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| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| expense ratio | 12/1/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: At what point are the expenses (expense ratio) subtracted from my account when trading in funds ... A: Expenses ratios arent technically subtracted from your account. Instead, the performance you achieve ... | ||
| Question about MF investment - whether I'm correct | 11/15/2011 | Devendra Dave |
| Q: I'm new to MF SIP and would like to go for SIP for long team between 5-10 years. I would like to go ... A: I don’t know your age and liability but Your SIP tenure and funds are good except gold SIP. One ... | ||
| Annual Returns | 11/5/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: How is the annual returns determined on a mutual fund? For example, the historical returns for four ... A: The annual return calculation is a somewhat complicated one that can be determined using a financial ... | ||
| tax implications of transfer of mutual funds to surviving spouse | 10/20/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Is there a deemed disposition and crystalisation of capital gains for tax purposes if a mutual fund ... A: Under US tax law there are no income tax consequences when you transfer in kind investment from one ... | ||
| calculating interest | 10/19/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: Please tell me if you think this calculation is correct. I think something might be screwed up. ... A: ASSUMING that there was a constant annual interest rate, compounded weekly, I find the annual ... | ||
| calculating interest | 10/19/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Please tell me if you think this calculation is correct. I think something might be screwed up. ... A: Unfortunately your calulation is not entirely accurate. The reason being is that the average balance ... | ||
| Mutual Funds | 7/8/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Sir, I have a question about no-load and Index funds. How these two differs? (main objective, fees, ... A: No load means there is no sales commission charged for purchasing or buying the shares. Depending on ... | ||
| cashing out retiremrnt | 6/22/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: I have a retirement plan thru HSBC from a previous employer , HSBC says I cant have a lump sum. Is ... A: If the plan is a defined contribution plan (i.e. Profit Sharing/401k) then you can take the money ... | ||
| Selling house | 6/7/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: We currently have our house on the market for $209,000. Question is if we sell it then we plan on ... A: If taxes are owed it would be on the amount you net from the sale of your homes that exceeds your ... | ||
| Principal Financial Group | 5/26/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Mr. Smith The company I work for has a 401k plan with Principal Financial Group. There are so many ... A: As mentioned in my prior email, how you should invest the $$ is based on your tolerance for risk and ... | ||
| Principal Financial Group | 5/25/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Mr. Smith The company I work for has a 401k plan with Principal Financial Group. There are so many ... A: Unfortunately this is a difficult question to answer since the right mix of investments is dependent ... | ||
| specific fund opinion | 5/4/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: Before I tell you what I'm considering, do you give opinions on specific mutual funds? I don't have ... A: I wouldn't buy either of them. While the American funds family is splendid, American doesn't have ... | ||
| bond funds | 4/28/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: Does a mutual fund in just bonds, a bond fund, have a maturity date like individual bonds do? And if ... A: They tend to pay more--because they don't have the high costs of annuities. Which typically include ... | ||
| bond funds | 4/25/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: Does a mutual fund in just bonds, a bond fund, have a maturity date like individual bonds do? And if ... A: Most bond funds don't have a maturity date. The funds keep buying new bonds. You can sell your ... | ||
| recommendation to sell all my mutual funds | 4/24/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I had my first meeting with the new financial advisor at my bank...I'm 60 years old and have done ... A: The old truism is that the stock market "climbs a wall of worry." But right now, the wall seems ... | ||
| immediate access without withdrawal penalties | 4/23/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: If at some point I want to protect part of my portfolio by putting it into something that will allow ... A: Yes, there are options. You can invest your portfolio in a personal brokerage account through a no ... | ||
| recommendation to sell all my mutual funds | 4/23/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I had my first meeting with the new financial advisor at my bank...I'm 60 years old and have done ... A: Mark Twain quoted an old black man as saying, tell me where someone gets his cornpone, and I'll tell ... | ||
| Simple vs. Complex Portfolios | 4/8/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: Most experts / books / magazines / websites seem to have their own set of model portfolios. ... A: Good question. And I mean it. In response, I'll quote a doctor named Cato Ohrn: "In the world of ... | ||
| Cost Basis on Mutual Fund Shares | 3/31/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: About a month prior to his death, my father-in-law added my wife and her sister to his mutual fund ... A: I apologize for my previous answer as I mis-read the details. Although it clearly states the ... | ||
| "Bad" Funds in Roth IRA | 3/4/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I signed up for a Roth IRA with Primerica at a time when I didn't know much about financial matters. ... A: At a dinner I sat next to a stockbroker who sold mutual funds--did she sell only no-load funds with ... | ||
