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Grad School: Higher Degrees of Debt
Tools
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Bond Allocator
Find your mix of safe and risky bonds
How-To Guides
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How to Invest in a Bond
Like many other investments, bonds also require investors to take greater risk for greater returns, and they can experience wide swings in price and yield.
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How to stress-test your bond portfolio
See your bonds and bond funds react to rate moves
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Savings Fall Short for Most Retirees
WSJ.comYour financial adviser doesn't want you to read this column. Many retirement investors, egged on by brokers and mutual-fund companies, put a great deal of emphasis on crafting finely tuned portfolios out of stocks, bonds and—increasingly, ...
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Where the Sweet Spots Are in Stocks and Bonds Right Now
WSJ.comIf Wall Street is a struggle between fear and greed, both sides seemed plenty crowded this past week. The fearful, eyeing political turmoil and deep fiscal woes in Greece, snapped up 10-year Treasury notes with yields as low as 1.70%, near ...
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3 income-focused ETFs for the yield hungry; Commentary: New funds turn to MLPs, REITs, other alternatives
MarketWatchNEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Investors’ hunger for income, which has driven billions of dollars of assets into dividend-focused funds, is now bringing forth a new investment product: multi-asset-class income vehicles.
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New fund categories are not automatic buys; Commentary: Research firms provide data, not investment tips
MarketWatchBOSTON (MarketWatch) — Well over a decade ago, I got a note from an investor who said he did not understand how average investors were supposed to keep up with “recommended behavior for fund investors.”
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On 'General Obligation' Munis, Investors Advise Caution
WSJ.comWhen Jefferson County, Ala., defaulted on some municipal bonds last month, investors may have been surprised to learn that the county lacked the authority to fulfill the most basic obligation of its "general obligation" debt: It didn't have ...
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Muni Buyers Gain Peace of Mind, But Will Likely Lose Some Yield
WSJ.comAfter a surprisingly solid year, the $3.7 trillion muni-bond business is getting another boost: the return of insurance. For investors, this means more municipal bonds will again come with an added layer of protection. The downside is that ...
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In New Funds, Old Flaws
WSJ.comBad ideas can get investors into trouble. So can good ideas that morph into bad ones. Ever since they were introduced in the U.S. in 1993, exchange-traded funds—those bundles of stocks, bonds or other assets that offer the diversification of ...
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Emerging Markets: The Allure of Bonds; Advisers suggest investors look beyond stocks
WSJ.comFor investors looking to diversify into emerging markets, they might be surprised to know there's more than stocks on the menu. Instead, portfolio managers increasingly suggest emerging-market bonds as a viable alternative for investors ...
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Don't Bank On It; Leveraged loans and managed futures offer opportunities, but beware risks
WSJ.comQ: How can one invest in bank loans ? Are there mutual funds or ETFs that invest in the area? A: As the economy improves, investors have shifted to riskier investments, such as stocks and junk bonds. Lately, more have taken an interest in ...
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When Investing, Try Thinking Outside the Box
WSJ.comSometimes it pays to look beyond the obvious when it comes to investing. That means adding some exotic investments to a portfolio laden with blue-chip stocks and Treasury bonds. Think platinum and pipelines.
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Where to Find the Bargains
WSJ.comStocks and higher-yielding "junk" bonds have surged so much in recent months that bargains are getting difficult to find. At the same time, safer investments such as Treasury bonds and high-grade corporate issues have meager ...
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Secure Alternative to Bonds; Secured loans have the potential to provide high-yield returns with the added benefit of peace of mind in a turbulent world
WSJ.comSovereign bond investors recently had to pay Germany for the privilege of lending to it. Yields on the safest non-sovereigns, investment grade corporate bonds, are setting new records in parsimony. So income investors looking for decent, ...
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This Week
WSJ.comStocks Surge Better-than-expected economic data caused investors to dump bonds in favor of riskier assets. The Dow Jones Industrials finished the week at 13232, up 2.4%, their best week since December, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.2% to ...
