Can someone tell me the difference between a, b, c, & f shares of American Funds (cwgix, cwgbx, cwgcx, cwgfx)?

Answer 1

In general, the difference between A, B, C. etc shares of a particular fund is how you pay for them, the "load" of a fund.

The A shares tend to be front loaded, in that you pay the fees pretty much when you buy them. The other lettered shares tend to either spread out the load over the period you hold them, or make you oay when you cash out, or back load.

Advice: bite the bullet and pay for the A shares. In the end, you pay more in fund fees with the non-A shares.

Answer 2

1) stanyl (previous answerer) gave you an accurate description of the various classes of funds.
2) Many "multi-class" funds have "loads (fees) that are exorbitant, 5 - 7%, and high - 1.4% operating expenses that include 12b-1 (advertising) fees.
3) My advice: seek a "no load" (which is classless) fund family and compare the operating expenses of the various funds. (look for less than 1%). This will give you the "greatest bang for your $$$.