Portfolio

Investors dropped almost $44 billion into open-end mutual funds in July, bringing the year-to-date total for inflows to $171 billion, according to data released by Morningstar. Taxable bond funds were the overwhelming favorite, taking 59%, or $26 billion of July’s proceeds.

Since the market meltdown at the end of 2007, 51% of investors think about their finances every day, whereas before, only 27% did, Charles Schwab found in a survey.

The average 401(k) account balance rose 13.5% in the second quarter to $53,900, which was perhaps behind the trend for more investors to increase their deferral savings rate than to decrease it, Fidelity Investments reports.

In a survey of 757 investors between the ages of 35 and 64 with investable assets of at least $100,000, Phoenix Marketing International found that more than half say their financial situation is worse than a year ago and two-thirds don’t expect it to get any better for at least one year.

Sun Life Financial announced Tuesday it is planning its first U.S. marketing and branding campaign, to better enforce its name among American consumers and financial advisers.

The combination of investors’ love affair with exchange-traded funds and their renewed interest in fixed income in the wake of the market downturn is creating a field day for bond exchange-traded funds, The Wall Street Journal reports.

After suffering stunning defeats across the board in 2008, equity fund portfolio managers are showing their mettle and proving their worth so far this year, with the average actively managed fund beating the S&P 500 by 4.85 percentage points, The Boston Globe reports.

Target-date funds are not only not created equal in terms of risk exposure, glidepath and performance but also in terms of fees, according to a recent report from Morningstar.

Investor confidence among affluent investors increased in July, according to monthly data released by Spectrem Group.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney became the latest firm to place restrictions on the sale of leveraged, inverse and leveraged inverse exchange-traded funds.