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'Junk' ETFs: Tread Lightly
WSJ.comBefore you load up on junk, give it the sniff test, so you don't end up with a smelly surprise. So far this year, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds investing in high-yield, or "junk," bonds have taken in more than $17 ...
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Is 'Derisking' Even Riskier?
WSJ.comWhen you "derisk," be sure you understand whether you are eradicating risk—or just replacing old risks with new ones. You have heard ad nauseam that investors have spent the past few years dumping U.S. stocks en masse for the ...
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Why Stocks Are Riskier Than You Think; Most people can get the money they need for retirement without gambling heavily on equities, say Zvi Bodie and Rachelle Taqqu
WSJ.comA growing sense of urgency is driving many investors to take reckless risks with their money. Even though they experienced the hazards of stock ownership firsthand in 2008, investors are venturing back into equities again. They've been ...
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How Much Risk Can You Manage?
WSJ.comIn my last column, I outlined a new approach to managing investment risk that I summed up this way: Never gamble unless you can afford to lose.
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A Swan Song for the Bond Market's Bull Run
WSJ.comIs the bond bull market over? If so, how should investors adjust their portfolios? One of the most important reasons the U.S. economy and financial markets have stabilized since the financial crisis is that interest rates plunged. Thanks to ...
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IRAs Get Sexier; Disillusioned With Returns on Conventional Investments, IRA Owners Are Turning to Private Equity, Condominiums, Farmland and Other Alternatives. Here's What You Need to Know
WSJ.comPresidential candidate Mitt Romney has gotten lots of attention for holding as much as $100 million in his individual retirement account. Less well known is that the account is also chockablock with complex private partnerships rather than ...
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Watch Out! These Municipal Bonds Come With a Bit of a Kick
WSJ.comWith high-grade municipal bonds offering meager yields, investors seeking an income jolt are embracing a slightly more exotic product known as "kicker" bonds.
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Why an End to Paper Savings Bonds?
WSJ.comQ: For the past 25 years, we have purchased $50 savings bonds for our children and grandchildren for their birthdays. The government has changed the rules and the bonds can only be purchased online. Why would the government do this? Do they ...
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Limited Demand for Superlong U.K. Bonds
WSJ.comLONDON—The U.K. government is looking to take advantage of its haven status by issuing perpetual bonds for the first time since the World War I, but tepid demand from pension funds could undo those plans.
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Why Stocks Look Too Pricey; Various Indicators Suggest the Market Is No Longer a Bargain
WSJ.comAfter a six-month rally, U.S. stocks are getting pricier. Experts say investors should exercise caution. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 12% during the first three months of 2012, the best start to the year since 1998. After ...
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Bond King's Trade Pays Off; Pimco's Bill Gross Wins With Bet on Mortgage Debt; Rebound from Rough 2011
WSJ.comThe bond king might be making a comeback. After suffering one of his worst performances ever in 2011, over the past three months, Bill Gross, manager of Pacific Investment Management Co.'s Total Return Fund, rode an aggressive bet on ...
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Euro-Zone Debt—Not All Toxic; Opportunities abound for investors prepared to take a punt on corporate bonds
WSJ.comAgainst what would appear to be insurmountable odds, and in the midst of a once-in-a-generation sovereign-debt debacle, the European corporate bond market is thriving. And according to industry experts, that is not at all surprising.
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Itchy Investors Ramp Up the Risk; With Rates Staying Low, Returns on Conservative Investments Don't Cut It Anymore for Some
WSJ.comRobert Marcotte can't afford to play it safe anymore. With interest rates likely stuck near zero for nearly three more years, the 61-year-old retired telephone-company manager is about to ramp up his holdings of stocks and municipal ...
