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- - FUND SELECT -
-
- FUND SELECT is designed to allow the user to screen a data base
- of mutual funds for specified criteria to meet an investor's
- specialized needs. The main data file, funds.csv contains the
- criteria information for the data base. The version available on
- bulletin boards is a demonstration version. The complete program
- and data base is available for $30 from FAIRFAX FINANCIAL
- CONSULTANTS.
-
-
- The primary screening program is called FUNDS. The program is
- started by having the FUNDS.EXE program and the data base:
- FUNDS.CSV file on a diskette in drive A. After putting the dis
- kette in drive A just type FUNDS and return and the program will
- run. The first request is to make sure that the keyboard is in
- uppercase mode; enter a letter to make sure capital letters are
- used and then hit the return key. FUNDS operates through menu
- choices and allows the user to make selections based on the
- specified criteria. After each criteria selection the user is
- shown how many funds have been selected. The user can then
- continue screening on the funds already selected or stop and get
- a list of the funds selected. The list is shown on the monitor.
-
- The information included in the Data Base is obtained from sourc
- es we believe to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed as to
- accuracy. The user should take steps commensurate with prudent
- investing to assure himself of the accuracy and suitability of
- the investments before committing money to any fund.
-
- CRITERIA FOR SCREENING:
-
- Fund Style: The user can choose between funds which
- concentrate on achieving return from income, capital gains, or a
- combination of income and capital gains. The style is
- particularly relevant for stock funds.
-
- Fund Type: For this criteria we have several choices
- including stocks, bonds, convertibles, balanced, tax free, lever
- aged, and options although not all types are included in this
- DEMO version.
-
-
- Return: Returns can be entered for any of the specified
- years or for the most recent three year or cumulative, annualized
- seven year period. The return is the total return of the fund
- including both income and capital gains, realized and unrealized.
- After the user selects the period for which he wants to screen,
- i.e. 1981 return, the program shows the return for the S&P500
- stock index and the Salomon Bros. bond index for the period
- selected and asks for the criteria, that is, greater than (GT),
- less than (LT) or equal to (EQ) and the value in percentage.
- Thus if the user wanted to screen for all funds with a 1981
- return of greater than a negitive 5 1/2 % return the input would
- be: GT,-5.5 (Note the criteria needs to be in upper case, the
- value has to be separated by a comma and the value is in percent
- not in decimal. The 3 and 7 year returns are annualized for the
- respective periods. Thus $100 grows to $195 at a 10% annualized
- return from 1980 to 1986.
-
- Min Contribution: The minimum contribution criteria
- allows the user to screen for funds which allow for either small
- or large minimum initial contributions. Thus if the investor
- wanted only funds which allowed large initial contributions the
- input could be: GT,10000 which would specify contributions great
- er than or equal to $10,000. Please note that the criteria is
- upper case, the value is separted by a comma and the amount does
- not includ a comma.
-
- Load Charge: The load charge is usually the sales charge
- which compensates the broker selling the fund. It is equivalent
- to a commission. Some funds also charge a load to discourage
- frequent switching such as with the Fidelity family of specia
- lized funds or their Magellan Fund. Thus for a fund which char
- ges a 8.5% load an investor who purchased $1000 worth of fund
- units would have a value of only $850. This can be seen in the
- newspaper mutual fund section by a difference in the bid and ask
- prices of the fund. To specify a selection of funds with loads
- of less than 2% input LT,2. After a screening session is listed
- the program allows the user to start all over again on a new set
- of criteria. In order to break out of the program while it is
- running the user can use the CTRL-C key combinations. The
- commercial version of Fund Select contains almost 500 different
- funds and a second data base which gives the funds' addresses and
- phone numbers (including the 800 number where available). The
- commercial version sells for $30. The program allows the user to
- print out the screened listing as a further option.
-
- With the commercial version there is a second program on the
- diskette called FUNDLIST. FUNDLIST is written in BASIC and
- simply reads the data file and lists the file onto the screen.
- The program is provided for the more sophisticated user who may
- wish to write custom programs utilizing the database. This is a
- feature of all Fairfax Financial Consultants Data Bases. Fairfax
- Financial Consultants also distributes a data base called
- ECONSTAT consisting of over 40 economic time series quarterly
- from 1969 and MO-ROR, a monthly data base of total rates of
- return from 1935 for the stock market, treasury bills, a long
- bond index and the CPI.
-
- To order the complete version of Fund Select send $30 to FAIRFAX
- FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS, Box 15103, Alexandria, VA 22309.
-
- To order the complete version of Fund Select send $30 to FA