Most mutual funds charge fees in the form of expense ratios that are accounted for in the price of the mutual fund. Expense ratios can be as high as 2.5% every year, but there are many high-quality mutual funds with very low expense ratios. Some mutual funds also charge sales commissions, also known as loads. Again, there are many well-known mutual fund companies that don't charge loads, and this is becoming more common in the industry. These fees combined cover costs for the mutual fund company, such as 12b-1 fees (marketing costs) and other routine operating expenses.