WONDERING WHICH FUNDS ARE BEST TO SMOOTH OUT MARKET VOLATILITY AND FIGHT rising inflation, or which stocks to buy in an aging bull market? Looking for the credit card with the most-lucrative rewards or the cell-phone plan that offers the most bang for your buck? We’ve got you covered. Our staff compiled their top picks for stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds for times like these; credit cards, banks, tax software and cell-phone plans for all types of users; tech that will protect you from identity thieves; and websites that will save you money on everything from prescription drugs to hotels.
BEST PORTFOLIO MOVES TO: Dial down volatility. Stocks with low volatility should weather dips better than jiggier peers. INVESCO S&P 500 LOW VOLATILITY ETF (SYMBOL SPLV, $48) holds the 100 stocks in the blue-chip index with the lowest volatility; ISHARES EDGE MSCI MIN VOL USA ETF (USMV, $55) tracks low-vol stocks by sector.
Fight inflation. The principal value of Treasury inflation-protected securities adjusts according to changes in the consumer price index. Buy them from Uncle Sam at www .treasurydirect.gov or consider VANGUARD INFLATION-PROTECTED SECURITIES FUND INVESTOR SHARES (VIPSX).
Plump up your yield. SPDR S&P DIVIDEND ETF (SDY, $93) holds the highest-yielding stocks of large companies that have raised their payouts for the past 25 years. The fund yields 2.5%. FIRST TRUST NASDAQ TECHNOLOGY DIVIDEND INDEX ETF (TDIV, $36) buys tech’s biggest dividend payers and yields 2.5%.
Play rising rates. Higher rates mean lower bond prices, but they hurt short-term bonds least. Consider low-cost SCHWAB SHORT-TERM BOND INDEX (SWSBX). Or cash in on higher rates with FIDELITY FLOATING RATE HIGH INCOME (FFRHX).
Cut costs. FIDELITY ZERO index funds charge no fees and require no minimum investment. You must be a Fidelity brokerage customer.
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