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The Financial Planning Center

Comprehensive Financial Planning

Fund Advantages and Disadvantages

Mutual Fund Education

Why Mutual Funds?

What is a Mutual Fund?

How Mutual Funds Work

Mutual Fund Risk

Advantages/Disadvantages

Mutual Fund Expenses

Costs you Wont Find in a Prospectus

Mutual Fund Categories

Fund Management Styles

How an Investment in a Mutual Fund Makes Money

Investment Company Act of 1940

Where to Purchase Funds

Future Value Chart

Advantages

What are the key advantages of mutual fund investing?

Diversification

Using mutual funds can help an investor diversify their portfolio with a minimum investment.  When investing in a single fund, an investor  is actually investing in numerous securities.  Spreading your investment across a range of securities can help to reduce risk.  A stock mutual fund, for example, invests in many stocks - hundreds or even thousands.  This minimizes the risk attributed to a concentrated position.  If a few securities in the mutual fund lose value or become worthless, the loss maybe offset by other securities that appreciate in value.  Further diversification can be achieved by investing in multiple funds which invest in different sectors or categories.  This helps to reduce the risk associated with a specific industry or category.  Diversification may help to reduce risk but will never completely eliminate it.  It is possible to lose all or part of your investment.  Click here to see an example on constructing a diversified portfolio.

 Professional Management:

Mutual funds are managed and supervised by investment professionals.  As per the stated objectives set forth in the prospectus, along with prevailing market conditions and other factors, the mutual fund manager will decide when to buy or sell securities.  This eliminates the investor of the difficult task of trying to time the market.  Furthermore, mutual funds can eliminate the cost an investor would incur when proper due diligence is given to researching securities.  This cost of managing numerous securities is dispersed among all the investors according to the amount of shares they own with a fraction of each dollar invested used to cover the expenses of the fund.  What does this mean?  Fund managers have more money to research more securities more in depth than the average investor.  

Convenience:

With most mutual funds, buying and selling shares, changing distribution options, and obtaining information can be accomplished conveniently by telephone, by mail, or online.

Although a fund's shareholder is relieved of the day-to-day tasks involved in researching, buying, and selling securities, an investor will still need to evaluate a mutual fund based on investment goals and risk tolerance before making a purchase decision.  Investors should always read the prospectus carefully before investing in any mutual fund.

Liquidity:

Mutual fund shares are liquid and orders to buy or sell are placed during market hours.  However, orders are not executed until the close of business when the NAV (Net Average Value) of the fund can be determined.  Fees or commissions may or may not be applicable.  Fees and commissions are determined by the specific fund and the institution that executes the order.

Minimum Initial Investment:

Most funds have a minimum initial purchase of $2,500 but some are as low as $1,000.  If you purchase a mutual fund in an IRA, the minimum initial purchase requirement tends to be lower.  You can buy some funds for as little as $50 per month if you agree to dollar-cost average, or invest a certain dollar amount each month or quarter.

Disadvantages

Risks and Costs:

Changing market conditions can create fluctuations in the value of a mutual fund investment.

There are fees and expenses associated with investing in mutual funds that do not usually occur when purchasing individual securities directly.

As with any type of investment, there are drawbacks associated with mutual funds. 

• No Guarantees.  The value of your mutual fund investment, unlike a bank deposit, could fall and be worth less than the principle initially invested. And, while a money market fund seeks a stable share price, its yield fluctuates, unlike a certificate of deposit. In addition, mutual funds are not insured or guaranteed by an agency of the U.S. government.  Bond funds, unlike purchasing a bond directly, will not re-pay the principle at a set point in time.

• The Diversification "Penalty."  Diversification can help to reduce your risk of loss from holding a single security, but it limits your potential for a "home run" if a single security increases dramatically in value. Remember, too, that diversification does not protect you from an overall decline in the market.

• Costs.  In some cases, the efficiencies of fund ownership are offset by a combination of sales commissions, 12b-1 fees, redemption fees, and  operating expenses.  If the fund is purchased in a taxable account, taxes may have to be paid on capital gains.  Keep track of the cost basis of your initial purchase and new shares that are acquired by reinvesting distributions.  It's important to compare the costs of funds you are considering.  Always look at "net" returns when comparing fund performances.  Net return is the bottom line; an investment's true return after all costs are deducted.

Prospectuses will not contain all the costs that affect the net return on your investment.  This is why it is important to compare net returns whether or not the fund in a no-load or load fund.  

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