June 12, 2018
OVERALL INVESTOR EXPERIENCE
1. How do you pick funds? What information do you want to know when you make an investment in a fund? What publications or websites do you review? What tools, online or otherwise, do you use? Do you look at the SECs website?
I use a screener tool on my E-Trade account page.
2. Do you read current fund disclosure documents? Do you understand them? Is there information you do not receive from the fund that you would like to get?
I skim them. They are hard to follow.
All I need is a sentence about how the fund invests, how it performed, how much it costs compared to other funds, and a risk score. E-Trade has much of this already.
3. How well do current fund disclosures (such as a summary prospectus, prospectus, or shareholder report) help you pick an investment? Is it easy to compare different funds? Are there technology-based tools that could make fund comparisons easier? What helpful features do those tools have?
Too much info.
4. Do you use the advice of a financial professional? Does a financial professional's help affect whether and how you use fund disclosures?
No. They cost too much and are not smarter than me.
DELIVERY
5. How do you prefer to receive communications about fund investments? For example, do you prefer mail delivery, email, website availability, mobile applications, or a combination?
Online or email
6. What types of fund information do you prefer to access electronically? What types of fund information do you prefer to receive in paper? Are there other wayssuch as by video or audio, you would like to receive fund information?
Everything electronic. I barely check my mail any more.
7. How can the SEC better use technology and communication tools to help investors focus on important fund information?
Embrace technology. Keep folks honest, bit give them enough slack to innovate.
DESIGN
8. Is there too much technical writing in fund disclosure? Would you prefer more tables, charts, and graphs? Would these graphic displayes be in addition to, or in place of, text-heavy disclosures?
Yes.
9. Do you prefer to receive shorter 'Summary' disclosures, with additional information available online or upon request?
Yes. Definitely.
10. Should fund disclosures be more personalized? For example, should disclosures show the amount of fees you paid or your actual investment returns? If so, how?
CONTENT
11. Do fund disclosures make the fund's strategies and the level of risk clear? How can funds improve these disclosures? Would a risk rating, such as a numerical or graphical measure of risk, be helpful?
See above
12. Fund fees and expenses can significantly affect a fund's investment returns over time. Do you think funds clearly disclose their fees and expenses? How could funds improve the disclosure of fees and expenses? Would a comparison of your funds fees against other funds fees help?
See above
13. Do you consider the past performance of a fund when making an investment decision? How could we improve the presentation of performance information?
Yes. What else do we have to go on. There are many equity funds out there that are cheap. What other criteria can we use?
FINAL THOUGHTS
14. Aside from this questionnaire, are there other ways the SEC can engage with investors, like you, on key topics? Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
I like this form. Do this type of thing more often.