Mutual Funds

• Mutual Funds — A complete, but concise, tutorial about mutual funds in a one-page format with sidebars, illustrations, formulas, examples, and clear definitions of basic terms.
  • Mutual Fund Companies
    • Investment Adviser
    • Board of Directors
    • Custodian
  • Types of Investment Companies
    • Management Companies
    • Open-End Mutual Funds
    • Closed-End Mutual Funds
    • Exchange Traded Funds (ETF)
  • Evaluating a Mutual Fund
    • Prospectus
    • Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
    • Fees
  • No Load Mutual Fund Fees
  • Classes of Mutual Fund Shares
  • Expense Ratio
  • Measuring Mutual Fund Performance
  • Investing in a Mutual Fund
    • Buying Mutual Fund Shares
    • Profiting from a Mutual Fund
  • Regulation of Mutual Fund Companies
  • What to Consider When Buying Mutual Fund Shares
    • No-Load Funds may have Fees for Purchasing or Selling Shares
    • Lower Fees and Expenses Increases Total Returns and Yields; Higher Expenses Lowers Returns
    • Beware of Closet Indexers
• The Mutual Fund Prospectus
  • Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
  • New Format for Prospectuses: the Summary Prospectus and the Statutory Prospectus
  • A Mutual Fund's Past Performance is no Indication of its Future Performance
• Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses
  • Shareholder Fees
  • 12b-1 Fees (Shareholder Service Fees)
  • Sales Load
  • Classes of Mutual Fund Shares
  • Sales Load
  • Breakpoints
  • Letter of Intent
  • Rights of Accumulation
  • No Load Mutual Fund Fees
  • Purchase Fee
  • Redemption Fee
  • Exchange Fee
  • Account Fee
  • Annual Fund Operating Expenses
  • Management Fees
  • Distribution Fees
  • Other Expenses
  • Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses — Expense Ratio
• Open-End Mutual Funds: Purchases, Reinvestments, Redemptions, and Taxes
  • Buying Shares
  • Reinvestment Privilege
  • Redemption of Shares
  • Systematic Withdrawal Plan
  • Mutual Fund Returns
  • Taxes
  • After-Tax Returns