How to Check Mutual Funds Online
Mutual fund prices are not subject to the same level of fluctuation as other kinds of investments because the funds are only priced once a day. If you check the balance of a mutual fund online, the information you see pertains to the share price as of the previous business day's close. Fund prices are based on the value of the underlying stocks, bonds and other commodities, and fund prices are set after the stock market closes.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Find the symbol of the mutual fund that you want to look up online. If you have a prospectus for the fund, look inside for the symbol. Every fund has one and it normally consist of five letters that identify the fund company and the particular share type. If you do not have a prospectus, you can go to the website of the fund company and perform a search by entering the fund name. The online fund fact sheets and prospectuses contain fund symbols. Different share classes have different symbols so make sure you find the symbol for the share class you are interested in. Most funds offer A, B and C class shares that have different fee structures and pay varying dividends.
-
2
Go online and access a financial website. CNBC, Marketwatch and "The Wall Street Journal" all have pages that track the prices of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Enter the fund symbol into the search engine on the financial website. When the fund displays, read the fund name carefully to make sure you have found the correct information. Many funds from within the same fund family have similar names.
-
-
3
Read the "last trade," share price to see how much each share of the fund sold for as of the previous business day. Daily prices update some time after the market closes at 4.00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time but many websites do not update prices until the following business day. Select the header that reads "Chart," to see the recent movement of the share price. Read the fund profile to learn about the fund strategy and read the "Holdings" to discover what stocks are contained within the fund. The pricing tab contains information about sales fees and the operating expenses associated with the fund.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Most mutual fund companies and brokerage firms enable existing customers to view their holdings online. You can set up online access on the fund website and monitor all of your mutual funds, stocks and bonds on a daily basis.
