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Mutual Funds

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds or other securities owned by investors and professionally managed.

In a mutual fund, your money is pooled with other investors and the money manager invests the pooled money into securities such as stocks, bonds, options and currencies. You, the investor, own shares of the mutual fund and are a shareholder of the fund.
 

 

The Details

Different mutual funds have different goals—with varying degrees of risk and return—to help you meet a wide range of investment objectives.

What do mutual funds offer?

  • Diversification: Mutual funds typically offer the advantage of diversifying into different companies and asset classes, which spreads the risk and reduces the impact if one of the fund's investments performs poorly

  • Professional management: Fund managers do the homework for you. They oversee the mutual fund assets and are responsible for researching market trends and investments

  • Buying power: Because your money is pooled together with money from other investors, it gives the money manager greater buying power when purchasing investments

Before you choose a mutual fund, be sure to take into consideration:

  • Your goals for investing
  • How long you want to hold onto your investment
  • How much you want to invest
  • How much risk you're willing to accept

Find an investment professional at a WaMu financial center near you for a free consultation.


Mutual Fund Tools

Top Questions

How do I open an account?
To open an account, find an investment professional at a WaMu financial center near you.

If you prefer to open an account by mail, visit our Open an Account page for details on the types of accounts that are eligible to open by mail, as well as instructions on how to open one.


What are the fees associated with purchasing a mutual fund?
For information about fees associated with a mutual fund purchase, please review our fees and commissions schedule, or talk to one of our investment professionals.

To compare the fees and expenses between different types of mutual funds, use the Mutual Fund Expense Analyzer Tool.

To research sales charge discounts on front-end loaded mutual funds, use the Mutual Fund Breakpoint Search Tool.