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The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan [Hardcover]

Gregory Arthur Baer (Author), Gary Gensler (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 24, 2002
Convinced that your star mutual fund manager will help you beat the market? Eager to hear the latest stock picking advice on CNBC? FORGET ABOUT IT! The Great Mutual Fund Trap shows that the average mutual fund consistently underperforms the market, and that strategies for picking above-average funds -- everything from past performance to expert rankings -- are useless. Picking individual stocks on the advice of brokers and analysts works no better. The only sure things are the fees and commissions you’ll pay.

Fortunately, the news is not all bad. Investors willing to ignore the constant drumbeat of “trade frequently,” “trust the experts,” and “beat the market” now have the opportunity to do better. Using new investing products investors can earn higher returns with lower risks.

Drawing on their years of Wall Street, Treasury and Federal Reserve experience, Gary Gensler and Gregory Baer offer a fresh and realistic look at how money is managed in America. From new indexing strategies to risk-managed stock selection, The Great Mutual Fund Trap offers investors an escape from high costs and immunity from seductive marketing messages.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you've been burned on Wall Street (and who hasn't?) but still need a practical place to park your savings (who doesn't?), Gregory Baer and Gary Gensler have your number. While somewhat mistitled because it decries "active investing" in individual stocks as well as in mutual funds, The Great Mutual Fund Trap is nonetheless a clearly and even entertainingly written argument in favor of the alternative: investing broadly in stocks that mirror the performance of the overall market. During their years in private investment and with the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve, Baer and Gensler have come to believe the high fees and high risks that go with always trying to beat the market make "active investing"--be it constantly fiddling with your own portfolio or relying on professionals to do so for you--a no-win proposition. Instead, they say, you can actually improve returns by shifting to "passive investments" that offer lower costs and greater tax efficiency. After explaining why they feel as they do, the authors thoroughly describe the appropriate vehicles--index mutual funds, exchange-traded index funds, and several other products--in a way that makes these staid options seem almost exciting and gives interested readers all the tools they need to utilize them. --Howard Rothman

From Publishers Weekly

Gregory Baer is the former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions, and Gary Gensler was once Under Secretary of the Treasury responsible for policies in the areas of U.S. financial markets, debt management and financial services. The two have teamed up to write The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan. Their book is meant for Americans who invest in the stock or bond market as a means to achieve long-term goals-such as paying their children's college tuition or securing their own retirement-but who, say Baer and Gensler, are paying unnecessary fees and running needless risks. Wishing to alert consumers to the traps that await them in financial markets, the authors offer alternatives and new opportunities for investors to improve returns and diminish risks, such as moving from "active" to "passive" investment, investing in international stocks, distrusting "hot funds" and investing in index funds. Conversational and easy to read, Baer and Gensler present realistic advice that will be useful to everyday investors.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (September 24, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767910710
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767910712
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #769,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice, October 26, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan (Hardcover)
I was really concerned about the huge losses I have seen in my kids' college funds and my retirement funds. I have everything in stock -- I figured I am young enough to wait things out. I also think I know a good stock when I see one. Boy, did I learn alot from this book, and I am SO glad I bought it. It is easy to read and understand, and is quite funny too. I knew I needed to spread my eggs into more baskets, but this book showed me where I should move my money, that picking individual stocks is very risky, and how to avoid huge investment fees. The examples (such as why fund managers are like bookies) really help you visualize how much money you are throwing away, and are quite amusing!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely informative., October 13, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan (Hardcover)
I am a single mother of three who is watching my children's college funds plummet.
I was in shock when I read this book and realized how much money I have lost because the fund manager has churned my stocks and cost me alot of money (especially in my situation) in taxes and fees. I am an artist who has little understanding of where to invest, but this book is written in a way that I understand. I realize one of my biggest mistakes was putting too much money into the stock market. With this book I think I can salvage what I have left and invest my money better for my kids' college educations.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Three chapters are worth the book, February 17, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan (Hardcover)
Even if you disagree with the premise, there are three chapters that are worth the cost of the book:

2. Lead Us Not Into Temptation "The message of "trust the experts / trade frequently / beat the market" saturates the airwaves and fills the newsstands."

6. The Ankle Weights on Running an Actively Managed Fund "...all these costs stand between you and the market-beating performance you crave."

13. Why We Draw to Inside Straights and Invest Poorly. "Human psychology plays a big part in explaining why."

I not sure about ETFs. And the book is wordy in sections. But those three chapters are worth the book.

"Finance, n. The art or science of managing revenues and resources for the best advantage of the manager." -Ambrose Bierce

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
We were only able to write The Great Mutual Fund Trap with the assistance of many other people. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dartboard contest, mutual fund trap, active fund management, index bond funds, managed bond funds, managed stock funds, domestic stock funds, stock picking ability, fifty stocks, stock picking skill, active fund managers, survivorship bias, average expense ratio, passive investing, market index fund, index funds, wrap accounts, financial media, publicity effect, hot funds, mutual fund industry, diversified funds, equity premium, portfolio companies, professional money management
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Wall Street, Value Line, Berkshire Hathaway, Morningstar Principia Pro, Dow Dogs, Merrill Lynch, New York, Dow Jones, United States, Warren Buffett, Janus Fund, New England, Thrift Savings Plan, Foolish Four, Forbes Honor Roll, State Street, Burton Malkiel, Fidelity Magellan, Lehman Brothers, Nobel Prize, Danieli Tire, Dogs of the Dow, Rowe Price, Barclays Global Investors, Charles Schwab
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