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Altria's Gains Could Go Up in Smoke
WSJ.comAltria Group, parent company of Philip Morris USA and its best-selling Marlboro cigarettes, has more than lived up to its reputation as a defensive investment—providing investors with stable returns and, importantly, a dividend yield of ...
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The Rally That Wouldn't Die! Treasury Bonds Have Been on a 30-Year Tear. Whether or Not the Party Can Last Is Beside the Point—There Are Far Better Places to Put Your Money
WSJ.comAt least one fear gauge shows that investors were more scared in 2011 than in the dark days of 2008. According to investment-research firm Morningstar, a portfolio of U.S. Treasurys with an average maturity of 20 years—the quintessential ...
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What Price Stable Returns?
WSJ.comStable is nice, but it isn't perfect. Investors in "stable-value funds," which are bundles of bonds tied together with an insurance policy within a 401(k) retirement plan, have fared remarkably well in recent years. But rising ...
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Mutual Funds Pull in Cash
WSJ.comInvestors put a net $823 million into long-term mutual funds in the latest week, as increases in bonds and hybrid funds more than offset continued withdrawals from equities, according to the Investment Company Institute.
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Home Builder Stuck in the Basement
WSJ.comThe nation's housing market has lately been showing signs of life, and investors have bid up home builders' stocks by an average of nearly 50% over the past three months. But in the case of Hovnanian Enterprises (HOV), which is up ...
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A High-Rate Deadline Looms
WSJ.comThe window is closing a bit further on one of the best deals for savers. Beginning Jan. 1, individuals will be able to buy only $5,000 in I Savings Bonds a year, down from $10,000 today—making it tougher to hold one of the last risk-free ...
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How to make portfolio diversification pay off; Commentary: Long-term investors find time is on their side
MarketWatchNEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Portfolio diversification is fairly straightforward. Different kinds of assets — stocks and bonds, for example; maybe commodities and real estate as well — lower volatility and deliver more consistent returns than ...
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What Worked in 2011... and What Didn't
WSJ.comA year ago, many experts said to avoid U.S. bonds, hold ample cash and stick with foreign stocks. Those turned out to be among the worst moves of a surprising investing year.
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Options for Nervous Investors
WSJ.comStocks have generated more worry than gains this year—and for more than a decade. Yet slim yields on bonds and savings give stockholders little enticement to sell.
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'Go-Anywhere' Funds Struggle To Read the Economic Road Signs
WSJ.comThey were supposed to be the ultimate weapon for turbulent times: mutual funds with the freedom to buy any assets they want, anywhere in the world. But as investors have flocked to so-called go-anywhere funds this year, many have gone ...
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Bond Bets Paid Off
WSJ.comLast year saw better returns for bonds than for stocks on average—and that shaped the comparative performance of target-date funds for retirement.
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Investors Put Cash in Mutual Funds
WSJ.comLong-term mutual funds had estimated net inflows of $8 billion in the latest week, as investors continued to add money to bonds and hybrid funds, offsetting withdrawals from equities, according to the Investment Company Institute.
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High-Yield Mutual Funds See Record Outflows
WSJ.comInvestors withdrew a record $3.43 billion from mutual funds that focus on high-yield bonds in the week ended Wednesday, according to Lipper, a unit of Thomson Reuters Corp.
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Why Buying Treasurys Isn't As Crazy as It Might Seem
WSJ.comTreasury bonds are dead. Long live Treasury bonds! Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's this week said they might downgrade the credit rating of the U.S. if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling soon—a move ...
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Why Munis Are Worth a Look
WSJ.comMunicipal bonds faced two key tests this past week—and came out looking sturdy. The first was a spike in Italian government bond yields that culminated Wednesday with a global flight from risky assets. Muni prices rose, a sign that investors ...
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Safe at Home? Not in a 401(k)
WSJ.comHow will 401(k) investors react to the latest blast of volatility in the markets? If the recent past is any guide, they will retreat into the apparent safety of cash, Treasury bonds and "stable value" mutual funds.
