Front-end load

(redirected from Front End Fees)
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Related to Front End Fees: Contingent deferred sales charge, 12b-1 fee, Level Load Fund

Front-end load

The fee applied to an investment at the time of initial purchase, e.g., on a mutual fund purchased from a broker or mutual fund company.

Front-End Load

A sales fee in a mutual fund that one pays when one buys shares in the fund. That is, when an investor buys a share in a mutual fund with a front-end loan, he/she agrees to pay a third party, usually a financial institution or broker, a certain percentage of the share's value. Unlike back-end load, the shareholder does not pay the fee upon sale, but rather upon purchase. A share in a mutual fund with a front-end load is called an A-share. See also: B-Share, C-Share, No-Load Fund, CDSC.

front-end load

See load.

Front-end load.

The load, or sales charge, that you pay when you purchase shares of a mutual fund or annuity is called a front-end load. Some mutual funds identify shares purchased with a front-end load as Class A shares.

The drawback of a front-end load is that a portion of your investment pays the sales charge rather than being invested. However, the annual asset-based fees on Class A shares tend to be lower than on shares with back-end or level loads.

In addition, if you pay a front-end load, you may qualify for breakpoints, or reduced sales charges, if the assets in your account reach a certain milestone, such as $25,000.