Mutual Funds

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Brokers gain from constant stock trading, while investors suffer.

The costs involved with purchasing a mutual fund are not always as straightforward as buying a share of stock. To buy stock, you simply pay your broker the agreed upon commission. Mutual funds may also involve a broker fee, but since these are professionally managed funds, there are other expenses involved.

What are mutual funds?

A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. While there is no legal definition of the term "mutual fund", it is most commonly applied to collective investment vehicles that are regulated and sold to the general public on a daily basis.

Learn how mutual funds can help take some of the anxiety out of investing.

See mutual fund ratings for all the top funds. We have aggregated mutual fund reviews and ratings from Morningstar, S&P, and others to help find the best mutual fund for you.

American investors often turn to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to save for retirement and other financial goals.  Although mutual funds and exchange-traded funds have similarities, they have differences that may make one option preferable for any particular investor.  This brochure explains the basics of mutual fund and ETF investing, how each investment option works, the potential costs associated with each option, and how to research a particular investment.

A mutual fund pools money together with other investors to purchase a collection of stocks, bonds, or other securities, providing diversification. Learn more.

An investment vehicle that is made up of a pool of funds collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets.