降低風險與抵銷收益
Jacob and Kathy are talking about mutual funds.
雅各與凱西在談論共同基金。
Kathy: Why do mutual funds seem to be a popular choice among investors?
凱西：為什麼共同基金會受投資者歡迎呢？
popular(adj.)受歡迎的
Jacob: A primary advantage of mutual funds is not having to pick stocks and manage investments by yourself. Instead, a professional fund manager helps you take care of it.
雅各：共同基金主要的優點就是不需要自己選股及管理投資。反之，會有專業基金經理人幫妳處理。
primary(adj.)主要的;首要的disadvantage(n.)劣勢;不利因素manage(v.)管理manager(n.)管理者management(n.)管理
Kathy: It’s better to have professionals manage our funds.
凱西：有專業人士管理基金確實比較好。
Jacob: Mutual funds typically invest in a wide range of assets. This helps to lower your risk in case one of the companies fails.
雅各：共同基金公司通常投資在各式各樣的資產上。萬一其中一家公司倒閉了，這將有助於降低風險。
lower(v.)降低
Kathy: True. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
凱西：確實，應該要分散風險。
don’t put all one’s eggs in one basket 不要孤注一擲
Jacob: Also, most mutual funds set a relatively low dollar amount for initial investment.
雅各：而且，多數共同基金規定的資金門檻也比較低。
Kathy: So even novice, individual investors can afford to purchase the shares.
凱西：所以就算是投資新手或個人也能負擔得起。
novice(n.)新手;初學者afford to do sth. 做得到某事afford sth. 買得起某物
Jacob: But bear in mind that mutual funds do have some drawbacks too.
雅各：但要記得共同基金也有其缺點。
keep in mind 記得drawback(n.)缺點;不利因素
Kathy: How so?
凱西：怎麼說？
Jacob: Having ample cash is excellent, but it doesn’t do much good if the money is sitting around and not working for you.
雅各：有充裕的現金儲備確實是好事，但把錢擱置在共同基金，沒有加以運用，並沒有太大幫助。
ample(adj.)充裕的;充足的
Kathy: I see.
凱西：了解。
Jacob: Since mutual funds provide professional management, it comes at a cost. In some cases, the high amount of expenses and fees can offset the fund’s overall payout.
雅各：由於共同基金公司提供專業管理服務，因此也會衍生其他成本。在某些情況下，各項高額支出與收費可能抵銷基金的整體收益。
(come) at a cost=付出代價offset(v.)抵銷