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Better Ways to Fight Inflation
WSJ.comWith the economy growing slowly and commodity prices well off their recent highs, inflation wouldn't seem to be an imminent threat. Yet investors are piling into inflation-protected bonds.
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2011 Perfomance of Long-term Bond ETFs
WSJ.comLong-term bond ETFs tend to move opposite stocks. All of the ETFs in the table below have an average duration of more than 10 years. Duration, measured in years, is used to determine a bond or bond fund's interest rate sensitivity by ...
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Balanced Funds Tilt Toward Stocks, While Investors Want to Scale Back
WSJ.comWhile individual investors have been fleeing the stock market for months, some fund managers have been pushing them right back in. Among fund managers with the flexibility to invest in a mix of stocks, bonds and other assets, the trend has ...
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A Brighter Outlook for Muni Bonds
WSJ.comMunicipal bonds have had a rebirth since getting pummeled earlier this year, and the recent tumult in the financial markets has rekindled interest in an investment class with a tradition of safety.
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Ohio State University Prices 'Century' Bond
WSJ.comNEW YORK—Ohio State University sold $500 million worth of 100-year bonds late Wednesday, becoming the first public university to issue a so-called "century" bond.
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Big Year for Bond ETFs Could End With a Visit from the Tax Man
WSJ.comInvestors in one of Main Street's hottest investment products may get an unexpected parcel this holiday season—a tax bill. Exchange-traded funds, which are baskets of securities that follow an asset class or sector, have been a hit for ...
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Next; Scams Target 'Self-Directed' IRAs
WSJ.comAs investors are putting their retirement savings into so-called self-directed individual retirement accounts, complaints about fraud in these accounts are on the rise, securities regulators say, and investors should carefully consider the ...
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Bond-Fund Stars Fall as Bets Backfire, but They Fight On
WSJ.comIt's been a tough year for bond-fund stars. Longtime outperformers in mutual-fund rankings Dan Fuss, co-portfolio manager of the Loomis Sayles Bond Fund at Loomis Sayles & Co, and Michael Hasenstab, portfolio manager of Templeton ...
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Mutual Funds Draw In More Investor Deposits
WSJ.comLong-term mutual funds had estimated buying of $7.31 billion in the latest week. That represented significant investment in bonds and foreign equity funds, which offset outflows from domestic equities, according to the Investment Company ...
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Is a Rally Brewing in 'Junk' Bonds?
WSJ.comHigh-yield bonds just suffered through their worst losing streak since 2008. It may be time for investors to buy. The Barclays Capital U.S. High-Yield Bond Total Return index dropped for 13 consecutive days ending June 20, losing a total of ...
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Getting the Most From a Lame 401(k) Retirement Plan
WSJ.comIt isn't easy picking investments when quality bonds offer meager yields, stocks seem bipolar and the richest economies are struggling to expand. But many 401(k) investors face an added challenge: choosing from a mutual-fund menu that ...
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Forget About Black Swans, the One Floating Ahead is Neon
WSJ.comYou've heard of black swans—events that are unthinkably rare, immensely important, and as unpredictable in advance as they are inevitable in hindsight. Now, with no one ruling out a default or downgrade of U.S. Treasury debt, investors ...
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Caging Raging Contagion
WSJ.comIs there no end to the contagion? This week, as the Italian government and Italian bonds collapsed over fears the country can't control its debt, everything else fell, too. Of the 45 national stock markets in the MSCI All Country World ...
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Why Your Bond Funds Probably Aren't Worth their Fat Fees
WSJ.comOne bond king's recent stumble gives investors reason to question the outsize fees many are paying to mutual-fund managers—and to consider some new alternatives.
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Investors Favor Funds With a Focus on Bonds
WSJ.comMoney exited from long-term mutual funds for the third consecutive week, as investors pulled cash from equities and added to bonds and hybrid funds, according to estimates from the Investment Company Institute.
