The Rush to Refinance Corporate Debt
ByDavid BogoslawKa-ching. That's the sound of cash flowing into U.S. companies amid a deluge of new debt offerings this year now on pace to surpass last year's total. As of Sept. 23 $666.44 billion of investment-grade and high-yield debt had been issued year-to-date compared with $503.78 billio ...

TWO MYTHS that you as an investor might grapple with...
Myth 1: Funds with highest *Star Ratings* or Rankings make better buysBeware! While you may be tempted to invest your hard earned money in that 5-Star rated Fund let us throw some light on what could be the consequences of doing the same.It is commonplace for Fund Houses to flaunt the number of ...


Protecting Your Portfolio from the Next Market Downturn
By Nadia Papagiannis CFA Prior to the 2007 crash many of us thought that as long as our portfolios were diversified among several standard equity and fixed-income asset classes a dip in one would be balanced out by another and it wouldn't be too long before we'd be back on track in working towa ...

Regulating Credit Rating Agencies
Yesterday I noted that the economy-strangling credit crisis was largely due to the purchase of "risky" financial assets by large financial and other institutions. But when these firms purchased the assets they believed (or could plausibly claim they believed) they were making risk-free investme ...

Mutual Fund Investing For Dummies
Mutual funds are by far the most effective tool average Americans have for achieving financial security.  Diligent saving and a reasonable disciplined investing strategy over the long term should in most cases result in a comfortable retirement.  Sure sometimes life gets in the way of retirem ...