To find information about a manager's education and training, check the fund prospectus or call the fund company.

I think mutual fund prospectuses, for the most part, read like gobbledygook.

But before calling for a mutual fund prospectus, there is one other thing to know.

Here's some of what you'll find in mutual fund prospectuses:

Mutual fund prospectuses sometimes seem to be written in Chinese.

Q: The third thing that makes fund prospectuses too long?

Ask ordinary investors what they think of mutual fund prospectuses, and be prepared to duck.

Or you can measure the impact of the charges by looking at the fee table in fund prospectuses.

Under current rules, fund prospectuses are permitted to show total return figures that do not factor in sales charges.

Reading fund prospectuses helps, but not always because they are written so broadly.