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Defense! Five Mutual Funds for Bad—and Good—Times
WSJ.comIt's often said that the best defense is a good offense. Unfortunately, when it comes to mutual funds, many have developed an unpleasant reputation for not protecting shareholders in tough times.
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Stocks: More Room to Rally
WSJ.comThe trading pattern that has dominated the markets for the past year could be breaking down—and that could spell opportunity for investors. After a disappointing payrolls report on Friday morning, investors poured out of stocks and into the ...
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When Funds Lend Stock, Who Gains?
WSJ.comYou wouldn't want to make a loan to someone without knowing what you will earn on the loan. But if you own mutual funds or exchange-traded funds, you might be doing exactly that.
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For the Best Bond Deals, Look to the Emerging Markets
WSJ.comEmerging-market bonds might appeal to the aggressive and the timid alike. The aggressive will like the 6.5% yield on the J.P. Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index. That's triple what investors get from 10-year government bonds issued by ...
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Not Dead Yet: What to Do With Your Bets on Rising Rates
WSJ.comSo you bet on rising rates. You loaded up on high-yield bonds, leveraged loans and short-term Treasurys in the belief that the U.S. economy was recovering fast enough for the Federal Reserve to consider raising interest rates sooner rather ...
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Those Safe Havens You've Been Flocking to Aren't So Safe
WSJ.comIt's time for a flight from safety. The recent market maelstrom has sent investors fleeing to traditional safe havens such as Treasury bonds, recession-resistant stocks, Swiss francs and gold.
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Little Relief for Income Investors
WSJ.comThe latest bout of turmoil in the financial markets is a fresh headache for retirees relying on their savings to make ends meet. That's especially the case for the many older investors who have ventured into riskier stocks and bonds in ...
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Is that Gold's Glitter or Your Brain's Tricks?
WSJ.comIf you are a gold investor, you're probably quite pleased with yourself right now. It's been one of the best-performing investments this year.
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Muni Bonds Seem Poised for Pain
WSJ.comMunicipal bonds have been one of the top-performing asset classes in 2011. But the rally might not last much longer, advisers and strategists say.
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What to look for in a dividend mutual fund; Commentary: Income from funds is trickier than from stocks
MarketWatchBOSTON (MarketWatch) — Conventional investment wisdom for at least the last half century has been simple: Use stocks for growth and bonds for income.
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Unease Rises Over Funds; U.S. Regulators Worried About Exposure of Money-Market Assets to European Banks
WSJ.comAs Greece slips closer to default, some U.S. regulators and lawmakers are concerned about money-market mutual funds' exposure to European banks.
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Divorce: Who Wants the House?
WSJ.comA volatile relationship may trigger a divorce. But volatile financial markets are playing a big role in the way couples split their assets. While their lawyers spar, a couple's retirement savings and other assets—cash, businesses, ...
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Non-traded REIT is a non-starter; Commentary: Illiquid real estate play is the Stupid Investment of the Week
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Every investment conference seems to have a magic word that reflects a broad, buzzing theme. At the Schwab IMPACT Conference in San Francisco this week, the magic word was “alternative” — which means that the ...
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The Federal Reserve Says, 'Let's Do the Twist'
WSJ.comThe Federal Reserve's latest move, known as Operation Twist, will involve selling $400 billion worth of its short-dated bonds and using those proceeds to purchase longer-term Treasurys.
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How Much Will 'Floating Rate' Funds Really Float?
WSJ.comInvestors who have been loading up on "floating rate" mutual funds this year to capitalize on rising interest rates might be in for a surprise—even if rates rise.
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Crummey Trusts Still Smart, Say Advisers
WSJ.comThere's nothing crummy about a Crummey trust—even in a period of higher exemptions for estate and gift taxes. The trusts, which got their name from a Methodist minister who won a fight with the Internal Revenue Service in the 1960s, are ...
