Balchunas on an Alternative to the SPDR S&P 500 Trust (Audio) + MORE

Bonds are supposed to be safe investments. But what most fixed-income investors don't realize is that bonds have rarely been more risky. That's because with interest rates near record lows, bond prices are vulnerable to huge losses if interest rates rise.

And that's exactly what they've been doing…

All eyes are on Asia right now, what with the gut-wrenching drop in the Nikkei and the continued slowdown in China.
But the global growth story — or should I say struggle — is much more than what’s going on in these big players, or even in the U.S. and Europe. It’s about emerging markets, and how many regions that should be high-growth are turning into slow-growth … or even no-growth…

The renowned homebuilder, The Ryland Group Inc., has unveiled its new series of single family model homes in Mission Viejo    

bogle seems to change his mind.. not sure why to stick to his bond rules

All cash flow is not created equal.    

Shares of Lululemon Athletica (Nasdaq: LULU) are off sharply this week after the company’s CEO announced she would be leaving the firm. Over the past few sessions, the stock has dropped from Monday’s closing price of $82.28 to a current reading of $64. By the time you read this, the stock could be even lower…

June 13 (Bloomberg) — Bloomberg data shows $2.7 billion
has flowed out of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust this year, as $1.9
billion has flowed into the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. Bloomberg
analyst Eric Balchunas explains why the Vanguard fund has been
slightly outperforming the SPDR ETF. Bloomberg Radio’s
Catherine Cowdery reports on Exchange Traded Funds.

Filed under: Consumer Ally, Wal-Mart, InvestingGetty Images
Given that shareholders are part-owners of the companies they buy, you might think company management would welcome their questions and critiques. But that’s not always the case. Some companies encourage comments from shareholders, while others — including some of the biggest consumer names you know — nearly shut them out entirely…

By SA Editor Miriam Metzinger: Stocks discussed on the in-depth session of Jim Cramer’s Mad Money TV Program, Thursday June 13.
The Kids’ Portfolio: Disney (DIS), Nike (NKE), Gap (GPS), Hasbro (HAS), Whole Foods (WFM), Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG). Other stocks mentioned: Lockheed Martin (LMT), Northrop Grumman (NOC), Entergy Corporation (ETR)
In 2009, on Cramer’s first “Family Affair” edition of Mad Money (which is now an annual event), Cramer formed a portfolio the entire family could understand and would help educate kids about investing…