Boost your gains by keeping your fees low

Article Excerpt

High fees, often not directly visible to investors, can substantially lower investment returns over time. It is therefore key that investors carefully consider fees before deciding to buy an ETF or mutual fund. The damaging effect of high fees The following example demonstrates the outcome of a $100,000 investment in two identical vehicles that both produce an annual return of 10%. The only difference is that the first one charges 0.10% per year and the second, 2.0%. The lower fee portfolio beats the higher fee portfolio by $36,000 after 10 years and $133,000, or 47%, after 20 years. This considerable outperformance is first the result of the lower management fees and second, the result of more funds available for investment at the start of every year. Replacing high-cost funds with lower-cost funds We still feel that investors will profit the most with a well-balanced portfolio of high-quality individual stocks, but one of the key benefits of ETFs is the generally lower management fees. In many…