$20 challenge:

Balance 1/1: $400

1/6: $190 Broker Fees saved 2007
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Balance 1/6: $590
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I was just thinking about how much we changed things these last few months and as I am tracking it I Decided to see how much we paid in broker fees last year. About $200, not even counting any loads. Our new fee is $10 a year (though we may avoid that if we add $1k before to our funds before they take the fee).

I figure that is money saved and I would add it to the challenge.

In fact - on a monthly basis I want to compare how my investments are performing to the broker's. Somehow I feel confident mine will win. But I will separate it from the $20 challenge since it could be a loss. If it is - that is okay, but I want to keep it separate for tracking - I'll net the 2 at the end of the year. I think it could be fun to track. So far $190 saved though!!

Ooooh - suprise surprise - my index funds have fared $130 better in just 3 stock trade days than the broker's picks. In fact - we would have lost money in 2006 if we stuck with him - ridiculous. I won't do an update until the end of the month though - how much saved each month with the low cost index funds. not hte kid of thing you can compare ona daily basis - need a bigger picture. I know it is not too scientific because he bought and sold, but not very often and always had commissions/loads, etc. But what I do know is my self-managed 401k has fared WAY better over the years so it will be interesting to see how much better we do, not just on our own, but with a little more care and overseeing.

Will be an experiment...