high fees
"t some hedge funds, expenses can comprise a big chunk of the overall cost of investing. In 2003, for instance, Amaranth Advisors of Greenwich, Conn., logged charges on its Amaranth Partners fund of about 1.4% of net assets for "bonus compensation to designated traders" and about 2.3% for "operating expenses." Although Amaranth does not have a traditional management fee, the filing reveals that when an investor's account shows a net profit over the previous 12 months, the manager is entitled to a "management allocation of income" of up to 1.5% of each member's account balance per year. The manager also receives a 20% cut of each investor's net profits. This 20% is reduced by the amount paid to the traders, as well as by the amount of the operating expenses. If the fund is losing money, investors remain on the hook -- certainly for the operating expenses and possibly for any trader bonuses, too."