EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK  
  A Guide to the Best-Managed Growth Funds
 Published by EQUITY FUND RESEARCH   P.O. BOX 76    BOSTON MA  02117

#1 Fund Newsletter for 1999

With an average return of 71.7% as measured by the Hulbert Financial Digest, EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK was the best performing fund newsletter last year. When compared with the 24.0% for the broad stock market as measured by the Wilshire 5000 (with dividends) this strong performance was of great benefit to its readers. Over the nine years EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK has been covered by Hulbert, it has always been in the top-five among fund advisory services over five-year trailing periods. Here are some longer periods:

Effective annual compound total return for average of both portfolios for years ending 6/30/00 vs. Wilshire 5000 (with dividends). Source: EFO and Hulbert
2 years  30.4% / 14.6%   3 yrs  26.2% / 19.1%      5 yrs 26.3% / 22.1%     8 yrs 22.3% / 18.7% 

Readers of EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK are among the best-informed and most successful fund investors.  They:

  • Know what the best-managed growth funds of all types are and where to find them
  • Know which new funds are especially attractive
  • Have a wealth of information to go on if they want  to construct their own portfolios. OR
  • Can follow EFO’s winning model portfolios.
  • Get weekly HOTLINE updates by e-mail.

Learn more about what EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK offers and  HOW IT WORKS (just below).

Find out about the EDITOR and what financial writers have to say about EFO:

Read articles by the editor in the Experts’ Corner of FundsInteractive.com

Order a  low-cost  TRIAL subscription:

Review a description of the MANAGED
ACCOUNT SERVICE

HOW IT WORKS

Finding the best-managed funds is what EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK is all about.  EFO does the work for you by comparing performance of about 275 of the best growth funds in both up- and down-periods against the broad market. With a relative up- and down-market score for each fund, EFO then divides the up-score by the down score to get a reward-risk ratio, which we call the Investment Skill Quotient (ISQ).

   Relative up-market performance   = Investment Skill Quotient
   Relative down-market performance

The up, down, and ISQ scores are used to give a fresh rating each month for each fund in the extensive and always updated EFO universe. Subscribers use these ratings to select the best fund in each category and as signals to upgrade to better choices things change and new funds are added.

Two model portfolios are maintained: a TAX-ADVANTAGED portfolio for IRA, Keogh type accounts, and TAXABLE portfolio for other personal assets. A risk stance between market and aggressive is assumed for each portfolio, but there is more activity in the TAX-DEFERRED portfolio and only tax-efficient funds in the TAXABLE portfolio.

The wealth of information in each issue also allows readers to create their own  portfolios. A fresh WISH LIST for those starting with all cash is in each issue. And newer funds of possible interest are maintained in the WATCH LIST.  A Q&A section appears as needed.

Subscribers get a GUIDE and DIRECTORY of funds and fund groups with first issue. And a weekly HOTLINE on their E-mail (if requested).

Other fund information provided:

  • Manager tenure
  • Portfolio turnover and     diversification
  • Arithmetic and exponential trends for 13, 2 and 39 weeks
  • Tax efficiency
  • Stock selection style and size of firms in portfolio
  • Correlation with the NYSE and OTC markets
  • Assets in the fund
  • Technology weighting
  • Cash position
  • Distribution pattern and warnings
  • Brokerage availability
  • semi-log charts with relative strength for selected funds

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In the current issue (mailed November 15th): Defensive funds which have done best since the March high. Also six new funds including an amazing all-cap blend fund that has doubled in its first nine months, a young large-cap growth fund with low visibility but an excellent manager, a very useful mid-cap index funds for buy-and-hold investors and a promising small-cap growth fund. And, of course, an updated WISH LIST, WATCH LIST and model portfolio recommendations.  NEXT ISSUE:  December 20th.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Thurman L. Smith, editor of EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK, has been managing client accounts with funds since 1982 following stints as a systems analyst in research applications at Loomis Sayles and Fidelity Investments in Boston. His specialty is analyzing reward/risk characteristics of growth funds. Realizing that he needed more powerful analytical tools than were available from existing services he developed a database and software to rate equity funds and decided to share this analysis with others by launching EQUITY FUND OUTLOOK in 1988. Mr. Smith has an MBA in finance and investments from Babson College.

COMMENTS FROM  FINANCIAL WRITERS . . .

"Smith's advice is so precise that investors can put his fund picks into action with ease." - Margaret Boitano, in Barron's

"Do you like to own today's hottest mutual funds -the ones that are producing the best returns for the risk they're taking and are often at the top of the performance charts? If so Equity Fund Outlook may be for you." - Stephen Goldberg in Kiplingers Personal Finance

"Equity Fund Outlook is a very useful monthly newsletter that covers the broad spectrum of no-load funds." - Brendan Boyd, Investors Notebook

"Thurman Smith tests mutual funds on their 'ISQ' and by doing so has certainly outsmarted many other fund advisors."
- Louis Rukeyser, in Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street

"The bulk of the credit for this market-beating performance should probably go to Smith's fund selection abilities."
- Mark Hulbert, The Hulbert Guide to Financial Newsletters
 

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For a limited time we are offering a three-month TRIAL for only $15, including the GUIDE and DIRECTORY, and e-mail HOTLINE updates.

Questions?: E-mail us at efo or call us at 800-982-0055 9-5 M-F eastern time
Equity Fund Outlook Articles catalogue
2000 2001 2002 2003 2005