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The Handbook of Financial Instruments
book

The Handbook of Financial Instruments

by Frank J. Fabozzi
August 2002
Beginner content levelBeginner
847 pages
26h 4m
English
Wiley
Content preview from The Handbook of Financial Instruments

Chapter 2Fundamentals of Investing

Frank J. Fabozzi, Ph.D., CFA

Adjunct Professor of Finance School of Management Yale University

In this chapter the fundamentals of investing will be reviewed. We will explain these fundamentals in terms of the phases that are involved in investing. These phases include: setting investment objectives, establishing an investment policy, selecting a portfolio strategy, constructing a portfolio, and evaluating performance.

SETTING INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

The investment process begins with a thorough analysis of the investment objectives of the entity whose funds are being invested. These entities can be classified as individual investors and institutional investors.

The objectives of an individual investor may be to accumulate funds to purchase a home or other major acquisition, to have sufficient funds to be able to retire at a specified age, or to accumulate funds to pay for college tuition for children.

Institutional investors include

  • Pension funds
  • Depository institutions (commercial banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions)
  • Insurance companies (life insurance companies, property and casualty insurance companies, and health insurance companies)
  • Regulated investment companies (mutual funds)
  • Endowments and foundations
  • Treasury departments of corporations, municipal governments, and government agencies

In general we can classify institutional investors into two broad categories—those that must meet contractually specified liabilities ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780471220923