There are many different mutual funds, thousands and thousands of them, in fact. Not only that, but there are dozens of kinds of mutual fund companies too. Most of the different kinds of funds differ in what they invest in.
For example, a general fund may invest in anything and an African fund may just invest in African firms or businesses that are dynamic in Africa.
Then there are sector funds that may merely invest in modern technology stocks or alternative technology or precious gems. There are also funds that track indexes: for example a NASDAQ 100 tracker fund, which would have in its folder all the stocks that are in the NASDAQ Exchange top 100 and in the same proportions.
Finally, a different category of mutual funds is in its charges: that is, how the fund makes charges for management and profit. These charges are known as ‘loads’. One interesting sort of fund are the so-called ‘no fee mutual funds’ and one of the best kinds of no fee mutual funds are the ‘index funds’.
Index funds were the first type of finance tool to bring in the concept of ‘no fee to the benefit of the investor. No fee mutual funds have a tendency to work better for the investor because they leave more assets in the kitty from day one, which gives that money the chance to increase for the entire length of the plan.
One aspect of most no fee funds is that the investor deals directly with the investment company, which means that there are no financial adviser’s fees – no middlemen – to pay. The broker’s fee could get very high, say 10%-20% of a lump sum investment or a full year of monthly instalments.
This money is shared, frequently 50-50, between the investment company running the no fee mutual fund and the investor. The investor’s part goes back into his investment fund, which means that it will go on working for the full length of the plan.
So, how does the investment company get its earnings? Well, it has its fee the same as it usually would have; the only person who loses is the broker and the only one who gains is the investor. The investment company gains nothing immediately, but it does in the long term How?
Well, a different feature of the investment company’s fees is the annual management fee. This management payment is a percentage of the funds under management, so if your investment pot is larger, so is their income.
There are also true no fee mutual funds where all your money is invested from day one – each penny of it with no commission deducted at all. This is all very good, but the investment firm has to make money for itself somehow, so you will probably find that percentage rate for the annual management fees is higher.
If you are interested in investing in any form of mutual fund, take guidance first from a professional financial adviser, but do your own research as well.
Remember that a broker does not normally charge a fee for investment advice because the investment firm that he sells to you will pay him with your money.
Therefore, if there is no commission, he is unlikely to recommend them and that includes no fee mutual funds. If you need financial advice, it is best to pay for it by the hour and get good advice – nothing is for nothing and that is especially true in the financial world.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with No Load Mutual Funds. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Mutual Funds