| · In addition, corporate "road shows" stop | | | | topping that! |
| off at various professional management offices to | | | | · Terrific Variety: Whatever you want, |
| bring them up to date, but don't expect them to | | | | the fund industry offers. Want to invest in |
| come knocking on your door. Finally, influential Wall | | | | Japanese companies? Health care? New Jersey |
| Street professionals share their opinions first with | | | | municipal bonds? Indonesian utilities? There's a |
| large, commission-generating customers--like | | | | fund somewhere doing just that. |
| mutual fund managers. | | | | · Ease and Convenience: Usually, you can |
| · Instant Diversification: To achieve even | | | | complete your transaction with one phone call and |
| bare-bones diversification on your own at a | | | | a bit of paperwork. And if you stay within a |
| reasonable cost, you would need several hundred | | | | particular fund family, you can switch funds with |
| thousand dollars to invest. | | | | no--or at the very least, minimal--expense, over |
| · Low Costs: Funds charge management | | | | the phone. |
| expense fees that approximate 50 to 75 basis | | | | · These are some of the more significant |
| points (.50 to .75 percent), and go as high as 75 | | | | reasons why mutual funds have reached |
| to 150 basis points for some equity funds. If you | | | | unparalleled popularity in this country (other than |
| stick to no-load funds that keep expenses low, | | | | those primetime TV ads). You just have to use |
| however, you'll find that investing in mutual funds | | | | your head in making your selections. Start by |
| is a great deal cheaper than investing in stocks on | | | | requesting annual and quarterly reports and |
| your own and paying commissions and transaction | | | | prospectuses from funds that interest you. And |
| costs. Some index mutual funds have expenses | | | | actually read them before you buy! |
| as low as 12 basis points (.12 percent). Try | | | | |