Problem: Article: A mutual fund is a collection of stocks that are professionally managed by a portfolio manager in exchange for a fee. When you purchase a mutual fund, you are pooling your money with many other investors, and the portfolio manager will use his or her expertise to buy stocks that he or she believes will perform well over time.  When you purchase a mutual fund, you receive "units" of that particular fund. A unit can be seen as identical to a share, and the unit represents your ownership in the collective pool of funds. The collective value of the pool of investments is known as the "Net Asset Value" or NAV. When the NAV increases, the value of your mutual fund units also increase. The NAV would increase due to the portfolio manager investing in stocks that increase in value. You make money on mutual funds in the same ways you make money on stocks. The value of your mutual fund units will rise depending on how the underlying stocks do, which increases you wealth over time, and which you can sell for a profit.  You can also receive income from your mutual funds, similar to a stock dividend. If the stocks in the fund pay dividends, the portfolio manager will often pass those earnings on to you in the form of a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payout. Some mutual funds also have an additional pay-out known as a capital gains distribution. This simply means that when the mutual fund sells a stock for a profit, they will distribute the profit to you. There are numerous advantages to purchasing mutual funds compared to both stocks, and other types of investments.   Professional Management: The major advantage to purchasing a mutual fund compared to a stock is that you can benefit from the fund's professional management. Investing can be a highly complex, time-consuming, and risky activity, and many investors simply do not have time, knowledge, or desire to manage a portfolio on their own. Purchasing units of a mutual fund allows an investor to pass on this responsibility to a qualified portfolio manager.  Diversification: This is arguably the biggest advantage to purchasing mutual funds. By definition, a mutual fund is a collection of stocks. Therefore, when you purchase a unit in a mutual fund, you are often purchasing a basket of dozens to hundreds of different stocks. This protects you from the risk of any single company failing or doing poorly. Obtaining this sort of diversification on your own is often impossible, since purchasing hundreds of stocks would not only be expensive (due to fees), but also impossibly time-consuming to manage. More diversification means lower risk.  Simplicity: While one of the disadvantages of buying individual stocks was that they do require significant knowledge and time to research and manage, mutual funds are attractive in the sense that they require little knowledge or time to invest in or manage. While mutual funds offer professional management, simplicity, and low-risk due to diversification, these advantages can also be disadvantages.  Professional management costs money, and fees are one of the major downfalls compared to purchasing individual stocks. Typically, mutual funds will charge between one and three percent of the total value you have invested each year, and these fees are charged regardless of the fund's performance. In addition, mutual funds typically charge a commission either when the fund is purchased, or when the fund is sold. This commission would go to your adviser or to your broker. Too much diversification can eliminate returns. While diversification can prevent you from suffering losses due to a single company performing poorly, it also prevents you from benefiting from a single company performing exceptionally well. While mutual funds do consist of a diverse range of stocks, the stocks included in a fund are typically not random. Rather, mutual funds are often organized to include stocks with particular characteristics as to appeal to investors with differing goals and risk tolerances.   Domestic stock Index funds (for example S&P 500, NASDAQ, Dow Jones Large-Cap Value Index) can allow investors to bet on the performance of not just one company, but on the entire market. For example, purchasing an S & P 500 index fund allows you to benefit from the overall market doing well.    Large-cap mutual funds are a good option for investors seeking low-risk and slower growth because they pool together the stocks of companies with a large market capitalization exceeding $10 billion each.  In contrast, Small-cap funds of companies (with market capitalization less than $2 billion) have a higher capacity for growth and return on investment.  However those same small-cap companies may also be more vulnerable to economic downturns, and so that potential opportunity for higher growth comes with a higher risk for loss.    Growth funds are collections of higher-risk stocks that promise the possibility of higher returns.   International and global stock funds pool together stocks from around the world, including the United States.  Some funds invest in companies located in emerging market countries, adding additional risks and potentially higher rewards.
Summary: Learn the definition of a mutual fund. Learn how money is made with a mutual fund. Compare the advantages of purchasing mutual funds compared to stocks. Compare the disadvantages of purchasing mutual funds compared to stocks. Learn the different types of mutual funds.

Problem: Article: Tap the Google Voice app icon, which resembles a blue speech bubble on a white background. The app will open to your Google Voice page if you're signed into your Google account.  If you aren't signed in, tap SIGN IN, then enter your email address and password. You may also be able to select an existing account if you use other Google products on your phone. If you don't have a Google Voice account, you'll need to tap Add account and follow the on-screen setup instructions, including choosing a Google Voice number. It's a grey speech bubble in the bottom-left corner of the screen. On Android, the "Chat" icon is in the upper-left side of the screen. This icon is in the middle of a blue circle in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A pop-out menu will appear. It's in the pop-out menu. Type in the phone number to which you want to send your text, then tap the number below the search bar.  The number below the search bar may also appear as a name if the person to whom the number belongs is in your contacts. If you have contacts enabled for Google Voice, you can also tap a contact's name below the search bar, or you can enter a contact's name. It's above the keyboard. Type in the message that you want to send to the contact. You can add a photo or video to your message by tapping the mountain-shaped photo icon to the left of the text field and then selecting a photo or video from your phone's camera roll. It's a grey, paper plane-shaped icon to the right of your typed message. Doing so will send your message like a regular text. You can also receive texts in Google Voice; if your contact replies to you, you'll be able to see the reply here.
Summary:
Open Google Voice. Tap the "Chat" icon. Tap ＋. Tap Send a message. Enter a contact's number. Tap the "Type a message" text field. Enter a message. Tap "Send" .