Mutual Fund Terms

12b-1 Fees — fees paid by the fund out of fund assets to cover the costs of marketing and selling fund shares and sometimes to cover the costs of providing shareholder services. "Distribution fees" include fees to compensate brokers and others who sell fund shares and to pay for advertising, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to new investors, and the printing and mailing of sales literature. "Shareholder Service Fees" are fees paid to persons to respond to investor inquiries and provide investors with information about their investments.

Account Fee — a fee that some funds separately impose on investors for the maintenance of their accounts. For example, accounts below a specified dollar amount may have to pay an account fee.

Back-end Load — a sales charge (also known as a "deferred sales charge") investors pay when they redeem (or sell) mutual fund shares, generally used by the fund to compensate brokers.

Classes — different types of shares issued by a single fund, often referred to as Class A shares, Class B shares, and so on. Each class invests in the same "pool" (or investment portfolio) of securities and has the same investment objectives and policies. But each class has different shareholder services and/or distribution arrangements with different fees and expenses and therefore different performance results.

Closed-End Fund — a type of investment company that does not continuously offer its shares for sale but instead sells a fixed number of shares at one time (in the initial public offering) which then typically trade on a secondary market, such as the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market. Legally known as a "closed-end company."

Contingent Deferred Sales Load — a type of back-end load, the amount of which depends on the length of time the investor held his or her shares. For example, a contingent deferred sales load might be (X)% if an investor holds his or her shares for one year, (X-1)% after two years, and so on until the load reaches zero and goes away completely.

Conversion — a feature some funds offer that allows investors to automatically change from one class to another (typically with lower annual expenses) after a set period of time. The fund's prospectus or profile will state whether a class ever converts to another class.

Deferred Sales Charge — see "back-end load" (above).

Distribution Fees — fees paid out of fund assets to cover expenses for marketing and selling fund shares, including advertising costs, compensation for brokers and others who sell fund shares, and payments for printing and mailing prospectuses to new investors and sales literature prospective investors. Sometimes referred to as "12b-1 fees."

Exchange Fee — a fee that some funds impose on shareholders if they exchange (transfer) to another fund within the same fund group.

Exchange-Traded Funds — a type of an investment company (either an open-end company or UIT) whose objective is to achieve the same return as a particular market index. ETFs differ from traditional open-end companies and UITs, because, pursuant to SEC exemptive orders, shares issued by ETFs trade on a secondary market and are only redeemable from the fund itself in very large blocks (blocks of 50,000 shares for example).

Expense Ratio — the fund's total annual operating expenses (including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees, and other expenses) expressed as a percentage of average net assets.

Front-end Load — an upfront sales charge investors pay when they purchase fund shares, generally used by the fund to compensate brokers. A front-end load reduces the amount available to purchase fund shares.

Index Fund — describes a type of mutual fund or Unit Investment Trust (UIT) whose investment objective typically is to achieve the same return as a particular market index, such as the S&P 500 Composite Stock Price Index, the Russell 2000 Index, or the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index.

Investment Adviser — generally, a person or entity who receives compensation for giving individually tailored advice to a specific person on investing in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. Some investment advisers also manage portfolios of securities, including mutual funds.

Investment Company — a company (corporation, business trust, partnership, or limited liability company) that issues securities and is primarily engaged in the business of investing in securities. The three basic types of investment companies are mutual funds, closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts.

Load — see "Sales Charge."

Management Fee — fee paid out of fund assets to the fund's investment adviser or its affiliates for managing the fund's portfolio, any other management fee payable to the fund's investment adviser or its affiliates, and any administrative fee payable to the investment adviser that are not included in the "Other Expenses" category. A fund's management fee appears as a category under "Annual Fund Operating Expenses" in the Fee Table.

Market Index — a measurement of the performance of a specific "basket" of stocks considered to represent a particular market or sector of the U.S. stock market or the economy. For example, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is an index of 30 "blue chip" U.S. stocks of industrial companies (excluding transportation and utility companies).

Mutual Fund — the common name for an open-end investment company. Like other types of investment companies, mutual funds pool money from many investors and invest the money in stocks, bonds, short-term money-market instruments, or other securities. Mutual funds issue redeemable shares that investors purchase directly from the fund (or through a broker for the fund) instead of purchasing from investors on a secondary market.

NAV (Net Asset Value) — the value of the fund's assets minus its liabilities. SEC rules require funds to calculate the NAV at least once daily. To calculate the NAV per share, simply subtract the fund's liabilities from its assets and then divide the result by the number of shares outstanding.

No-load Fund — a fund that does not charge any type of sales load. But not every type of shareholder fee is a "sales load," and a no-load fund may charge fees that are not sales loads. No-load funds also charge operating expenses.

Open-End Company — the legal name for a mutual fund. An open-end company is a type of investment company

Operating Expenses — the costs a fund incurs in connection with running the fund, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees, and other expenses.

Portfolio — an individual's or entity's combined holdings of stocks, bonds, or other securities and assets.

Profile — summarizes key information about a mutual fund's costs, investment objectives, risks, and performance. Although every mutual fund has a prospectus, not every mutual fund has a profile.

