However, I also understand that in the stock market there are no guarantees! It is for this reason and this reason alone, that diversity is a necessity. If I knew for certain that CMA would continue its program of raising their dividend every year, and that the next 14 years would provide better than 15 percent return on my money, I would only own CMA stock. It is because of this ‘risk of no guarantees' in the stock market that the rewards for investing in the stock market are much higher than a passbook savings account, CD's or Bonds.
Is shopping for the lowest fees and expense ratios a smart way to select mutual funds? Not always. The answer depends on the type of mutual fund you are evaluating, the time you can devote to evaluating and managing your mutual funds investments, and the type of cost incurred.
Often, a company once trading on a big exchange finds itself demoted to the Pink Sheets as it either tries to restructure itself, or is just stuck there as a last rite of passage to the stock graveyard. Adelphia Communications (ADELQ) fits within this category. Once a darling among investors, due to a major CEO scandal that rocked the investment community, it is now bankrupt, and trading on the Pink Sheets with very little hope of ever getting back to the big boards as it goes through the liquidation process.