How to Analyze Mutual Funds and ETFs

Motley Fool Staff, The Motley Fool Sat, May 9, 2026 at 11:43 PM GMT+7 25 min read In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool personal finance expert Robert Brokamp and Motley Fool employee Amanda Kish discuss the factors to consider when evaluating mutual funds and ETFs. Also in this episode: Interest rates are rising, bond prices are falling, and the Fed is staying put — as is Jerome Powell. Approximately a third of car buyers who traded in a vehicle had negative equity, and auto loan default rates are at their highest level since 2010. Almost half of retirees stop working sooner than expected, mostly not by choice, so factor a shorter career into your retirement calculations. We’re already a third through 2026, so revisit those New Year’s resolutions from January by getting caught up with our “Year Well Planned” challenge. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool s free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you re ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. Will AI create the world s first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $558,200!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $55,853!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $471,827!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. *Stock Advisor returns as of April 27, 2026 This podcast was recorded on May 2, 2026. Robert Brokamp: How to analyze funds, and you may retire sooner than planned. That and more on this Saturday’s Personal Finance edition of The Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing podcast. I m Robert Brokamp, and it s the first Saturday of the month, which means it s the next installment of our 2026 financial planning challenge. This month, Amanda Kish joins me to discuss the factors to consider when evaluating mutual funds and ETFs. First up, some items from the news, you know, oil is once again on the rise, but the stock market doesn’t seem to care. As of this taping on Thursday morning, the S&P 500 is up more than 12% for the month of April. But the bond market is showing signs of anxiety. The rate on the 10-year treasury got over 4.4% again this week, and the rate on the 30-year treasury is just a hair below 5%. Except for a brief spike in 2023, the rate on the 30-year treasury is getting to a level not seen since the early 2010s. As rates go up, bond prices fall, which is why the bond market is about flat for the year on a total return basis, despite yielding above 4%. The bond market shouldn t expect any near-term help from the Federal Reserve. The Fed concluded its latest meeting this week, leaving rates unchanged, and the futures market predicts that that will remain the case for the rest of the year, and that if there are any movements in rates, it s just about as likely to be a hike as a cut. Given rising inflation. I should point out that this was likely the last meeting with Jerome Powell as chair, but he s not leaving. He has the option to remain on the board as governor. Traditionally, chairs resign after their terms, but they don t have to. At the post-meeting press conference, Powell said he s going to remain until an investigation into the costs of renovating the Federal Reserve s headquarters is "Well and truly over with transparency and finality." The Fed s HQ is known as the Eccles Building, named after Marriner Eccles, who was the last chair to remain on the board of governors after his term as chair was over, doing it way back in 1948. Higher interest rates means more expensive loans, which brings us to our second item from the news. According to a recent article from the Wall Street Journal’s Ryan Felton, about 30% of car buyers who traded in a vehicle in the first quarter had negative equity, owing an average of roughly $7,200 more than their car was worth, a 42% increase over five years. To keep monthly payments manageable, borrowers are stretching loan terms to an average of 70 months, with some loans now exceeding eight years. Negative equity buyers financed an average of nearly $56,000 for a new car in Q1 of 2026, about $12,000 more than the typical buyer, pushing their average monthly payment to a record $932. The 2024 Consumer Financial Protection Burea

How to Analyze Mutual Funds and ETFs

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