As far as books are concerned it all depends on which strategy you favor. As far as mutual funds are concenred there are plenty of funds out there that offer you (in my opinion) lousy returns but if that is what you're looking for you don't need to read a book.

Shop around at different fund families but make sure you inform yourself about fees they charge. The last thing you need is high fees eating away small gains.

Not all mutual funds are bad and they can be a decent addition to your overall portfolio as part of a long-term strategy (i.e.retirement).

When it comes to investing there is no right or wrong strategy just a good and bad one.

It all depends on your personal preference. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What are my investment goals?

2. What is my risk tolerance?

3. What is my time horizon?

I would do some research and take your time. Unless you have plenty of money to loose don't start on your own. One thing you may want to consider is to sign up with an Investor Advisory Service which will guide you through your investments. Once again it depends on your preferences.

__________________
It is not smart to play it safe but it is safe to play it smart.

Hello,

A good place to start would be to look at a mutual fund tutorial on the Investopedia.com website.

Investopedia also has some other good investing tutorials.




Michael A. Weiss, CFA
The Editor
The Mutual Fund Investor