FAQ Content

Understanding the Risks of Bond Mutual Funds: Are They Right for Me? I. Are Bond Mutual Funds Right for Me? II. Background on Bond Mutual Funds III. Trends and Statistics About Bond Mutual Fund Investing I. Are Bond Mutual Funds Right for Me? Is bond mutual fund investing right for me...

Frequently Asked Questions About Mutual Fund Share Pricing Mutual funds are required by law to determine the price of their shares each business day. A fund’s net asset value (NAV) per share is the current value of all the fund’s assets, minus liabilities, divided by the total number...

Frequently Asked Questions About Mutual Fund Liquidity What is liquidity? The term liquidity can have several meanings. With respect to a particular asset, it may refer to an investor’s (including a mutual fund’s) ability to sell that asset, considering timeliness and cost. In this...

Frequently Asked Questions About Mutual Fund Shareholders How many American households own mutual funds? How would you describe the average household owning mutual funds? Why do households invest in mutual funds? How significant are mutual funds to US households’ financial holdings...

These FAQs update an ICI resource from the 2011 debt ceiling crisis. Money Market Funds and Credit Ratings on US Treasury Securities Frequently Asked Questions Why is the debate over of the US debt ceiling and deficit relevant to money market funds? Would a downgrade of US Treasury...

Frequently Asked Questions About Money Market Fund N-MFP Data What is this new money market fund data ICI is releasing and why is ICI releasing it? What does the new ICI data release include? Why does ICI’s press release focus on liquidity, maturity (WAM and WAL), and the region of...

Frequently Asked Questions About Money Market Funds What are money market funds, and how do investors use them? What types of investments do money market funds hold? How are money market funds regulated? Does the federal government insure money market funds? Does the money market fund...

Frequently Asked Questions About Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) What are IRAs? In 1974, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) created individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Congress initially designed IRAs to have two roles: (1) to give individuals not covered by...

Frequently Asked Questions About Mutual Fund Fee Disclosure How can investors find out about a mutual fund’s fees? Mutual funds are subject to more exacting regulatory standards and disclosure requirements than most other financial products. Every mutual fund must disclose all of its...

What is securities lending? Securities lending is one of the myriad investment techniques used by funds to improve the return on their portfolios for the benefit of their shareholders. The term refers to the lending of a security by one party (sometimes called the beneficial owner) to...