Tips For Choosing High-Performance Mutual Fund

Most people who invest in mutual funds don't know what they are doing. They take advice from someone at a bank or perhaps a friend and plunk down money into a fund. Sometimes this strategy works, but most of the time, it doesn't.

When you invest your money in a mutual fund, you are trusting someone to invest in the stock market for you. Because of this, you want to be sure this person knows what he or she is doing. Also, you want to make sure that this person is not charging you too much to manage your money for you. Mutual funds fees are "hidden," in the sense that they do not charge you an upfront fee but rather a percentage of the amount of money in your account. If this percentage is too high, you would do better just blindly picking stocks yourself.

Here are five helpful tips for choosing the right mutual funds.

1. Keep the fees low. Generally, expense fees should not be much higher than 1% if it is just a basic domestic equity fund. You should never invest money in a fund that also charges a "load," which is an additional fee that is ridiculous to pay. Never invest in funds that charge loads; those funds are for suckers.
2. Check the asset base. Mutual fund managers only know of so many good investments. When they have too much money to manage, they begin investing in stocks they don't like much but need to invest in anyway or else they'll just have money laying around. There's little reason to invest in a fund with over $5 billion in assets. It's best if it's under $2 billion generally.
3. Consider an index fund. This is a fund that tracks a stock index, such as the S&P 500. For these funds, the manager just buys whatever stocks happen to be in the index. Since this is not much work, the fees are much lower. Even though this method is simple, it has proven to perform better than most mutual funds. Some high performance index funds include FSMKX (Fidelity S&P 500) and VIMSX (Vanguard S&P 400 Midcap.
4. Evaluate the fund's strategy. If you have a long term outlook, look for a more aggressive fund that invests in small-cap stocks, international stocks, and riskier stocks in general. High risk tends to result in high performance in the long run. If you are more risk-averse, consider an S&P 500 index fund.
5. Keep the fees low. Did I mention this already? Well, I'll mention it again. This is where most people mess up. Make sure you are not paying a load or paying too much in fees to the mutual fund.

More information about mutual funds can be found at Research Mutual Funds.

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Writing Tips - Planning Your Writing

A lot of beginners go off the rails when they've got a nice clean sheet of paper or a blank screen in front of them and they've got to fill it with words - meaningful words.

The way to avoid the cold feeling of panic is to have a plan of action. The type of plan that works best for you depends on your personality. Some of you will make structured lists, with every small detail itemized and all T's crossed. Or you may have a vague set of instructions, sometimes little more than remembering to have a beginning, middle and end. Others of you will find that the best way to work is just to start writing and see where it takes you.

The way to find what will work for you is to plan out some example pieces of work. You might never write them, but the practice will benefit you. For example, how would you go about writing an episode of your favourite TV show, or an article on a local photography exhibition, or a review of a best-seller? By writing a plan of approach, you'll give yourself an idea of what the final piece of work would require. When I started writing short stories I used to deconstruct famous stories and plan how I'd re-write them.

The planning step also gives you a check as to whether or not you actually want to write the piece. And remember, if you plan not to have a plan, you've still decided on a plan. And don't stop here.

It's now time to plan your opening sentence. To get readers to keep reading you need a hook, something that will lead them in and keep them there until you've told them what they didn't know they needed to know. Crime writers kill people, romance novelists have people get divorced, good writers hint at a conflict to come but hide it in the middle of something else. Journalists scream at you in huge type and article writers ask you rhetorical questions, all in the first five seconds of reading.

Go away and study the structure of some writing. Look at how writers grab you and reel you in like an expert fisherman.

And ask yourself, "How would I do that?"

Source: Free Articles

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What You Need To Know When Planning Your Honeymoon

Too often, a honeymoon takes a backseat to all the wedding planning. But shouldn’t you give it just a little more attention? After all, the wedding is for your family and friends, but the honeymoon is just for you. It’s a time to relax and reflect, but most of all enjoy each other.

Here are the basic things you need to know:

Decide on a Honeymoon Budget:

You may have already decided this when planning your wedding budget. If not, sit down and do this before you decide anything else. Figure out if you have any frequent flier miles or hotel miles that can be used towards your trip. Consider putting all of the wedding expenses on a credit card that earns frequent flier miles for your honeymoon. (Be sure to pay it off every month – you don’t want to start a new marriage with a ton of new debt.)

Decide When to Go and For How Long:

First, figure out how many vacation days you have accrued, and how many of them you’ll need before the wedding for last minute planning. (It’s not uncommon for brides to take a week off, and grooms to take a couple of days.) Do you want to leave the morning after your wedding? Or, do you want to have some time after the wedding to unwind and pack when you’ll be more focused on it, and take your honeymoon a few days or even a few weeks later? Another option, for those who don’t have a lot of vacation days, is to take a weekend “mini-moon” after the wedding, and then take a long second honeymoon on your first anniversary.

