Mutual fund transaction charge
originally posted: 11/22/2006 reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.
Q: My discount broker advertises trades under $30 but I was charged $89 for a mutual fund purchase unless I sign up for their "OneSource" program. What happened to no transaction fee mutual funds?
A: "One Source" is a program offered by Schwab for mutual fund investors with smaller accounts. Instead of charging commissions, they add 0.4% annually to the asset-based charges of the funds. While this charge is only $40 per year for a $10,000 account, it still adds about 40% to your overall investment costs. There are still plenty of mutual funds choices with no transaction fees outside of Schwab if you feel that this service is not worthwhile. In any event, it is silly to pay the requested $89 fee for a mutual fund trade/ Either sign up for OneSource or find a new discount broker. Neither of the discount brokers recommended by OnlineAdviser (TD Ameritrade and Vanguard) charge this type of fee for accounts opened through an investment adviser.
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