Carnival of Investing #7

Welcome to the 7th edition of the Carnival of Investing! This week we've received quite a few posts about investing in ETFs and mutual funds, so we've decided to devote a special section to those posts below our usual Editor's Picks section. Hope you enjoy this week's collection, and don't forget to spread the word about the Carnival of Investing!

Editor's Picks

anisha@nerdwallet.com @ NerdWallet | Markets writes Expert FAQ: Investing for the Greater Good – Do SRI and Impact Investing Really Work? - 2013 has already been hailed as the "year of impact investing." The nerds give you a primer on impact investment, followed by expert opinons on the kinds of results you can expect from "doing good."

Michael Kitces @ Nerd's Eye View writes Does The DALBAR Study Grossly Overstate The Behavior Gap? - It is an accepted belief that retail investors, swayed by a barrage of financial news and information, and the wiring in their own brains, tend to systematically buy at market peaks and sell at market lows, resulting in returns that are far lower than what could have been achieved by simply buying and holding. Yet a deeper look at the (in)famous DALBAR study reveals that in reality, investors are actually better "market timers" than a passive dollar-cost-averaging approach!

Kurt Fischer @ Money Counselor writes What's an Investment? - Do you feel a nagging unease because you know little or nothing about investments? No worries—you have a lot of company. Here's a starting point for beginning to learn more.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Two Huge Problems with Dividend Stocks Right Now - Dividend stocks have been quite popular lately and for a good reason. Most quality dividend stocks pay out a consistent amount of money on a fairly set time schedule. I have two problems that make me wary of dividend stocks right now so make sure you pay attention.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes Is Buy and Hold Stock Investing Dead? - The buy and hold philosophy has been around for a number of years, but has been considered dead since the Great Recession. As with any investing, it does require careul consideration before going into.

Investing in ETFs and Mutual Funds

Jonathan Galt @ Save $100K writes Should I Use ETFs or Mutual Funds When Index Investing - A comparison of ETF and mutual fund index investing.

Miranda @ Excess Return writes What is an ETF and How Does it Work? - One of the fastest growing investing products is the exchange-traded fund, or ETF. ETFs haven’t been around for very long, but they are quickly gaining in popularity, due to how easy it is to trade them, and the relatively low costs that come with them. Undoubtedly, most investors have heard of ETFs, yet many are still wondering exactly what an ETF is and how it works.

Ken Faulkenberry @ AAAMP Blog writes Investment Vehicles: Individual Stocks & Bonds, Mutual Funds, and ETFs? - Individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs are popular investment vehicles. But what is the best or optimal mix of investment vehicles for your portfolio?

More great posts to check out

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Investment Fees Matter. . .A Lot! - How much you pay in investment fees can matter over the long run, and to no small degree.

Ken Faulkenberry @ blog.arborinvestmentplanner.com writes Market Capitalization Calculation - Stock Valuation Formula - The market capitalization is a useful stock valuation formula. Market capitalization (market cap) is the total market value of a company's equity.

Div Guy @ The Dividend Guy Blog writes Best Online Trading - How you can start trading online today and the tools to use.

Pierre @ Intelligent Speculator writes 5 Tips for Investing in Real Estate - What you need to know before you get involved in real estate.

Penny Thots @ Penny Thots writes Making the Most of Your 401k Plan - A 401k is one of the best ways to fund your retirement years but many people make serious mistakes when it comes to managing their plan and getting the best possible outcome. This is because few people really understand how to make the most of their 401k

Jonathan @ Save $100K writes How to Calculate Sharpe Ratio - Learn how to use sharpe ratio

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes Reader Question: Investing in Real Estate Without a Down Payment, What is an REIT? - I know there are a lot of people itching to buy real estate but their main hurdle is the large 20% down payment required. 20% of any property is a lot of money, so one option for the casual investor is to turn to REIT’s. REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trust and they behave similarly to regular stocks. A REIT offers common shares to the public and in exchange, you become an actual owner of real estate. REIT’s receive special tax treatment from the government but in exchange they must

Savvy Scot @ The Savvy Scot writes Economies and 12 Crazy Disney Facts you Never Knew - SavvyScot discusses the plans for the new theme park in the UK and reveals 12 crazy facts about Disney that you didn't know

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes 5 Tips for Helping You Stick with Your Investment Strategy - Having an investment strategy is great an all but it’s only as good as your resolve to stick with it. Here are five tips to help you stay with your investing strategy.

Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes Stocks - This is about the C-A-N-S-L-I-M formula in selecting which stocks to buy or sell and when.

John Schmoll @ Frugal Rules writes You Left Your Job, Now Take Your 401k With You - 401k's can be a great tool to help with retirement investing. However, too many people leave their old 401k plans behind when they change employers. By rolling it over to another retirement plan you can take greater control of your investing and save money as well.

Bill Smith @ Forex Trading System Central writes All the things you need to discover about Forex - With an average daily turnover of virtually $4 trillion in the global foreign exchange market, or Forex, it is easy to see why more and more people at large are taking fascination in buying and selling foreign currencies.

The Archivist @ The Market Archive writes Telecom Equipment Makers Fighting the Spectrum Crunch - Spectrum is extremely expensive and finite. Telecom companies are going to have to either buy more spectrum or use it more efficiently. Right now telecom equipment makers are beaten up, but eventually telecom companies will have to spend money to upgrade their networks. That will be good for these companies.

Vanessa @ Vanessa's Money writes Inkjet vs. Laser Printers - Looking for a way to save money on printing costs? Ever wonder if laser printers are *really* cheaper than inkjet printers?

Steve @ Ready To Quit My Job! writes Never Burn Your Bridges - Don’t burn your bridges because you never know when you might run into your boss (or their friends) again.

Robert @ The College Investor writes Can Weyerhaeuser's Timber Propel it to New Heights? - This year, Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) –the largest company in the timber business – has logged an impressive 40% return. Can Weyerhaeuser ride the waves in timber to a record valuation?

MMD @ My Money Design writes My Cash Flow Plan – September 2012 Update - Check out my updated cash flow plan for dividing up my income in a way that helps to achieve each of my financial goals.

Deacon @ Well Kept Wallet writes Why MPG Matters When Buying a Car - One of the most damaging yet silent expenses to your bottom line can be the cost of gasoline for your car. With gas prices at an average of $3.818 per gallon it is becoming clear that if you want to save money, buying a car that has good MPG (Miles Per Gallon) is the way to go.

Josh Thompson @ BecomingYourOwnBank.com writes Is Whole Life Insurance a Good Investment? - Is whole life insurance a good investment? You may be surprised to know the benefits of whole life insurance: steady growth, competitive interest rates, no loss guarantees, life insurance benefits, tax advantages, and more. Whole life insurance is one of the least understood financial products, and it’s been given a bad reputation by talking heads on television and radio. But with the losses and risk of the market, and the consistency of whole life insurance over that past 100 years, life insu

FMF @ Free Money Finance writes Real Estate 101: Running the Numbers - If you research real estate financials you will find there are literally dozens of different numbers and ratios that you can use to measure the performance of the business. I am going to focus on 4 different ratios, which combine to give a complete financial picture of the investment. They are cap rate, cash on cash return, return on investment, and cash flow margin. These are all very straightforward to calculate.

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes Benefits of Online Banks for Young People - Most young people I know today already know and love the internet banking model, but it isn’t just “hip” in terms of a fad, there are actually a lot of solid reasons for going with internet banking. First and foremost, much like the online shopping model I have come to know and love, online banks have much better rates on certain financial products and generally have substantially lower fees.

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes Would You Buy an Amazon Engagement Ring? - Since our article on the zaniness of the modern day wedding industry got such a strong response last week, I thought I might revisit the general topic. In the comments section one reader intrigued me with a few recommended options for saving money on an engagement ring.

My Own Advisor @ My Own Advisor writes DIY Investor Profile – Susan Brunner - Susan Brunner is a successful do-it-yourself (DIY) investor who has been investing in dividend paying stocks for decades. She was recently featured in the April 2012 edition of MoneySense magazine. Thanks to her investments, Susan hasn’t had a mainstream job since 1999.

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