Total Expense Ratio


Total Expense Ratio

A measure of an investment fund's costs of operation as a percentage of its total assets. It is calculated by dividing the fund's total costs by its total assets. As the total costs include things like management fees and commissions, the total expense ratio is important to determining the actual return on a fund. For example, a mutual fund may have a 10% return per year, which is quite high; however, if the total expense ratio is 8%, this means that shareholders only receive 2% of the return. It is also called the management expense ratio or simply the expense ratio.

Total Expense Ratio

The ratio of total housing expense to borrower income.

This ratio is used (along with other factors) in qualifying borrowers. See Qualification/Meeting Income Requirements/Expense Ratios.