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Unwitting Angels: When Fund Investors Become Bankers
WSJ.comWith the debt markets in turmoil, where will the money come from to bail out troubled borrowers? If you're a mutual-fund investor, look in the mirror: The next bailout might come from you.
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Pimco's Gross Has 'Lost Sleep' Over Bad Bets
WSJ.comIn recent weeks, Pacific Investment Management Co. founder Bill Gross says he has "lost sleep" over an ill-timed bet on Treasurys.
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About That Bond Selloff ...
WSJ.comThose waiting for the Great Bond Selloff are starting to get antsy. For more than a year, many have argued that bonds are in a bubble, or at least very expensive. Despite that, they have remained popular.
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Beware of the Bond-Market Bubble. Again.
WSJ.comSpooked by stocks and unfazed by the recent downgrade of U.S. debt, investors have turned to Treasurys as a safe haven. But are their moves inflating the risks in the broader bond market?
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Two reasons to buy junk bonds now; Commentary: Bulls make case for high-yield bonds but bears counter
MarketWatchBOSTON (MarketWatch) — Treasurys are rallying, stocks are falling and there’s no shortage of opinion over whether such action is good for the most infamous of all securities — the junk bond.
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You Need a Plan to Boost Retirement Income
WSJ.comGenerating the most income in the safest fashion from a nest egg is the holy grail of retirement income planning. You obviously want your dollars to stretch as far as possible without taking on much risk.
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Find Solid Stocks in a Wild Market
WSJ.comIt isn't easy buying stocks after the market craters, as it has recently. But the market has rarely looked so appealing in recent decades.
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Vanguard Bond Index Fund Beats Stars Bill Gross, Dan Fuss
WSJ.comInvestors are getting juicier returns this year putting their money into a bond index fund instead of tapping the brains of many high-profile fund managers.
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Crystal Ball; What's ahead for the yield on 30-year Treasury bonds?
WSJ.comSend your prediction to crystalball@wsj.com by midnight EDT Sunday, with your full name, city, state and phone number. The first reader who gets it right will be named in next Saturday's paper.
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The Debt Crisis: If Treasury Bonds Aren't Safe, What Is?
WSJ.comHow can you lower your portfolio's risk in a world of rolling government-debt crises? Start by taking a deep breath. Then, see if you need to do some tinkering—but not too much.
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Savings Bond Goes Digital
WSJ.comGrandma's gift of choice is going digital. Most paper forms of Series EE and I savings bonds won't be available for purchase after Dec. 31. The bonds will instead be issued in digital form through TreasuryDirect.gov. You can get a ...
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Wells Capital Manager Is Cautious on Muni Rally
WSJ.comLyle Fitterer, managing director and head of the tax-exempt fixed-income team at Wells Capital Management, is getting more cautious on the municipal bond market.
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Own Government Bonds? Here's Why You Should Be Worried
WSJ.comHas the endgame for bond investors begun? Since at least 2009, pundits and professional investors have been predicting that the three-decade-long bull market in bonds was about to end. So far they have consistently been proven wrong.
Hot Bonds: Neither Long- Nor Short-Term
SmartMoney.comFew people ever want to be stuck in the middle. But in the bond world, that may be the perfect place to be, even if the secret of this strategy is already out.
More Investors Shift Into Hard Assets; Wary of the markets and a weak dollar, more investors are drawn to precious metals, diamonds -- even collectibles. The pros and cons of this strategy.
SmartMoney.comWhen it comes to constructing the ideal portfolio, investors typically turn to the same building blocks: stocks, bonds and cash options like CDs. But that's so 2006. At a time of increasing global uncertainty, many are reconsidering ...
Fund Exodus Continues as Risk Is Shunned
SmartMoney.comInvestors turned their backs on risk during the most volatile stretch of the second quarter, and they aren’t showing signs of coming back soon.
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Finra: Show Them the Muni
WSJ.comMunicipal-bond brokers are scrambling to document how they share information with retail investors in the wake of a regulator's request that they provide detailed explanations before making a trade.
