Part 3 examines some important issues that all mutual fund owners and potential fund owners should carefully consider. We consider key points that directly impact the success that mutual fund investors enjoy. Relative to the discussion in Part 2, these are the more serious issues because they are often difficult to overcome and they directly impact investor net results.
These issues include the whole matter of performance. Investors pursue top-performing funds, only to end up being disappointed much of the time. The cards are stacked against them in this pursuit. If mutual funds are failing to deliver performance significantly different than what can be obtained from other alternatives that offer better advantages, the case for owning mutual funds is considerably weakened.
If an investor ends up with a large tax liability as a result of owing a mutual fund when this could have been avoided, that is clearly an important issue.