According to The Dogs of the Dow theory, a selection of high-yielding stocks is expected to outperform the broader stock market. Brendan Voege, who runs SunAmerica’s Focused Dividend Strategy Portfolio, has enhanced this strategy to create a 30 stock portfolio designed for capital appreciation with an emphasis on dividend yield.

The majority of small cap fund managers will typically keep their eyes on companies that are poised for rapid growth. At the Heartland Value Plus Fund, portfolio manager Adam Peck looks to find companies that are out of favor but have the qualities of healthy businesses with a history of growing dividends.

Buying a stock is, above all, buying a stake in a business. Thus, it is not only imperative to understand business operations but also to value the business based on fundamental metrics. John Fox at FAM Value Fund applies a patient, long-term approach while looking for businesses that trade at a discount to intrinsic value.

Despite an incessant flow of information on Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East, the region is still not well covered by brokerage houses and finance media when it comes to investing. Portfolio manager Leigh Innes explains how T. Rowe Price Emerging Europe & Mediterranean Fund handles volatility, currency risks, and an invariable lack of liquidity through a concentrated portfolio of bigger holdings on fewer stocks.

As companies follow their business cycles, it turns out that only the most stable names can pay steady dividends. Zeke Ashton, portfolio manager at the Tilson Dividend Fund, keeps searching for companies with strong potential to grow their free cash flows.

Most fund managers view risk as an afterthought when it comes to managing, but at Aberdeen U.S. Equity Fund, the portfolio managers consider risk before they purchase a stock. The fund management team excel in their consistent approach, staying in frequent contact with company management of their portfolio holdings.

Emerging European markets offer attractive investment opportunities with living standards in the region steadily improving. Early identification and investing in local companies poised for growth can help investors to capture long-term sustained returns as the corporate governance strengthens. Vlad Milev explains how the Metzler/Payden European Emerging Markets Fund capitalizes on the company’s regional expertise.