Briefly Noted

Stock Strategies
Bypassing the Broker: AAII's 2006 Guide to Direct Purchase Plans
Buying stock with little or no commission is the major attraction of direct purchase plans. This year’s annual guide lists 460 dividend reinvestment plan companies that will sell their initial shares directly to the public.

Features
Hedging Your Portfolio With Mutual Funds
Hedge funds have an exotic allure, but also an unsettling side. Mutual funds, in contrast, have a more accessible structure for all investors. Are there any mutual funds that also have that siren song of hedge funds? It turns out some do, and mutual funds that have hedge fund traits may have a place in your portfolio.

Hot Links
Hedge Funds On-Line
Most on-line performance data on hedge funds is available only to subscribers and extremely expensive. However, there are some sites that provide free hedge fund industry information, and others that give regulatory information and cautions for investors.

Stock Strategies
A Growth Investor's Guide to Evaluating Earnings
Earnings are the single most important determinant of a stock’s price. But how do you evaluate a firm’s earnings? A step-by-step approach for evaluating earnings from the perspective of an investor seeking reasonably priced growth.

Stock Strategies
Bypassing the Broker: AAII's 2006 Guide to Direct Purchase Plans
Buying stock with little or no commission is the major attraction of direct purchase plans. This year’s annual guide lists 460 dividend reinvestment plan companies that will sell their initial shares directly to the public.

Stock Screens
A High-Yield Approach to Value Investing
Dividend-paying stocks can provide a beneficial diversification component to aggressive, high-growth stock portfolios. How should you screen dividend reinvestment plan stocks? A conservative high-yield approach.

Investment Newsletters
Asset Allocation: Is It Really Different This Time?
Many investors recently have questioned whether the relationship among traditional asset classes has changed. The investment implication is that investors need to diversify more broadly into alternative asset classes. But have things really changed? A look at U.S. stocks versus other traditional asset classes suggests things may not really be so different.

Member News
Member News: Our Annual Update on What's Going on at AAII
An inside look at new developments at AAII and in our local chapter network over the last year—and what to expect down the road.

Departments
Briefly Noted
Current news items of interest to individual investors.

Departments
Letters to the Editor
Member questions and comments on recent AAII Journal articles.