Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Fees: How to take advantage of reduced fees in your portfolio

This is one post in a series based on our “Quarterly Questions & Answers”. Each post covers one of the important topics we discuss with our wealth management clients.  Today’s topic is:

Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) fees have dropped over the past few years. How have you adjusted my portfolio to take advantage of this?

One of the big trends that has aided investors in the past decade is the drop in mutual fund and Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) fees. So ask your advisor how that has affected your portfolio.

If there’s a letter – like A, C, or I – after the name of your mutual fund, that means your advisor has put you in a certain share class of that investment, which may or may not be the least expensive class.

At Glassman Wealth Services, we’ve approached fees by making sure we own the least expensive share class we can for each fund, searching for lower cost investments within each asset class, and investing in more passively-managed funds as appropriate. We won’t invest in a fund unless we think their fee is justified.

Given the huge impact that mutual fund and exchange-traded fund fees can have on returns, you should take a look at your portfolio to see how high your expense ratios are. Keep in mind, some investments may be worth a higher fee. Regardless, it’s an important area to explore with your advisors. The question could save you money down the line.

Want to know more? Check out the rest of the posts in this Series:

• Higher interest rates: How am I positioned with interest rate risk?
• How the value of the dollar impacts investment portfolios
• Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule: What does it mean for retirement accounts?
• Who is better for the stock market, Trump or Clinton?