Normative Listing and Description of Mutual Fund Transparent and Opaque Fees and Expenses

Abstract

This article provides mutual fund shareholders with a normative listing of transparent and traditionally opaque fees and expenses designed for most all funds. The most likely next step, if any, would be for a few “stewardship funds” to adopt the normative listing of transparent and traditionally opaque fees and expenses and attach to each its percentage cost to total net assets, if any. This analysis is needed, for one reason, because a large percentage of individual investors, especially those with low financial literacy, are unaware of the existence of traditionally opaque fund fees and expenses, no less their percentage costs.

TOPICS: Mutual fund performance, performance measurement, legal/regulatory/public policy