Mutual Fund Overview

A Mutual Fund is an investment vehicle made up of a pool of funds collected from many investors to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, money market instruments and other assets. Mutual funds are operated by professional money managers, who allocate the fund’s investments and attempt to produce capital gains or income for the fund’s investors.

Mutual funds provide individual investors access to professionally managed portfolios of equities, bonds and other securities. Each shareholder participates proportionally in the gains or losses of the fund.

• Diversification: Mutual funds spread their holdings across various investments to reduce risk.

• Professional Management: Fund managers handle the buying and selling, aiming to maximize returns.

• Liquidity: Shares of mutual funds can typically be bought and sold easily.

• Equity Funds: Invest primarily in stocks.

• Bond Funds: Focus on investments in governmental or corporate debt securities.

• Money Market Funds: Invest in short-term debt securities.

• Active Management: Managers make decisions about how to allocate assets in an attempt to outperform the market.

• Passive Management: Typically mirrors the performance of a specific index, like the S&P 500.

Mutual funds are foundational investment tools for both novice and experienced investors, offering diversification and professional management. They are instrumental in helping individuals achieve their long-term financial goals through a hands-off approach.