SEC to 'Review' 12b-1 Fees -- MarketWatch's Robert Schroeder

So, may I ask, once you've invested in a mutual fund, by what logic should you be made to pay toward the fund's ongoing marketing and 'distribution' costs? That's what a 12b-1 fee is supposed to be. And why aren't those costs just part of the business expenses of the fund company? Actually a 12b-1 fee is sort of a "trail", an ongoing, never-ending commission adding to your broker's profits, and reducing your account value. The SEC should stamp 12b-1 fees out of existence.

"Funds collected $11 billion in 12b-1 fees last year".



'High time' for fund-fee review: SEC's Cox - MarketWatch

Mutual Fund Directors are Supposed to Represent the Investors, but ... Wellllll

SmartMoney should get a lot of credit for stories like this one and the last few I've linked to, instead of puffy, fluffy stuff. If you use mutual funds in your own investing, you have an interest in this issue, and should have some knowledge of the governance practices at "your" fund families. Silence is bad for your financial well-being, but ignorance is the worst. How they run the fund you're in should be part of your ongoing evaluation of whether you stay with it.

You can Google the Fund house's name and the word "governance", or just search a few of the major personal finance websites, (like SmartMoney's!), or Yahoo Finance, Marketwatch, MSN Money, for example. Morningstar.com has material on this, but it's in the premium section, not free (sorry, folks.) If you don't like what you see, you can always politely communicate with the fund, and let them know. When the numbers look meaningful to them, the better ones will respond. If they do not, you might owe it to yourself to consider searching out a better alternative, or let the person who put you into that fund know you are disappointed. He or she has obligations to you regarding this.

Three Years Later, Fund Governance Lacks Reform (Fund Insight) | SmartMoney.com