ching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy i

Sales Charge/Service Fee/Front-End Load

Whatever the term is, they all refer to the charges you pay when you invest in a unit trust. The bulk of money goes to the marketing and distribution of the fund. Generally, sales charges are reflected in the difference between the buying (bid) and selling (offer) prices and are stated as a percentage of the fund's net asset value (NAV).

A few funds in the market state the sales charges as a percentage of the selling price; in this case, you're paying more comparatively as the selling price is higher than the NAV in a front-end load fund.

Currently, average front-end load for equity funds is 5%. For bond, fixed income and money market funds usually come with a small front-end load or none at all, or an exit fee.

Back End Loads/Exit Fees/Repurchase Charge

Back-end loads or exit fees are charged when you redeem your units in the fund. In this case, the buying price is lower than the NAV.

Some back-end loads, typically those of bond funds are charged if you redeem your units before a specified period - the fee is scaled down progressively the longer you hold on to the fund.

The advantage of a back-end load is that all your money goes to work immediately. However, if the exit fee is levied against the NAV when you sell (as opposed to the original invested amount) and if you have invested for capital gains rather than income distribution, part of your profits is eaten up as well.

Management Fees

The fund company makes money from the management fees. Cited as a percentage of the fund's assets, the annual management fee is accrued daily and paid out of the fund.

Management fees for equity-oriented funds tend to be higher than those for fixed income funds. Distributors may get a small percentage of the annual management fee, referred to as a trailer fee. US personal finance magazine Kiplinger says management fees for US mutual funds are typically 1% and above.

However, management fees for passively managed funds like index-linked funds should be lower.

Trustee Fees

Trustees act as custodians of the fund and their job is to safeguard the interest of the investors. To do this, they're paid a trustee's fee, which is accrued daily. For an equity fund, the trustee's fee is typically 0.08% to 0.2% per annum.

Switching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy in

fund.

Currently, average front-end load for equity funds is 5%. For bond, fixed income and money market funds usually come with a small front-end load or none at all, or an exit fee.

Back End Loads/Exit Fees/Repurchase Charge

Back-end loads or exit fees are charged when you redeem your units in the fund. In this case, the buying price is lower than the NAV.

Some back-end loads, typically those of bond funds are charged if you redeem your units before a specified period - the fee is scaled down progressively the longer you hold on to the fund.

The advantage of a back-end load is that all your money goes to work immediately. However, if the exit fee is levied against the NAV when you sell (as opposed to the original invested amount) and if you have invested for capital gains rather than income distribution, part of your profits is eaten up as well.

Management Fees

The fund company makes money from the management fees. Cited as a percentage of the fund's assets, the annual management fee is accrued daily and paid out of the fund.

Management fees for equity-oriented funds tend to be higher than those for fixed income funds. Distributors may get a small percentage of the annual management fee, referred to as a trailer fee. US personal finance magazine Kiplinger says management fees for US mutual funds are typically 1% and above.

However, management fees for passively managed funds like index-linked funds should be lower.

Trustee Fees

Trustees act as custodians of the fund and their job is to safeguard the interest of the investors. To do this, they're paid a trustee's fee, which is accrued daily. For an equity fund, the trustee's fee is typically 0.08% to 0.2% per annum.

Switching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy i

e of a back-end load is that all your money goes to work immediately. However, if the exit fee is levied against the NAV when you sell (as opposed to the original invested amount) and if you have invested for capital gains rather than income distribution, part of your profits is eaten up as well.

Management Fees

The fund company makes money from the management fees. Cited as a percentage of the fund's assets, the annual management fee is accrued daily and paid out of the fund.

Management fees for equity-oriented funds tend to be higher than those for fixed income funds. Distributors may get a small percentage of the annual management fee, referred to as a trailer fee. US personal finance magazine Kiplinger says management fees for US mutual funds are typically 1% and above.

However, management fees for passively managed funds like index-linked funds should be lower.

Trustee Fees

Trustees act as custodians of the fund and their job is to safeguard the interest of the investors. To do this, they're paid a trustee's fee, which is accrued daily. For an equity fund, the trustee's fee is typically 0.08% to 0.2% per annum.

Switching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy i

ds. Distributors may get a small percentage of the annual management fee, referred to as a trailer fee. US personal finance magazine Kiplinger says management fees for US mutual funds are typically 1% and above.

However, management fees for passively managed funds like index-linked funds should be lower.

Trustee Fees

Trustees act as custodians of the fund and their job is to safeguard the interest of the investors. To do this, they're paid a trustee's fee, which is accrued daily. For an equity fund, the trustee's fee is typically 0.08% to 0.2% per annum.

Switching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy i

ching Fees

Given the volatility in markets, rebalancing is the latest investing mantra. Rebalancing involves adjusting the asset allocation in a portfolio. If you rebalance with funds within the same unit trust management company, you may incur switching fees.

Switching between funds involves the transfer of investment from one fund to another. When 'free' switches are offered, no fee will be charged for switching from one fund to another.

However, sales charges or front-end fees will still apply in some cases. For example, you'll be charged this fee when you buy into a no-load bond fund and then switch to an equity fund with a sales charge of 5%. If there's an upfront fee for both fixed income and equity funds, check whether you'll be charged the difference in up-front fees, or if you're buying at the fund's selling price and paying the whole sales charge again.

Typically, if you switch between equity funds, you'll not incur the upfront fee again as most equity funds are priced similarly. If you switch from an equity fund to a no-load bond fund, there'll also be no applicable sales charges and you buy at the NAV.

Once you exhaust the number of free switches offered in one year, there's often a switching fee, which is usually charged as 1% of the repurchase proceeds or in the form of a flat fee.

Management Expense Ratio (MER)

The MER is an indication of the costs of managing the fund. All fees incurred and deducted from the fund, including annual management fees, trustee fees, audit fees, commissions paid to brokers and printing costs; are all expressed as a percentage of the fund's net assets. MERs are important because these expenses can continue long after the up-front fee has been paid.

However, MERs can vary from company to company and category of funds. Larger funds can have lower MERs as economies of scale are achieved. Index funds should also have MERs that are lower than those of their actively managed peers' as less research is required of them; for instance, in the US, the Vanguard S&P Index Fund which has a hefty $78 billion under management, has a total expense ratio of only 0.18%.