ETF

If You Haven't Done This Lately, Your Portfolio Is In Danger

2012 was a good year for the stock markets. But if you want to be prepared for the next correction, whenever it comes, there's one easy-to-implement strategy that has helped investors through the bumps and dips more than any other: rebalancing your portfolio.

The Dangerous Problem Behind ETFs' Big Asset Surge

Thanks to their lower fees, most ETFs do better for investors than similar mutual funds, and investors have noticed: They poured $154 billion into ETFs in 2012, while yanking more than $119 billion out of stock mutual funds. Just one problem: Most of that money went into the wrong kind of ETFs.

How You Can Take Advantage of the Fed's Low Interest Rate Plans

To keep interest rates at rock-bottom lows and boost the economy, the Federal Reserve is buying $40 billion a month in mortgage-backed securities, and it'll keep buying them for as long as it takes to get the economy back on track. Here's how that plan should affect your personal economy.

ETFs and 529s: Two Smart Money Moves That Don't Go Together

Exchange-traded funds are among the most popular recent innovations in the investing world -- with good reason: They offer a host of advantages over mutual funds. But they aren't a universally good solution: They make no sense at all within 529 college savings plans.

Are ETFs Really Necessary? Pros and Cons of an Investment Craze

Everywhere you look, new exchange-traded funds are popping up, and many people now think they're a must-have for a successful portfolio. But even though investors have poured more than $1 trillion into ETFs, the question remains: Do you really need them?

Cash In On the Businesses You Buy From

You're probably spending a lot this holiday season, on yourself and your friends and family. Why not get a little something back? Buying shares of stock in some of the retailers you patronize can give you your fair share of the profits your purchases help to create. Retail ETFs can give you that and boost your retirement funds in the process.

Escape the Low-Interest Trap With Dividend Stocks

A few years ago, with $1 million invested in CDs, you could have lived off your interest, but with rates at historic lows, now your returns would barely cover a few mortgage payments. This is forcing retirees to find new, fairly safe ways to get those returns. The experts' pick? Dividend stocks.

5 ETFs You Need in Your Portfolio

In search of a well-balanced diversified portfolio, you could spend every spare minute combing through financial statements before you bought a single share of a company's stock. Or, you could take a shortcut and buy ETFs. Though not a magic bullet, they're a huge time and effort saver. Here are five ETFs that will make your investing a lot easier.

10 Smart Places to Invest In Case the U.S. Defaults

The odds that the U.S. will default on its debt increase each day, and even if a short-term deal is reached, the ratings agencies may downgrade U.S. debt anyway. If that happens, turmoil could roil the markets. So where can the smart money flee for safety? 24/7 Wall St. offers 10 safe options.

How to Boost Your Profits With Unusual Index Funds

By now, most small investors know that investing in index funds is frequently superior to owning individual stocks or actively managed mutual funds. It turns out, however, there are several ways to squeeze even better returns out of your capital using unusually constructed index funds.

An ETF to Watch: Financial Services Fund

With sales estimates gloomy, the Dow Jones U.S. Financial Services ETF may be a great bet. So far in 2011, it has had a return of just over 2.6% and a dividend yield of .5%

Market Snapshot: What's Thriving in Battered Economy

The economy has had more than its share of trouble lately: Japan's earthquake comes on top of rising oil and food prices, political turmoil in the Middle East and a crop of government austerity measures. But investing opportunities lie hidden behind the bad news.

As IPOs Revive, Should You Be Joining In?

After a few comatose years following the financial crisis, the IPO market is roaring back. And with names like Facebook and Groupon driving the rumor mill, smaller investors are wondering how to get in on the action. The answer: Carefully, thanks to the many risks.

How to Invest in Commodities, Carefully

Prices for copper, gold, wheat, corn and oil are soaring. But how can small investors can take advantage of this growth without taking on way too much risk? That's a good question, indeed. And here are some good answers.

Bond ETFs Shine for Their Flexibility and Safety

Stock market volatility has driven many investors out of stocks and into bonds and other fixed-income investments. Bond ETFs have snared a big chunk of the money for their flexibility and safety.

Free Trade: No-Commission Trades for ETFs are Here to Stay

It looks like no-commission trades for exchange-traded funds are here to stay. Several of the largest ETF brokerages -- including iShares, Invesco Powershares and Charles Schwab -- say they don't plan to charge commission anytime soon.

Investing in Water Could Pour On the Returns

Thirsting for an interesting investment? Consider water. The precious resource could prove very lucrative over the next decade as its use in agriculture, industrial production and other areas surges. There are several water industry stocks and mutual funds that could be good bets.

Where to Place Your Currency Bets in 2010?

You can deal with future dollar declines by gaining exposure to foreign currencies -- either by investing in the currencies themselves, or by buying stocks in companies whose earnings aren't denominated in dollars.

Exchange-Traded Funds Get Religion

More people are putting their money where their values are -- a sentiment that isn't lost on money managers. Just this week, the first of three exchange-traded funds targeted at Christian investors hit the market. Two more will launch next week.