Morningstar

In a little-noticed rule change, mutual funds no longer disclose their shrinking BD commission load-sharing payments.

“Not every muni is trying to achieve the same thing,” an expert says.

“The combination of low rates, curbs on state and local tax deductions, and consistent economic expansion have been a nice tailwind,” an analyst says.

At more than twice the price of the average fund, many with the even biggest gains still underperformed the broader market over the last decade.

Deviation from the broader market has left more than half of these products with losses during a time the Dow and S&P 500 each posted double-digit gains.

At 84 basis points, the average expense ratio is over 40 basis points pricier than what investors paid on average last year.

Narrowly focused investment strategies are a recipe for “feast or famine,” an analyst says.

When pitted against the broader market, the top 20 outperformed both the Dow and S&P 500 by more than 5 percentage points.

Clients are advised to consider delaying their Social Security benefits, as up to 85% will be subject to income taxes, an expert says.

Nearly all bested the broader market at roughly a third the price of the average fixed income product.

The glitch raises questions about the rapid growth of socially responsible investing and index strategies in particular.

Although many underperformed the broader market, just over half posted double-digit gains.

Asset managers are embracing new distribution technology, big data and alternative investment strategies.

Some of the same features that led to their unpopularity may also be what uncorrelated them from their peers, an expert says.

The revamped fund from BP Capital will now track an index of companies that derive “significant revenue” from sustainable energy.

Clients often underutilize deductions for work-related technology purchases and travel expenses.

Close to 80% of strategists cited competition from the mega-managers as their most significant challenge last year.

Fixed-income products designed to minimize interest rate risk are among the leaders.

Contribution limits in a Roth IRA could shrink for couples after marriage.

The correlation between fees and performance is not “apples-to-apples when taking the funds’ underlying exposures into account,” an expert says.