GUIDE TO MUTUAL FUNDS

SECOND EDITION

"Picking actively managed mutual funds is no mean challenge. And as the recent era underscores, past performance is of little help. The Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds helps cut through the fog with a solid volume of constructive information. The central message--'truly diversify, keep it simple, focus on costs, and stick with it'--is not only timeless, it is priceless."
--John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO, The Vanguard Group

"Successful investors know they must do their own due diligence. Morningstar has done much of that homework in this guide. Leave it to Morningstar to get it right, offering smart ways to pick, build and monitor a portfolio. It's a commonsense guide that should grace every investor's shelf."
--Ted David, CNBC Anchor

"There's nothing Morningstar doesn't know about mutual funds. And at last, for ready reference, there's a book. You'll find everything here you need to know about managing fund investments, inside or outside a 401(k)."
--Jane Bryant Quinn, Newsweek columnist and author of Making the Most of Your Money

Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of Mutual Funds
Comment: My dad read this book & found it one of the best overviews of Mutual Funds. He said it had taken him over 30 years to reach many of the conclusions in the book - and some he learned the hard way. He wished this book had been around when he started investing 30+ years ago.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise introduction
Comment: I bought this book because I had read the multi-volume series on investing Benz also wrote for Morningstar, and I also follow her articles on their website. If you are just starting out as an investor, or you are looking for a refresher (or ONE book to give someone who is not an educated investor) this book is an ideal choice. Well done. She takes the mystery [and maybe some of the fear] out of investing in Mutual Funds.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Everything You Need to Know About Mutual Funds
Comment: Christine Benz is extremely knowledgeable and articulate, explainly the ins and outs of mutual funds in easily understood language. This is your first and last stop if you wish to become informed about this popular way of investing your money. The only downside is that it was published in 2005. A more up-to-date edition would have more--or perhaps changing--information on featured funds.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive yet down to earth
Comment: Concrete introductory book to mutual fund tradings, some illustrative examples to trigger further researches. Chapter on comments on the strength and weakness of various fund companies are especially useful. Two weakness of this book: the first one is the fact that it is published in 2005, which is in the middle of a bull market and thus may not therefore be up to date. More up to date information should therefore be sought online in the Morningstar website as well as other websites. The second weakness is the relative lack of comments of the international perspectives, especially on emerging markets like China and Latin America.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for open ended mutual fund investors
Comment: If you are new to mutual fund investing then this book is an excellent place to start. For anyone who has looked at a Morningstar mutual fund report this book will help show you key points to focus on. One thing this book is missing though is a thorough explanation of everything provided on a Morningstar report such as benchmarking and alpha etc. The book does give you an excellent overview of some of the biggest mutual fund companies out there. Unfortunately, a lot of the individual mutual funds that are recommended are closed to new investors. Bottom line, if you are a financial adviser or individual investor dealing with mutual funds this book is a fantastic place to start your researching.

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