#373 - Asset Allocation Ingredients - What is a Mutual Fund?

This month we are discussing the ingredients that make up your retirement portfolio--your pie cake. In the previous episode, we took a deeper look at ETFs, and in this episode, we explore mutual funds.

You probably have mutual funds somewhere in your portfolio, but you may not know exactly what they are. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, we will take a look at what a mutual fund is so that you can determine if you should have one in your retirement toolbox.

“You probably have mutual funds somewhere in your portfolio, but you may not know exactly what they are.”

Is the Rock Retirement Club right for you?

To truly rock retirement you need to do 3 things.

Build a solid retirement plan that will act as your decision-making framework to help you implement an agile process throughout your retirement.
Find a safe place where you can get unstuck whenever you get stuck building your retirement plan. You need a place where you can keep your momentum going and you can get answers to the questions you have.
Surround yourself with people who are intentional about living this part of their life. Get inspired by others and inspire others so that you can all rock retirement together.

You can find all 3 of these things in the Rock Retirement Club. If this sounds like it could help you plan the next chapter of your life check out RockRetirementClub.com.

Have you collected investments and accounts?

As you approach retirement, you may notice that you have a lot of financial clutter. You have probably worked a few different jobs and over time, you may have collected retirement investment accounts in various places. You may also have several types of investments in different accounts.

When you are approaching retirement this can be a problem. These investments can be a financial mess. The complexity can be confusing and overwhelming. When building a retirement investment portfolio take the time to make it simple. Determine what kind of portfolio you want to build to support your retirement.

“Is your portfolio a financial mess?”

What are open-ended mutual funds?

Mutual funds are similar to ETFs which we discussed in the previous episode. However, in a mutual fund investors pool their money together into an existing portfolio. Mutual funds are priced only once per day based on the net asset value and they are traded only once per day based on that price.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of open-ended mutual funds?

Just like any other investment, mutual funds are neither good nor bad. They are simply a tool to add to your investment toolkit. One advantage of mutual funds is that there is no tracking error since it is priced on the net asset value. They are easy to invest and there is a huge menu of investment options. Open-ended mutual funds are extremely liquid so you can get in and out of them easily. Listen in to hear what the disadvantages of mutual funds are. You’ll also hear me answer several listener questions with Nichole. Press play now.