Decide Where to Go on Your Honeymoon

Each of you should take a few minutes to separately write down what you envision doing on your honeymoon. Do you want somewhere warm or cold? Do you want to go someplace far away and new, or someplace close to home? Do you want a resort where there will be other honeymooners to socialize with, or someplace secluded where it will just be the two of you? Do you want to be in a city with museums, restaurants and nightlife or, do you want there to be lots of athletic activities available? Perhaps you’ll just want to spend a lot of time in the room! Once each of you has your list, compare. Where there are differences, see if there’s one place that might have the best of both worlds.

Consider Visiting a Travel Agent:

While most people are booking travel online these days, a travel agent can be extremely helpful when planning a honeymoon. Not only will he or she have ideas about places you might not have thought of, but they’ll be familiar with those details like “do you need a visa?” and when the rainy season is. They might also have special packages or deals to pass on to you.

Learn More about Where You’re Going:

It’s never too early to get excited. As soon as you’ve picked a spot, buy a travel book, so you can read about all there is to do and see.

Arrange for Passports and Visas, if Necessary. Make Sure Your Driver’s License is Up to Date.

These pesky little details can take time and therefore are one of the first things you should do, once you know where you are going. I’ll never forget the trip where I got to the counter of the rental car agency only to be told that my driver’s license had expired only days before. Luckily the person I was with could rent the car, but I would have been better off with a little forethought.

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Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The hike in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among pregnant women has raised a situation whereby there is no protection against sexually transmitted diseases making the situation of pregnant women worst as compared to women who are not pregnant.

This is a vital fact that STDs contracted during pregnancy is quite life threatening. Most of the women are not even aware of the potential consequences of such diseases even before they get pregnant so they need to know how to protect themselves and their upcoming children from these threats.

The consequences of such sexually transmitted diseases for pregnant women can be same as for non pregnant women but these may lead to devastating effects too such as cervical cancer, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and other complications.

Very often there are no symptoms among women who are infected with these sexually transmitted diseases and even the women may not be aware that she is infected as such until she is already pregnant.

Many other complications that occur due to sexually transmitted diseases during pregnancy may include early onset of labor or premature rupture of the uterine membranes surrounding the baby and can even cause uterine infection after delivery.

It is quite common that sexually transmitted diseases are being transmitted from pregnant women to her fetus, newborn or any infant before, during or after birth. Certain STD's such as syphilis even cross the placenta and infect the fetus that affects the fetal development. Many other sexually transmitted diseases include gonorrhea, Chlamydia, hepatitis B and genital herpes that could be transmitted from the pregnant mother to her infant through vaginal delivery. HIV positive women can transmit the virus causing AIDS to the fetus through the placenta while pregnancy or any sort of infection that could occur during the process of birth. Unique to the HIV this is a fact that transmission can occur in infants through breastfeeding by an infected mother.

by Olivia Andrews

Author Bio
Olivia Andrews, writing for Womens Reproductive Health is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, health, entertainment, music, gifts, crafts, travel, apparels and mobile phones.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

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Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (published in May 1992) is a book by John Gray offering many suggestions for improving husband-wife relationships by understanding the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender. It spawned a series of follow-on books expanding on specific situations (see below).

The book, as suggested by the title, asserts the notion that men and women are as different as beings from other planets. Gray adopts this metaphor as the central theme of all his books and seminars, likening men and women to the classical Roman god Mars and goddess Venus as ideal types.

In contrast to some psychologists (and feminists) who emphasize similarities between the sexes, Gray writes almost exclusively about differences. Gray says that his "Martians" and "Venusians" are only stereotypes and cannot be applied blindly to individuals.

An example of the theories it offers is that women complain about problems because they want their problems to be acknowledged, while men complain about problems because they are asking for solutions. Other concepts in the book are the difference between women and men's point systems and how they react under stress.

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10 Jenis Lelaki yang PATUT Perempuan Elak

Ini tips untuk wanita-wanita, korang kena berhati-hati dengan 10 jenis lelaki. Lelaki-lelaki tersebut boleh bikin hidup anda bermasalah macam mereka juga.

1. Lelaki yang sering berkata: "Abang memang sayang kat ayang, tapi abang belum bersedia untuk hubungan yang serius". Amboi dah 3 tahun berkepit sana sini, masih belum bersedia ker? ha..ini lelaki tarak betoi punya. Diorang nak flirt jer, walhal anda belum ada dalam kamus hidup mereka.

2. Lelaki yang call/sms ikut suka ati diorang jer. Eh ikut suka ati diorang ja nak jumpa kita, nak call kita, bila kita perlu kan dia, bayang pun tak nampak.

3. Lelaki yang suka ajak dating, tapi bukan dating pon. Paham tak ayat tu? ala, korang tak pernah ker pergi dinner berdua?, jejalan berdua, tengok sunset berdua? Kalau orang lain tengok sure ingat korang couple & tengah bercengkerama. Padahal si lelaki tak pikir pun tu dating. Kepada wanita, jangan asyik keluar kehulur kehilir dgn lelaki sangat. Jatuh saham nanti babe.

