Life Cycle Funds

Features
The Top Funds Over 5 Years: Surviving the Claws of a Bear Market
To be rated tops, a mutual fund must beat a benchmark, and the crucial benchmark is peer group performance over five years. Who are the current top performers and how did they outperform their peers? A look at the top funds and how they managed to distinguish themselves.

The First Cut
Benjamin Graham Bear Market Stocks
A starting point for investors. This issue's focus is on stocks with low prices relative to a firm's net current assets, a basic Benjamin Graham approach to finding stocks trading well below their instrinsic value.

Portfolio Strategies
Due Diligence: 10 Steps to Avoiding Ponzi Schemes and Financial Fraud
The uncovering of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, and the fraud committed by several other financial hucksters, highlights the importance of asking the right questions before selecting an advisor or participating in an investment. Ten questions to ask, and red flag warning signs of the potential for trouble.

Investor Professor
The Role of Risk-Free Assets in Your Long-Term Portfolio
In today's market environment, the exclusive focus is on risk-free assets for the short term. Two years ago, the same assets were considered "too boring" over the long term. What role should they play in your portfolio? The answer requires both a short-term and a long-term perspective.

Stock Screens
Market Expectations vs. Results: Tracking Analyst Earnings Revisions
Changes in earnings expectations, no matter how slight, can have a significant impact on a stock's price. Tracking these expectations and their changes is an important component of stock analysis, and tracking significant revisions can be turned into a rewarding investment strategy. Developing a screen for analyst revisions.

Offbeat Offerings
Life Cycle Funds
An investor reference for products that are not your typical offering. This issue's focus is on life cycle funds.

AAII Model Portfolios
Model Stock Portfolio: Beating the Benchmark Is Nice, But a Loss Isn't
There has been little reprieve from the downward forces on the stock market, and while the Model Portfolio has outperformed the benchmarks year-to-date, you can't pay bills with a loss.