More and more people will sell out and there will be more self directed IRA money.  People are fundamentally lazy, but this beating will make them willing to work a little harder.  I also expect more tangible assets and less financial assets in portfolios even though hard assets have had a bad year too.  At least you do not have a broker telling to to stand firm and ride off the cliff which is exactly what most of them did.  The fee increases will just help people decide.

Vanguard Index 500

Expense Ratio - 0.07% - Admiral Shares - 2009

Expense Ratio - 0.15% - Investor Shares - 2009

gotta love it.

I'd like to echo Gordon's comments.  Why not just use Vanguard instead, where there are no 5.75% loads and other associated fees to worry about?

I am sick and tired of this whole investment stock market hype and lying and all the so called making judgements as to where the best place to invest today when tha boat sailed yesterday and you were not on it thing. Know What I mean?

One year ago I self-directed all my $1768000.00 into  Annuities with several Companies.  Not AIG {Thank God}.  They were paying 6% for ten years then 4 percent for the next whatever.  I will hit my goal of three milliom in time for my retirement and will have slept well.  Pigs  get fat,  Hogs get slaughtered

Thank You very much

I agree Vanguard is a good Company.

Vanguard in my opinion is the best,Jack Bogle started a fine company. I have been with them for 30 years and have been entirely satisfied.

Having been a broker / investment advisor for many years, although not accepting new money for the past 9 years, I never rcommended a client use anything except a no-load fund.  I did this from 2000 on because I no longer needed to unintentionally screw people.  I came to the industry in 1992 and left the big wire house environment two years latter, because I sa how the other borkers screwed clients with only the clients best interest in mind. LOL.  I could no longer look a client in the face and tell them this was better than that just to make MONEY.  Ethicical transactions were something we were supposed to do, but in order to survive, meaning hit quotas you either gave up the ethics and followed the firms mandates or left ( as I did ) and started a small ethical operation.  

With the advent of the ETFs along with the no-load funds I was able to do HONEST business, earn my living, sleep at night without regrets, and service my clients interests with and ethical business relationship.  Ladies and gentleman, your average broker is out for one and only one person, HIMSELF / HERSELF.  The more assets under management the wealthier they become and the less each small account means to the broker.  Further every broker earsn .25% or 25 basis points yearly on every dollar at a load mutual fund each and every quarter. They get get this payment from the mutual fund, ultimately from you, whether they deserve it or not.  If they leave XYZ brokerage, the money is paid to the brokerage firm, unless the broker has asked you to move the account and you have.  Again I saw people that had mutual funds and never ever got a phone call from a broker, or a broker died and the brokerage firm made the account a house account, took the money every quarter and actually laughed at the stupdity of the client.  Likewise, I saw accounts divvied up basd on value to the broker, amount of potential work for the broker, or given to the new broker to get started.   This is what you get when you purchase a load fund from a broker / dealer and don't expect to get anything but screwed with a smile on the broker's / advisers face, not your's.

Why has no one mentioned, how American equity funds have the most funds that have beat the S & P 500 average over every 10 year period since they have been in existance. Not to mention with a lower beta then the index funds hands down. Will some of you Vanguard freaks check AGTHX vs the S & P or ANWPX vs the global index over the last 10 and 20 years, Even with the load, you beat the market handsomely with less risk. Especially note 2000 when AGTHX was up 7% and the S & P was down 7%. Well worth the laod and the .50-.75 basis points of total fees includidng the .25 for the broker who could possibly help you if your not an experienced investor. You all may learn something.  

Have not monies been diminishing in mutual funds for years, especially as ETFs grew in number.  Mutual funds will probably not die any time soon, but they have certainly seen their peak.  Recent market performance accelerates what the tech-bubble popping started, and ETFs seem the clear winners.  Should 401Ks offer ETFs in addition to or in lieu of mutual funds, ...

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