If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Q: I know you and many others are big fans of low-cost index investing. I would agree. It is just simple math. It makes total sense in a rational world. But I don't think all managed funds are bad, or that paying a commission is totally irrational. Some of your past articles give a nod of approval to the American Funds, sold by commissioned brokers.
My experience is that they have their place. If it hadn't been for a commissioned broker selling me American Funds and helping me develop a plan and holding me accountable, I would not have the start that I have on retirement funding. I was a finance major in college and knew the basics of investing, but I needed a "nudge" to make me an investor.
When my wife and I got married 16 years ago, I had a small IRA rollover ($10,000) from a previous employer. Now at age 41 (and she at 38), we have combined retirement assets (all earned and saved ourselves) of just over $600,000, 100 percent invested in American Funds. I am more knowledgeable than I was then. I would be very comfortable in self-directed index-type investments. The question is, should I?
I don't know how to quantify what my broker may bring to the table when it comes time for asset liquidation and spending. I have a pretty good handle on accumulating assets. It's the distribution, changing Social Security, taxation, and policy risk of a broken government that worries me.
Is there some middle ground when using a broker? Am I crazy to be doing that? It seems like most articles are totally against it. I would like your opinion on people like myself who may be using a lower-cost managed fund family. I think it has worked pretty well for us. It occurs to me that many of the "experts" writing articles probably don't have a fraction of the assets we've busted our butts to build. -- K.K., Clovis, New Mexico
A: The first thing that came to mind as I read your note was, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." In an ideal world, all investors would be well-informed, risk-tolerant, and happy to take the responsibility for their savings and retirement. But lots of people don't want to take the responsibility, or do the learning. And many of the people willing to do both don't have the temperament to cope with market ups and downs. So if you are comfortable today, keep on keeping on.
You can increase your feeling of personal security by doing an annual review of your investments, checking their performance against their indexes. Remember, while the American Funds group can rightfully brag on some of their funds doing better than the market over long time periods, they can't claim that for all of their funds. Doing that exercise will also keep you prepared for taking an exit if it becomes necessary.
If reader mail is any indication, the greatest danger you face is having your current broker replaced by another broker who suddenly finds "superior opportunities" in another commissioned product. If that happens, be prepared to move your money.
A big expense-sensitivity shift is in process. Until recently, most people didn't pay much attention to the cost of investing. Today, the focus on cost has reached almost obsessive levels. Some people are shifting exchange-traded funds because one costs one basis point (that's 1/100th of 1 percent) less than another.
In fact, lots of things are in motion in these funds. But such tiny expense changes simply aren't meaningful. Cutting investment expenses from nearly 2 percent down to 0.6 percent or 0.2 percent, however, is a great achievement.
Finally, let's be realistic about what you can expect from any adviser (or newspaper columnist). We listen to others for perspective and understanding. Everything about the future is a guess. It may be a well-informed guess, but it is still a guess. You make your best-informed guess. Then take your chances. Just remember that a baseball player who hits .300 earns the really big bucks. The time to leave the room is when someone offers to share his crystal ball for what he calls a modest fee, like every dime of interest and dividends your money can earn.
(Questions about personal finance and investments may be sent by email to scott@scottburns.com. Please visit www.assetbuilder.com to comment on any of his articles, find referenced Web links or to discuss personal finance topics on his forums. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns and on the website.
(Scott Burns is a principal of the Plano, Texas-based investment firm AssetBuilder Inc., a registered investment adviser. The opinions of this article do not necessarily reflect the views of AssetBuilder Inc. This information is distributed for education purposes, and it is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, recommendation or endorsement of any particular security, product or service.)
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(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Alan McDermott at amcdermott@amuniversal.com.)
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