"RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS”: THE MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY’S MANTRA FOR SUCCESS FROM THE 1940S THROUGH THE 1960S

Throughout the 1940s, I950s, and 1960s, the mutual fund industry grew tremendously. While a strong stock market and Americans’ improved confidence in corporate securities facilitated this expansion, the fund industry itself played a crucial role. Fund leaders diligently worked to create strong relationships with the investment dealer community, the main distributor of fund shares. Individually and collectively, mutual fund companies cultivated these relationships by providing dealers with the sales and service support they needed in order to sell shares to millions of Americans.