Money Management - Portfolio of funds or ETF Essay

Money Management - Portfolio of funds or ETF - Essay Example Most of these investors turned to government bonds, certificates and private or corporate bonds from reputable firms (Madura, 2008, p.13). This trend led to the emergence of special funds which allowed small investors to pool funds and investment in a number of securities or stocks. These funds are managed by fund managers which became popular with huge companies like insurance firms and banks. However the costs of managing these funds were high and some investors looked for other options to invest. This led to the emergence of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), which allowed investors to put their money on investment funds to be traded on stock exchanges (Abner, 2010). ETF investment funds incorporate an array of assets such as stocks, commodities or bonds and trades at a price close to the net value of these combined investments. For the many years it has been in existence, EFT’s have been successful with current stock markets due to its flexibility and low risk. Table of Content s Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Individual Analysis 3 EFT Analysis 5 Swiss Based ETFs 5 Other Managed Funds (ETFs) 6 Personal Asset Allocation 8 The art of investing requires careful planning in asset allocation since the way you allocate your assets reflects the return on your investment. For instance, if you have $ 100, 000, you should invest in a number of investment options. Time factor is one of the most crucial factors to watch out while investing. Looking at the Swiss market, we witness that the some mutual funds have been performing very well compared to some ETFs. Therefore, it not easy to conclude that mutual funds are better than ETFs or vice-versa, the most important factor is tracking these investments over a suggested period of time (Ferri, 2011). A look at ComStage Stoxx Europe 600 ETF Household goods based product we notice that this ETF tracks household goods stocks in the Swiss market. This ETF has performed well over the past two years ret urning 40.2% compared to the ComStage Stoxx Europe 600 Food & beverages ETF which returned only 24.1% as witnessed by table 4 in the appendix. In comparison to the United States of America where there is a mid cap fund that has returned over 41.87%. This performance is better than the ETF based investment option in Switzerland (Wagner, 2008). This mutual fund is known as the JB holdings fund and it has invested in different segments based on a selected benchmark. A list of investments in the JB holdings fund is shown by table 5 in the appendix. Based on the analysis of the different ETFs and funds listed above, it is difficult to choose the best investment option by solely choosing and ETF or fund based investment (Madura, 2008). The best investment decision to undertake when investing in an ETF or fund is to analyze the industry or benchmark used in implementing the fund or ETF product. Time factor is also very important since most ETFs or funds take a minimum of three years for th e investment to make marginal gains. 8 Current Investing Trends 8 References 12 Appendix 14 Introduction The art of investing is very difficult and challenging and many a times, people find it difficult to invest. Several investment options are available to potential investors interested in making profits. Investing is a risky venture and many people prefer to invest in low risk investments. As a result, many investment banks and

Stereotypes of African American Women in Film Essay

Stereotypes of African American Women in Film - Essay Example In film, the seductive and worldly imagery of the African American woman has endured. While more empowered positions have been created over time with race relations slowly repairing and providing for a less judgmental view on the African American woman, the films of the early twentieth century reveal the story of how she was viewed. Through the work of Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, the stereotypes can be seen, but explored with a deeper complexity that was brought to the roles because of the presentations that Horne and Dandridge brought to their work. In many ways, the work that was done by Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge broke some of the stereotypes that had been most prevalent about African American women. Horne stated of her position in Hollywood that â€Å"They didn’t make me into a maid†¦but they didn’t make me into anything else either. I became a butterfly pinned to a column singing away in Movieland† (Bogle, 2001, p. 127). She came across as w holesome a problem for the sex-object roles that she was given. Because of her nature, she was not seen as a â€Å"slutty† character, but was engaging as an alluring woman who flirted and teased, rather than performed acts that would diminish her nature. She was elegant and poised, thus creating sophisticated presence. In this, her roles created a sense of broken stereotypes, the women she portrayed not the average that was promoted during her time. Horne’s portrayal of Georgia Brown in Cabin in the Sky never broke through to representing a woman of ill-repute. Bogle describes her work as â€Å"startling freshness and untainted wholesome beauty† from both Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Stormy Weather (1942). Her role in Stormy Weather, made her an â€Å"object of contemplation, rather than one of possession† (Bogle, 2001, p. 127). In Cabin in the Sky, she is positioned as an instrument of Lucifer, but she brings a complexity as she never fully slips into the state of a tainted woman. In Stormy Weather, puts Horne in context with the music industry of the early 20th century. She represents an ambitious, but desirable woman who is seeking a career over love. This representation broke with the traditions of both women and African American women, her desires for something beyond an immediate gratification not a familiar stereotype. One of the problems with Cabin in the Sky was that it was set in a familiar type of fantastical setting in which there was an ideal ‘otherness’ in which African Americans lived. This concept suggested that while their lives were separate, they did not suffer from segregation, but flourished in communities that were just out there somewhere (Bugle, 2001, p. 131). Where Cabin in the Sky created an unrealistic domestic space, Stormy Weather created a somewhat unrealistic professional space in which African Americans experienced their lives. The film was an example of wartime escapism, providing an unre alistic world in which to experience a diversion from the seriousness of the nature of life during the war. Both of these films, however, were ground-breaking as they each had fully African American casts, the diversity of the roles within those films providing for a better exploration of African American life. Two roles that Horne greatly desired, ended up being given to Dorothy Dandridge. The role of both Carmen Jones (1954) and Jane Richards in Bright Road (1953) were given to Dandridge over Horne. Where Horne exuded a ‘