How often do mutual funds report their holdings?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires mutual funds to report complete lists of their holdings on a quarterly basis, since they are regulated investment companies. Mutual funds use SEC Forms N-Q and N-CSR to disclose their quarterly holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter; these forms are accessible online at the SEC website. Also, many mutual funds disclose their holdings on their official websites.

Mutual funds' holdings reports are accessible through the SEC Edgar online database. Mutual funds have 60 days after their quarter ends to file their holdings with the SEC. Very few mutual funds file their disclosures early, making their reporting not particularly timely. Some funds choose to report their holdings even more frequently, on a monthly basis, but this is less of a norm, as monthly reporting requires a lot of effort and cost on the part of mutual funds.

Under the SEC regulation, mutual funds must disclose their complete portfolio schedules on a quarterly basis in filings, which must be certified by funds' principal executive and financial officers. Although management discussion and analysis are not required, some mutual fund managers choose to comment on their funds' performances in their quarterly reports. Quarterly reports help individual investors assess how funds are complying with their investment objectives. Although some investment advocacy groups suggested monthly reporting requirement for mutual funds and other registered investment companies, the SEC has not yet made the final ruling on this proposal yet.