2. International Diversification via Mutual Funds. All major mutual fund companies now offer a variety of internationally diversified mutual funds. The degree of international composition across funds, however, differs significantly. Use the Web sites of any of the major mutual fund providers (Fidelity, Scudder, Merrill Lynch, Kemper, and so on) and any others of interest, to do the following:

a. Distinguish between international funds, global funds, worldwide funds, and overseas funds

b. Determine how international funds have been performing, in U.S. dollar terms, relative to mutual funds offering purely domestic portfolios

c. Use the Security and Exchange Commission's Web site, www.sec.gov/pdf/ininvest.pdf, to review the risk-return issues related to international investing