Good mutual fund returns are hard to come by these days. Most actively managed funds are don't give their investors market-beating returns. It shouldn't come as a surprise though. Regulations have have helped this industry (and also hurt it), and as a result, this has pushed down returns for many individuals.
While you may find some ways to get better mutual fund returns, keep in mind that these products will rarely be the silver bullet for your retirement that you're told they are.
Your mutual funds are probably posting inflated returns. By not paying attention to historicals that are posted by the fund company, and instead asking an independent adviser to help you calculate your true return, you'll get a better idea of how you're doing. The mutual fund company typically shows you the simple average instead of the compound average which will result is higher returns on paper. It's good for business but not for your portfolio.
A financial calculator can help you figure out the compounded return of an investment but, unless you know how to do that, you're probably going to have a hard time trying to figure out what return you are actually getting.
Another way to make your investments perform better for you may be just to get out of the fund. I know that's not really boosting the return of the fund, but other investments can offer better advantages. By limiting yourself to just mutual funds, you run the risk of limiting yourself to low returns.
One final way of getting more out of your fund is to choose funds that invest in small cap companies. You could also do well by just investing in smaller funds. A smaller mutual fund would probably be the essential point here. Think about how easy it would be for a mom and pop shop to double in size as versus a giant corporation like Walmart.
While you may find some ways to get better mutual fund returns, keep in mind that these products will rarely be the silver bullet for your retirement that you're told they are.
Your mutual funds are probably posting inflated returns. By not paying attention to historicals that are posted by the fund company, and instead asking an independent adviser to help you calculate your true return, you'll get a better idea of how you're doing. The mutual fund company typically shows you the simple average instead of the compound average which will result is higher returns on paper. It's good for business but not for your portfolio.
A financial calculator can help you figure out the compounded return of an investment but, unless you know how to do that, you're probably going to have a hard time trying to figure out what return you are actually getting.
Another way to make your investments perform better for you may be just to get out of the fund. I know that's not really boosting the return of the fund, but other investments can offer better advantages. By limiting yourself to just mutual funds, you run the risk of limiting yourself to low returns.
One final way of getting more out of your fund is to choose funds that invest in small cap companies. You could also do well by just investing in smaller funds. A smaller mutual fund would probably be the essential point here. Think about how easy it would be for a mom and pop shop to double in size as versus a giant corporation like Walmart.
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