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The lion's share of stock mutual funds, 90%, posted negative returns in 2002, according to Weiss Ratings. Precious metals and real estate were the only two sectors that gained last year.

Mutual funds that intend to grow through acquisition often fail to do so successfully, according to a study by Cerulli Associates. The company tracked a sample of 70 transactions from a total of 400 in 2001 to determine how successfully the target firms grew after acquisition.

AIG VALIC, a provider of retirement services, has launched the Guided Portfolio Services program for 40l(k)s and other types of defined contribution retirement plans.

The Sierra Club, America's oldest grassroots environmental organization, has always prided itself on being green. But as of the first of this year, it is also hoping to produce more green with the launch of The Sierra Club Funds.

AIG VALIC, a provider of retirement services, has launched the Guided Portfolio Services program for 40l(k) and other types of defined contribution retirement plans.

Mutual funds that intend to grow through acquisition often fail to do so successfully, according to a study by Cerulli Associates. The company tracked a sample of 70 transactions from a total of 400 in 2001 to determine how successfully the target firms grew after acquisition.

The lion’s share of stock mutual funds, 90%, posted negative returns in 2002, according to Weiss Ratings. Precious metals and real estate were the only two sectors that gained last year.

Bond funds saved the day in 2002, netting the mutual fund industry $72 billion in inflows into all classes overall, according to year-end data that Lipper released last week.

BOSTON - "The world has changed," said Laurie Bailey, consulting manager at SunGard Planning Solutions, addressing the audience at the National Investment Company Service Association's panel on business continuity and recovery planning at its East Coast regional meeting in Boston earlier this month.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced last Thursday that it will require mutual funds and their investment advisors to disclose their proxy votes and have fund executives certify the accuracy of their financial statements. Subject to further review by the Office of Management and Budget, the proxy requirement could take effect as early as this summer, as the SEC is recommending annual release of this information on or before Aug. 31 of each year. The commission is recommending that fund companies have the choice of posting the files on their Web sites or making them available in hard-copy form. As to the timetable for certification, a spokesman for the SEC could not specify when the certification requirement could take effect.