The Great Mutual Fund Trap: An Investment Recovery Plan

Convinced that your star mutual fund manager will help you beat the market? Eager to hear the latest stock picking advice on CNBC? FORGET ABOUT IT! The Great Mutual Fund Trap shows that the average mutual fund consistently underperforms the market, and that strategies for picking above-average funds -- everything from past performance to expert rankings -- are useless. Picking individual stocks on the advice of brokers and analysts works no better. The only sure things are the fees and commissions you’ll pay.

Fortunately, the news is not all bad. Investors willing to ignore the constant drumbeat of “trade frequently,” “trust the experts,” and “beat the market” now have the opportunity to do better. Using new investing products investors can earn higher returns with lower risks.

Drawing on their years of Wall Street, Treasury and Federal Reserve experience, Gary Gensler and Gregory Baer offer a fresh and realistic look at how money is managed in America. From new indexing strategies to risk-managed stock selection, The Great Mutual Fund Trap offers investors an escape from high costs and immunity from seductive marketing messages.


From the Hardcover edition.

Named by Smart Money magazine as one of the most powerful people in investing, Gary Gensler was the lead at the U.S. Treasury Department, responsible for policies in the areas of U.S. financial markets, debt management, and financial services. An eighteen-year veteran of Wall Street, he was co-head of finance at Goldman Sachs and one of the youngest partners in the history of the firm. Gregory Baer was Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at the U.S. Treasury Department and helped to modernize the nation’s financial service laws. He previously served at the Federal Reserve Board.


From the Hardcover edition.