You are considering investing in one of several mutual funds. All the funds under consideration have various combinations of front-end and back-end loads and/or 12b1 fees. The longer you plan on remaining in the fund you choose, the more likely you will prefer a fund with a rather than a all else equal. front-end load; back-end load back-end load; front-end load 12b-1 fee; front-end load front-end load; 12b1 fee