you maximize your return on your remodeling investment. When Kimerby and Tony Simmons were married last month at a vineyard in the foothills outside Atlanta, they participated in the African-American tradition of jumping over a broom - an act symbolizing their entrance into a new phase of life together. Diversification, the notion of spreading your investments among different baskets of assets that don't rise and fall in unison, has long been considered one of the safest and surest moves you can make with your portfolio. After all, if any one basket falls apart, most of your brood should remain intact.

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