diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous. 2. persistently or carefully maintained: sedulous flattery.
DEFINITION of 'Expense Ratio'. A measure of what it costs an investment company to operate a mutual fund. An expense ratio is determined through an annual calculation, where a fund's operating expenses are divided by the average dollar value of its assets under management. Operating expenses are taken out of a fund's assets and lower the return to a fund's investors. Also known as management expense ratio (MER). Next Up.
Compare the expense ratio to other companies or previous reports. Once the expense ratio is calculated, it can be used to evaluate the financial health of an organization. If the expense ratio is increasing over time, the company may be losing its pricing power or not managing its costs effectively.