What is a managed fund & how do they work?
Investing in the stock market can be a good way of storing wealth. However, most working-age adults don’t have the time to research individual companies and consistently pick winners. That’s why a lot of retail investors will generally opt for a managed fund.
These professionally managed funds have been used by investors for decades and are one of the many options Australians have to choose from from when it comes to investing in property or the stock market.
What are managed funds?
A managed fund is a big pool of investor money that is used to buy assets like stocks, bonds, cash, or even property. Whether a fund consists of one or more assets is dependent on the fund and the fund manager, so it’s always good for buyers to check they’re getting the fund that they are looking for.
Managed funds are generally made up of hundreds and even thousands of investors. In turn, the fund is usually managed by a fund manager. However, funds will vary how active or passive they are which, in turn, can affect things like fees and returns.
Advantages of managed funds
1. Diversification
One of the biggest advantages of Managed funds is that they give investors exposure to a wide range of stocks or assets that they may not have been to due to the costs. This can be useful when a long view is taken as a wide range of industries for stocks or asset types (stocks, bonds, etc.) can help grow wealth over the long term through diversification.
2. Managed by a professional
Most retail investors are just trying to preserve their long-term wealth. Generally, they can’t dedicate a lot of time to researching individual companies. So, one of the benefits of a managed fund is that an investor can essentially leverage the skills of someone experienced in investing.
2. Risk adjustment
Managed funds often offer a range of risk-adjusted portfolios. These can range from high growth but risky, balanced, and low risk with low return. This is good for individual investors as risk tolerance will vary with age and needs.
Disadvantages of managed funds
1. Larger initial investment
On the other hand, managed funds may require a large initial investment. This could be the standard $500 (similar to buying ASX shares), or it could be one set by the fund manager with some as high as $25,000. However, some managed funds have low or no minimum when investing further funds.
2. Fees
Actively managed funds will tend to have higher fees due to the administrative costs. Over the long term, fees can mean a huge difference in portfolio growth as they divert potentially invested cash away. Remember, If the managed fund is passive (i.e. fixed to an index like the s&p 500), then it will generally have lower fees. However, passive funds will move with an index, meaning that they don’t have the potential to outperform the market like an active fund can.
3. Winners and losers
Unfortunately, the nature of buying a wide range of assets means that there will be some that underperform. Part of the diversification strategy, however, is to offset those losses with some winners that do outperform.
How are managed funds and ETFs different?
Managed funds and ETFs are similar in function. What differs between the two is where they are bought and sold. Managed funds are not listed on a stock exchange and are generally bought and sold directly from the fund (usually on their website). This is why they are referred to as unlisted assets.
On the other hand, ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are usually traded on exchanges such as the ASX or the NYSE. In this sense, buying an ETF is like buying shares that own shares.
Since ETFs can be traded on an exchange through a brokerage platform, they can be easier to buy and sell for investors who already have a trading account. Plus, ASX-listed ETFs come with CHESS sponsorship (on platforms that support it), so investors get direct ownership of their stake.
Looking to start trading ETFs and shares? Check out some of the brokerage platforms in the table below.
Share account comparisons on Mozo - rates updated daily
Tiger Account
Small trade brokerage
Monthly fee
$5.50$0.00Tiger Brokers is an online broker listed on NASDAQ. It offers access to US, ASX & HK stocks, ETFs and US options trading. Mozo special offer for new users only: 7% p.a. on uninvested cash balance up to AUD 100,000 for the first 150 days, with a value up to AUD 2,877. Plus receive US$30 Tesla (TSLA) and US$30 NVIDIA (NVDA) shares with an accumulated deposit of at least AUD 2,000. T&Cs apply – for full details, go to the Tiger Brokers website.
Tiger Account
Tiger Brokers is an online broker listed on NASDAQ. It offers access to US, ASX & HK stocks, ETFs and US options trading. Mozo special offer for new users only: 7% p.a. on uninvested cash balance up to AUD 100,000 for the first 150 days, with a value up to AUD 2,877. Plus receive US$30 Tesla (TSLA) and US$30 NVIDIA (NVDA) shares with an accumulated deposit of at least AUD 2,000. T&Cs apply – for full details, go to the Tiger Brokers website.
- Monthly fee
- $0.00
- Monthly fee waiver
- -
- Special offers
- Mozo special offer for new users only: 7% p.a. on uninvested cash balance for 150 days valued up to AUD2,877. Plus get US$30 TSLA and US$30 NVDA shares with accumulated deposit more than A$2000. T&Cs apply.
- Brokerage details
- 0.055% of trade value, $5.50 minimum brokerage.
- Settle from any bank account
- Settlement account offered
- no
- CHESS ownership available
- Share pack
- Independent broker reports
- International markets
- Options
- Warrants
- IPOs
- Live data
- Market depth data
- Real time charting
- Other restrictions
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Tiger Account
Share Trading
Small trade brokerage
Monthly fee
$7.70$0.00Buy and sell with a low $7.70 flat fee per trade and access to all ASX Shares and ETFs to invest in with GO Markets. Enjoy dedicated local customer support, a regulated Australian company for trading ASX Shares and ETFs. Plus, enjoy $0 Brokerage on your next 15 trades! (T&Cs apply).
Share Trading
Buy and sell with a low $7.70 flat fee per trade and access to all ASX Shares and ETFs to invest in with GO Markets. Enjoy dedicated local customer support, a regulated Australian company for trading ASX Shares and ETFs. Plus, enjoy $0 Brokerage on your next 15 trades! (T&Cs apply).
- Monthly fee
- $0.00
- Monthly fee waiver
- -
- Special offers
- -
- Brokerage details
- $7.70 brokerage for trades under $100,000, then 0.05%.
- Settle from any bank account
- Settlement account offered
- Macquarie Cash Management Account
- CHESS ownership available
- Share pack
- Independent broker reports
- International markets
- Options
- Warrants
- IPOs
- Live data
- Market depth data
- Real time charting
- Other restrictions
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Share Trading
ASX Shares
Small trade brokerage
Monthly fee
$0.00$0.00Join the world’s leading social trading platform, trusted by 30 million users worldwide. Invest in stocks, crypto, ETFs and more - all in one place. Hone your financial skills with a $100K virtual demo account.
ASX Shares
Join the world’s leading social trading platform, trusted by 30 million users worldwide. Invest in stocks, crypto, ETFs and more - all in one place. Hone your financial skills with a $100K virtual demo account.
- Monthly fee
- $0.00
- Monthly fee waiver
- n/a
- Special offers
- -
- Brokerage details
- There are no brokerage charges but a 0.50% fee is applied to all funds paid into or taken out of the USD settlement account
- Settle from any bank account
- Settlement account offered
- Customer funds are held in a Trust Account managed by JP Morgan Chase and Co
- CHESS ownership available
- Share pack
- Independent broker reports
- International markets
- Options
- Warrants
- IPOs
- Live data
- Market depth data
- Real time charting
- Other restrictions
- $5 USD withdrawal fee applies and a $10 monthly inactivity fee is charged after 12 months with no login activity.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the ASX Shares
Idle Cash
Small trade brokerage
Monthly fee
$5.50$0.00Receive interest on your uninvested cash. Deposit over USD/AUD 5,000 to start receiving 1.5% return; 2.25% return on over AUD 50,000; Up to 3.25% return on over USD 50,000. Mozo special offer for new users only: Get USD 50 fractional shares plus USD 25 Tesla shares with a cumulative net deposit of min. AUD 500 within 7 days of the first account opening. T&Cs apply.
Idle Cash
Receive interest on your uninvested cash. Deposit over USD/AUD 5,000 to start receiving 1.5% return; 2.25% return on over AUD 50,000; Up to 3.25% return on over USD 50,000. Mozo special offer for new users only: Get USD 50 fractional shares plus USD 25 Tesla shares with a cumulative net deposit of min. AUD 500 within 7 days of the first account opening. T&Cs apply.
- Monthly fee
- $0.00
- Monthly fee waiver
- -
- Special offers
- Mozo special offer for new users only: 7% p.a. on uninvested cash balance for 150 days valued up to AUD2,877. Plus get US$30 TSLA and US$30 NVDA shares with accumulated deposit more than A$2000. T&Cs apply.
- Brokerage details
- 0.055% of trade value, $5.50 minimum brokerage.
- Settle from any bank account
- Settlement account offered
- no
- CHESS ownership available
- Share pack
- Independent broker reports
- International markets
- Options
- Warrants
- IPOs
- Live data
- Market depth data
- Real time charting
- Other restrictions
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Idle Cash
Share Trading
Small trade brokerage
Monthly fee
$8.00$0.00Enjoy access to over 13,000 local and international shares and ETFs with $0 Commission on all international shares including US. Trade pre- and post-market with extended hours on over 70 key US shares. Get better rates on domestic shares for active traders - trade Australian shares from $5 commission. (T&Cs apply). Around the clock customer support from real humans (not chat bots). Trade international and Australian shares from the one account with intuitive desktop and mobile app.
Share Trading
Enjoy access to over 13,000 local and international shares and ETFs with $0 Commission on all international shares including US. Trade pre- and post-market with extended hours on over 70 key US shares. Get better rates on domestic shares for active traders - trade Australian shares from $5 commission. (T&Cs apply). Around the clock customer support from real humans (not chat bots). Trade international and Australian shares from the one account with intuitive desktop and mobile app.
- Monthly fee
- $0.00
- Monthly fee waiver
- -
- Special offers
- $0 commission on international shares.
- Brokerage details
- $8 or 0.1% of trade value ($5 or 0.05% with at least 3 trades in the previous month), whichever is greater. Phone rate $50 or 0.1%. 0.7% Foreign exchange margin. Shares held in a consolidated HIN under IGs name, ownership remains with share purchaser.
- Settle from any bank account
- Settlement account offered
- no
- CHESS ownership available
- Share pack
- Independent broker reports
- International markets
- Options
- Warrants
- IPOs
- Live data
- Market depth data
- Real time charting
- Other restrictions
- -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Share Trading