May 13, 2010

Try the New FINRA Fund Analyzer

FINRA has just released several new upgrades to our popular Fund Analyzer tool, which lets you compare up to three mutual funds or exchange-traded funds side-by-side and evaluate the impact of fees and expenses over time on your investments. Using the new Fund Screener, you can now search more than 23,000 funds and ETFs on nine key criteria, making the task of finding funds that meet your objectives quicker and easier. And the new Annual Expense Comparison illustrates how a fund's expense ratio stacks up against an industry average of similar funds. Other new features include one-click access to a fund's prospectus and other disclosure documents, a PDF report you can print or save and a "Share This" function so you can send your report to others. Visit the Fund Analyzer.

Smart Tip: Take Advantage of Tax Breaks for College Savings

While funding a child's college education is one of the more predictable expenses facing many families, college tuition costs have been trending upwards, making saving for college all the more important. Yet a recent FINRA Investor Education Foundation survey found that less than half (only 41 percent) of respondents with financially dependent children have money set aside for college. Among those who have, only 33 percent reported having used a tax-advantaged savings account, such as a 529 Plan or Coverdell Education Savings Account. Learn more about smart strategies for saving for college.

Podcasts

Learning to Invest—Part 9: Tracking Performance
How are your investments doing? As time goes by, you will need to monitor your portfolio to ensure your investments are working together as planned.

Listen now/download | 10 min. 51 sec.

Learning to Invest, Part 10—Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Accounts

Which is better: saving in a taxable, tax-deferred or tax-free investment account? It all depends on how you plan to use the money.

Listen now/download | 9 min. 40 sec.

FINRA News

5/6/10 – FINRA Orders Westpark Capital to Pay $400,000 for Failing to Supervise Brokers with Histories of Disciplinary Actions, Customer Complaints Who Churned Accounts, Engaged in Unauthorized and Unsuitable Trading

4/29/10 – FINRA Bars Prestige Financial Head Trader/Compliance Officer Who Scammed Customers Through Fraudulent Trading Scheme

4/27/10 – FINRA Fines Five Firms $385,000 for Sale of Unregistered Securities, Other Violations Relating to Penny Stocks

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