Fund Spy: Morningstar′s Inside Secrets to Selecting Mutual Funds that Outperform: Morningstar's Inside Secrets to Selecting Funds That Outperform - Hardcover

Kinnel, Russel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470414014 ISBN 13: 9780470414019

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2009

Synopsis

Author Russel Kinnel walks readers through the handful of key factors they need to pick winning funds. Armed with the quantitative data and qualitative research, they will gain the confidence to pick great funds for the long–term. This book will be accompanied by a web–based tool created by Morningstar, which will enable readers to evaluate their own funds using Kinnel′s criteria.

Written in a fun and accessible manner, The Fund Spy offers Kinnel′s unique insight as a 14–year Morningstar fund analyst. He speaks plainly about the conflicts that can go against investors′ interests, explaining how to avoid traps and push out the slick sales pitches facing today′s investors. He also offers several "10 lists," which provide quick answers to investors′ most common questions (e.g., the Top 10 Funds to Recommend to Relatives, the 10 Best Contrarian Managers, the 10 Most Overrated Managers).

About this title

About the Author

Russel Kinnel is Director of Mutual Fund Research for Morningstar and Editor of Morningstar® FundInvestor, a monthly newsletter for individual investors. He also oversees Morningstar′s Fund Analyst Picks and Pans and writes the "Fund Spy" column for Morningstar.com. He joined the company in 1994 and holds a bachelor′s degree in economics and journalism from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print–based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 290,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles. The company has operations in 18 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in three other countries.

From the Back Cover

Many people spend more time researching purchases like cars and computers than they do figuring out how they will invest their money. Although buying a car or computer may be more fun, choosing the right investments can significantly impact your life whether it be retirement or your kids′ college education.

Picking funds that will outperform their peers over the long haul may take a little time, but in the end, you′ll be better off for it. That′s why Russel Kinnel Director of Mutual Fund Research for Morningstar, Inc. and Editor of Morningstar® FundInvestor has written Fund Spy. With a straightforward and accessible style, this book offers unparalleled guidance that will sharpen your investing skills and help you find the best funds for your portfolio.

With this book as your guide, you′ll discover:

• How knowing a fund′s strategy can enable you to properly evaluate performance, adopt reasonable expectations, and build a portfolio of funds that work together

• Why you want fund managers who "eat their own cooking"

• The pros and cons of big no–load fund companies and broker–sold fund companies

• And much more

You don′t have to be a professional fund manager to succeed at this endeavor, but you do have to be prepared. Fund Spy contains proven methods that will allow you to build a portfolio of dependable funds that will prosper over the long term.

From the Inside Flap

If you′re serious about picking the right investments for your portfolio, Fund Spy will put you on the right track.

Nobody is more familiar with mutual funds than author Russel Kinnel, the Director of Mutual Fund Research for Morningstar, Inc. and Editor of Morningstar® FundInvestor, a monthly newsletter for individual investors. He has spent over 15 years researching mutual funds and meeting with the people who manage them. Now, with Fund Spy, he offers unparalleled guidance that will sharpen your investing skills and help you find the best funds for your portfolio.

Filled with in–depth insights and expert advice, Fund Spy arms you with the information needed to intelligently screen and select a variety of funds. While both effective new strategies and time–tested techniques are outlined throughout this reliable resource, all of the methods here will help you avoid common mistakes and outperform the average investor.

Page by page, Fund Spy puts this process in perspective with detailed discussion of:

• How to find managers who invest millions of their own money in their funds

• Why fund expenses really matter

• Using a fund′s performance to understand its risk and reward profile, as well as its behavior in different types of markets

• How to find great fund managers and teams

• And much more

Combining quantitative data with qualitative research, Kinnel highlights key factors that drive fund performance and writes candidly about the industry′s conflicts of interest that can harm investors.

Don′t settle for high–cost, poorly run funds simply because they fell into your portfolio or someone is touting them. Follow the guidance found in Fund Spy and you′ll quickly discover what it takes to research and buy the right funds. Three months from now, you may not see a difference, but you will see a dramatic difference in five or 10 years, when the power of compounding has substantially grown your portfolio and put more money in your pocket.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470414014
• ISBN 13: 9780470414019
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192