Initial investment cost
Mutual funds typically carry a front load (sales commission). In general it is up to 5% of the investment. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) - on the other hand - are traded on the stock exchange. This triggers transaction fees and broker commission.
Recurring investment cost
The following cost per annum in % are normally charged by mutual funds, so called total expense ratio (TER). Transaction fees within the funds are disregarded. In addition, mutual funds recently tend to impose performance-related fees which come on top.
| | Mutual Funds | Exchange Traded Funds |
| Equity (Europe) | 1.55% | 0.37% |
| Bonds (Europe) | 0.90% | 0.20% |
| Money Market | 0.50% | 0.15% |
In all calculations taxes as well as performance-related fees are not included. Also transactions fees within funds are not included.