Mutual funds are considered relatively safe investments. However, mutual funds are considered a bad investment when investors consider certain negative factors to be important, such as high expense ratios charged by the fund, various hidden front-end, and back-end load charges, lack of control over investment decisions, and diluted returns.
Key Takeaways
- Mutual funds are largely a safe investment, seen as being a good way for investors to diversify with minimal risk.
- But there are circ*mstances in which a mutual fund is not a good choice for a market participant, especially when it comes to fees.
- Fees include a high annual expense ratio or the amount the fund charges its investors annually to cover the costs ofoperations, and load charges, or a fee paid when an investor buys or sells shares of a fund.
- Mutual funds are managed and therefore not ideal for investors who would rather have total control over their holdings.
- Due to rules and regulations, many funds may generate diluted returns, which could limit potential profits.
High Annual Expense Ratios
Mutual funds are required to disclose how much they charge their investors annually in percentage terms to compensate for the costs of running investment businesses. A mutual fund's gross return is reduced by the expense ratio percentage, which could be as high as 3%. However, according to fund manager Vanguard, industrywide expense ratios averaged 0.54% in 2020.
Historically, the majority of mutual funds generate market returns if they follow a relatively stable fund such as the S&P 500 benchmark. However, excessive annual fees can make mutual funds an unattractive investment, as investors can generate better returns by simply investing in broad market securities or exchange-traded funds.
Load Charges
Many mutual funds have different classes of shares that come along with front- or back-end loads, which represent charges imposed on investors at the time of buying or selling shares of a fund. Certain back-end loads represent contingent deferred sales charges that can decline over several years. Also, many classes of shares of funds charge 12b-1 fees at the time of sale or purchase. Load fees can range from 2% to 4%, and they can also eat into returns generated by mutual funds, making them unattractive for investors who wish to trade their shares often.
Lack of Control
Because mutual funds do all the picking and investing work, they may be inappropriate for investors who want to have complete control over their portfolios and be able to rebalance their holdings on a regular basis. Because many mutual funds' prospectuses contain caveats that allow them to deviate from their stated investment objectives, mutual funds can be unsuitable for investors who wish to have consistent portfolios. When picking a mutual fund, it's important to research the fund's investment strategy and see which index fund it may be tracking to see if it's safe.
Returns Dilution
Not all mutual funds are bad, but they can be heavily regulated and are not allowed to have concentrated holdings exceeding 25% of their overall portfolio. Because of this, mutual funds may tend to generate diluted returns, as they cannot concentrate their portfolios on one best-performing holding as an individual stock would. That being said, it can obviously be hard to predict which stock will do well, meaning most investors who want to diversify their portfolios are partial to mutual funds.
Advisor Insight
Patrick Strubbe, ChFC, CLU, RFC
Preservation Specialists, LLC, Columbia, SC
Generally speaking, most mutual funds are invested in securities such as stocks and bonds where, no matter how conservative the investment style, there will be some risk of losing your principal. In many instances, this is not a risk you should be taking on, especially if you have been saving up for a specific purchase or life goal. Mutual funds may also not be the best option for more sophisticated investors with solid financial knowledge and a substantial amount of capital to invest. In such cases, the portfolio may benefit from greater diversification, such as alternative investments or more active management. Broadening your horizon beyond mutual funds may yield lower fees, greater control, and/or more comprehensive diversification.
FAQs
Because mutual funds do all the picking and investing work, they may be inappropriate for investors who want to have complete control over their portfolios and be able to rebalance their holdings on a regular basis.
Are mutual funds a bad investment? ›
In the category of market-linked securities, mutual funds are a relatively safe investment. There are risks involved but those can be ascertained by conducting proper due diligence.
How do I know if my mutual funds are good or bad? ›
Analyzing Mutual Fund Performance
- Analyse Fund Performance vs Benchmark Performance.
- Check the Expense Ratio of Funds.
- Study Fund History.
- Check the Strength of the Portfolio.
- Check Portfolio Turnover Ratio (PTR)
- Compare The Maturity Period of Funds.
- Compare Risk-Adjusted Returns.
Volatility: High-risk mutual funds are more volatile than other types of mutual funds. The value of your investment may fluctuate significantly over time.
