Why to buy a mutual fund

Professional Investment funds Management:

By pooling the funds of thousands of investors, mutual funds provide full-time, high-level professional management that few individual investors can afford to obtain independently. Such management is vital to achieving results in today's complex markets. Your fund managers' interests are tied to yours, because their compensation is based not on sales commissions, but on how well the fund performs. These managers have instantaneous access to crucial market information and are able to execute trades on the largest and most cost-effective scale. In short, managing investments is a full-time job for professionals.

Low Risk Investing:

Mutual funds invest in a broad range of securities. This limits investment risk by reducing the effect of a possible decline in the value of any one security. Mutual fund shareowners can benefit from diversification techniques usually available only to investors wealthy enough to buy significant positions in a wide variety of securities.

Low Cost Mutual Fund

If you tried to create your own diversified portfolio of 50 stocks, you'd need at least $100,000 and you'd pay thousands of dollars in commissions to assemble your portfolio. A mutual fund lets you participate in a diversified portfolio for as little as $1,000, and sometimes less. And if you buy no load mutual funds, you pay no sales charges to own them.

Convenience and Flexibility.

You own just one security rather than many, yet enjoy the benefits of a diversified portfolio and a wide range of services. Fund managers decide what securities to trade, clip the bond coupons, collect the interest payments and see that your dividends on portfolio securities are received and your rights exercised. It's easy to purchase and redeem mutual fund shares, either directly online or with a phone call.

Quick, Personalized Service.

Most funds now offer extensive websites with a host of shareholder services for immediate access to information about your fund account. Or a phone call puts you in touch with a trained investment specialist at a mutual fund company who can provide information you can use to make your own investment choices, assist you with buying and selling your fund shares, and answer questions about your account status.

Life Cycle Planning

With no load mutual funds, you can link your investment plans to future individual and family needs -- and make changes as your life cycles change. You can invest in growth funds for future college tuition needs, then move to income funds for retirement, and adjust your investments as your needs change throughout your life. With no-load funds, there are no commissions to pay when you change your investments.

Investor Information

Shareholders receive regular reports from the funds, including details of transactions on a year-to-date basis. The current net asset value of your shares (the price at which you may purchase or redeem them) appears in the mutual fund price listings of daily newspapers. You can also obtain pricing and performance results for the all mutual funds at this site, or it can be obtained by phone from the fund.

Dividend Options

You can receive all dividend payments in cash. Or you can have them reinvested in the fund free of charge, in which case the dividends are automatically compounded. This can make a significant contribution to your long-term investment results. With some funds you can elect to have your dividends from income paid in cash and your capital gains distributions reinvested.

Recordkeeping Service

With your own portfolio of stocks and bonds, you would have to do your own recordkeeping of purchases, sales, dividends, interest, short-term and long-term gains and losses. Mutual funds provide confirmation of your transactions and necessary tax forms to help you keep track of your investments and tax reporting.

Retirement and College Plans

Mutual funds are well suited to Individual Retirement Accounts and most funds offer IRA-approved prototype and master plans for individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and Keogh, 403(b), SEP-IRA and 401(k) retirement plans. Funds also make it easy to invest -- for college, children or other long-term goals. Many offer special investment products or programs tailored specifically for investments for children and college.

Online Mutual Fund Investing

The internet provides a fast, convenient way for investors to access financial information. A nuber of host services are available to the online investor including direct access to no-load companies.