How do I use your index fund & ETF investment strategies?

Our newsletters provide generic model portfolios to help you
manage your own portfolio

By reading one of our monthly investment newsletters, you can easily follow a generic strategy and consider whether to make the recommended investment changes in your own account -- whether your account is a 401k plan, mutual fund account, IRA account or standard brokerage account. Of course, it is your own responsibility and decision to accept or reject any recommendation.

Each generic investment strategy is provided through a newsletter in the form of a Model Portfolio. Each Model Portfolio recommends which specific Index Fund or ETF investments are consistent with its investment strategy at any point in time ... and what percentage of the portfolio is allocated to each investment.

Our investment newsletters for ETFs and Index Funds are published by email monthly; and Trade Alerts will be issued from time to time when a strategy recommends an allocation change.

• Only Diversified Funds: We do not make individual stock recommendations – only diversified funds such as mutual funds, index funds, sector funds and exchange traded funds.
• Easy Identification: Each recommendation is accompanied by the investment’s ticker symbol for easy identification and trade execution.
• Lower Transaction Cost: All of the index fund investments we recommend are offered by mutual fund companies that do not charge loads, transaction fees or redemption fees.

Follow the newsletter updates for recommended portfolio changes

When you have determined the suitability of a generic Model Portfolio strategy for your own investment needs and want to get started following a strategy, all you have to do is invest some or all of your portfolio according to the recommended allocations in the Model Portfolio at the time you start. (We recommend that you consult with a licensed investment advisor to determine which generic strategy is suitable, if any, and exactly how to fit it into your overall portfolio investment approach.)

During the month, you may receive a Trade Alert by email. Since all of our dynamic asset allocation strategies run on a weekly decision cycle, we need to let you know if a strategy recommends any changes. (Most of our strategies recommend a change about once every month or two.)

• Clear and Unambiguous Instructions: When a Trade Alert recommends a change, it will provide you with clear and specific instructions on the new investment. In fact we provide you the exact Ticker Symbol of the new investment type as it is offered by two different mutual fund companies; and we also provide the Ticker Symbol for an Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) equivalent investment if you would prefer to use this new type of investment vehicle.
• Use Our Suggested Brokers and Mutual Fund Families to Avoid Excessive Transaction Fees: Review Which Brokers Do You Recommend? for advice on the best ways to avoid diluting your investment gains with transaction costs.  However, note that this may not be an issue for your 401k plan since there are typically no transaction fees, or only minimal fees, associated with these types of plans.
• The Types of Fund Investments We Recommend Are Offered by Many Mutual Fund Companies: Even though the brokers and mutual funds companies we suggest will cost you less, the types of funds we recommend for most of our strategies are offered by many leading mutual fund companies.

Easily Track Your Monthly Portfolio Performance

It is important to keep a close eye on your investments. For most investors, it can take a lot of time to track their overall portfolio performance and know how well they are doing against market benchmarks.

• We make it easy with a concise Monthly Tracking Report.

If you follow our Model Portfolio recommendations and make the recommended changes on a timely basis, then the performance of your portfolio should track closely with our reported figures in the Monthly Tracking Report.

Decide Which Generic Investment Strategy Best Meets Your Needs

Each individual Model Portfolio strategy is somewhat different and is designed to meet a different set of investor needs. Before you begin investing any money, you first need to determine the suitability of a strategy for your needs -- and choose whether one particular strategy is best for you ... or whether you might benefit from following several of them at the same time. Then you can decide whether to subscribe to the "Benchmark Series" newsletter, the "Performance Extension Series" newsletter, or to both of them.

• For example, you might want to consider the recommendations of the Growth Portfolio model in your 401k Plan at work and then use the Performance Xtender model to help you manage the rest of your portfolio in a taxable brokerage account.
• In addition, you might consider the Conservative Portfolio recommendations to manage money for a dependent such as a parent or child.

For assistance in deciding which strategy best fits your situation, take a look at Which Strategy is Best For Me? This page will provide you with additional information about each strategy to assist you and/or a qualified financial planner who is providing you investment advice to determine whether any strategy is suitable for your portfolio.

• And, Take a Trial Subscription Before You Decide... Give yourself a chance to learn more about how the different strategies work and how they perform in different market conditions.