Advantages and Disadvantages of Investing in Mutual Funds
Every investment has advantages and disadvantages. But it's important to remember that features that matter to one investor may not be important to you. Whether any particular feature is an advantage for you will depend on your unique circumstances. For some investors, mutual funds provide an attractive investment choice because they generally offer the following features:
- Professional Management - Professional money managers research, select, and monitor the performance of the securities the fund purchases.
- Diversification - Diversification is an investing strategy that can be neatly summed up as "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Spreading your investments across a wide range of companies and industry sectors can help lower your risk if a company or sector fails. Some investors find it easier to achieve diversification through ownership of mutual funds rather than through ownership of individual stocks or bonds.
- Affordability - Some mutual funds accommodate investors who don't have a lot of money to invest by setting relatively low dollar amounts for initial purchases, subsequent monthly purchases, or both.
- Liquidity - Mutual fund investors can readily redeem their shares at the current NAV - plus any fees and charges assessed on redemption - at any time.
But mutual funds also have features that some investors might view as disadvantages, such as:
- Costs Despite Negative Returns - Investors must pay sales charges, annual fees, and other expenses (which we'll discuss below) regardless of how the fund performs. And, depending on the timing of their investment, investors may also have to pay taxes on any capital gains distribution they receive - even if the fund went on to perform poorly after they bought shares.
- Lack of Control - Investors typically cannot ascertain the exact make-up of a fund's portfolio at any given time, nor can they directly influence which securities the fund manager buys and sells or the timing of those trades.
- Price Uncertainty - With an individual stock, you can obtain real-time (or close to real-time) pricing information with relative ease by checking financial websites or by calling your broker. You can also monitor how a stock's price changes from hour to hour - or even second to second. By contrast, with a mutual fund, the price at which you purchase or redeem shares will typically depend on the fund's NAV, which the fund might not calculate until many hours after you've placed your order. In general, mutual funds must calculate their NAV at least once every business day, typically after the major U.S. exchanges close.
Source: http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/inwsmf.htm
WE HAVE PROVIDED THIS INFORMATION AS A SERVICE TO INVESTORS. IT IS NOT A LEGAL INTERPRETATION. NEITHER IS IT AN INTERPRETATION OF OR A STATEMENT ABOUT SEC POLICY. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE MEANING OR APPLICATION OF A PARTICULAR LAW OR RULE, PLEASE CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY WHO SPECIALIZES IN SECURITIES LAW.