Government “impostor” frauds.

There really PITTSBURGH — is no place like home, and many investors tend to keep their investment strategies heavily weighted toward U.S. company stocks. Something that falls within their comfort zone feels like a safer bet.

But investors who insist on staying close to home in today’s stock market environment could be undermining their odds for achieving higher returns. While U.S. stocks have substantially outperformed foreign markets for the last several years, the tide may be shifting.

Overseas markets have been outperforming U.S. stocks by a substantial margin this year, which is why some advisers are suggesting that investors venture out more — partly to avoid concentrating too many eggs in the U.S. basket and partly to take advantage of the rising trend in foreign markets.

“Valuations also are driving a potential shift,” said Bernard Carter, chief investment strategist at Hapanowicz & Associates Financial Services in Pittsburgh. “If you look at U.S. markets and U.S. stocks versus foreign stocks, foreign stocks are a bit cheaper in terms of their price relative to their sales and relative to their earnings.

“Dividend yields, in general, are also quite a bit higher than dividend yields on U.S. stocks,” Carter said. “These are all items that are contributing to what could be the beginning of an outperforming period for foreign stocks.”

Carter said his firm’s global asset allocation for the last several years had been about 75 percent U.S. stocks and 25 percent foreign stocks. However, Hapanowicz & Associates has reallocated its assets to a 65-35 percent split.

For the sake of comparison, the S&P 500 index has risen a healthy 9.98 percent so far in 2017. The MSCI Europe index, which measures average returns on stocks in about 15 different European markets, is up by 16.14 percent.

Bill Stone, global chief investment strategist for PNC Bank in Philadelphia, is bullish on international stocks and particularly stocks of European companies.

“International equities offer geographic diversification and open the opportunity set to invest in firms worldwide,” Stone said. “Beyond the benefits of diversification and exposure to many of the world’s leading companies, there are other potential benefits to investing outside U.S. borders, including unique opportunities in Asia and Europe.

“Within the international equity component, we recommend an allocation to emerging markets,” he said.

He said while at times the weaker dollar makes international investing look more attractive than fundamentals might dictate, the reverse is true when the strong dollar punishes U.S. investors’ international returns.

“Our tactical allocation within the international allocation focuses on Europebased and Japan-based holdings,” Stone said. “Stabilizing recoveries in both Europe and Japan, relative valuations, improving corporate earnings and low energy prices are a few of the dynamics that support strength of equities in the regions.”

Scam artists have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, but remembering a few simple rules can be surprisingly effective at keeping your money safe.

One of the stalwarts is to avoid offers that seem too good to be true, especially if you’re being pressured to act fast or to keep a transaction secret, said Michael Benardo, manager of the cyberfraud and financial crimes section at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

In addition, be cautious of unsolicited emails or text messages that ask you to open an attachment or click on a link. That’s a common way for cybercriminals to infect your computer with malicious software.

The FDIC recently released a list of 10 common frauds targeting bank customers.

These schemes start with a phone call, letter, email or text message supposedly from a government official demanding an upfront payment or personal financial information. In the IRS scam, for example, the crook claims you owe back taxes that must be paid immediately. Federal government agencies won’t ask people to send money for prizes or unpaid loans, and won’t ask for money to be wired.

Debt collection scams.

Fraudsters pose as debt collectors or law enforcement officials attempting to collect bogus debts. Red flags include a caller who won’t provide written proof of the debt, or threatens arrest or violence for not paying.

Fraudulent job offers.

These ploys often involve work-at-home offers in which prospects are required to pay money in advance. One variation involves fake parttime jobs as a “mystery shopper” visiting stores and submitting reports about the experience.

Phishing emails.

These involve legitimate-looking emails purporting to be from a bank or other popular entity asking for personal information. They may direct people to fake websites that appear to be exact copies of real websites.

Mortgage foreclosure rescue scams.

These entail promises to refinance a mortgage under much better terms. They may include significant upfront fees, or trick the homeowner into signing documents that transfer ownership of the property to the criminal. Common warning signs include a “guarantee” that foreclosure will be avoided.

Lottery and sweepstakes scams.

Potential victims are told they’ve won a big prize, but must first send in money to cover taxes and other fees.

Senior citizens are a major target of crooks trying to cheat them out of their life savings. Warning signs include unsolicited phone calls asking for a large amount of money before receiving goods or services, and special offers for seniors that seem incredible.

Elder frauds. Overpayment scams.

These involve a thief sending a check for something someone is selling, but for more than the asking price. The scammer tells the seller to deposit the check and wire the difference back. In a few days, the check bounces.

This malicious software holds a computer or smartphone hostage by restricting access until the victim pays a ransom. Ransomware is commonly spread when someone clicks on an infected email attachment or link leading to a contaminated site.

A thief calls pretending to be a law enforcement official warning that the person failed to appear for jury duty and will be arrested unless a “fine” is paid immediately.

Ransomware. Jury duty scams.