[jiwonstr]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to start investing in no-load mutual fund because of low fee. I recently opened up with Vanguard Roth IRA and invested in their STAR fund.

Does Vanguard have no-load funds available? If not, where would be the best place to open up an account for no-load funds?

I'll eventually invest in stocks later too, so if possible, I'd like to keep my account under one name (vanguard).

Thanks

[KCDave]

The STAR fund is a no load fund. Purchase Fee = 0, Redemption Fee = 0. Vnaguard has a lot of no load funds. All this information is available on their web site

[FrankK]

I would recommend the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. This fund provides broad exposure to the entire US stock market - big, medium, and small companies. And it is a no load fund with very low annual maintenance fees - 80% or so less than the average actively managed fund. This is the only fund I own outside of my 401k. You can find enrollment information on the Vanguard website.

Vanguard isn't a brokerage company, so you can't buy and sell individual stocks through them. You can, however, buy mutual funds through brokerage firms like E-Trade, but you will pay a fee for the convenience of having everything "under on roof." My recommendation would be to have a Vanguard account and a brokerage account. Maintaining two accounts isn't much more trouble than one and it will save you money over the long-term.

Finally, I would suggest that the vast majority of your wealth be in mutual funds and a much smaller portion be in individual stocks. I know I'm not Warren Buffett. I am a mere human who, left to his own devices, typically buys high and sells low. So I allow myself to invest 10 percent of my wealth in individual stocks. Basically this is my "play money."

I hope this is helpful to you. Best of luck.