duction Mutual funds pool assets of individual investorsincluding retirement funds managed by state or municipal entities or other large institutional investorsto purchase shares in a collection of stocks, bonds, or other securities. A portfolio manager typically oversees mutual funds. Mutual funds can also be structured and listed as stocks to professional traders' desires to trade mutual funds with the same ease as they trade stocks to allow purchasers the diversification of a mutual fund plus the flexibility of a stock. In your role as a portfolio manager with Vantage Point Mutual Fund (a fictitious entity), you are concerned with economic conditions you believe may generate distress among firms in which the fund has invested. You have noticed an increase in loan modification requests, bankruptcy filings, and a rise in unemployment claims due to generate falls in consumer and investment spending. You have initiated a review of each firm in your portfolio. You supervise a team of investment analysts. Each team member, including yourself, will choose one of these to review. Team members (including you) will research the economic firms in your portfolio to determine whether the investment value is expected to increase. Your team will proactively engage with clients to