Keith Hartstein addresses the MFEA meeting in Manhattan photo courtesy of the MFEA

The mutual fund marketers gathered in Manhattan today and tomorrow are staying connected thanks to the efforts of the MFEA.

The Mutual Fund Education Alliance is running videos, pictures and links from its New York meeting at its MFEA.info website. Already this morning the site has a 30-second clip from John Hancock Funds CEO Keith Hartstein on the site. Hartstein is also treasurer of MFEA's executive committee.

Michelle Smith, MFEA Associate Director photo courtesy of the MFEA

So far mutual fund marketers have learned (or have been reminded) that:

Traditional active products are under pressure from ETFs and indexing. The response has been a rush to the alternative sphere.

"A" shares are not being primarily sold at NAV ... and that means there are no more dealer concession for maker.

Friction generated when advisors move clients from fund to fund has gone away ... there is no more need to get a switch letter because there are now no switching fees.

Holding periods are down -- shareholders are now holding mutual funds four to five years on average and as few as two.

Global growth is in the east, but in absolute terms there is very little there. 

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