The document provides background information on mutual funds including:
- The first mutual fund was created in 1924 in Boston by pooling money from three securities executives.
- The first pooled fund in the US was created in 1893 for Harvard University faculty and staff.
- After the stock market crash of 1929, laws were passed in 1933 and 1934 to regulate mutual funds.
- Growth was steady through the 1960s, but index funds emerged in 1976 helping growth accelerate. By the late 20th century, mutual funds had grown enormously in the US in terms of number, assets, and investors.