| Mutual Funds | 2/24/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I would like to understand what funds are saying about returns on investments. At the following ... A: You're right. A big discrepancy. One explanation: The Fidelity figure is "not load adjusted." So ... | ||
| Joint Mutual Fund account | 2/23/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Wonder if you can assist me. In 1996 I became engaged and my then fiance and I opened a joint mutual ... A: Since I am not an expert in dissolution law, you should follow your attorney's advice as titling ... | ||
| Mutual Funds | 2/21/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I would like to understand what funds are saying about returns on investments. At the following ... A: Yes. The fund appreciated 61.99% over one year. It probably did poorly the year before--and the ... | ||
| Can these Mutual funds give be an income every year. | 2/19/2011 | Devendra Dave |
| Q: After doing a small check online i have zeroed in on a few mutual funds which i felt are doing ... A: Please read mutual fund offer document and advertisement "Mutual Fund Investments are subject to ... | ||
| Mutual Funds Vs. ETFs | 2/12/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I basically understand how mutual funds and ETFs work. I would like to know why an investor would ... A: For the long term, ETFs may be better in your case. Part of the following comes from a Website: ... | ||
| Cost | 2/1/2011 | Docs99 |
| Q: Quick question regarding any of my previously company own 401k's. Is there fee's of any sort for ... A: Your best bet is to talk to the company administering the plan and find out the specifics of the ... | ||
| joint tendant mutual funds | 1/31/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: there is a joint tenancy mutual funds with my mother and her sisiter.her sister has Alzheimer and ... A: This reply comes from an estate lawyer in New Jersey, Martin Cramer of Hackensack: I need more ... | ||
| Mutual funds | 1/30/2011 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I would like to know if there are plans in mutual funds where if i invest i can get monthly returns ... A: Some income funds may make distributions every month. Example: Fidelity Freedom Income (FFFAX). But ... | ||
| Mutual funds | 1/30/2011 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: I and would like to know if there are plans in mutual funds where if i invest i can get monthly ... A: The performance of mutual funds is dependent on how the underlying investments within the mutual ... | ||
| Mutual funds | 1/30/2011 | Devendra Dave |
| Q: I am from kerala and would like to know if there are plans in mutual funds where if i invest i can ... A: Apologize delay for the reply. If you want fix monthly income best way to put fix deposit and take ... | ||
| US government bond fund | 12/18/2010 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: If I invest in something like (for example) the Vanguard US government intermediate term bond fund ... A: I'm re-sending this: You're right--if you hold an intermediate-term bond fund for several years, ... | ||
| YTD Return | 12/8/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: I use Yahoo Finance to follow my funds. When I look at the summary page on Yahoo, I see the YTD ... A: I apologize for the delayed response. When you look at performance through Yahoo, this should ... | ||
| mutual funds | 12/5/2010 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: I'm 56 years old and have the majority of my 401k contributions going into Fidelity Freedom 2020. ... A: Invest in neither. Those two funds are too similar to the fund you own. 2020's R-squared is 98, the ... | ||
| Mutual Funds & Expenses | 11/29/2010 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: A mutual fund has an expense ratio. This is the fee that the investor pays in order to own the fund. ... A: The costs of trading are netted from a fund's performance. If the fund has been making money, the ... | ||
| Mutual Funds & Expenses | 11/24/2010 | Warren Boroson |
| Q: A mutual fund has an expense ratio. This is the fee that the investor pays in order to own the fund. ... A: The cost of buying and selling securities is NOT included in the expense ratio. The expense ratio's ... | ||
| Exchange Traded Funds & Mutual Funds | 11/22/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Are there any mutual funds that contain exchange traded funds instead of stocks? Or is this type of ... A: Trading costs are assessed the same way as the expense ratio in that it lowers the funds overall ... | ||
| Exchange Traded Funds & Mutual Funds | 11/22/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Are there any mutual funds that contain exchange traded funds instead of stocks? Or is this type of ... A: To clarify what I meant, if you decide to invest in ETF's on your own, then the only costs of doing ... | ||
| Exchange Traded Funds & Mutual Funds | 11/21/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: Are there any mutual funds that contain exchange traded funds instead of stocks? Or is this type of ... A: Without being able to recall the exact funds, there are ones that exist that invest a portion of the ... | ||
| licencing | 11/13/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: In order to become a licenced Mutal Fund sales rep., do I need to get a police check? A: Does your question pertain to getting a license to sell mutual funds in Canada or the US? If in ... | ||
| IRA MF Mix | 11/6/2010 | John D Smith, CFP |
| Q: John, I am recently retired and have all my funds in Vanguard. Currently I have a 64% (bonds), 36% ... A: I will take your question in 2 parts; 1) the amount you should have in stocks vs bonds is dependent ... | ||
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I can answer detailed questions regarding mutual fund investing, retirement planning, education planning and related financial planning/investment issues. I have a B.S. degree in Financial Planning & Counseling. I am also a Certified Financial Planner practitioner and have performed fee only investment management and financial planning services for the past 11 years.

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