A
share in a
mutual fund to which a fee is charged when the share is sold within a certain number of years. That is, when an
investor initially buys a B-share, he/she agrees to pay a third party (usually a financial institution or
broker) a certain percentage of the share's
value if he/she decides to sell it within five to 10 years, depending on the specific nature of the agreement. The fee usually declines by the year until the maximum number of years is reached. A B-share is one type of
load fund. See also: A-share,
C-share,
No-load fund.