Curse Buster Sound Directory

No websites in this category, yet!

---

Cooperatives RSS Feeds

SLOWDOWN IN 401(K) GROWTH - From EBRI: Growth in the number of 401(k)-type plans and the number of participants in those plans, which increased sharply in the 1990s, has slowed in recent years, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The study  also shows that ownership and assets in both 401(k)-type plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) have risen, that the growth of IRA assets is due to rollovers from other tax-qualified retirement plans, and that most new IRA contributions are going into tax-free-on-withdrawal (nondeductible) Roth IRAs ...
Feed Source:

I SPISE A GOOD INVESTMENT ... - From CFA Institute:  In a presentation at the CFA Institute 61st Annual Conference, David R. Beatty, CFA, managing director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, shared an acronym for investors to consider when determining whether a company is being governed with a focus on long-term performance.  Investors should remember the acronym SPISE − style, performance, ...
Feed Source:

VAs MAY HAVE SOME UPSIDE - From FPA: Despite their tarnished reputation due to questionable sales tactics, high expenses and weaker investment performance compared with mutual funds, popular variable annuities (VA) with "living benefit" riders may still be a sound choice for some retirees, concludes an article in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Financial Planning, published monthly by the Financial Planning Association. In his article, "A Context for Considering Variable Annuities with Living Benefit Riders,"  John H. Robinson examines how the investment performance of a particular type of VA rider stacks up against an index mutual fund as each tries to weather two bear markets . ...
Feed Source:

UNDERSTANDING ETFs - From FiPA: The "It" equity -- the exchange-traded mutual fund -- is no spring chicken. It's been around since the early 1990s. But ETFs are still turning heads. It's no wonder: The combination of index investing with the handiness --- and lower costs -- of individual stock ownership is irresistible. Are ETFs a good match for your portfolio? "Exchange-traded" refers to shares that trade all day long on the major stock market exchanges (just like regular stocks, although ETFs are found mainly on the American Stock Exchange). "Funds" are investing vehicles that hold dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of companies under one umbrella unified by a particular investing theme (such as companies that comprise the Dow or ones whose main business is in the biotech industry). For more, see ...
Feed Source:

'CATASTROPHE BOND' CAUTION - From FINRA: The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued an Investor Alert warning investors about the risks of speculating on natural disasters with event-linked securities, such as catastrophe bonds or "cat bonds." Cat bonds offer high yields but can quickly lose most or all of their value if a triggering event, such as a hurricane, earthquake or pandemic, occurs in specified geographical regions. The new Investor Alert, "Catastrophe Bonds and Other Event-Linked Securities," describes how event-linked securities work and helps investors determine whether and to what extent the funds they hold invest in these securities ...
Feed Source:

NEW TWIST ON ID THEFT FROM LATVIA - Stock traders posing as employees of a  non-existent Latvian brokerage firm appear to have stolen personal information from individuals who thought they were applying for a job through Craigslist. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, these traders allegedly used the job applicants' Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other information to open up online brokerage accounts.  FINRA urges investors -- when conducting any activity on the Internet -- to always check out anyone who asks for your personal information ...
Feed Source:

WORK RETIREMENT PLANS: GATEWAY TO MUTUAL FUNDS? - Employer-sponsored retirement plans are increasingly the gateway to mutual fund ownership, according to a new report from the the Investment Company Institute. The report, "Characteristics of Mutual Fund Investors, 2007," also noted that nearly three-quarters of U.S. households list saving for retirement as their primary financial goal.  Equity funds are the most popular type of fund, owned by four of five mutual fund-owning households ...
Feed Source:

INVESTING IN TURBULENT TIMES - Some investors are losing sleep at night as a result of ongoing market volatility and recession worries. The nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) responded to those concerns by highlighting eight of the best Web-based resources for investing in uncertain times. The Alliance's new "Tips for Turbulent Times" is available now    ...
Feed Source:

INVESTING TIPS ONLINE - MoneyTrack, the public television series funded by the Investor Protection Trust, has just announced it will now be reaching an additional online audience of 14 million a month through an agreement with MSN Money.  MoneyTrack teaches viewers the basics of saving and investing by featuring real people's experiences as case studies and translating their lessons to the viewers through the guidance of its hosts and experts such as John Bogle, Ben Stein, Michelle Singletary, Jonathan Pond and even investing legend Warren Buffett   ...
Feed Source:

MUNI BONDS 101 - The Investment Company Institute has provided detailed background information on municipal bonds ("muni bonds"), which are debt securities issued by state and local governments, or their authorized agencies, to borrow or raise money for public purposes such as building schools, highways, or hospitals. Municipal bonds are known as tax-exempt bonds. Because they offer tax-free income, municipal bonds generally have annual yields below those of corporate bonds or U.S. Treasury bonds ...
Feed Source: