Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Should you Choose No Load Mutual Funds?

By Corin D. V.

There are basically two main types of mutual funds: no load mutual funds and load mutual funds. While a load fund charges fees such as set up fees or commission fees, a no load mutual fund does not charge any fees.

At first glance, you probably assume that a no load fund is better because there are no fees. I'm not trying to tell you they aren't. We just need to look into it further. You need to know what happens when you invest in each.

Mutual funds are an excellent way to reduce risk while decreasing the amount of time you need to put into the investment. Someone else is doing all the work for you but you still get excellent diversification. You can just sit back and make more money while someone else does all the choosing.

As with any kind of investment, you want to get the highest return possible. In order to do this, you need to maximize your direct return and minimize your expenses. Choosing no load funds will eliminate virtually all your expenses.

Load funds claim they can get you an above average return. They can't guarantee that. The stock market is unpredictable and you could likely get the same return with a load fund as you can a no load fund.

Sometimes, maybe even most of the time, the load fund can get you a higher return, but after you subtract the fee, it might be the same or less than the no load fund that doesn't charge fees.

So which is better, load or no load? Generally you will do better with a no load. The less you pay in fees the more money you'll make. If you want to increase the chance to make a larger return, choose a mutual fund with higher risk. Higher risk means a better chance of a higher return.

About the Author:

No comments: