Hidden costs: full disclosure falls short.(FundReporter)(Mutual fund industry)(Brief Article)

WHILE THE FUND industry has come a long way toward full transparency, the RIA consortium Zero Alpha Group says there's still a long way to go.

After running the numbers on 5,000 stock funds, ZAG researchers concluded that about 44 percent of the overall cost of investing in mutual funds--about $17.3 billion in fees and miscellaneous expenses--is still hidden from investors.

"No one is suggesting that people should stop buying mutual funds," explains Gregory Carlson of ZAG member firm Carlson Capital Management. "We completely recognize that these funds are the ...