A report released June 29 by the Investment Company Institute found that 401(1)k participants paid lower expense ratios on stock mutual funds in 2010 than in 2009.
The report, The Economics of Providing 401(k) Plans: Services, Fees and Expenses, 2010, found the asset-weighted average expense ratio for stock funds dropped 3 basis points to 0.71% in 2010, following a drop in three of the previous five years. Of the $3.1 trillion in 401(k) assets as of year-end 2010, more than half was invested in mutual funds, especially stock funds.
While expense ratios for bond funds were unchanged between 2009 and 2010, the asset-weighted average expense ratio on money market funds fell 9 basis points to 0.28%. This decline, according to ICI, is largely due to the low interest rate environment and fee waivers from many money market fund providers.
