Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Why Pay 12b-1 Mutual Fund Fees?

Most funds no longer charge 12b-1 mutual fund fees but they are still around. These were originally permitted by the SEC to allow marketing to new investors.

These represent a small sales load that adds up over the years. The 12b-1 charges originally were used to pay fees for the distribution of funds by brokers. But they still persist even when brokers are not involved; they are ostensibly used for sales and marketing.

My suggestion: Avoid mutual funds that charge them. Those fees become significant deductions from your accumulated holdings over the years. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments.)

No comments:

Post a Comment