Cumulative Discount Privilege

A way that an investor in a mutual fund can qualify for lowered fees by totaling transactions in several funds from the same fund family to obtain a reduced fee. Generally, fees for investing in a mutual fund decrease as the amount that a person invests increases; therefore, if there is a required minimum investment that allows an investor to receive the fee discount, the investor can receive the discount without having to invest all of that minimum in the same fund. Investors can also qualify for lower fees by committing to make several investments in a fund over a defined period.

If a mutual fund's fees are 4.5% for $5,000 invested, but 3.5% for $10,000 invested, the cumulative discount privilege means that you won't need to invest $10,000 in one fund to get the reduced fee. Instead, you can invest $10,000 in several different funds from the same fund family to get the rate. You can also set up an agreement to invest the $10,000 into the fund in smaller increments over an allotted amount of time. As long as you follow the agreement, you will be charged the lower fee.