Guide
Deciding on ETFs
A good ETF choice starts with the exposure you need, then compares how competing funds deliver it through their holdings, costs, trading quality and structure.
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MarketReview author profile
Ken Stephens
Editor-in-Chief
ActiveKen Stephens has spent decades following financial markets from both sides of the screen: as an individual investor and through work connected with the investment-banking industry. That breadth informs the way he approaches MarketReview’s coverage of investing, trading and the institutions that influence asset prices.
He is less interested in repeating the market’s conventional wisdom than in examining what supports it. When a familiar explanation is offered for a rally, a sell-off or a shift in policy, Ken looks for the assumptions underneath it, the evidence that confirms or weakens it and the risks that may be overlooked. His writing often connects the choices facing individual investors with the larger forces at work in financial institutions and markets.
As Editor-in-Chief, Ken sets editorial priorities and helps shape how MarketReview explains complex financial subjects. He also contributes directly to articles on investment strategy, market analysis and trading, with an emphasis on clear reasoning, honest uncertainty and conclusions that can withstand closer scrutiny.
Areas of coverage
- Investing
- Trading
- Financial markets
- Market analysis
- Federal Reserve
- Commodities
- ETFs
Published work
Latest work by Ken Stephens
News, analysis and evergreen financial guides credited to this author.
Guide
The Flexibility of ETFs
ETFs combine pooled investment exposure with exchange trading, giving investors more control over execution, portfolio construction and strategy choice while introducing trading costs and product-specific risks.
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Guide
How ETFs Empower Investors
ETFs give investors more control over how and when they invest, but that flexibility is most useful when it supports a clear portfolio plan rather than frequent trading.
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Guide
The Outlook for Mutual Funds
Mutual funds remain a core investing and retirement vehicle, but their future is being reshaped by ETF growth, passive investing, lower costs and a more fluid boundary between fund structures.
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Guide
Managing Mutual Fund Risk
Mutual fund risk is managed less by predicting the next market move than by choosing the right exposures, diversifying deliberately and reviewing whether each fund still fits its job.
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Guide
Managing Mutual Fund Performance
Managing mutual fund performance starts with the right benchmark, costs and portfolio role, then uses disciplined rules to decide when to hold, rebalance or replace a fund.
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Guide
Can Individuals Beat Mutual Funds?
Individual investors can outperform mutual funds, but doing it consistently requires a fair benchmark, disciplined risk control and an edge that survives costs, taxes and behavioral mistakes.
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Guide
How Mutual Funds are Marketed and Sold
Mutual funds reach investors through fund companies, brokers, advisers, retirement plans and online platforms, with distribution costs and compensation shaping how shares are presented and sold.
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Guide
Commodities and Portfolio Diversification
Commodities can add a distinct source of portfolio risk and return, but their diversification value depends on the exposure, vehicle and risks already in the portfolio.
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