Getting Started in Mutual Funds [Paperback]

Alvin D. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 1999 | Series: Getting Started In..... (Book 24)

Choose the right mutual funds to maximize your investment returns.
For forty million Americans, mutual funds are the most attractive investment instruments now available. But with over 7,000 stock, bond, and index funds to choose from, how can you select what's best for you?
In this easy-to-follow, commonsense guide, Alvin Hall, the "Professor of Wall Street, "fills you in on everything you need to know to choose mutual funds with confidence. In plain English, he acquaints you with the various types of mutual funds and how they are structured, and he explains the important fund terms and concepts. He helps you to understand clearly those measures you must examine before investing in a fund. And he provides step-by-step guidelines on how to go about selecting the right funds. You'll quickly and painlessly learn:
? How to read a fund prospectus
? How to assess a fund manager's investment style and its impact on your returns
? How to evaluate ongoing fees and expenses
? How to evaluate risks
? How to calculate return on investments
? How to buy, redeem, and exchange mutual funds
? How to take advantage of shareholder services

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Choose the right mutual funds to maximize your investment returns.

For forty million Americans, mutual funds are the most attractive investment instruments now available. But with over 7,000 stock, bond, and index funds to choose from, how can you select what's best for you?

In this easy-to-follow, commonsense guide, Alvin Hall, the "Professor of Wall Street, "fills you in on everything you need to know to choose mutual funds with confidence. In plain English, he acquaints you with the various types of mutual funds and how they are structured, and he explains the important fund terms and concepts. He helps you to understand clearly those measures you must examine before investing in a fund. And he provides step-by-step guidelines on how to go about selecting the right funds. You'll quickly and painlessly learn:
* How to read a fund prospectus
* How to assess a fund manager's investment style and its impact on your returns
* How to evaluate ongoing fees and expenses
* How to evaluate risks
* How to calculate return on investments
* How to buy, redeem, and exchange mutual funds
* How to take advantage of shareholder services

About the Author

ALVIN D. HALL, one of Wall Street's most respected investment educators, is president of his own company, which designs and conducts training courses about the investments markets and publishes training materials that support these courses. His domestic and international clients include major exchanges, brokerage firms, banks, mutual fund companies, regulatory organizations, and vendors that provide technical and information services to the financial industry. In the United Kingdom, he has hosted two popular BBC series on investing: Alvin Hall's Guide to Successful Investing and Investing for All with Alvin Hall. He recently finished filming the second series of the popular primetime BBC show Your Money or Your Life. He is the author of the international bestseller Getting Started in Stocks and Money for Life: Everyone's Guide to Financial Freedom, a companion book to his BBC series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471295442
• ISBN-13: 978-0471295440
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,214,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Facts..., March 24, 2000

By 

Thea Clough - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Started in Mutual Funds (Paperback)

I just got the book last night, but so far it is great. I know very little about investing, just that I wanted to know more about Mutual Funds before I try to pick one. It has a lot of facts but isn't dauntlingly dense. There are lots of charts, definitions in the margins as well as a full glosary and plenty of room in the margins for notes. I choose this book over the For Dummies book because I didn't want to read an extra 200 pages of stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and concise..., December 25, 2011

By 

Anthony K Wells (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Getting Started in Mutual Funds (Paperback)

Hall truly does an impeccable job of condensing mutual fund know-how into a concise and effective guide. He never dumbs down the conversation or glosses over any concept. It's in the latter particular that makes this book essential to anyone who is entering or already invested in the world of mutual funds.

Hall divides his book into a logical progression from basic definitions and structure to the more complex aspects of analyzing performance. His thorough description of the various mutual fund types is well organized and explained with common sense examples. The following chapter on fees and expenses is a great reference to deciphering what a fund's prospectus says about fees and the long term consequences of these expenses on returns. He further goes on to discuss buying, redeeming, and exchanging mutual funds; fundamental but necessary skills for any mutual fund investor.

No other book on mutual funds that I've read comes close to his expertise in the collection of definitions, facts, and working knowledge into such an easy read. His final chapter of collected mutual fund investing wisdom is worth the price of the book alone. I strongly recommended that anyone thinking of investing or already invested in mutual funds should get and read this book.