The Mutual Fund Industry

"The Mutual Fund Industry Handbook is a remarkably important work . . . I am profoundly impressed by the broad and comprehensive sweep of information and knowledge that this book makes available to industry participants, college and business school students, and anyone else with a serious interest in this industry." -- From the Foreword by John C. Bogle President, Bogle Financial Markets Research Center Founder and former chief executive, The Vanguard Group A Foreword by John C. Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group and one of the most respected leaders in the mutual fund industry, sets the stage for this authoritative book that explains the complexities of the phenomenal industry in simple terms. Investors like the fact that mutual funds offer professional management, easy diversification, liquidity, convenience, a wide range of investment choices, and regulatory protection. Mutual Fund Industry Handbook touches on all of those features and focuses on the diverse functions performed in the day-to-day operations of the mutual fund industry. You'll learn about: Front-office functions-analysis, buying, and selling. Back-office functions, including settlement, custody, accounting, and reporting. Commission structures-front-end loads, back-end loads, or level loads. The various fund categories used by the Investment Company Institute, Morningstar, and Lipper. The roles played by fund managers, investment advisors, custodial banks, distributors, transfer agents, and other third-party service providers. If you want a definitive reference on the mutual fund industry, this is the book for you.

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

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.

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 America Compares mutual funds to other investment vehicles such as hedge funds and ETFs Shows how to sort mutual funds by categories and subcategories based on security type and investment objective Other titles by Pozen: Too Big to Save? How to Fix the U.S. Financial System, also by Wiley Fundamentals of the Fund Industry is the most in-depth and up-to-date guide to navigating the mutual fund industry, written in an accessible style with many examples and charts.

Daniel Stoffman became intrigued by the mutual fund industry while writing the phenomenal bestseller Boom Bust & Echo with David K. Foot. The stock markets, driven by baby boomers saving for their retirement, were enjoying an extended bull run. Mutual funds -- which few people had even heard of in the sixties -- were becoming the investment vehicle of choice.Stoffman's first surprise was that the fund companies see themselves not as financial institutions but as manufacturers of products. These products are marketed to consumers, just like soft drinks or automobiles or razor blades. The most successful companies aren't those that provide the best returns on clients' investments, they're the ones that most effectively market their products.The industry has done a fine job of keeping investors ignorant of its workings, Stoffman discovered, and with good reason. Most are unaware of the fees they pay to own mutual funds. Few realize that financial planners are remunerated by the fund companies into which they put their clients' money, which means their advice may not be objective. And not many understand that mutual fund companies can thrive even when they deliver mediocre performance.As baby boomers retire and find them-selves with the time to manage their own investments, they're becoming more knowledgeable, more discerning, and more reluctant to pay the sometimes exorbitant fees charged by the fund companies. All of this points to increasing consolidation among the mutual fund companies, Stoffman believes, and growing public pressure to reform the industry.

Each book in the series cuts through the jargon and mystique of the financial markets to give the reader a clear picture of how and why these markets function as they do. Key features include: clear definitions of financial terms worked examples of transactions and contracts summaries and overviews valuation techniques quick Quiz questions to reinforce the learning experience strip cartoons to explain complex trades entertaining cartoons from Alex to lighten the load war stories and anecdotes from Mark Mobius based on his remarkable experiences other Resources section to guide the reader to other useful books, websites and reference material