1.   Although many investors now invest only in no-load funds, more rely on brokers for advice and hand-holding and thus still own load funds.

2.   Among load funds, there are different sales structures.

3.   Another reason for offering load funds is that customers want all their investments in one place.

4.   Avoid load funds as much as possible.

5.   After loads are taken into account, needless to say, the average load fund lags far behind.

6.   But Americans are steering away from load funds.

7.   But load funds will be available so that customers can buy new shares of funds they already own.

8.   But many turn to brokers for advice, and wind up purchasing load funds, which are clearly dominant in the marketplace.

9.   By joining those programs, load funds such as Putnam risk alienating traditional brokers from companies such as Merrill Lynch who have sold their products for years.

10.   Discount brokerage firms offer far more load funds.