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[ad_1] With no end in sight to the high demand for housing, the real estate industry faces a serious problem: a dwindling pool of appraisers. HousingWire recently spoke to Chris Knight, CEO and Gabriel Hern, President of , which consists of a partnered AMC and staff appraiser firm. We discussed the current market and ways the real estate industry is addressing this industry-wide issue. HousingWire: How is Opteon addressing the appraiser shortage? Opteon CEO Chris Knight Chris Knight: The shortage of appraisers is not going to be remedied without focusing on the larger issue—the lack of focus on recruiting and training new appraisers. I began my career as an appraiser in Australia. Australians have a different appraisal training process compared to the apprenticeship model in the U.S. Here, even if a person wants to become an appraiser, they’re not able to unless they know an appraiser who is willing to mentor them. So, the issue we’re facing is appraisers retiring and very few new appraisers coming into the industry. We’re addressing this directly through our Opteon University program. We match interested trainees with experienced mentors. Opteon University opens the door for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to become appraisers. Opteon President Gabriel Hern Gabriel Hern: Opteon University was created out of necessity during the pandemic. Since early 2020, we’ve trained more than 150 cadets. But in light of the current need for appraisers, we’re beefing up our program so we can accommodate more trainees. HW: What are the benefits of a staff appraiser vs a panel appraiser? GH: We’ve built our model to ensure we can provide both options to our clients. Ultimately our goal is always to match the right appraiser with the right order. Having a large pool of panel appraisers allows us to have truly nationwide coverage by providing services in rural areas and ensuring geographical competence. CK: Staff appraisers allow Opteon to standardize reports and processes in a waythat isn’t possible with panel appraisers. In New Zealand and Australia, Opteon hascreated such a streamlined process with staff appraisers that we can provide same-day turn times. We’re bringing this standardization and our proprietary technologyto Opteon staff appraisers in the United States with the goal of same-day turn timesin the future. HW: Same-day turn times are a lofty goal. How do you aim to achieve this? GH: We’ve heard skepticism about same-day turn times, which is understandable. Right now, the average turn time takes 1-2 weeks. I had my own doubts when Chris and I first began discussing the opportunity. Then I flew to Australia and saw firsthand appraisers producing high-quality, same-day turn times. So many companies are trying to modernize the industry by hyper-focusing on technology with the end goal of replacing appraisers. That’s the opposite of our approach—we want to empower appraisers and keep them in the field by providing them with tech, process and data. This approach is in the best interest of appraisers and of our clients. HW: What are your thoughts on companies that are taking a tech-only approach to the future of appraisals? CK: I think it’s a big mistake. As I mentioned before, I began my career as an appraiser. I know how much data is needed for every report. Technology simply can’t compete with human knowledge and analytical skills. Don’t get me wrong, I think technology and modernization play a very important role in the future of the real estate industry, but these should serve as tools, not replacements. Give appraisers the data, technology and standardized processes to work more efficiently. GH: And as an industry, we need to address the issues of long turn times and adwindling pool of appraisers head-on. Without a bold approach, the issues willcontinue to grow. Opteon is taking the lead, but the industry as a whole must cometogether and embrace change if we are to make an impact on these problems. The post This company is setting its sights on same-day appraisal turn times appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] I was teaching Kierstyn how to put the EOS lip balm on… but clearly she missed the memo on the fact that you put it on your lips instead of in your mouth. In just a few seconds, she had taken a big bite out of it and swallowed it. One of my goals for 2022 was to have a date with each of the kids every month. Silas and I went out on a little date to Smoothie King this past week for our monthly date. We got to take care of Champ this weekend — after not getting to see him for a few weeks because of sickness. As soon as he walked in, he and Kierstyn just hugged and hugged and couldn’t stop hugging each other. I was so excited to get to meet Jamie Finn (from Foster the Family) in person and hear her speak at a local event this week. And I got to do something for the first time: emcee an event! (This picture was from the Q&A time with Jamie.) I also got to interview Jamie on the podcast. Look for the episode next week (just search for The Crystal Paine Show wherever you listen to podcasts). It’s SO good! We introduced her to the joys of licking a batter spoon! I’m so grateful for the gift this sweet boy. And the experiments for Science Fair commence. He’s starting to practice standing up at PT! And he’s obsessed with mirrors! The small group of girls I lead at youth group had a fun evening painting