Final answer:
An 8.5% sales charge is a front-end load, which is deducted from the investor's initial investment to cover marketing and distribution costs of a mutual fund.
Step-by-step explanation:
An 8.5% sales charge is a fee or commission charged by a financial institution when an investor buys shares of a mutual fund. In this case, the sales charge represents 8.5% of the Public Offering Price (POP), which is the price at which the mutual fund shares are offered to investors. This type of sales charge is known as a front-end load. A front-end load is deducted from the investor's initial investment and is used to cover the costs associated with marketing and distribution of the mutual fund.