Mutual Funds For Dummies

by Eric Tyson

This guide for the average investor cuts through the confusion around mutual funds and shows how to select the best stock funds for growth, how to assemble and maintain a portfolio, access mutual fund information online, and how to choose bond and money funds.

Genres: Finance, Nonfiction, Business, Money, Personal Finance, Reference

Paperback

Published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Michelle Bozbay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I would have read this book and learned about this topic in general 10 years ago. It has such valuable information that I consider this book a completely unintentional female empowerment book! Slow and steady wins the financial race. Investing this way makes me feel financially capable and independent, which is an important part of the larger conversation of equality for women.

[Vaira Selvakani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for people who are beginners into investing and want to learn about Mutual Funds and ETFs.

[Randy L Wombacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mutual fund book.

The a good mutual fund book that is well written and easy to understand. This is a must have book if you are considering purchasing mutual funds which is what most 401Ks are comprised of.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book didn't make me feel dumb at all! But it is really helpful for big picture basics, and for (starting to) take my head outa the sand re my personal finances...

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

I princip ingen information som är direkt applicerbar utanför USA. Det som finns är en genomgång av olika sorters fonder, som i och för sig är användbar, men inte speciellt mycket bättre än DI.

[Martha Aboagye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb, putting some money in a money market fund to finance my dream boots 😎

[Chip Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for those wanting to know more ABOUT mutual funds, not for those wanting to know WHICH mutual funds to buy. Heavy on the explanations, definitions, and categorizations; light on the criticism and praise of individual funds. While you do get a bit of "how to pick the right funds", it is all fairly basic, with nothing very stunning or surprising that will make you a better mutual fund-picker.

For what it is, this is a great book. Clearly written, with only the right amount of detail and very little repetitive content. At times it can be a bit wordy, making this book a bit longer than it really needs to be, but overall it is an easy read with an index and table of contents that will help you find pertinent information quickly.

So, if you want to learn more about mutual funds, how they work, ect., this book is for you. If you already feel like you have a good understanding of what they are and how they work, there isn't probably too much you'll learn from reading this fairly long book.

[Pulkit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is really good and is a must before you start investing. As Eric explains, it is not that hard for a commoner to invest in various mutual funds. I particularly found the section about the common mistakes very useful since I had made a lot of them. He also has sample portfolios towards the end which is a great exercise to see how the principles taught in the book are used in practice. I wish I would have read the book sooner - would have avoided the mistakes I have made. But better late than never!

[Carlos Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took my time to read, but worth it.

Now I am more confident on my decisions about my retirement and my financial planning, and what to look for when choosing funds or providers.

Totally, not an absolutely easy read, but helps and gives some pointers to follow in the huge quantity of data we swim in.

Would totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest in mutual funds.

[Nate Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't necessarily like the "Dummies" brand label, but I usually like their books. Eric Tyson tells you all you need to know to get started. The book is very detailed. I wish I could be at a point in my finances where I could take advantage of his advice. Perhaps in the next 10 years, I can be at that point.

[Andrew S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bottom line of this solid informative book is that day trading and speculations won't do any good and actually can be a threat to your savings. The author has done a very good job explaining that stock trading may sound too good to be true and it usually is.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've got to read about it, but the subject breaks you out in hives, this is the way to go.

[Travis McKinstry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to learn what mutual funds are and how they are superior to even actively traded hedge fund accounts.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty straightforward basic info and good advice

[Josslyn Christmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book

This book help me to understand many questions I had about investing in mutual funds. I better understand of what I am doing when I invest.

[Jc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear, easy to understand material describing the intricacies of the mutual fund world.

[Steffers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helped me get a handle on mutual funds and how to start my investing journey!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good introduction to mutual funds and how they work.

[VALawAKA06 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great read, does an excellent job of simplifying this topic.

[Daniel Muleady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guys literally what the fuck was I thinking trying to read this 1 - like a normal book and 2 - at night during the middle of my thesis. I must have been depressed as shit at this time for my escapism to be reading about Vanguard and Wells Fargo.

Honestly not bad though. I'm surprising myself giving it 4 stars because I remember a lot about this.

[Rachel Ramey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drop Mutual funds and go for EFTs. This book has some good information but ultimately says someone else can handle your money better and take a percentage of it.

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Mutual Funds For Dummies by Eric Tyson which is a very good book which I read at http://safaribooksonline.com. This book was published in 2010 so is a little dated especially because a lot of the book reviews different companies which obviously is only up to that time. Mutual Funds or Mutually Assisted Funds are a kind of fund where a lot of people invest in the same spread of what are similar to Exchange Traded Funds but the risk is spread over a wider range which greater risks to be taken which should result in potentially higher returns. A lot of big companies and governments take out loans often of at least several hundred thousands over normally 60 days which are what Mutual Funds are invested as. If you were extremely wealthy you could buy these bonds directly and would potentially get a nice return. Companies that claim returns much above 20% and there are quite a lot are probably making it up. You get get a bull market where in general returns are up but anything substantially higher than the market is unlikely. Especially watch out if someone in something like a church or club you are a member of starts trying to offer to invest your money for you in this kind of thing. It's quite common. You are best off sticking with established companies although this still carries risk. I did really enjoy this book and found it very interesting.

[Aadesh B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read if you have absolutely no clue of what mutual funds are and how they work. At times you may feel that the author is biased against some of the people involved and certain organisations. However, it is up to you to take away whatever you feel is suitable for yourself. It is your prerogative to identify your needs and do a background check of the funds you want to invest in. The author simply shows you the way, it is up to you to drive the car.

[Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, Tyson is at his best. The book does an excellent job of teaching how and why to diversify, how to invest based on your goals and life position, and precisely where to put your money. This book saved us lots of money by allowing us to invest for ourselves and preventing high commission rates from the unnecessary middle man.

[beyawolfmon]

really informational has made me adjust my ideas on saving and investing for retirement and for investing in general especially in the short term mostly it really made me consider mutual funds as an option where before i thoug about investing in individual securities now i see mutual funds as part of my investing strategy

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you can get over:

a couple inconsistancies [one rate is an absurd fee but later a higher fee is "reasonable?!]

and the fact that it reads like a vanguard infomercial. (dont get me wrong they have low fees, and i dont really have anything against them) but it feels like the author gets paid per time he drops the name vanguard.

[Bach Pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book in general if you want to know about mutual funds and their relatives. The author does a good job pointing out which ones we should put our money in and how we can diversify our portfolios. One major drawback, which I assume this is the common problem in this dummies series, is the repetitive and wearisome contents.

[Praveen Rana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 4th edition so somehow it was gonna sound old. Some topics like web usage , emails felt redundant.

But overall it was a good book to start. You ask people they give you a lot of advices. I think this book contained all ifs and elses but Missed on how to pick funds.

Also the names of mutual funds suggested are all American so wasn't a help.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a good read for someone who doesn't know anything about mutual funds. Touches on the key points including how to differentiate them, the basis on which to differentiate them (loads, managers etc) and how to balance out your portfolio with extra things like bonds.

[Sepsun Pasaribu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book if you are interested in mutual funds. Since I dont live in the U.S., the system probably a lot different but the basic explanation regarding the mutual funds (the kinds, benefits, tips on selecting the right funds, etc) is more than satisfactory.