This study provides in-depth coverage of important findings surrounding the question of why investors continue to buy underperforming actively managed mutual funds. This issue is complicated by the finding active managers have skill that allows them to add fund value, but which is not shared...

Since the 2003 mutual funds scandal, it has become quite clear that thoughtful, long-term individual investors should focus on identifying and investing in stewardship funds. The purpose of this study is to provide readily available approaches for individual investors to use in the...

The objective of this study is to take some of the mystery out of mutual fund revenue sharing, but without being able to say investors have transparent disclosure. Topics begin with the transition from directed brokerage to revenue sharing. The discussions that follow include directed brokerage...

This study provides mutual fund shareholders with a normative listing of transparent and traditionally opaque fees and expenses designed for most all funds. The most likely next step, if any, would be for a few "stewardship funds" to adopt the normative listing of transparent and traditionally...

This article provides in-depth discussion of important issues related to mutual fund distribution. The first two topics are fund distribution channel characteristics and Rule 12b-1 fees and distribution. Distribution channel characteristics discuss direct channel, advice channel, retirement...

The purpose of this study is to discuss research that identifies heterogeneous mutual fund and investor attributes and relations that explain dispersion in fund fees. One might think there is a short list of attributes and relations, such as high versus low expense ratios, that tells the full...

Baker and Wurgler [2007] take a “top down” approach to behavioral finance and the stock market. Investor sentiment is taken to be exogenous and the focus is on its empirical effects. Sentiment is measurable and its waves have clearly discernible, important, and regular effects on firms and...