| Mutual funds are investment options where many | | | | past performance to appreciate the risk involved. |
| investors pool together resources in order to | | | | A professional investment manager would also |
| collectively invest in bonds, stocks, real estate and | | | | want to advise the investors on what sector or |
| financial market securities. This kind of investment | | | | industry they invest in. A fund could only invest in |
| comes with its share of advantages and | | | | industrial funds, without reference to sector funds. |
| disadvantages. However, given the thousands of | | | | It remains your duty as an investor to ask the |
| investors that have embraced this option and are | | | | managers where they are investing your money. |
| making money out of it, the merits seams to | | | | Some managers make the mistake of diversifying |
| greatly outweigh the demerits. | | | | so much on one particular option with related |
| Mutual funds come in options that do not have | | | | products. Doing this will compromise the reasons |
| guaranteed income, such as stocks, shares and | | | | for diversification which is risk reduction and higher |
| real estate and ones that have fixed income, such | | | | returns. |
| as bonds and treasury bills. The funds that do not | | | | One particular disadvantage that i have had to |
| have a guaranteed income experience severe | | | | deal with is the liquidity of an investment and the |
| price fluctuations and are more risky to invest in. | | | | costs associated with it. People put money in and |
| This means that, just like any other kind of | | | | others withdraw it on a daily basis, forcing the |
| investment, mutual funds investment can not | | | | investment company to keep large reserves of |
| guarantee a return on your investment. It is | | | | liquid money to cater for this. This money can not |
| always important, before a professional manager | | | | help you build your portfolio, it actually serves to |
| decides to buy into a fund, to do research into its | | | | reduce your overall revenues. |