pottery and eating tacos this past week. I’m so grateful for the gift of getting to be in these girls’ lives! Can you believe she is 17??? We went to see the new Spider-Man movie together for a birthday date. It feels weird to have a 17-year-old and yet also such a gift — I just love watching her grow wings and fly! I love watching her love life and try new things. I love hanging out with her (and her friends — they all make me laugh so much!) I love her heart for others and the wisdom she has and how she thinks through things so deeply. I’m so grateful for how much time she sacrifices willingly to help around the house and I’m also grateful that she has such a vibrant social life (though sometimes I do have to remind her to actually get some sleep!) I love our late night talks and the fact that she now drives when we go anywhere together. I love watching her navigate situations that could be difficult with intention and thoughtfulness. I love her heart for the Lord and her desire to honor Him with her life. I look at the woman she is blossoming into and feel so humbled that I get to be her mom. Not a day goes by that I don’t think how proud I am of her and how grateful I am for her. Also, it’s pretty cool to get to stand on the sidelines and cheer on your kids as they step into adulthood! My 10 Goals from Last Week Personal Goals Delete 1000 photos and videos from my phone. Do one extra house-cleaning project every day (follow along on Instagram for details!) Make a new Habit Tracker. Reading Goals Finish reading The Flirtation Experiment, Win the Day, The Woman They Could Not Silence, and Beneath a Scarlet Sky. (I’m trying to finish up my January Reading Goals — we’ll see!) Listen to The Midnight Library. Family Goals Take Kathrynne to a movie. Go on a date with Silas. Business/Blogging Goals Write a post on How to Eat Out Less Create on IG reel on 5 Things I Do Every Morning. Book Goals Finish the Step-by-Step implementation plan for the end of the book. My 10 Goals for This Week Personal Goals Delete 1000 photos and videos from my phone. Do one extra house-cleaning project every day (follow along on Instagram for details!) Reading Goals Finish reading Win the Day and The Woman They Could Not Silence. Finish reading The Jesus Storybook Bible with Kierstyn. Family Goals Have a family game night. Watch a movie with Jesse. Business/Blogging Goals Write post with an update on my yearly goals. Choose and post books for February. Book Goals Finish the Step-by-Step implementation plan for the end of the book. Work on final edits before turning book in to my publisher. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Pfizer submits data for U.S. authorization of COVID shots for kids under 5 -report [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The government will be conducting spectrum auctions this year to enable the launch of 5G services by private telecom operators within the current fiscal. Also, a design-led manufacturing scheme for building an ecosystem for 5G will be launched, the outlay for which might be allocated from the existing production linked scheme (PLI) for telecom equipment. The telecom equipment PLI has an outlay of Rs 12,195 crore, but since Rs 4,000 crore- Rs 4,500 crore is not utilised, it can be used for 5G. Although the spectrum auctions will be conducted this year, the government has fixed a very modest revenue target from the telecom sector at Rs 52,806.36 in FY22-23. This is despite the bumper revenue receipts from telecom sector in current FY21-22 fiscal. As per the revised estimates, the government is likely to get Rs 71,959.24 crore from communications services, primarily due to prepayment of spectrum dues by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The government had fixed a revenue receipt target of Rs 53,986.72 crore from telecommunications services for FY22. The modest revenue target from telecom for FY23 indicates that the government is anticipating low upfront payments from the operators for spectrum auction. Operators have sought another five-six years’ moratorium on spectrum dues and no upfront payment, or maybe 10% of the total bid value. The finance minister also announced that to enable affordable broadband and mobile service proliferation in rural and remote areas, 5% of annual collections under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) will be allocated. “Our vision is that all villages and their residents should have the same access to e-services, communication facilities, and digital resources as urban areas and their residents. The contracts for laying optical fibre in all villages, including remote areas, will be awarded under the BharatNet project through PPP in 2022-23. Completion is expected in 2025. Measures will be taken to enable better and more efficient use of the optical fibre,” she said. Last year, the government had approved a revised implementation strategy for the BharatNet project by opting for public-private partnership (PPP) mode in 16 states, for which the government would provide Rs 19,041 crore as viability gap funding. With the additional allocation, the total outlay for BharatNet has increased to Rs 61,109 crore, which includes the already approved amount of Rs 42,068 crore in 2017. Regarding electronics manufacturing, the finance minister said customs duty rates are being calibrated to provide a graded rate structure to facilitate domestic manufacturing of wearable devices, hearable devices and electronic smart metres. Commenting on the announcement, Prashant Singhal, TMT Emerging Markets Leader, EY, said a clear focus on 5G spectrum auctions and rollout will help India catch up with the rest of the world. Globally, 200 telcos in 78 countries have already launched commercial 5G services. Moreover, the government’s move to launch a design-led manufacturing scheme as part of PLI will help to position India as a hub for 5G equipment manufacturing and exports. KG Purushothaman, partner and Telecom Sector Leader, KPMG, said while some industry demands on reducing government levies remain to be addressed, the commitment of the government towards launch of 5G, new PLI schemes to promote manufacturing of 5G equipment and strengthening of digital infrastructure will boost the momentum in the sector. “The Union Budget of the year 2022-23 is pro-growth with emphasis on providing further impetus to the Digital India initiative. We are glad to see the focus on the enhancement of digital connectivity and the announcement for the required spectrum auction in 2022 for the rollout of 5G mobile services,” SP Kochhar, DG COAI, said. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Fannie Mae has unveiled its second credit-risk transfer (CRT) deal of 2002, a $1.2 billion note offering through its Connecticut Avenue Securities real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC.  The recent offering, CAS Series 2022-R02, involves transferring loan-portfolio risk to private investors via a $1.2 billion note offering backed by a reference pool of 149,393 residential mortgage loans valued at $44.3 billion. With the completion of this credit-risk transfer (CRT) transaction, Fannie Mae will have brought 46 CAS deals to market, issued over $52 billion in notes since its initial offering in 2013, and transferred a portion of the credit risk to private investors on about $1.7 trillion in single-family mortgage loans, measured at the time of the transaction. The agency expects to issue about $15 billion in notes through CAS transactions in 2022, according to Devang Doshi, Fannie’s senior vice president of single-family capital markets. Through a CRT transaction, private investors participate with government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) Fannie Mae in sharing a portion of the mortgage credit risk in the reference loan pools retained by the GSE. Investors receive principal and interest payments on the CRT notes they purchase, but if credit losses exceed a predefined threshold per the security issued, then investors are responsible for absorbing the losses exceeding that mark.  Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) notes that the reference pool for this latest CRT transaction “exhibits significantly more geographic diversification” than most prime jumbo loan pools it rates, which “helps mitigate the risk that a regional economic recession or natural disaster will have an outsized impact on default rates.”  The bond-rating agency’s report notes that the average California concentration of loans in KBRA-rated prime jumbo pools is typically 45% to 50%, but the concentration of loans from the Golden State in the CAS Series 2022-R02 transaction is “relatively low at 14.7%.” The other states among the top five in terms of loan concentration are Texas and Florida, each at 7.8%; Washington, 3.8%; and Virginia, 3.7%, the KBRA report shows. Fitch Ratings also notes that the reference loan-pool borrowers “have a strong credit profile,” with an average FICO credit rating of 748 and a debt-to-income ratio of 36%. The major loan originators for the loans in the CAS Series 2022-R02 reference pool are United Wholesale Mortgage, 8.04% of loans originated; Rocket Mortgage, 7.43%; and Wells Fargo Bank, 5.54%, according to Fitch. The initial CRT deal of 2022, CAS 2022-R01, involved a $1.5 billion note issued against a reference loan pool of 180,002 residential mortgages with an outstanding principle balance of $53.7 billion. In the final CRT deal of 2021, CAS 2021-R03, Fannie Mae issued a $909 million note against a reference pool of 117,000 single-family mortgages valued at about $35 billion.  The prior two deals in 2021 involved CRT notes with a combined value of nearly $2.2 billion. Prior to restarting CRT offerings last year, Fannie Mae had backed away from the CRT market for a time — with its prior transaction closing in March 2020. The post Fannie Mae launches another CRT offering appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

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[ad_1] USTR official says China failed to meet 'Phase 1' trade deal commitments [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The government will conduct a spectrum auction this year, which will facilitate the roll-out of 5G mobile services by private telecom operators during the financial year 2022-23, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. A new design-led manufacturing scheme—under PLI—is also in the works to facilitate the building of a strong ecosystem for the next-generation connectivity standard. “Spectrum auctions will be conducted in 2022 to facilitate the roll-out of 5G mobile services within 2022-23 by private telecom providers,” Sitharaman said while presenting the Budget 2022 in the Parliament. “A scheme for design-led manufacturing will be launched to build a strong ecosystem for 5G as part of the production-linked incentive scheme,” the FM added. The telecommunications sector in general, and 5G, in particular, is poised to enable growth and bolster employment opportunities. 