What is typical of Class A mutual fund shares?

1. Class A shares typically charge a front-end sales load, taken at purchase. 2. In exchange they tend to carry a lower 12b-1 fee and lower annual expenses than the other classes. 3. That trade suits an investor expecting to hold for a long time, since the annual drag is smaller. 4. A contingent deferred sales load that decays to zero is the Class B pattern. 5. Class C shares tend to carry higher annual expenses than Class A or Class B, so the 12b-1 comparison runs the other way. _Source: US SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, "Mutual Funds and ETFs: A Guide for Investors", section Classes of Mutual Funds_