How To Understand A Mutual Fund’s Expense Ratio?
When investing in mutual funds, you'll undoubtedly hear a lot
about a fund's expense ratio. Everybody will tell you that you
should look for a fund with a low expense ratio but not all expense
ratios are created equal. There are several components that go into
the fund's final expense ratio and some of them may affect you
differently.
The largest component of an expense ratio is the fee that's paid
to the fund's managers. They're managing your money for you and
they need to be paid for it. Even with an index fund there is
periodic portfolio rebalancing and managing the fund's cash
position that requires a fee.
In addition, the expense ratio may include an additional fee
that covers things such as recordkeeping, account maintenance and
legal fees incurred by the fund. Although typically a much smaller
percentage than the core management fee, this fee should be broken
down in the fund's prospectus as well.
Finally, you may see mention of a 12b-1 fee. This is a marketing
expense a fund can assess for promotion and advertisement and can
be charged back to the fund's shareholders. These three pieces
together typically comprise a fund's complete expense ratio.
It's worth noting the additional fees that typically do not fall
under a fund's expense ratio. Account maintenance fees – annual
fees typically charged to lower balance accounts – fall outside of
the expense ratio. Sales loads – a percentage that a broker
typically charges you to buy or sell mutual fund shares – come in
addition to the fund's expense ratio. Trading fees such as early
redemption fees don't count in the fund's expense ratio either.
While a fund's expense ratio will in most cases comprise the
biggest portion of expense you'll pay, the bottom line is that you
have to understand all potential fees and charges that go into
mutual fund ownership. Keep aiming for funds with low overall fees
and expenses and you'll end up with more money in your pocket.