5G will bring hundreds of Megabits—even Gigabits—at low latency, speeds that can potentially change the way most—if not all—industries work, today. Not to mention, it will bring the country up-to-speed with the West. The tech industry concurs. 5G—to be transformational force for India “With 5G technology implementation within 2022-23 by private telecom providers, we foresee propelling growth and a huge opportunity presented for the demand of 5G enabled devices,” Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, Vice President (India & MENA), HMD Global told Financial Express Online, adding “5G will unleash new economic opportunities and societal benefits giving it the potential for being a transformational force for Indian society.” India’s number one smartphone brand, Xiaomi, said 5G and the slew of “interconnected” devices the technology will enable, will make the country “future-ready” and boost further innovation. “We are excited about the government’s commitment to roll out 5G by 2023, which will head into a new year of interconnected devices, making India future ready,” a Xiaomi spokesperson said in a prepared statement, adding “the scheme for design-led manufacturing to build a strong ecosystem for 5G, will further boost local innovation in the domain.” Homegrown brand Lava called the move “encouraging.” “The budget is highly encouraging for 5G launch in India. Most importantly, there is a scheme in which the design ecosystem of 5G will be given encouragement by bringing it under the PLI scheme of the government. It will encourage many companies like Lava which have an R&D base in India,” Tejinder Singh, Product Head, Lava international Ltd said.   Deployment of 5G will also come as a major shot in the arm for refurbished products. “Opening 5G spectrum sales in this FY would result in a slew of new mobile and IOT devices being launched. This would result in a new surge of demand for 5G-ready products from early adopters,” Dipanjan Purkayastha, CEO & Co-founder, HyperXchange said, adding “this, in turn, would scale demand for refurbished products in this space, as consumers move up the value chain.” 5G—key to all-inclusive development The impact of 5G roll-out will not be limited to one or two “key” industries. It will be key to all-inclusive development. Monika Gupta, Chair- Digital Communications Working Group, IET Future Tech Panel and Vice President, Capgemini, Global 5G Engineering Lead said “5G is a key accelerator to digitisation and a key technology to spur all the four pillars of development— inclusive development, productivity enhancement, energy transition and climate action.” “As India defines a blueprint of economy for India at 75 to India at 100, it is essential to adopt latest technology and use that as an enabler to achieve these targets and all-inclusive development,” she added. Mobile and digital payments will become even more appealing to the masses. Fraud prevention will become easier. “This development is incredible for the banking sector. The spectrum will provide faster and simpler payment options, which will make mobile and digital payments even more appealing to the masses and merchants alike, further boosting usage. This is key to economic growth,” Vishwadeep Bajaj, CEO, ValueFirst said, adding “processing data, verifying the nature of transactions, confirming transaction amounts and funds availability, consulting multiple data instances in real-time, coupled with customer geolocation and merchant ID, will reduce fraud detection errors and false positives, thereby protecting consumers and the bank’s bottom line.” The IT sector will invite lucrative offers in terms of “innovation, manufacturing and employment opportunities,” Vidhu Nautiyal, Chief Revenue Officer, CloudConnect said.   For players like StepSetGo, 5G will be a “game changer.” “It will provide us the opportunity to mitigate any tech related inadequacies caused due to data speed and help us augment our product offerings by aiding comprehensive R&D in smaller pockets of the country,” Shivjeet Ghatge, CEO, StepSetGo said, adding “it will help us change the face of fitness in the country and will allow us to make fitness more inclusive and infrastructure-agnostic.” The possibilities, it seems, are endless. 5G couldn’t come sooner. Umakant Soni, CEO & Cofounder, ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) said the government can look at models of spectrum auction to streamline and fasten the whole process—to help us with “Connecting the Unconnected.” “In rural areas, the government should create schemes for higher utilisation of such spectrum rather than looking to maximise auction prices. Public 5G built and operated in a decentralised manner will also help us create more jobs in rural areas.” [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] J.P. Morgan Mortgage Trust, the securitization conduit for financial giant JPMorgan, recently issued a $2 billion offering backed by a pool of jumbo loans — capping off a vibrant first month of 2022 for the overall private-label market. At least 25 transactions collateralized by more than 27,000 mortgages valued at $14.3 billion hit the market in January, based on an analysis of the flurry of bond-rating reports published over the month. The offerings were evenly divided among the major private-label buckets. Jumbo-loan offerings — seven deals at $5.67 billion. Investment property/second home offerings —eight deals valued at $4.17 billion Non-QM (or non-prime) issuances — nine deals at $4.03 billion. ‘ Plus, there was one private-label transaction involving reperforming loans (BRAVO Residential Funding Trust 2022-RPL1), which was backed by mortgages valued at about $414 million. For the month, JPMorgan sponsored the largest deals in both the jumbo and investment-property categories — with its $2 billion jumbo offering and a separate nearly $740 million deal backed by investment properties.  