do you actually make money in mutual funds 
yes many make money for retirement and other savings goals through capital gains distributions dividends and interest income 20 as securities in the mutual fund s portfolio increase in value the value of the fund s shares typically rises leading to capital gains in addition many mutual funds pay out dividends from the income the fund has earned by the securities they hold if the fund holds bonds then it will earn interest on them 21 however returns are not guaranteed and the performance of a mutual fund depends on market conditions the fund s management what assets it holds and its investment strategy 