Home Calculators Lesson Plans Games Banking Tutor About This Site Press Center Contact Us en espanol In Chinese
Practical Money Skills for Life
Search Site
at School at Home at Work
Jean's Practical Money Minute Series Learning Centers Life Events Consumer Resources

Options

Mutual Funds

What they are

  • Professionally managed portfolios made up of stocks, bonds, and other investments.
How they work
  • Individuals buy shares, and fund uses money to purchase stocks, bonds, and other investments. Profits returned to shareholders monthly, quarterly or semi-annually in the form of dividends.
Advantages
  • Allows small investors to take advantage of professional account management and diversification normally only available to large investors.
Types of mutual funds
  • Balanced Fund includes a variety of stocks and bonds.
  • Global Bond Fund has corporate bonds of companies from around the world.
  • Global Stock Fund has stocks from companies in many parts of the world.
  • Growth Fund emphasizes companies that are expected to increase in value; also has higher risk.
  • Income Fund features stock and bonds with high dividends and interest.
  • Industry Fund invests in stocks of companies in a single industry (such as technology, health care, banking).
  • Municipal Bond Fund features debt instruments of state and local governments.
  • Regional Stock Fund involves stocks of companies from one geographic region of the world (such as Asia or Latin America).


Learn It
Money market accounts
CDs
Choosing a savings account
Bonds
Mutual funds
Stocks
Real estate
Retirement plans
Do It
Save a million calculator
Retirement calculator
Selecting mutual funds | Key
Saving and investing
Everyday tips for saving
Use It
Related links
Resources

Next

Practical Money Skills for LIfe
at School | at Home | Lesson Plans | Calculators | Games | Banking Tutor
About This Site | Contact Us | Site Map

© 2000-2008 Visa. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Terms of Use

Visa USA