–Buy through a trading account such as Ameritrade or Scott
–Open an account in fund house in which you want to buy funds such as vanguard or janus and then buy the funds.

I am looking for best flexibility and less expense. Which is the best way in the above two?

 

  • deymond 1:04 pm on August 17, 2010

    Open accounts through the various funds you want to purchase. You often avoid higher minimum purchase amounts and purchase/sales fees, as well as overall account fees.

    I own funds directly through Dodge & Cox, Oakmark, Ariel, Buffalo, Robeco (Boston Partners), and Meridian. My experiences with those companies has been far superior to my experiences with Scott Trade and Schwab (although Robeco is getting on my nerves).

  • Joe 1:04 pm on August 17, 2010

    The least expensive way is Vanguard.com. They are known for low expenses. I like their variety. Fidelity.com would be my second choice. Also consider TIAA-CREF.com. I wouldn’t recommend a trading account, frequently they won’t trade Vanguard.

  • xelua 1:04 pm on August 17, 2010

    This is just a reaffirmation of the previous answer. If you are going to pick your own mutual fund and want to avoid fees, Vanguard seems to be the best value.
    I use Ameritrade for equity and option trading, but for mutual funds I use Vanguards since they don’t charge for occasional rebalancing of your portfolio. Ameritrade will whack you $25 each time you get in or out of a fund.

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