Prospectus — describes the mutual fund to prospective investors. Every mutual fund has a prospectus. The prospectus contains information about the mutual fund's costs, investment objectives, risks, and performance. You can get a prospectus from the mutual fund company (through its website or by phone or mail). Your financial professional or broker can also provide you with a copy.

Purchase Fee — a shareholder fee that some funds charge when investors purchase mutual fund shares. Not the same as (and may be in addition to) a front-end load.

Redemption Fee — a shareholder fee that some funds charge when investors redeem (or sell) mutual fund shares. Redemption fees (which must be paid to the fund) are not the same as (and may be in addition to) a back-end load (which is typically paid to a broker). The SEC generally limits redemption fees to 2%.

Sales Charge (or "Load") — the amount that investors pay when they purchase (front-end load) or redeem (back-end load) shares in a mutual fund, similar to a commission. The SEC's rules do not limit the size of sales load a fund may charge, but FINRA rules state that mutual fund sales loads cannot exceed 8.5% and must be even lower depending on other fees and charges assessed.

Shareholder Service Fees — fees paid to persons to respond to investor inquiries and provide investors with information about their investments. See also "12b-1 fees."

Statement of Additional Information (SAI) — conveys information about an open- or closed-end fund that is not necessarily needed by investors to make an informed investment decision, but that some investors find useful. Although funds are not required to provide investors with the SAI, they must give investors the SAI upon request and without charge. Also known as "Part B" of the fund's registration statement.

Total Annual Fund Operating Expense — the total of a fund's annual fund operating expenses, expressed as a percentage of the fund's average net assets. You'll find the total in the fund's fee table in the prospectus.

Unit Investment Trust (UIT) — a type of investment company that typically makes a one-time "public offering" of only a specific, fixed number of units. A UIT will terminate and dissolve on a date established when the UIT is created (although some may terminate more than fifty years after they are created). UITs do not actively trade their investment portfolios.

Designation Acronym Terms

CFP - certified financial planner: These are serious financial professionals who have taken a broad array of professional courses over a two to three year period and been tested on topics covering everything from investing and insurance to taxes, retirement and estate planning. They have passed a series of exams to confirm that they are qualified to answer questions in each of those areas and have received the CFP designation from the Board of Certified Financial Planners in Denver. They are also required to continue taking educational courses, workshops and seminars in order to keep up with the most recent changes in the financial/investing business. They get paid in three ways: 1) by charging hourly fees from $100 to $350; 2) by charging a flat fee for a written plan that ranges from $375 to $15,000 depending on how little or large your financial assets happen to be; or 3) by commission only which means that their recommendations may be geared toward selling insurance, stocks or mutual funds with heavy sales commissions included in them.

CFS - certified fund specialist: This is a shortened version of the CFP program for investment-only professionals who focus on assisting clients with setting up investment portfolios for retirement and estate planning using primarily mutual funds, unit investment trusts and annuities. They work mainly on a commission basis which means 2 percent to 9 percent of each of your investment dollars go to them as commissions for the services they provide. Another variation on this title would be the certified mutual fund counselor.

CPA - certified public accountant: Their speciality is taxes, taxes and more taxes although in the last 10 years, the securities laws have changed allowing accountants to make investment recommendations and even sell some securities without taking the stockbroker's or the CFP exams. Some have begun to dabble in investment advisory work without much experience or hands-on training in that area, so be cautious and ask a lot of questions about why and how they arrived at their investment recommendations. Keep in mind that in addition to paying a fee for getting your taxes done, you're also probably paying a commission for the investments they offer.

CFA - chartered financial analyst: This is a research specialist, also called a securities analyst, who rarely meets with individuals since they specialize in doing the in-house research for the investment bankers to follow the various companies. They also study the industries and write the reports used by the media and stockbrokers to make buy and sell recommendations on various stocks.

CLU - chartered life underwriter: These are primarily life insurance salespeople, and their focus is mainly on creating and selling insurance for business owners, wealthy individuals and corporate officers interested in estate planning, retirement planning and deferred compensation packages using life insurance.

PFA - personal financial advisor: The is a new designation created by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors to compete with the CFP for fee-only planners who have at least five years experience and have passed a series of exams to qualify for the title.

RIA - registered investment advisor: This is the easiest title to get in the financial game because all it requires is the completion of a very complicated form to be submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission along with a $150 filing fee. They take a three hour-exam which can be passed after a one-day crash course of study. Even though this is an easy title to get, don't discount the financial professionals who have this designation. Many of them may be former stockbrokers, insurance agents or bankers with extensive experience that can be useful to you. Here's where you may also get objective advice without having to worry about being sold a product that you don't want or need but you should expect to pay a fee.

RR - registered representative: This is the basic legal title given by the Securities and Exchange Commission to those people who have passed the Series 7 licensing exam to become full-fledged stockbrokers. They are regulated by the National Association of Securities Dealers who keep very detailed records on each person who has ever been in the brokerage business.

ChFC - Chartered Financial Consultant: A financial planning designation for the insurance industry awarded by the American College of Bryn Mawr. ChFCs must meet experience requirements and pass exams covering finance and investing. They must have at least three years of experience in the financial industry, and have studied and passed an examination on the fundamentals of financial planning, including income tax, insurance, investment and estate planning.