Investors willing to take additional risk might also consider leaving their current 401(k) savings in a target-date fund, but direct all new contributions into a domestic equity fund or international stock fund to boost returns, says Michael Francis, president of Francis Investment Counsel, a consulting firm specializing in retirement plans.

WSJ: 'Target' Funds Still Missing the Mark on Returns

The decline in stock and stock fund allocations occurred as volatility returned to the equity markets.

FORBES: AAII Survey: Investors Opt For Fixed-Income

India has created vibrant and flourishing stock exchanges, vital to the formation of the private equity and venture capital that fund startups.

FORBES: Magazine Article

We like the combination of income with growth and it is an important factor in our stock selection process for the Global Resources Fund, as well as our other equity funds.

FORBES: Never Been Smart To Bet Against America

When you see a strategist from a major equity mutual fund on financial TV, they are always offering their top stock picks.

FORBES: Welcome To The New Bear Market For Stocks

"In 2012, you might do a deal and one fund would buy the stock, " said Frank Maturo, vice chairman of equity capital markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

WSJ: Stock-Sale Discounts Get a Haircut

Instead they return an amount based upon the performance of an underlying equity instrument, be it an index, a hedge fund or even a single stock.

FORBES: Another Option

Those customers tend to have a very specific goal and a strong idea of what they want to do with those orders, be it entering or exiting the underlying market as investors, protecting their equity investments, gaining incremental income over and above simply holding a stock or exchange-traded fund position, or seeking to gain additional leverage.

FORBES: Examining The Options Flash

The secondary market for private equity assets appears to have strengthened radically this fall, along with the dramatic rise of the stock market and as non-traditional players have emerged as interested buyers in the secondary market for private equity fund stakes.

FORBES: Magazine Article