My girl friends/family and I generally don’t talk about finances. It’s not really about privacy; it’s just that we have so many other things to talk about! However, I wish that we did share financial insights once in a while, so I’m sharing it on this public space.
I touched on this topic before but there’s a new law going into effect that makes it easier to see fund fees in your 401k plans. With non-401k mutual funds, you can compare fees but many people ignore the impact of fees on their returns. Once a year or so, I use the free “Instant X-Ray” tool on Morningstar to analyze my funds and compare fees / returns with similar portfolios.
The bottom line is that the fees associated with mutual funds can decimate your savings. Choosing no-load and index funds make a big difference in retirement.
This is my public service announcement for the week!