With this feature, the Mutual Fund Education Alliance INVESTOR'S CENTER launches Fund Focus, a series designed to give investors the information they need to make informed decisions about the types of funds to include in their balanced portfolio.

We start with money market funds, a basic, conservative investment option that offers investors moderate income with a highly stable principal. Most experts agree that a money market fund should be a basic staple of any portfolio -- providing an easily-accessible source of cash while offering other important features.

Money market funds are suitable for conservative investors who want high stability of principal and moderate current income with immediate liquidity.

• Some money markets offer tax-exempt income by investing in highly-rated municipal obligations. Other money markets invest only in U.S. Government instruments whose timely payment of principal and interest is backed by the U.S. Government or its agencies.
• Money markets are competitive with bank certificates of deposit (CDs) and usually offer yields that are higher than CDs.
• Cash can be withdrawn from money market funds at any time without penalty and most funds usually offer check writing privileges.
• The share price of money market funds stays constant, normally $1.00; only the yield fluctuates.
• The yields for money market funds are reported on a monthly basis in a section separate from other mutual funds in financial journals.
• While not insured by the FDIC or FSLIC, money market funds invest only in highly-liquid, short-term, top-rated money market instruments, are highly regulated and considered very safe.

For more information on money market funds and how they fit into your investment plans, read on.