On the non-QM side — a market that serves borrowers who don’t qualify for traditional agency-backed mortgages — lender Verus Mortgage Capital and real estate investment trust Starwood Property Trust led the way. They sponsored offerings through their private-label conduits valued at more than $562 million each. “The non-QM market is beginning to mature much more and at a much faster pace than what people were anticipating, and much of that is tied to interest rates [rising],” said Tom Piercy, managing director of Incenter Mortgage Advisors. “So, as you begin to see refinances move away, and we go into this purchase market, the non-QM space obviously has a much broader capability in the credit box, and that will allow it to capture greater market share through the purchase-money side.” Last year, Verus Mortgage sponsored 11 private label transaction valued at about $5.4 billion, according to data from Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), while Starwood sponsored half a dozen offerings valued at nearly $2.3 billion.  JPMorgan ended 2021 with 17 completed jumbo-loan securitization deals valued at $17.1 billion and eight offerings backed primarily by investment properties/second homes valued in total at $3.9 billion, KBRA data show. The combined value of JPMorgan’s private-label transactions, about $21 billion in 2021, represents 18% of KBRA’s estimated $115 billion in deal volume for the entire private-label market last year. “The 2021 resurgence of the private label mortgage-backed securities market was led by J.P. Morgan … with a robust 17 [jumbo] deals pricing for more than $17 billion,” states a January report published by digital mortgage platform MAXEX — in which JP Morgan is in an investor. “J.P’s volume alone nearly eclipsed 2020’s [jumbo-securitization] volume across all issuers. “Other notable deals include Citigroup’s first foray into the prime residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) market since 2014.” MAXEX notes that Citigroup, which originated close to $31.2 billion in residential mortgages last year, finished 2021 with three jumbo-loan offerings valued at slightly more than $1 billion. The lender also sponsored three private label offerings backed by investment properties last year valued at $800 million, KBRA data show.  Citigroup added to its securitization portfolio in January of this year with another offering, Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2022-J1, which is backed by high-balance mortgages valued at $351 million. In addition to JPMorgan, Citigroup, Verus and Starwood, other major private-label deal sponsors in January included Rocket Mortgage, Redwood Trust (through its Sequoia conduit), Goldman Sachs, Guaranteed Rate, loanDepot (through its conduit, Mello Mortgage Capital Acceptance), and Wells Fargo.  As of October 2021, according to the most recent report from the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center, the non-agency share of the RMBS market — compared with the agency share — stood at 4%, up from 2.44% in 2020. Still, it’s far off the nearly 60% of the market private-label issuance commanded just prior to the housing-market crash in 2008.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) recently announced plan to hike upfront fees for high-balance and second-home loans effective April 1 should provide a boost for the private-label securities market in 2022, according to Dashiell Robinson, president of Redwood Trust. He added that the fee boost helps to offset the drag on the non-agency RMBS market from the FHFA’s 2022 conforming-loan limit increase as well as its suspension last fall of volume caps on agency purchases of investment-property and second-home mortgages. “The FHFA, particularly in the Biden administration, seems to be more focused on first-time homebuyers, minority homeowners — getting back to the roots of the [government-sponsored enterprises] purpose, which is homeownership,” said John Toohig, managing director of whole-loan trading at Raymond James. “It’s not your second home, or investor property, or high-balance loan. It’s not your mansion. It’s your first home. “I would bet 2022, you’ll see more of a move in that direction, which is going to push more deals into the private label market.” The post Private-label market wraps up January with a roar appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The post What Types of Investments Should I Have In My Portfolio? appeared first on Millennial Money. When it comes to investing, there are a variety of different options to choose from. Each option has its own unique risks and rewards, so it’s important to understand the differences before making a decision. Though it can be a scary proposition for those who are just getting started, investing your money is one of the best ways to grow it over time.  