10 Costs That Can Ruin Your Retirement Savings

It's said that what you don't know can't hurt you. No so. What you don't know can cost you, and sometimes cost dearly. Case in point: Advisers and others say there's a host of unknown costs and fees lurking inside your 401(k) plans, IRAs and other such retirement accounts. And often, those fees can make a world of difference in your overall investment returns.

Now truth be told, many an expert and firm the most famous of all being Vanguard are beating the drum about how 401(k) fee can be a drag on performance.

Many Americans are simply unaware of the fees they pay to their plan providers. More than seven in 10 (71%) 401(k) plan participants incorrectly reported that they did not pay any fees and 6% said that they did not know whether or not they pay fees, according to a recent AARP study.

Of note, AARP launched a 401(k) fee calculator on its web site that aims to help investors better understand 401(k) fees and their potential impact. You have to register to use the calculator, but it's easy. See the AARP 401(k) fee calculator here.

And come Jan. 1, 2012, plan sponsors will have to disclose the fees participants pay for their 401(k) plans.

But there are other lesser-known fees to consider. Case in point: An adviser with whom I am acquainted recently switched brokerage firms. And as is the custom in that world, he began asking his clients to move their accounts from the old brokerage firm to the new one. Well, as it turns out, those clients who moved their IRA accounts were whacked with two unexpected fees one was the so-called account transfer fee and another was the annual maintenance fee.

"Brokerage firms do not like having assets transferred out, so they like to create fees and charges to discourage asset transfers," said Michael J. Sommers, CPA/PFS, of Advanced Tax Strategies, PC

Advisers say the account termination and annual maintenance fees are perhaps the most common of the lesser-known fees and other examples of these costs abound. Jason Branning, a certified financial planner with Branning Wealth Management, LLC, moved his client accounts from one large custodian (firms that hold the assets that advisers manage for clients) to another some seven years ago and faced the very same fees.

Another variation on the account termination fee comes with retirement accounts that use managed-money programs, such as mutual fund wrap accounts. Often, these accounts have termination fees that must be paid prior to money being moved from the current manager to a new money manager, according to Timothy P. Bogert, CLU, ChFC, LIC, AIF.

Mutual Fund Cost Basis Calculator - News


10 Costs That Can Ruin Your Retirement Savings

Another variation on the account termination fee comes with retirement accounts that use managed-money programs, such as mutual fund wrap accounts. Often, these accounts have termination fees that must be paid prior to money being moved from the



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Mutual Fund Cost Basis Calculator | Stock Research Pro

Your cost basis is the original dollar amount you paid for a mutual fund share or some other security. Whenever you sell shares of a mutual fund or some other security, you must report the gain or loss for the transaction to the IRS and in order to do this you must be able to calculate your costs for the different shares you have acquired over time (e.g. through re-investment of dividends).

The calculator below was developed to help you determine the cost basis for your mutual fund investments but if you should always check with your mutual fund company or broker as they should be able to provide you with statements to verify your cost basis. This is especially important when you make the decision to sell your mutual fund shares.


Mutual Fund Cost Basis Calculator - Bookshelf

Just Give Me the Answer$, Expert Advisors Address Your Most Pressing Financial Questions

Just Give Me the Answer$, Expert Advisors Address Your Most Pressing Financial Questions

TIP 124 HOW TO CALCULATE THE COST BASIS OF YOUR MUTUAL FUNDS Q. I sold some ... Calculation Methods If all the shares of a fund are sold, your basis is the ...

The Personal Finance Calculator, How to Calculate the Most Important Financial Decisions in Your Life

The Personal Finance Calculator, How to Calculate the Most Important Financial Decisions in Your Life

Add all the dollar amounts invested in the fund, including dividends and capital ... The average cost basis can get quite complex with additional sales and ...

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You can choose different accounting methods for each mutual fund you own. The four Capital Gains calculation methods are: • Actual cost basis using specific ...

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In most cases the basis of your mutual fund shares is whatever they cost you. ... mutual funds would routinely perform this calculation for shareholders. ...

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Any new monies you put into the fund — cash, reinvested capital gains, or dividend income — become part of the cost basis calculation. ...

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Mutual Fund Cost Basis
Calculating the cost basis of a mutual fund is somehow complicated. This article aims to explain what exactly a mutual fund cost basis is and how you can manage it.

Mutual Fund Cost Basis Calculator | Stock Research Pro
Mutual fund investors need to understand their cost basis in order to arrive at a capital gain or loss for tax purposes.

Personal Fund | Mutual Fund Cost Calculator | Learn More
Indeed, most people and most mutual funds actually do worse than the market averages each ... Indeed, we hope this Cost Calculator will continue to prove useful ...

NetBasis - Mutual Funds
It provides highly accurate cost basis calculation that addresses the complexities inherent in mutual fund cost basis accounting due to factors such as: ...

Cost Basis Calculator plus historical cost and dividends ...
Everything required for reconstructing cost basis - company history library, calculator and research tools ... Full Company History on 80,000+ US Equity and Mutual Funds ...