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Credit Unions Bailed Out; U.S. Backs $30 Billion in Bonds to Stabilize Key Institutions; Subprime Legacy
WSJ.comTwo years after the peak of the financial crisis, the federal government swooped in to stabilize a crucial part of the credit-union sector battered by losses on subprime mortgages.
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Funds Extend Inflow Streak
WSJ.comLong-term mutual funds had estimated inflows of $4.9 billion in the latest week, as investors added money to nearly all fund categories, led by taxable bonds, according to the Investment Company Institute.
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MIXING IT UP; Be Smart About Bond Risk in 2011; A strengthening economy is good for stocks, these advisers say. But it's also reason to tweak fixed-income exposure.
WSJ.comHaving grown more optimistic about the U.S. economy, some financial planners say bond investments may pose a bigger risk to investors in 2011 than stocks.
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Five Reasons to Rethink the Muni Rally; Municipal Bonds Have Surged—but Investors Need to Be Skeptical. Here's Why
WSJ.comThe Cassandras were wrong: Despite dire predictions, municipal bonds haven't hurtled off a cliff. But that doesn't mean they are a good buy now. The rally of the past four months has been driven mainly by forces that seem ripe for ...
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Lower interest rates bad for financials, Goldman says; Firm drops CME, CBRE from top-stocks list; Blackstone, Simon join
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A U.S. economic slowdown and lower interest rates are bad for financial-services companies, Goldman Sachs said Thursday.
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Muni Bonds, With A Derivatives Twist
WSJ.comNEW YORK—A month-old mutual fund from J.P. Morgan Asset Management promises a spicy cocktail for muni-bond investors. The fund focuses 80% of its capital on tax-exempt municipal bonds. The spice: a 20% allocation for taxable bonds, credit ...
Stocks, Bonds Diverge
SmartMoney.comBy Mark Gongloff And Jonathan Cheng Bonds and stocks continue to sing different tunes about the economy. After a disappointing employment report raised fresh worries about economic weakness and the risk of deflation, investors scrambled to ...
A Bright Spot in Bond Market
SmartMoney.comMore than four months after the Build America Bonds program ended, many financial advisers are still touting the merits of these high-yielding bonds -- at least for now.
Museum Exhibits Muni Debt Woes
SmartMoney.comAlthough the cultural arts are deeply woven into in the fabric of New York City, they aren't immune to financing troubles in the wake of the subprime debt collapse.
Bond Funds to Avoid as Rates Rise; Rising rates hurt bonds, but some will suffer more than others
SmartMoney.comWhile Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that the central bank intends to hold short-term interest rates near zero, long-term rates are already inching up. That's bad news for bond investors – and worse for some ...
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How to Find a Good Financial Adviser
Ask the right questions before you hand over your money
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How to Create an Investment Portfolio
A balanced portfolio can have a bigger impact on long-term performance than individual stock picking
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How to Invest for Retirement
Investing for retirement is more complicated than opening an IRA or maxing out your 401(k)
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How to Choose a Stock Mutual Fund
When choosing a stock mutual fund, consider performance, manager track record and cost before investing.
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How to Invest in a CD
Even in times of interest rate uncertainty, a certificate of deposit (CD) can still be part of your cash strategy.
SmartMoney Magazine
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The Stealth Wedding: Saying 'I do' in a Public Space
A new wedding trend trades "walking down the aisle" for a walk on the wild side.
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The Reignited Tech Sector
Technology stocks have rebounded and are once again the darling of the market. Can the resurgence last?
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Why a 'Balanced' Portfolio May Not Work
Arends: That 60/40 portfolio of stocks and bonds your adviser is pushing might not work.
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The Corner Office
![[sm0612ceo]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PF-AC582_sm0612_C_20120516115032.jpg)
General Dynamics Changes Tactics
The defense contractor faces a tough enemy: potential cuts in defense.