Mutual Fund Shareholders

Based on cutting-edge research by leading corporate critic Louis Lowenstein, The Investor’s Dilemma: How Mutual Funds Are Betraying Your Trust and What to Do About It reveals how highly overpaid fund sponsors really operate and walks you through the conflicts of interest found throughout the industry. Page by page, you’ll discover the real problems within the world of mutual funds and learn how to overcome them through a value-oriented approach to this market.

The importance of mutual funds for individual investors has increased in recent decades. This becomes apparent when looking at the increased share of households owning mutual funds. These mutual fund investors usually want to receive a return which is above or at least close to the mutual fund’s benchmark. Consequently, investors want to invest in those funds which will show these patterns in the future. Some of these mutual funds receive much attention, since they generate extraordinary high performance. But the question that remains is whether it is possible to predict such performance before funds exhibit such outstanding performance. In the past, mutual fund investors focused extensively on performance or performance linked patterns, like the Morningstar star rating, and thus chased past performance. This seems surprising since performance persists only over a short time and is more persistent to weak mutual funds (1 and 2 star rated) than well performing mutual funds. Thus, chasing past performances seems to be a rather inferior strategy. Therefore, investors should try to identify alternative tools showing a high correlation to future mutual fund performance. In this book, mutual funds are analysed, especially open-end mutual funds and actively managed mutual funds. The main focus is on what purpose and usefulness active investments have and whether performance is persistent and what the determinants of mutual fund flows are. Moreover, some alternative measures will be introduced by explaining which attributes or methods should be used and avoided when selecting mutual funds.

Mutual funds offer investors a diverse portfolio in a single investment, which is critical in an uncertain economy. Although ideal for buyers who don’t want to tackle the stock market alone, mutual funds can still be intimidating, with a bewildering array of options. And now that foreign content regulations for RRSPs have been lifted, Canadians have even more choices. Mutual Fund Investing For Canadians For Dummies explains it all, from the basics -- what is a mutual fund? -- to the not-so-basic -- are index funds better than managed funds? Is my MER cutting into my ROI? With information on how mutual funds can be a vital and profitable component of everyone’s retirement plans and how they can help readers build their wealth inside their tax-free savings account, this friendly guide offers the principles Canadians need to know in order to be informed and successful mutual fund investors. "This book is easy and even fun to read. ... Mutual Fund Investing For Canadians For Dummies is worth the investment if you are looking to build a fund portfolio that suits your needs and will give you healthy, long-term returns." —Jeff Dupuis, money.canoe.ca

Mutual funds form the bedrock of retirement savings in the United States, and, considering their rapid growth over recent decades, are sure to become even more financially critical in the coming decades. Because the size of fees paid by investors to mutual fund advisers can strongly affect the return on investment, these fees have become contentious in Congress and the courts, with many arguing that investment advisers grow rich at the expense of investors. This groundbreaking book not only conceptualizes a new economic model for the industry but uses this model to test price competition between investment advisers. Its highly experienced authors track the growth of the industry over the past twenty-five years and present the arguments and evidence both for and against theories of adviser malfeasance, as well as the assertion that market forces fail to protect investors' returns from excessive fees. The volume briefly reviews the regulatory history of mutual fund fees and leading case decisions addressing excessive fees. It also reveals the extent to which the governance structure of mutual funds impacts fund performance. There is no greater text for those who seek to understand today's mutual fund industry, including investors, money managers, fund directors, securities lawyers, economists, and those concerned with regulatory policy toward mutual funds

Every investor, student of finance and participant in the mutual fund industry needs to read this book The Fund Industry details how mutual funds are marketed, regulated, and invested in stocks and bonds. The book also describes the critical factors needed to choose a specific fund for your investment or retirement plan, including what to look for when reading prospectuses, shareholder reports and third party reviews. In addition, the book: Discusses the spread of mutual funds to Asia, Europe, and Latin AmericaCompares mutual funds to other investment vehicles such as hedge funds and ETFsShows.

A guide to how your money is managed, with foreword by Nobel laureate Robert Shiller The Fund Industry offers a comprehensive look at mutual funds and the investment management industry, for fund investors, those working in the fund industry, service providers to the industry and students of financial institutions or capital markets. Industry experts Robert Pozen and Theresa Hamacher take readers on a tour of the business of asset management. Readers will learn how to research a fund and assess whether it's right for them; then they'll go behind the scenes to see how funds are invested, sold and regulated. This updated edition expands coverage of the segments of the industry where growth is hottest, including hedge funds, liquid alternatives, ETFs and target date funds—and adds an introduction to derivatives. Mutual funds are a key component of financial planning for 96 million Americans. Nearly a quarter of U.S. household savings are invested in funds, which give individual investors affordable access to professional management. This book provides a detailed look at how firms in the industry: Invest those savings in stocks and bonds Evaluate the risks and returns of funds Distribute funds directly to consumers or through financial advisors or retirement plans Handle the complex operational and regulatory requirements of mutual funds Vote proxies at the annual meetings of public companies Expand their operations across borders Along the way, the authors describe the latest trends and discuss the biggest controversies—all in straightforward and engaging prose. The Fund Industry is the essential guide to navigating the mutual fund industry.