That's why I asked financial experts to explain the main differences between index funds and mutual funds. An index fund can be a mutual fundEven though it might sound confusing, Clayton Wood, a financial planner, says a good first step in understanding that an index fund is a mutual fund, but a mutual fund is not always an index fund. Index Funds have a lower expensesWhen it comes to fees, Alvin Carlos, a financial planner, says that index funds are low-cost mutual funds. "Most actively managed funds are mutual funds, but there are also many index mutual funds." Mutual funds experience capital gain distributionsOne of the biggest differences between mutual funds and index funds is when taxable events occur for each.

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Persons: —, Clayton Wood, Wood, Alvin Carlos, Carlos, Jay Kirkwood, Dow Jones, Kirkwood, Get, Amy Richardson, Schwab, Richardson Organizations: Finance, Service, Costco, Nasdaq, SEC, Mutual