Here is an overview of the most common types of investments. Stocks Bonds Mutual Funds Index Funds Exchange Traded Funds Real Estate Investments Retirement Accounts Why Invest Money? Investments let you get more use out of your money. Whether you’re saving for retirement or trying to grow your wealth, most investments will yield more than parking your money in a savings account.  Benefits of investing include:  Growing your wealth by taking advantage of compound interest. Securing your future with a healthy retirement account. Reducing your taxable income each year by putting money into an IRA. Increasing your chances of early retirement. What Are the Different Ways to Invest Money? Luckily, there are many great ways to invest money that will grow your wealth and save for your future.  There are several primary investment types that stand out, and not all of them involve the stock market and high risk. If you’re the cautious type, that’s good news.  Stocks  Stocks go with investments like peanut butter goes with jelly. Stock is probably what comes to mind as soon as you hear the word “invest”.  By purchasing stocks, you’re buying a small piece of a company. The money you put in can either increase or decrease depending on how well that company profits.  The stock market is very unpredictable; it’s a high-risk investment that can produce lots of profit or cause plenty of loss. Since the market fluctuates daily, that’s particularly scary for investors who don’t like risk. Advantages of Stocks: Investing in quality stocks and holding them for long periods of time can produce high profits for shareholders. If you don’t have the itch to buy and sell frequently, it’s likely that you’ll come out with a good amount of investment growth over the long haul. Risk involved: Stocks carry considerable risk since no one knows when a given company will profit or tank in any certain timeframe. An expected return isn’t easy to predict. Where to invest: Open a brokerage account to purchase stocks.  Bonds Investing in bonds is very much like receiving an IOU from a government or corporate entity. An investor loans money to help with project financing, operating expenses, or refinancing debt. In exchange, the holder of the bond earns annual interest on the amount loaned. The interest, as well as the pay-back date, are set when the bond is purchased.  Advantages of Bonds: Adding bonds to your investment portfolio balances the risk factor of stocks. Your expected return is predictable since it’s based on a predetermined interest rate. You’ll get your money back on the investment when the bond matures. Risk involved: The investment risk is very low. However, bond values fall whenever interest rates rise so it’s a good idea to hold a variety of stocks and bonds to ensure a healthy mix of earning power in your portfolio.  Where to invest: Find a broker or purchase a government bond directly from the government. Mutual Funds A mutual fund is like a pie baked with a variety of financial assets. There might be a sprinkle of bonds, a good amount of stocks, and a few commodities thrown in for a balanced final product.  The fund brokerage uses investors’ money to buy the ingredients (financial assets that go into the fund). The brokerage owns the ingredients, but the investors own pieces of the pie. This type of investment fund provides excellent asset allocation—which is a fancy term for not putting all of your eggs in one basket. If one part of the recipe doesn’t perform well, you’ve got several others to bank on.  Advantages of Mutual Funds:  It’s safer than buying individual stocks. There are numerous combinations of investment types and industry sectors to choose from. This investment is overseen by a special manager who carefully evaluates fund performance and makes regular adjustments to maximize returns. This is a managed fund and is therefore more costly. However, fund managers are always trying to outperform the general market. So sometimes your profits will be higher and can offset these costs. Risk involved: Mutual funds aren’t necessarily considered risky. But if you have a high allocation of stocks in a fund, losses could definitely result. The risk is dependent on what your fund is made up of. Where to invest: Use a broker such as Vanguard, Fidelity, or the like to open a mutual fund. Some have a high minimum investment requirement.  Index Funds This investment is like a mutual fund, but its purpose is to mirror the performance of top-performing companies in the market. The most popular index is the S&P 500 which follows 500 large top-performing companies in the U.S. stock market.  Advantages of Index Funds:  Fees are lower since there’s very little hands-on management.  Index funds tend to perform well without much fuss.  S&P 500 investments historically yield profitable returns on a steady basis.  Index funds are generally considered low risk.  Where to invest: Join a low-cost brokerage firm so you can earn steady returns over the long haul. Exchange Traded Funds This is another type of collective investment that pools the money of many investors together to buy a diversity of financial assets.  There are many different configurations you can choose from. You could invest in a mix of stocks and bonds, or shares in a certain industry. And like an index fund, you can purchase shares in an ETF that follows the S&P 500.  Unlike mutual funds, ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the day just like stocks on a