Quantcast
The MFWire
Manage Email Alerts | Sponsorships | About MFWire | Who We Are

Subscribe to MFWire.com's News Alerts [click]

Rating:Are High-Fee Funds Email Routing List Email & Route  Print Print
Friday, June 22, 2012

Are High-Fee Funds "Snake Oil"?

News summary by MFWire's editors

There have been several studies showing that expense ratio is the best guide to fund performance -- yet investors still flock to high-fee funds. Why? Steve Beck at MarketWatch looks at new research from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and concludes that those who invest in expensive funds are modern-day snake-oil drinkers, illogically hoping for miracles from a dubious product.

The research that Beck cites, by Tess Wilkinson-Ryan and Jill Fisch, points to two reasons investors choose expensive funds. First, investors believe that past performance is a predictor of future returns. Second, they underestimate or misunderstand the effect of high fees. Even a two hundred basis point fee, Beck writes, "sounds slight in most investors' minds."

Beck hopes that better education and disclosure can help investors make better choices. He writes that "easily understood education delivered investors from their performance bias and fee ignorance, freeing them from the high-fee, snake oil hoax." 

Edited by: Chris Cumming


Stay ahead of the news ... Sign up for our email alerts now
CLICK HERE

0.0
 Do You Recommend This Story?



GO TO: MFWire
Return to Top
 News Archives
2025: Q1
2024: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2023: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2022: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2021: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2020: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2019: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2018: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2017: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2016: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2015: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2014: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2013: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2012: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2011: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2010: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2009: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2008: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2007: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2006: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2005: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2004: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2003: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2002: Q4Q3Q2Q1
 Subscribe via RSS:
Raw XML
Add to My Yahoo!
follow us in feedly


  1. MMI webinar - Enhancing the Advisor Experience, January 16
  2. MFDF webinar - AI and Fund Compliance, January 21
  3. MFDF In Focus - In Focus: Small Boards' Use of Skills Matrices, January 22
  4. IDC webinar - SEC Enforcement Trends: What Fund Directors Should Know, January 23
  5. ICI webinar - Legal and Compliance Career Opportunities in the Asset Management Industry, January 24
  6. FSI OneVoice 2025, Jan 27-29
  7. MFDF 2025 Directors' Institute, Jan 27-29
  8. Nicsa webinar - An Intro to Irish and Luxembourg Investment Platforms for US Asset Managers, January 29
  9. WE South - Dallas | Texas Stock Exchange, Politics, & Product Development, January 30
  10. 2025 ICI Innovate, Feb 3-5
  11. Nicsa webinar - AI In Operations: Boosting Productivity for Wealth & Asset Management Firms, February 5
  12. MFDF In Focus: Understanding Distribution - What the Data Can Tell You, February 6
  13. MFDF Director Discussion Series - Open Forum, February 10
  14. MFDF Director Discussion Series - Open Forum, February 11
  15. MMI Darden-in-Residence II, Feb 24-6
  16. 2025 MMI RIA Forum, February 27
  17. IDC Core Responsibilities of Fund Directors, February 27
  18. Citywire Scottsdale CIO Summit 2025, Feb 27-28
  19. Expect Miracles In Manhattan 2025, February 27
  20. T3 Technology Conference 2025, Mar 3-6
  21. IMEA Distribution Intelligence Summit, Mar 4-5
  22. Nicsa 2025 Strategic Leadership Forum, Mar 5-7
  23. Citywire Pro Buyer New York Due Diligence Retreat 2025, Mar 6-7
  24. MFDF 2025 Fund Governance & Regulatory Insights Conference, Mar 6-7
  25. MFDF 15(c) White Paper Webinar Series: Part 3 - Gartenberg Factors Analysis and Challenges, March 12
  26. ICI Investment Management Conference, Mar 16-19




©All rights reserved to InvestmentWires, Inc. 1997-2025
14 Wall Street | 20th Floor | New York, NY 10005 | P: 212-331-8968 | F: 212-331-8998
Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use