4. Lelaki yang dah ada awek, tapi selalu sms/call n jumpa anda. Ooo ini lelaki paling bahaya, tapi malangnya paling banyak di Malaya. Lelaki jenis ni dah ada awek, tapi wanita lain juga dia nak bermesra. Bila kantoi dengan awek, diorang akan cakap korang kawan jer, takkan nak berkawan tak boleh? Amboi. Kalau setiap malam call, bila awek not around, mula naik tocang. Lelaki jenis ni ternyata buaya tembaga tak laku.

5. Lelaki yang pikir apa diorang buat semua betoi. Aduhai, pandangan kita semua salah, dia jer yang betol, Diorang ni jenis penting diri sendiri dan tak kan pikir perasaan orang sekeliling termasukla korang.

6. Lelaki yang blurrrr sentiasa. Contoh nya, lelaki yang tak paham kehendak wanita, even korang cakap terus terang pun dia ingat itu benda remeh ja. Ambil ringan perasaan kita.

7. Lelaki yang tak tahu kehendak sendiri. Kalau la diorang tak reti nak paham kehendak sendiri, korang ingat diorang boleh paham korang?

8. Lelaki yang selalu kacau korang, walaupun korang tu tengah busy menyelamatkan dunia. Lelaki suka sangat nak berkepit dengan korang, tak kira la korang keja ke apa ker. Sikit2 call, sms, nak jumpa. Mula-mula korang rasa ok. Tak lama kemudian korang sure tak tahan. Rimas dan lemas.

9. Lelaki yang suka kutuk lelaki lain, dengan harapan korang tak dekati lelaki yg dikutuk. Sah-sah lelaki ni kuat jeles, dan jangan terkejut diorang ni jenis ngada-ngada.

10. Lelaki yang tak dapat memberi layanan yang betul untuk seorang wanita. Apa lagi korang harap? buat siksa jiwa jer. nampak sangat lelaki jenis ni sukar nak bahagiakan korang.

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4 Tips Mudah Jaga Komputer

Disini ada beberapa tips penjagaan persekitaran komputer untuk anda.Tips ini adalah untuk penjagaan persekitaraan komputer anda.Jika anda berjaya melakukan 4 tips ini, Insya’Allah komputer anda boleh bertahan lama.

1. Debu
Musuh komputer yang utama adalah debu/habuk.Jangan letak komputer anda di bahagian sentiasa mempunyai habuk seperti berhampiran dapur.Jangan letakkan komputer anda dibahagian bawah atau berada dilantai, ia memudahkan lagi habuk merosakkan komputer anda.Sekiranya anda membersihkan umah, seperti menyapu, mengibas permaidani atau baju jauhi dari komputer anda.Seelok2nya sediakan bilik khas untuk komputer ” Bilik Komputer”

2. Minuman dan Makanan
Elakkan daripada minum atau makan ketika menggunakan komputer.Ia akan mendatangkan masalah sekiranya air atau makanan anda tertumpah pada keyboard atau perkakasan lain.Tertumpah kat keyboard biasa x per lagi, kalau tertumpah kat Luxeed keyboard ni.

3. No smoking
Asap atau habuk rokok boleh menyebabkan kerosakan pada komputer.Habuk rokok mudah menyelinap masuk pada celah2 keyboard.Sekiranya anda bukan perokok, jauhilah komputer anda dari perokok2 ketika menghisap rokok untuk menggunakan komputer anda.Boleh hisap tapi don’t smoking here….

4. Haba
Haba juga adalah salah satu musuh utama kerosakkan komputer.Gunakanlah komputer anda di tempat yang mempunyai aliran udara yang bagus.Semakin lama anda menggunakan komputer semakin banyak haba dikeluarkan.Sekiranya haba terlampau panas, Ia boleh menyebabkan kerosakkan pada komponen komputer sprt processor.Seelok2nya gunakanlah kipas atau penghawa dingin di persekitaran komputer anda.

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Keep it Simple Feedback

When was the last time you gave a member of your team some feedback? The feedback I'm talking about here isn't some sort of formalized appraisal that takes place with your team members every month, or every six months or once a year. I'm talking about feedback that happens continually and takes place when you see or hear something you want to give feedback on.

The trick is - keep it simple. If you see or hear something you do like - you tell the team member about it. If you see or hear something you don't like or feel could be done better - you tell the team member about it and you coach them.

When you're speaking with the team member it's important to focus on one thing at a time; keep it simple, don't confuse them with a whole list of behaviors.

If you were giving some positive feedback you don't want to be saying - "I really like the way you deal with difficult customers and you have a great telephone manner. You always get your reports in on time and it's great that you're achieving your target!" You're only diluting the whole feedback and it loses its impact.

If it's some not so good feedback then you don't want to confuse the team member with a whole catalogue of behaviors that you're unhappy about. "You've been late three times this week, your reports are always late and I don't like the way you speak to customers on the phone."

Sadly, some managers don't give feedback on poor behavior immediately. They allow things to go on and on and then they eventually explode.

It's much better to deal with behavior as and when it happens be it good or not so good - and keep it simple!

by Alan Fairweather

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