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X-Ray: Vanguard Emerging Markets
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Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock is the undisputed giant among funds that invest in developing economies like China.
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The case for active fund managers
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It's hard to find fault with index funds: Low costs and broad diversification make them the surest bet for the long run. But by definition index funds are no better than average, and let's face it: Sometimes you want to win a race.
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Stock picks from a pro: Wally Weitz
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Wally Weitz is a picky guy. He holds fewer than 50 stocks in each of the four funds he manages or co-manages -- including Weitz Hickory, a "go anywhere" portfolio on our MONEY 70 list.
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Cut investment taxes, boost returns by 20%
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Looking to improve your portfolio's performance? Still licking the wounds from tax day? Then it's time to kill two birds with one stone by making sure your investments are as minimally exposed to taxes as possible.
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A Roth IRA is a smart move for retirees
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Q: My husband is retired, and I work part-time. Can we contribute to a Roth IRA for him this year? -- Martha Chamberlain, Lanesville, Ind.
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Saving for college and retirement on 1 income
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When the Fleigs moved from California to Ohio in 2004 for Chris's job as a paper salesman, the lower cost of living allowed Tina, formerly a finance director, to become a stay-at-home mom. (They have two kids, Bailey and Jake, now 3 and 6.)
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Target-date funds: Don't 'invest and forget'
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I'm 45 and own a target-date fund for retirement. Are these funds "invest and forget"? -- Joseph Dipasquale, Phoenix
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Taking the F-word out of financial stocks
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As the son and grandson of investing legends, both named Shelby Davis, Chris Davis is to the mutual fund born. He took a few detours -- at various times considering the priesthood and the CIA -- but years ago found his way into the family business. At 45, he's been chairman of Davis Advisors for 13 years and is committed to the tenets laid out by his forebears: He seeks bargain-priced shares of established companies (often financials) and holds them ... and holds them.
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John Calamos's quest for growth
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You have to pay for quality. That, essentially, is the creed of growth investors like John Calamos. The CEO and founder of Chicago-based Calamos Asset Management, which has $37 billion in assets, focuses on companies with strong earnings prospects. His two biggest growth funds -- Calamos Growth, with $9 billion in assets, and Calamos Growth & Income, with $5 billion -- have beaten 99% of their peers over the past 15 years, returning 15% and 11% a year, respectively. The veteran fund manager, 70, thinks it's a good moment for his investing style.
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Money 70: Best funds and ETFs
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Oakmark's global contrarian investor
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How much of a contrarian is David Herro? These days the fund manager is eschewing scorching emerging markets in favor of the seemingly toxic (European banks) or moribund (Japanese companies). Herro's record suggests a method to his madness.
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A cautious bull bets on banks
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Tom Marsico seems awfully agitated for a guy who's bullish on the U.S. economy. Get him started on entitlements or tax policy, and the 56-year-old Marsico can sound more like a Tea Party candidate than one of the most successful money managers of the past 25 years. Since 1997 his Marsico Focus fund has returned an average 6.6% annually, vs. 3.8% for the S&P 500. A self-described moderate, Marsico fears that the wrong moves in Washington could endanger fragile recoveries in the stock market and the economy. But he's still finding plenty of stocks to buy at attractive prices. The chairman of Denver-based Marsico Capital Management, which oversees $51 billion, explained why he still likes Apple and why he's betting on banks.
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How to make money in China
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What's the right way to play China? Perhaps no investor knows the answer to that question better than Richard Gao, who has run the $3 billion San Francisco-based Matthews China Fund since 1999.
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Will small stocks ever slow down?
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When it comes to investing in small companies, there are usually a couple of things you can be sure of.
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The lowdown on 'high quality' stocks
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The advice is so common that it's almost a cliché: If you want to play it safe in this scary market, stick with "high quality" stocks.
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A fund with big bets on banks
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Manager Brian Rogers's knack for spotting promising but beaten-down stocks has helped T. Rowe Price Equity Income outpace more than 75% of its peers over the past 10 and 15 years. And since the March 2009 market lows, this $17.6 billion portfolio has soared 80%, vs. 56% for the S&P 500 index.
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Why you can't forget inflation
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Now that Europe's financial markets have hit a giant speed bump, raising fears that the U.S. recovery could also stall, inflation probably isn't something you're worried about today. But when it comes to the threat of rising prices, there are a couple of things you should know.
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Money makeover: Married couple, separate finances
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Michelle Spranger and Scott Zuckerberg have been husband and wife for eight years, but they've yet to marry their finances.
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When Howard Marks talks, the Street listens
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Since founding Oaktree Capital in L.A. in 1995, Howard Marks, 64, has built his institutional investment firm into a $76 billion powerhouse in high-yield bonds, distressed debt, and private equity. During the 2008 financial crisis he raised an unprecedented $10.9 billion fund to buy distressed assets -- a bet that has paid off richly for his investors. Admired for the folksy charm and astute commentary of his letters to investors, Marks shared his wisdom with Fortune's Mina Kimes.
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Are the mutual fund's days numbered?
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Ever since exchange-traded funds were created in the early 1990s, they've been seen as a threat to old-fashioned mutual funds. That's because ETFs can offer you instant exposure to a wide range of investments -- from the broad stock and bond markets to individual sectors to niche strategies -- all with a single trade.
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