MUTUAL FUNDS: A Puzzling Suit

When an investor wants to buy shares in a typical mutual fund, he goes to one of the fund's own salesmen or to a broker who has been designated by the fund as its agent. For his services, which may include counseling but often consist of no more than filling out a form and mailing it in to the fund, the salesman or broker-agent is rewarded with the sweetest commission in the securities industry: an average of 8% to 8.5% of the total purchase price, compared with an average of 1.45% on trades...

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