1. Slash Investing Costs They Drag Down Performance: The average diversified U.S. stock mutual fund charges 1.3% a year in expenses. If your fund isn't beating its benchmark (or you don't have the time to monitor actively managed funds), you're better off buying a low-cost index fund or ETF that hews to the benchmark. For instance, Fidelity Spartan 500 Index fund (symbol FSMKX), which tracks Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, has an annual expense ratio of just 0.10%. And indexing isn't a compromise strategy. Managers of many top pension funds and endowments swear by it.
Annual Savings: $1,200
(based on cutting expenses from 1.3% to 0.10% on a $100,000 portfolio)
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
2. Keep Tabs on Your Trades: If you aren't an active trader, make sure you’re not penalized by a broker who charges an "inactivity fee." For example, E*Trade charges investors who don’t conduct any trades in a given three-month period $40 for the quarter.
Annual Savings: $160
3. Clone Your Favorite Manager: Sticking with no-load mutual funds is a strategy that can save thousands over time, and there is almost always a great no-load alternative to a load fund. For example, instead of shelling out a 4.75% load for Davis NY Venture A fund (NYVTX), go for the nearly identical Selected American Shares S fund (SLASX), which doesn’t have a sales charge.
Annual Savings: $235
(avoiding a 4.75% load on a $5,000 investment)
4. Go With a Discount Broker: Full-service firms charge $30 or more for an online stock trade. But online brokers' fees average just $10, reports Aite Group, a financial research firm. We like E*Trade and TD Ameritrade for $10 trades. And be honest: Is your broker’s research worth the extra 20 bucks?
Or, trade for free. ZeccoTrading gives you ten free stock trades per month if you maintain a minimum balance of $25,000. WellsTrade allows 100 free trades a year if you keep a total of $25,000 or more in Wells Fargo in almost all types of accounts.
Annual Savings: $240(using a discount broker for one trade per month)
TOTAL ANNUAL INVESTING SAVINGS: $1,835
Slideshow: Top Savings Tips for 2009
-
Best Banks for High-Net-Worth Clients 2024wealth management These banks welcome customers who keep high balances in deposit and investment accounts, showering them with fee breaks and access to financial-planning services.
-
Stock Market Holidays in 2024: NYSE, NASDAQ and Wall Street HolidaysMarkets When are the stock market holidays? Here, we look at which days the NYSE, Nasdaq and bond markets are off in 2024.
-
Stock Market Trading Hours: What Time Is the Stock Market Open Today?Markets When does the market open? While the stock market does have regular hours, trading doesn't necessarily stop when the major exchanges close.
-
Bogleheads Stay the CourseBears and market volatility don’t scare these die-hard Vanguard investors.
-
The Current I-Bond Rate Until May Is Mildly Attractive. Here's Why.Investing for Income The current I-bond rate is active until November 2024 and presents an attractive value, if not as attractive as in the recent past.
-
What Are I-Bonds? Inflation Made Them Popular. What Now?savings bonds Inflation has made Series I savings bonds, known as I-bonds, enormously popular with risk-averse investors. So how do they work?
-
This New Sustainable ETF’s Pitch? Give Back Profits.investing Newday’s ETF partners with UNICEF and other groups.
-
As the Market Falls, New Retirees Need a Planretirement If you’re in the early stages of your retirement, you’re likely in a rough spot watching your portfolio shrink. We have some strategies to make the best of things.
