[Ski Bum]

If you have the time and enjoy managing your portfolio, go for it. I do not. I use Edward Jones and enjoy meeting with my advisor twice a year and tweaking my investments. Depending on the investment in the account, charges are somewhere between .5% - 1%. But that is irrelevant. The important thing is your net return. For the last 20 years, my account has generated about 8%. Half of that is in reinvested dividends, the other half is growth in value. And I never have a day worrying about my money.

One of the best things for me is for tax season, my Edward Jones account downloads straight into TurboTax. One click and I am done with investment taxes.

[Tallman]

I would stick with Fidelity one of the best investment firms in the industry. They have a great tax managed US equity fund thats up 35% 1yr and does a good job with tax loss harvesting so you show great gains with hardly any tax liability. Their managed fund fees are lower then any other investment firm I have reasearched. Their cash accounts earn 5.14% you get 3% back on credit card purchases and pay no ATM fees. They have great customer service, very responsive.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Bobnfl

Who do you have to manage your money if you do. We have Fidelity and am wondering if it is worth it or is there a better way. Are local investment companies better? What is the normal charge at other companies? I know Fidelity charges over 1%, is that too much. They have started pushing annuities more & more. Which I try to stay away from. Please give me some insight into what other people do.

Forget annuities. Go to The Villages Investment Club Meetings to get in-depth answers to your questions.

[MidWestIA]

I manage my own on Fidelity and I can buy ANYTHING on there. I buy what's going up and stop loss pretty quick I don't think they can keep up with the way my year has gone. BUT it takes alot of time and tracking to see who is going up NOW.

Contact CHARISSE Zinnia Wealth and Drew Capital Group heard their talk they seemed good and may use Drew to update my trust & will

[Plinker]

Although I have always managed our assets, you can’t go wrong with one of the mega brokerages like Vanguard or Fidelity. If you want investment advice, at Vanguard you can speak to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) as often as you please and pay a small 0.3% AUM fee. Their expense ratios ore among the lowest on the planet and, therefore, you will keep more of your returns.
Why would anyone hire a micro firm? It must be the sales pitch. Their expenses are likely to be substantially higher and will probably suggest high-commission products you don’t need. If you feel you need an in-person experience, then Fidelity has offices in TV.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by Tallman

I would stick with Fidelity one of the best investment firms in the industry. They have a great tax managed US equity fund thats up 35% 1yr and does a good job with tax loss harvesting so you show great gains with hardly any tax liability. Their managed fund fees are lower then any other investment firm I have reasearched. Their cash accounts earn 5.14% you get 3% back on credit card purchases and pay no ATM fees. They have great customer service, very responsive.

I would be interested to know the name/symbol of the tax managed US equity fund that you mentioned. IIRC, Fidelity's credit card offers 2% cash back. Thanks.

[curtmcgee]

Fidelity is the best service company on the planet. Curt

[justjim]

I use to manage my own until
shortly after full retirement. Edward Jones takes care of most of my investments now with the exceptions of real estate and my T. Roe Price account I established through my previous employer. I highly recommend both companies. Price for mutual funds and Edward Jones for both stocks and mutual funds. I rarely look at either until tax time or annual meetings. Life is too short and we still have some “things” on our bucket list. But to each their own.

[Tallman]

Hi. Fidelity Tax-Managed U.S. Equity Index Strategy is the name of the fund. Also for 3rd tier customers 3% is the cash back on their cards. Nick from Fidelity manages this for me; 630-577-1396 ext 79843.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by Tallman

Hi. Fidelity Tax-Managed U.S. Equity Index Strategy is the name of the fund. Also for 3rd tier customers 3% is the cash back on their cards. Nick from Fidelity manages this for me; 630-577-1396 ext 79843.

Oh, it's a separately managed account or portfolio, not a publicy traded fund. Thank you.

[Robbb]

Originally Posted by MidWestIA

I manage my own on Fidelity and I can buy ANYTHING on there. I buy what's going up and stop loss pretty quick I don't think they can keep up with the way my year has gone. BUT it takes alot of time and tracking to see who is going up NOW.

Contact CHARISSE Zinnia Wealth and Drew Capital Group heard their talk they seemed good and may use Drew to update my trust & will

How do you know whats "going up now" is not going to crash tomorrow.

[certcars]

We like Charles Schwab’s Intelligent Portfolio. There’s a flat fee of $30 regardless of the size of your portfolio.

[coralway]

The best mm you can possibly hire is yourself. At the end of the day the only person responsible for your finances/investments is YOU,

[BikeRiders]

[Great advice!!!! QUOTE=petsetc;2314737]My obligatory post to anyone seeking investment advice.

Take time to read Paul Merriman’s 3 FREE ebooks.
1. First-Time Investor
2. 101 Investment Decisions
3. Get Smart or Get Screwed (read this first!)

Found at paulmerriman.com

Also on his site are recommended portfolios for using Vanguard, Fidelity, T.Rowe Price or Schwab for DYI'ers. Much good info, ignore the puffery and sales pitches.

Also, if you want to know too much about annuities, listen to Stan The Annuity Man® | Brutally Honest Facts About Annuities podcasts.

Podcast - Have Fun With Annuities(R) | The Annuity Man

Last recommendation is FIRECalc: A different kind of retirement calculator , a Monte Carlo simulation of your future.

FWIW[/QUOTE].

[dougawhite]

Buy what I sell and sell what I buy; you'll earn very high returns!