Mutual Fund Tax Clienteles

Abstract

Mutual funds are held by investors in taxable and tax-qualified retirement accounts. We investigate whether the characteristics, investment strategies, and performance of mutual funds held by these diverse tax clienteles differ. Examining both mutual fund distributions and mutual fund holdings, we find that funds held primarily by taxable investors choose investment strategies that result in lower tax burdens than funds held primarily in tax-qualified accounts. Despite these differences, we find no evidence that any investment constraints that may arise from these tax-efficient investment strategies result in performance differences between funds held by different tax clienteles.

Keywords: mutual fund, taxes, retirement

JEL Classification: G23, H24