Another $7 billion flowed out of Putnam mutual funds last week, meaning investors have yanked out some $21 billion since the company was implicated in the market-timing scandal last month. A total of $168 billion remains under management.
Thus far, there has been sufficient liquidity to handle the outflow without any increase in portfolio transactions costs, according to an SEC filing from Putnam parent Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MMC). Still, "there can be no assurance about future market conditions," as the company says in its now-weekly updates. And that's the biggest problem for Putnam investors trying to decide if they should stick with the fund family. As more and more money flows out, the same costs are distributed among fewer and fewer shareholders.
Putnam is hanging in a delicate balance right now, doing whatever it can to stem the outflows -- even running full-page advertisements in major newspapers vowing that its integrity will "never again be compromised."
What should you do if you have money tied up in Putnam, or any of the funds under suspicion (Janus (NYSE:JNS), MetLife (NYSE:MET), Empire Financial (AMEX:EFH), and many more)? We wish we could tell you but, with so many variables involved, no advice is going to be right for everyone. This is when a quality independent financial advisor can be invaluable. Yes, this is a shameless plug, but why not try out our free trial for TMF Money Advisor? You'll have full access to all the benefits -- including the financial advisors at The Ayco Company L.P. -- for 30 days, at no obligation.
