The Hartford Family Of Mutual Funds The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) was established in 1810. It has grown throughout its history to be one of the biggest insurance and investment firms in the United States. However, they also have international offices in many other parts of the world which helps them keep in touch with the global markets. The forerunner to any financial decision always has to get homework and this is even more important when it comes to long-term investment, which is exactly what investing in mutual funds is. Not just that, but most mutual funds investment groups, including the Hartford Financial Services Group, have an assortment of many mutual funds from which to choose. The present economic predicament has proved to be a very difficult time for mutual funds and investors. According to Barron's list of best mutual fund families in 2010, the group of funds at Hartford came in at number 31 with a weighted score of around 65% of that of the funds at the top of the list. This was obviously very disappointing for the Hartford investment managers and those who had invested their funds in them. However, the firm is sure that it can reverse the fortunes of the Hartford investment group and make deciding to invest in one or several of their family of mutual funds a wise decision. In order to make buying mutual funds simple for investors, there is plenty of help on hand from agents and financial advisers on the Hartford website. The first decision that you will have to make though, whether you go with one of Hartford's mutual funds or not, is whether you are going to invest a lump sum or a monthly amount. Next, you have to decide how much you are able to afford to invest. This is vital not least because there is frequently a minimum investment. Remember that saving for the future, especially with stocks and shares and mutual funds is a medium to long term affair. There will almost certainly be financial penalties if you remove your money before the end of the plan. Furthermore, heavy charges are normally levied on the early payments in order to cover fees for administration and advice. This is standard practice right through the business world of investment services.
Fees for joining Hartford's mutual funds are not significantly different from joining any other of the top mutual funds. Anyway, you should discuss charges with your financial consultant before you enter into any contract It is a good idea to read the literature that the company puts out about the group of Hartford's mutual funds before you talk to your financial adviser or one of Hartford's investment account managers. It is not wise to enter these discussions 'blind', as it were. Luckily, Hartford's website provides lots of information on all of their mutual funds (and the other services they offer) so acquiring the information is not difficult Hartford's mutual funds could be a clever choice for recovery, because their family of funds has a decent long term history of sound investment, although they had a bad year in 2010, making them seem fairly cheap for high performing mutual funds. Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Hartford Mutual Funds. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Mutual Funds