The Wage of Innocence

As investors pour money into mutual funds, a crop of young, unseasoned managers takes a ride on the bull

It was any young, aspiring fund manager's dream. Early this month, mutual-fund giant Fidelity reached into obscurity and fingered Matthew Grech, 28, a semiconductor analyst, to run its faltering, $2 billion Select Electronics mutual fund. Bull-market madness? Perhaps. But if it is, Fidelity is not alone. With record amounts of capital flowing in ($30 billion just last month), mutual-fund firms are hunting for fresh talent in novel places--not quite kindergarten, but not very far removed from school.

The average manager's age still stands at a respectable 48, according to fund researcher Morningstar, but new technologies and new demand for investments have...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!