Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds: Building Blocks to Wealth provides a fresh look at this intriguing but often complex subject. Its coverage spans the gamut from theoretical to practical coverage.

With this book, author Melinda Gerber walks you through the twenty-nine steps needed to start a mutual fund and the thirty-six steps needed to start an ETF. She provides costs and detailed explanations of how to accomplish each task from fledgling idea to the actuality of selling shares, and also takes the time to explain the importance of creating a clear vision for your fund as well as how to successfully profile customers and identify your competition.

Praise for the exchange-traded funds manual "Exchange-traded funds are the hottest finance innovation of the past decade. Gary Gastineau, who played a critical role in their development, demystifies the working of these instruments, lucidly describes their advantages and disadvantages, and guides investors on their use. This gem of a book will be the ETF bible for years to come." -Burton Malkiel, Chemical Bank Chairman's Professor of Economics, Princeton University "This is the first comprehensive book on exchange-traded funds.The author displays an institutional and practical knowledge of exchange-traded funds that makes this book necessary reading for not only the knowledgeable investor but for the professional researcher seeking to understand these relatively new investment vehicles." -Martin J. Gruber, Nomura Professor of Finance Stern School of Business, New York University "Gary Gastineau is a national treasure. Exchange-traded funds are the wave of the future, and Gary has been instrumental in their development from day one. His knowledge is encyclopedic, and his style and subtle humor make it all accessible to the reader." -Wayne H. Wagner, Chairman, Plexus Group, Inc. "In Gary Gastineau's brilliant work in illuminating the reader on exchange-traded funds, he provides rich insights into the process and methodology of adding value and cites a convergence of market forces that creates a compelling story for the use of ETFs for those who choose to add value." -Stephen C. Winks, Publisher, Senior Consultant "The introduction of exchange-traded funds was one of the success stories of Wall Street in the 1990s. Gary Gastineau was a key contributor to this success, and his book is an important benchmark on both the current status of this important new category and the vast potential of its next-generation products." -Salvatore Sodano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer American Stock Exchange

Exchange-Traded Funds in Europe provides a single point of reference on a diverse set of regional ETF markets, illuminating the roles ETFs can play in risk mitigation and speculation. Combining empirical data with models and case studies, the authors use diffusion models and panel/country-specific regressions-as well as graphical and descriptive analyses- to show how ETFs are more than conventional, passive investments. With new insights on how ETFs can improve market efficiency and how investors can benefit when using them as investment tools, this book reveals the complexity of the world's second largest ETF market and the ways that ETFs are transforming it.

"Closed-End Funds, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Hedge Funds: Origins, Functions, and Literature is a concise and valuable book that will be of interest to individual investors, financial professionals, and academic researchers, alike. It provides a brief history and institutional discussion of these investment companies and also presents a summary of the research on these funds. Investment practitioners will find the book useful as a reference and as a quick refresher on the current state of knowledge regarding each fund type. Equally important, it provides academic researchers with an accurate institutional framework within which to cast their theoretical models, and a point of departure for expanding the empirical analysis for improving our understanding of these funds. All-in-all, this is a very valuable book; I highly recommend it." (John J. Jackson, Professor of Economics, Auburn University) "Professors Anderson, Born, and Schnusenberg provide a valuable service in this monograph. The practical significance of closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and hedge funds has increased dramatically in recent years, but all too many academics and investors know little about them. This text presents a carefully-focused and understandable description of these investment vehicles, highlighting the big, unresolved questions, while also including careful and fair accounts of the state of the literature. Nothing extraneous clutters the presentation, but, more importantly, nothing necessary is left out. Highly recommended." (T. Randolph Beard, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Auburn University) "This book is both useful as a reference book and as an additive, educational overview of ETFs and hedge funds, as well as CEFs. In today’s tumultuous markets, much reference is made to these subjects without a clear understanding of the vehicles, their structure and their history. This is a very timely publication and should be viewed as an important read. The book contains definitive explanations and also includes an excellent summary of past works in this area. Readable, informative and highly useful as a reference source." (Kathleen A. Wayner, President and CEO, Bowling Portfolio Management)

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) are a relatively new open- ended investment vehicle. Launched in 1993, their appeal as an important and unique financial product has compelled institutional and retail investors to look anew at their almost endless possibilities. This has led to their dramatic expansion. Meziani draws from his academic and corporate expertise to straddle both theory and practice. Using this book, practitioners, academics and students alike will find a thorough explanation of the theoretical ideas underlying ETF's, along with their detailed analysis, communicated in practical and clear terms.

