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Thread: How do I find & invest in a mutual fund by myself?

  1. #1

    Question How do I find & invest in a mutual fund by myself?

    I would like to invest in a mutual fund,

    I would like it to be gross stocks, with a heavy international focus (50%+) preferably focused on Asia, growth fund, 5 star etc...

    I know what I want to do, just not how to do it...



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  3. #2
    Just open an account with one of the companies that sells them. I guess the biggest two would be Vanguard or Fidelity. Open the account and buy. There's probably a minimum purchase amount on most of them.

    http://personal.fidelity.com/product...tml.cvsr?bar=p

    https://personal.vanguard.com/us/wha...lfundinvesting

  4. #3
    Here's one I just found.

    http://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mut...risk/315910851

    But you don't want to put all of your eggs in one basket. International growth funds can be a part of your investment portfolio, but definitely should be make up the entirety or majority of it.

  5. #4
    Well, a mutual fund by definition is an investment managed by a third party.
    IF you were to truly do it by your self, you would merely assemble and trade your own collection of stocks.
    Otherwise, you simply chose a company who manages mutual funds (fidelity, vanguard, schwab, etc.) and I am sure they will happily work with you.
    Make sure to look at the management fees, since that varies from company to company, and fund to fund.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Reason View Post
    I would like to invest in a mutual fund,

    I would like it to be gross stocks, with a heavy international focus (50%+) preferably focused on Asia, growth fund, 5 star etc...

    I know what I want to do, just not how to do it...
    Generally, people who know what they want to invest in go with a discount brokerage like TD Ameritrade or Scottrade. Once you open a brokerage account, you can invest in nearly any mutual fund. Discount brokerages will either have no transaction fee for purchasing them, or a very small one.

    Another option is to invest directly with the Mutual Fund company. This is a far less flexible option though. Contact the specific company for details on purchasing directly with them.

    Also, never, ever pay a front or back end load!! And make sure you research all of the over head costs for the funds you are interested in.

    Take a look at this page for more details and links:

    http://screener.finance.yahoo.com/funds.html
    http://screener.finance.yahoo.com/funds.html
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  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by PauliticsPolitics View Post
    Well, a mutual fund by definition is an investment managed by a third party.
    IF you were to truly do it by your self, you would merely assemble and trade your own collection of stocks.
    Otherwise, you simply chose a company who manages mutual funds (fidelity, vanguard, schwab, etc.) and I am sure they will happily work with you.
    Make sure to look at the management fees, since that varies from company to company, and fund to fund.
    I might suggest you look at an index fund (there are many types available). They buy and hold the stocks which make up a particular index and don't trade their shares very often (more trading means more costs and lower returns). They are also going to be the lowest cost option for you in terms of mananagement fees. I have a couple though Vanguard though other funds offer them.

  8. #7
    I would stay away from the International , in general , if you look at past performance , unless you can find one with a better history than the ones I have looked at ...

  9. #8
    Depending on how they are set up, an International fund may have higher risk than a domestic stock fund. They may face currency exchange risk- that if the value of the dollar vs the currency the stock was issued in changes, that can change the value of the stocks in addition to any changes in the stock price itself. So many companies are international that investing in many large companies will give you plenty of international exposure.

    http://www.investorguide.com/igu-art...al-stocks.html
    Stocks are obviously not unique to the United States. In fact, the U.S. equity market makes up less than half of the global equity market, so there are indeed many opportunities for investing in stocks abroad. You should note, however, that foreign stocks, while
    similar to domestic stocks, are different in some important ways. This section takes a look at foreign equities and highlights some of the important differences you should know if you are going to consider investing in them.

    Diversification

    The number one reason most financial experts cite when advising investors to consider foreign securities is diversification. The logic behind this reasoning is simple enough: if the U.S. happens to be suffering from an economic downturn or high inflation, there are probably going to be better investment opportunities abroad. Those investments abroad could help boost a portfolio weighted heavily in US equities when the U.S. stock market is not performing well.

    But not everyone agrees with this reasoning. Academic studies have shown that while global diversification seemed to work quite well for many years, sometime during the late 1970s it stopped helping returns. A number of different reasons have been cited as to why this might be the case, including an increasingly global marketplace that has reduced economic differences among countries.

    Risks

    Whether or not these arguments are correct remains to be seen. There are, however, a number of different risks associated with foreign stocks that are beyond doubt. There is, for example, country risk. While U.S. markets have performed well over the very long run, this is not necessarily the case with all foreign countries. Many countries suffer from political, social, and/or economic instability that makes investing in those countries very risky. Furthermore, foreign governments have different rules regarding the regulation and taxation of securities that could be at odds with your investment objectives. Before investing in any foreign country, learn about that country's political, social and economic conditions, as well as its tax laws and securities regulations.

    In addition to country risk, there is also something called currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that your investments abroad might decline in value because of fluctuating currency rates. In general, the stronger the U.S. dollar becomes against a foreign currency, the more you lose when investing in that country. This is because you must convert your dollars into the foreign currency in order to purchase securities there and later convert the foreign currency back into dollars when you sell the securities. If the dollar is stronger against the other currency when you are exchanging the money for the second time, you will lose some of its value. Of course, it also works the opposite way: a weaker dollar can help to boost your returns



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  11. #9
    GOOD LUCK!
    Last edited by european; 11-06-2012 at 11:39 PM. Reason: i misread and gave an answer to a question that wasnt there
    ^^ my 2 devaluated cents



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