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The Trouble with Balanced Mutual Funds and ETFs

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In the past, when I thought about balanced mutual funds and ETFs I would think about a Swiss Army knife—a useful tool to have on hand. Today, with the ability to specialize a portfolio to your exact investment criteria and needs, I’m not sure if they’re the right tool for the average retirement investor.

One half, for argument sake, of any balanced fund, is bonds. And it’s my belief a lot of these funds cater to a larger clientele, if you will. Institutions, pensions, foundations and trusts immediately come to mind. Their deep pockets assume a longer investment horizon than the average investor which makes me uncomfortable.

To me, a longer investment horizon for balanced mutual funds and ETFs usually means a longer average maturity. In turn, any increase in interest rates magnifies the losses. Compared to a portfolio constructed of shorter-term maturities you can rest assured my confidence resides with the latter.

And that’s were specialization comes in. Big balanced funds or ETFs are too general for my taste. Because today, like never before, it’s more sensible for retirement investors to construct simple yet sophisticated portfolios. A specialized portfolio for you–not the above crowd—is what you want for your family today.

The big balanced funds and ETFs had their day in the sun. There’s a better way forward and we’re doing it every day for investors. Join us at www.youngsworldmoneyforecast.com.

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E.J. Smith

Editor-in-Chief
E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com.