Covers ETFs - the hottest investment product of the new century. Explains the nature of this new investment class and all advantages of these instruments. Provides a deep insight into the market and the development of that asset class during the past ten years. Some of the information in this book is usually limited to institutional investors with access to research data bases. All of the contributions have been made by professional investment consultants to give a first hand insight into the matter.

The fast and easy way to get a handle on ETFs Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have a strong foothold in the marketplace, because they are less volatile than individual stocks, cheaper than most mutual funds, and subject to minimal taxation. But how do you use thisfinancial product to diversify your investments in today's fast-growing and ever-changing market? Exchange-Traded Funds For Dummies shows you in plain English how to weigh your options and pick the exchange-traded fund that's right for you. It tells you everything you need to know about building a lean, mean portfolio and optimizing your profits. Plus, this updated edition covers all of the newest ETF products, providers, and strategies, as well as Commodity ETFs, Style ETFs, Country ETFs, and Inverse ETFs. Create the stock (equity) side of your portfolio Handle risk control, diversification, and modern portfolio theory Manage small, large, sector, and international investments Add bonds, REITs, and other ETFs Invest smartly in precious metals Work non-ETFs into your investment mix Revamp your portfolio to fit life changes Fund your retirement years Plus, you'll get answers to commonly asked questions about ETFs and advice on how to avoid mistakes that many investors—even the experienced ones—make. It provides forecasts of the future for ETFs and personal spending and also provides a complete list of ETFs and Web resources to assist your investment. With Exchange-Traded Funds For Dummies, you'll soon discover what makes ETFs the hottest investment on the market.

With Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) sponsors constantly making new types of ETFs available, there is now a variety of ETFs that provide investors with an opportunity to develop diversified investment portfolios. Their sophistication has also grown to include a breed of ETFs that do not passively track the performance of an underlying index. With this assortment of newer ETFs, and more on the way, market strategists are now capable of devising all-ETF portfolios based on a multitude of asset allocation schemes that respond to the need of their clients. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the changes brought about by ETFs. It describes and analyses recent changes alongside their impact on investment portfolios, and discusses the continuing success of index-based ETFs and the reasons underlying their long-lasting achievements. The book offers an objective discourse on the newly minted smart beta ETFs and some of the issues surrounding them, and provides an overview of how the increasingly widespread ETF-based portfolio hedging strategies are constructed and implemented. Paying particular attention to the importance of asset allocation and the essential role it plays in portfolio construction, this book explores the role played by ETFs in changing investors’ attitudes toward home bias, covering both established and emerging frontier markets. The author leverages his extensive background to integrate best professional practices and academic rigor for an increased understanding of the ever-evolving world of ETFs.

The growth of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in recent years alongside an unprecedented access to investment resources by any individual with a computer has led to a major boost in the market for many of these funds. According to recently released numbers reported in the Chicago Tribune, there are more than $608 billion in assets within ETFs, with almost $400 billion of that in domestically traded assets an increase of almost 40 percent in one year. This book will provide for you a complete guide to both understanding how to invest in Exchange Traded Funds and to earn the highest possible rates of return without risking your financial future. You will learn why the ETF has become the next major addition to essentially every casual trader s portfolio, offering a viable alternative to high-fee mutual funds and Wall Street infused stock trading. You will discover the multiple ways in which you can build the stock equity side of your portfolio, through large and small growth, sector investing, international investing, and with specialized stock ETFs. In addition to standard forms of ETFs, you will learn the various forms of Bond ETFs, Real Estate Investment Trading ETFs, and Commodity ETFs for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Also, you will discover why you should include a mixture of non-ETF investments in your portfolio to remain diversified at all times. A special section detailing a sample ETF portfolio and how yours should be organized will help you understand the format and building structure for ETF investments. The keys to buying and holding successfully, a stark change from normal investment strategies, will help you learn what ETFs do differently, while the listing of rule exceptions make it easy to recognize when you will have even more options than you originally expected. Through countless hours of interviews with financial professionals and newly independent traders like yourself, you will learn exactly how ETFs are being used today to revolutionize the world of personal finance, including retirement funding, education savings, and portfolio diversification. A list of commonly asked questions will ensure that every possible question you currently have is taken care of and the top ten mistakes that every new investor makes when starting with ETFs will help keep you from increasing your risk. You will be shown the entire corral of trading options at your disposal, both online and offline, and how Internet trading can help to increase your returns even further. The vital task of risk management is touched on repeatedly within each chapter, while trading profiles help you understand which investments have been most successful in recent years. For anyone getting ready to start trading in the highly lucrative ETF market, this book is a must have tool. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.