21.   And John H. Biggs, chief executive of TIAA-CREF, questions whether fund companies will lower fees anytime soon.

22.   And some fund companies are under pressure internally to increase compensation for top-ranked managers, or risk losing them.

23.   And performance is not the only thing a fund company looks for.

24.   And no other fund companies expressed serious interest in managing the fund, knowing that they, too, might fail to win a contract from shareholders.

25.   And they get one statement accounting for all of their funds instead of multiple statements from several fund companies.

26.   And the slowdown has led stocks of publicly traded fund companies to slump.

27.   And the fund companies do not have to provide customer support, which is handled by the advisers.

28.   And the way a fund company is run affects the investments that their customers get.

29.   Another drawback to buying directly from fund companies or the networks is the lack of personalized advice.

30.   Any financial difficulties encountered by the fund company should not affect the fund itself.