Previous investment and stopping reasons

% in each previous-investment category and each stopping reason

Who in the focused group has invested before, and why some say they stopped — two separate questions with their own answer bases.

Who in the focused group has invested before?
All 553 people, grouped by whether they've invested before.
None of the 7 listed products382 (69.1%)
Past MF investor136 (24.6%)
Other product only (not MF)35 (6.3%)

The focused group mixes three different investment histories; not a single undifferentiated “non-holder” group.

Why did respondents stop investing in MF/ETF?MF+ETF combined scope
64 of 553 people answered.
62 of these 64 are confirmed past MF investors (2 held another product, 0 held none of the 7 listed products) — a verified respondent-level check, not a documented survey routing rule.
News of geopolitical uncertainty and fear of market fall22 (34.4%)
Lower than expected returns22 (34.4%)
I needed money for other purposes (urgent requirement of funds)20 (31.3%)
Changes in personal financial goals18 (28.1%)
High volatility and unpredictable performance17 (26.6%)
Better returns from other investment options17 (26.6%)
High fees, charges and Management expenses13 (20.3%)
Experienced significant financial losses12 (18.8%)
Negative experiences shared by friends or family11 (17.2%)
Lack of sufficient knowledge or market insights11 (17.2%)
Takes time to receive invested money after selling9 (14.1%)
Limited availability of unbiased expert advice or recommendations7 (10.9%)
Hidden or unexpected transaction costs7 (10.9%)
Complications in calculating tax liability/ filing Income Tax returns3 (4.7%)
Difficult to access channel/platform from where I had done investments2 (3.1%)
Difficulty in managing or tracking investments1 (1.6%)

The 64 counts themselves are verified; it's who exactly was asked this question that's uncertain, not the counts.

Findings

  • A quarter of the focused group has invested in mutual funds before — this is not a first-time-investor sample.

    This group mixes people with real MF experience who stopped, and people who report none of these 7 specific securities products — not one uniform 'non-holder' group.

  • Most people who answered why they stopped investing are confirmed to be past mutual-fund investors.

    The "stopped investing" group (64 people) and the "past MF investor" group (136 people) substantially overlap in this sample — they are not two disconnected populations.

  • Among those who stopped, market conditions and returns are cited far more often than product complaints like fees or hidden costs.

    Among this small group, external market conditions and disappointing returns are reported far more than complaints about the product itself (fees, hidden costs) — suggesting timing/expectations may matter more here than product design.