May 2018 · Account Types Matter — But How Do I Choose?

Whether you’re saving for retirement, your children’s education, a much-needed getaway, or just a rainy day, everyone has financial goals.  But when you’re saving and investing, it’s important to know how different investment account types can impact your after-tax returns.

March 2018 · Green Bonds: A Growing Market, But Not Without Weeds

The emergence of green bonds presents an attractive sustainable vehicle for fixed income investors, though not without drawbacks. The potential value of green bonds is obvious from the name; the securities prioritize the importance of environmental concerns as a means of either reducing risk or forming a competitive advantage when using the proceeds from the sale of the note.

January 2018 · How Long Is Your Bond? Bond basics you'll need to know for the duration

Understanding bond investing terminology can help you select a bond fund or an asset allocation that is right for you. Saturna Capital explains credit risk, maturity, duration, interest rate sensitivity, weighted-average, convexity, and more.

November 2017 · The Disruptive Destiny of Demographics

Few things in this world can be predicted with accuracy over multiyear periods and fewer still over multi-decade spans. One exception is population demographics. Based on data today, we have a good idea how populations will develop through 2050. For some countries, demographics will provide a tailwind toward possibly robust economic growth in the coming years...

May 2017 · What We Want and What We Get: Error Bias in Investing

As we observe events in realms such as financial markets, politics, or weather, we tend ;to form beliefs — be they explicit or implicit beliefs — about cause and effect, or whether the events were positive or negative, good or bad. Science has formalized this process: testing a hypothesis with empirical data. One of the tradeoffs when evaluating beliefs in light of evidence...

October 2016 · Trade! What is it Good For?

Beneath the headlines and political rhetoric, we find a complicated, global story of how trade benefits both developed and emerging economies. There's certainly merit to questioning aspects of trade deals. Invariably, a document with 5,600 pages, like the TPP...

August 2016 · Low Interest Rates and Their Impact on Saving and Investing

Among all scarce resources, time has no substitute. Time cannot be renewed, expanded, or replaced regardless of price. A person's lifespan limits their earnings, savings, and spending. Today, interest rates in developed world economies approach and even move below the so-called "zero bound," constraining the ability to grow...

June 2016 · The Commodity Super Cycle, and What Happens Next?

With the forces of globalization pushing increased trade, and developing nations pursuing common paths of economic development, it appeared that the trends pressuring raw materials prices higher might continue indefinitely. But in the past four to five years, the longstanding trend in declining goods costs reasserted itself with a vengeance...

May 2016 · Amana's Principles and Process Lead to Sustainable Practice

At the Amana Funds we have long described ourselves as "Value and Values-Based Investors." We have adopted this mantra because it reflects our investing philosophy, and we believe such an approach improves our likelihood of achieving...