Comments on See Me Get Rich: Roth IRA: My ETF Portfolio

Yes but as you say firms like Vanguard and Schwab ...

2011-06-02T17:52:04.347-07:00

Yes but as you say firms like Vanguard and Schwab only have zero fees on their own products, not (all) ETFs in general.

Having said that the fees are fairly low (I pay $8.95 at Schwab) but the OP is probably doing the right thing by only increasing his holding in one of the three each on a monthly rotating basis.

Most of the comments regarding ETF commissions are...

2010-10-20T12:22:20.876-07:00

Most of the comments regarding ETF commissions are outdated. Most of the discount brokers, following the lead of Vanguard funds charge ZERO commission when purchasing their own ETF products. So you can now invest in an ETF as you would have a mutual fund, by making periodic, incremental contributions. The advantage is that ETF's typically have lower, often much lower, operating costs than actively managed mutual funds. So ETF investing now IS the best tool for most small investors. If you are still paying commissions on ETF trades, you're with the wrong brokerage.

Most of the comments regarding ETF commissions are...

2010-10-20T12:21:57.613-07:00

Hi Jessie, did you ever figure out what to do with...

2010-07-07T21:03:04.551-07:00

Hi Jessie, did you ever figure out what to do with your Scottrade account? If not, shoot me an email and I can walk you through how to get it set up. It really is pretty straightforward to invest in long-term investments, and I would be happy to give you some pointers to get you up and running. :-)
-Zach, zacharyfruhling@gmail.com

You make this sound easy but it makes my head spin...

2009-09-20T14:04:33.399-07:00

You make this sound easy but it makes my head spin at rapid speed. I have been sending money to a Scottrade account for a few months and have not even chosen an investment yet. The money's just sitting there. Completely overwhelmed by the whole thing!

Yep, don't spread your commissions too thin. I ch...

2008-12-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

Yep, don't spread your commissions too thin. I chose one ETF per month to add my contributions to, thus keeping my commissions down to a minimum.

I set up a very similar IRA -- the sole difference...

2007-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

I set up a very similar IRA -- the sole difference being DVY instead of SPY. DVY focuses on the top dividend paying stocks within the S&P 500.

One tip to keep expenses down is to only invest in one security each month (or whatever period you use), rather than dividing your investments into thirds each time. Doing that will save you 2/3 of the commission.

ETFs are a terrible way to invest for someone like...

2007-04-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

ETFs are a terrible way to invest for someone like you. They are great for people with a lot of money. The carrying costs of ETFs, where you have to pay like a stock purchase basically eats into any gains you make.

You made 3 purchases for how much per purchase? For what $1k? I'm not knocking the savings but you are better off using an index fund.

So every time you contribute you will pay how much per transaction for each of your 3 funds. Bad idea.

Keep saving though.

If you are going to go international EFA is your b...

2007-04-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

If you are going to go international EFA is your best choice. EFA is a very well performing ETF