How Mutual Funds Work

This has been a tough subject for me to get my arms around. I so badly want to explain how mutual funds work—but to be honest, I was confused as to how to go about doing it. I’ve learned that when I get too technical about mutual funds, peoples’ eyes glaze over. Then, they lose interest. And, when that happens, they deprive themselves of learning about what I believe is the average person’s greatest investment tool. Mutual funds aren’t perfect investments. As a matter of fact, I don’t know of a perfect investment. (No investment always has high returns with low risks.) But, mutual funds often do allow the small investor to enjoy many of the benefits that would otherwise only be available to the richest investors.

Although they date back at least to the 1920’s, mutual funds have really hit their stride in the last twenty years or so. As of 2000, the Investment Company Institute says there were about 8200 mutual funds available to the public. Different funds have different purposes and personalities. They invest in different types of assets. The costs, fees, and expenses of various funds vary widely—to say nothing of their performance. Add to this mix the fact that every investor has different needs, goals, and risk tolerances. With all these factors in mind, this could become a confusing chapter. But, you have my word that I will try my best to keep it simple and clear. To accomplish that goal, please understand that I will not be getting into the highly technical aspects of mutual fund investing.

If you want to learn more, there are lots of great books and websites that will help you do that. In this section I will be making broad assumptions and sharing generalized concepts. Nothing is meant to be the final word, or exhaustive. As with everything else in the No Debt No Sweat! system, please understand that is your responsibility to get further and more complete information before you invest. In addition to getting competent professional advice, I would encourage you never to buy any mutual fund until you understand it. While mutual funds offer many advantages, they have their trade-offs, too. Always read the prospectus carefully, ask questions, and get satisfactory answers before you invest.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

I always liked Dragnet. Joe Friday had a way of finding the bad guy by always asking for “just the facts, ma’am.” I guess when you’ve got to solve a caper in 30 minutes (minus commercials), staying focused is important. So, let’s spend a few minutes talking about the facts of mutual fund ownership.

According to the Investment Company Institute, an estimated 87.9 million Americans own shares in mutual funds. These individuals hold about 80% of the money invested in mutual funds. (Most of the remaining 20% is held by various fiduciaries—such as banks and individuals acting as trustees, guardians, or administrators.)

And, boy are these things popular! Between 1990 and 2000, total assets of mutual funds rose from $1.065 trillion to $6.965 trillion. In 1980, less than 10% of all U.S. households owned funds. By 2000, that number had grown to 49%.

The Investment Company of America has some interesting data about the type of people who buy mutual funds, too. On balance, they are a mirror reflection of the U.S. population as a whole. The typical fund investor is age 44, married, and in the process of saving for retirement with median household assets of $80,000. The majority is willing to accept at least a moderate level of risk in exchange for moderate gain, and is not focused on the short-term ups and downs in the market.

Fifty-seven percent have Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA’s). Over 75% participate in an employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plan. The typical family in mutual funds has $25,000 invested. This represents almost a third of their assets. Baby Boomers (folks hatched between 1946 and 1964) are the largest group of mutual fund investors at 51%. Gen Xer’s (tots born after 1964) buy 22% of the funds sold. And, the Great Generation (those born before 1946) purchase the remaining 27%.

The book No Debt No Sweat! covers the basics of mutual funds, how to invest in them—and how not to invest in them with topics like:

• Starting At the Beginning (This is where we discuss the 3 basic types of mutual funds: Stock, Bond, and Money Markets.)
• The Benefits of Mutual Funds
• How To Diversify for Safety
• 5 Mutual Fund Drawbacks
• Two Types of Mutual Funds: Load vs. No-Load. Which Is Best?
• Understanding Mutual Fund Expenses
• Important Things To Know About Index Mutual Funds
• The Dangers of Chasing Performance
• Pointers From A Pro
  

Click here to learn more about the 19-chapter book, No Debt, No Sweat!