When exchanging funds, an investor can move from one share class within the fund to another share class within the same fund. They may also exchange from one fund into any other fund in the fund family. In doing so they exchange their total shares for the same number of shares in another fund.
Just as with individual securities, when you sell shares of a mutual fund or ETF (exchange-traded fund) for a profit, you'll owe taxes on that "realized gain." But you may also owe taxes if the fund realizes a gain by selling a security for more than the original purchase price—even if you haven't sold any shares.
An exchange is actually two transactions, selling one fund and using the proceeds to buy another fund in the same account. Performing an exchange in a taxable account is a taxable event. Select the Holdings tab from your Account overview page.
Mutual funds trade only once a day after the markets close. Stocks and ETFs can be traded at any point during the trading day. The price for the shares in a mutual fund is determined by the net asset value (NAV) calculated after the market closes.
When you buy or redeem a mutual fund, you are transacting directly with the fund, whereas with ETFs and stocks, you are trading on the secondary market. Unlike stocks and ETFs, mutual funds trade only once per day, after the markets close at 4 p.m. ET.
Distributions and your taxes
If you hold shares in a taxable account, you are required to pay taxes on mutual fund distributions, whether the distributions are paid out in cash or reinvested in additional shares. The funds report distributions to shareholders on IRS Form 1099-DIV after the end of each calendar year.
Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are two distinct products – there is no way to transfer funds directly from one to the other. You must first sell your mutual funds and then purchase ETFs.
All funds carry some level of risk. With mutual funds, you may lose some or all of the money you invest because the securities held by a fund can go down in value. Dividends or interest payments may also change as market conditions change.
If you are actually looking at equity funds to help you achieve your long term goals then you at least need to give yourself a holding period of 8-10 years. For debt funds, the outlook on rates should be your key driver for holding period.. Unlike equity funds, the debt funds do not really depend on long term holding.
Benefits of exchange funds
Spreading your investment dollars across a wide range of assets can help you reduce volatility and investment risk, so that no one asset has an outsize impact on your overall investment portfolio. An exchange fund helps you replace a concentrated position with a diversified one.
According to U.S. law, investors have the right to sell the shares of their mutual fund back to the fund itself at any time. Once the share has been redeemed, it is typically incumbent upon the fund to reimburse the former shareholder within seven days, although exceptions to this rule can exist.
If you wish to switch within the same mutual fund house, you need to fill a switch form. In that switching form, specify the units to be shifted from the existing mutual fund scheme to the destination fund scheme. The minimum investment amount criteria must be fulfilled for switch-in and switch-out.
A: Yes. Selling and reinvesting your funds doesn't make you exempt from tax liability. If you are actively selling and reinvesting, however, you may want to consider long-term investments. The reason for this is you're only taxed on the capital gains from your investments once you sell them.
As with all investment types, you'll have to pay taxes on your mutual fund returns. Depending on when you bought or sold the mutual fund, you will have to pay capital gains taxes or ordinary income taxes. If you didn't sell the fund, you'll still need to pay taxes on any dividends paid out to you.
If you receive a distribution from a fund that results from the sale of a security the fund held for only six months, that distribution is taxed at your ordinary-income tax rate. If the fund held the security for several years, however, then those funds are subject to the capital gains tax instead.
Bond Mutual Funds
The three types of bond funds considered safest are government bond funds, municipal bond funds, and short-term corporate bond funds.
In theory, a mutual fund could lose its entire value if all the investments in its portfolio dropped to zero, but such an event is unlikely. However, mutual funds can lose value, as each is designed to assume certain risk levels or target certain markets.
A mutual fund provides diversification through exposure to a multitude of stocks. The reason that owning shares in a mutual fund is recommended over owning a single stock is that an individual stock carries more risk than a mutual fund. This type of risk is known as unsystematic risk.
An exchange fund, also known as a swap fund, is an arrangement between concentrated shareholders of different companies that pools shares and allows an investor to exchange their large holding of a single stock for units in the entire pool's portfolio.
When an investor sells mutual fund shares, the redemption process is straightforward, but there might be unexpected charges or fees. Class A shares usually have front-end sales loads, which are fees charged when the investment is made, but Class B shares may impose a charge when shares are sold.
For example, if a stock holding in your mutual fund pays dividends, then the fund manager later sells the stock at a higher value than they paid for it, you'll owe tax on two levels: A dividend tax, which is generally applied at your income-tax rate. A capital gains tax, which will be taxed at capital gains rates.
To figure your gain or loss using an average basis, you must have acquired the shares at various times and prices. To calculate average basis: Add up the cost of all the shares you own in the mutual fund. Divide that result by the total number of shares you own.
Short term capital gains (if the units are sold before three years) in debt mutual funds are taxed as per applicable tax rate of the investor. Therefore, if your tax rate is 30% then short term capital gains tax on debt fund is 30% + 4% cess. Long term capital gains of debt fund are taxed at 20% with indexation.