What are the risks of mutual funds? ›
All funds carry some level of risk. With mutual funds, you may lose some or all of the money you invest because the securities held by a fund can go down in value. Dividends or interest payments may also change as market conditions change.
What is downside in mutual fund? ›
Downside risk is a general term for the risk of a loss in an investment, as opposed to the symmetrical likelihood of a loss or gain. Some investments have an infinite amount of downside risk, while others have limited downside risk.
What are the five cons of a mutual fund? ›
Potential Cons
- High fees. Mutual funds have expenses, typically ranging between 0.50% to 1%, which pay for management and other costs to operate the fund. ...
- Market risk. Just as with stocks and bonds, mutual funds generally have market risk, meaning that prices can fluctuate up and down. ...
- Manager risk. ...
- Tax inefficiency.
However, mutual funds are considered a bad investment when investors consider certain negative factors to be important, such as high expense ratios charged by the fund, various hidden front-end, and back-end load charges, lack of control over investment decisions, and diluted returns.
When should you cash out a mutual fund? ›
However, if you have noticed significantly poor performance over the last two or more years, it may be time to cut your losses and move on. To help your decision, compare the fund's performance to a suitable benchmark or to similar funds. Exceptionally poor comparative performance should be a signal to sell the fund.
Why are mutual funds not giving good returns? ›
He said that it is normal for any fund to underperform in the first few years due to equity markets in general not doing well or due to the fund's investment style not playing out. He added if the underperformance is due to these reasons, it is important to stick to the fund and continue with your investments.
Sectoral funds: These are the riskiest category of equity mutual funds which invest a minimum of 80% of their portfolio in companies belonging to the same sector. Low diversification adds to their overall risk with returns dependent on the performance of a single sector.
What type of mutual fund is the most risky? ›
A mutual fund's level of risk is determined by the investments it makes. Typically, the risk will increase as the potential returns do. For instance, an equity fund is typically riskier than a fixed income fund because stocks are typically riskier than bonds.
Which mutual fund has the most risk? ›
List of High Risk & High Returns in India Ranked by Last 5 Year Returns
- ICICI Prudential Smallcap Fund. ...
- SBI Small Cap Fund. ...
- Axis Midcap Fund. ...
- HSBC Midcap Fund. EQUITY Mid Cap. ...
- DSP Small Cap Fund. EQUITY Small Cap. ...
- UTI Mid Cap Fund. EQUITY Mid Cap. ...
- DSP Midcap Fund. EQUITY Mid Cap. ...
- Tata Midcap Growth Fund. EQUITY Mid Cap.
Credit risk or default risk is the inability of the borrower or the issuer of the bonds to pay back the interest and the debt money to the lender/ mutual fund. As an investor, you can be watchful of the credit quality of the scheme's portfolio you wish to invest in.
Is mutual fund safe or unsafe? ›
Is a mutual fund safe? The safety of a mutual fund depends on the type of assets it holds and the market conditions. For example, a mutual fund that invests primarily in government bonds is generally considered to be safer than one that invests in stocks.
How to reduce risk in mutual funds? ›
8 Ways to Reduce Mutual Fund Investment Risk
- Design and Align Portfolio with Risk Appetite.
- SIP Investing for all Your Regular Savings.
- STPs for Lump Sum Investments.
- Asset Allocation.
- Diversify Your Portfolio.
- Hire Investment Advisor.
- Ensure Adequate Liquidity to Deal with Emergencies.
Technically, NO, a mutual fund cannot go bankrupt. It may trade below market value at some point in time if it is an equity fund and there is a market downturn, or in case of rising interest rates for a long term bond fund.. But one cannot lose all their money.. That's because of the way a mutual fund is structured.
Do mutual funds ever fail? ›
It's common for a mutual fund to outperform its benchmark over a short time horizon – a few years – as happened with Cathie Wood's ARKK. But new research shows that mutual funds fail dismally when performance is measured over the long horizons that retirement-focused investors face.
Is it a good time to invest in mutual funds now? ›
Starting Early for Compounding Benefits
One of the most compelling reasons to start investing in mutual funds early is the power of compounding. Compounding refers to earning returns not just on your initial investment but also on the returns generated over time.
