getTagNameMorningstarCorporate:blog/bigpicture
New Report Surveys Climate for Global Mutual Fund Investors
Which countries have better fund investing experiences than others?
We've just released the 2017 edition of the Morningstar Global Fund Investor
Experience report, which was created in 2009 to encourage a
dialogue about global best practices for mutual funds from the
perspective of fund shareholders. This year’s report covers 25
countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The report
has been produced every two years. Previous reports have generated
significant debate and discussion in numerous markets around the globe
and have contributed to a raft of changes. We think our 2017 report
will be no different. The report examines the treatment of mutual fund investors from
multiple viewpoints: fund industry practices, fund distribution
practices, the structure and effectiveness of regulatory bodies,
disclosure policies, and tax codes. We know that many outside factors can affect the global investor
experience. Our report isn't meant to be a commentary on a country's
fund industry, but rather how investors may experience it (as
evidenced by the title). Because of this, our report doesn't cover
countries that have many funds but few investors (Luxembourg, for example). Our global team of researchers evaluated countries in these four
categories: Regulation and Taxation; Disclosure; Fees and Expenses;
and Sales. The grading scale was changed in the 2017 report to better
express where a country sits relative to its global peers. The 12
letter grades used in our previous reports have been replaced by a
five-tier scale: Top, Above Average, Average, Below Average, and Bottom. Here are some key changes and takeaways from the Global Fund
Investor Experience report: Morningstar has many views about what makes for a good experience
for mutual fund investors—views that are reflected in the survey's
questions and in the scoring of the answers. But we’re open to hearing opposing views and discussing unresolved
issues. We hope this report encourages further discussions and debate
about how everyone can make investing better for investors everywhere.Anthony Serhan, Managing Director of
Research Strategy, Morningstar Australasia
Evaluating mutual fund investors’ experiences
An improving environment for mutual fund investors
Read the full 2017 Global Fund Investor
Experience report.