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by akor 1891 days ago
> ...but what most investors don't know is that WealthFront have zero chance too. So the aim is to equal what they do without their mad fees...

Can someone help me understand this comment as to my knowledge WeathFront (WF) fees were the lowest in the industry. For example people talk about Vanguard fees as also being low but they're between 0.25% and 1% [1]. If it makes a difference I'm specifically coming at it from the lens of IRA retirement contributions.

Is the parent post saying the alternative is to figure out what specific stocks/ETF/index WF is purchasing and then purchase those with something like eTrade?

TIA

[1] https://investor.vanguard.com/mutual-funds/fees
1 comments
freetime2 1890 days ago
Those vanguard fees that you reference aren't really applicable in a comparison with WealthFront. Those are one-time fees when you buy and sell shares, and only apply to a very small number of mutual funds (emerging markets bonds, international real estate, etc). Most vanguard investors don't invest in these funds or pay those fees, and I believe WealthFront doesn't even offer equivalent investments.

On the other hand, you pay that 0.25% fee that WealthFront charges every year, regardless of the performance of your portfolio, and it can pretty quickly amount to thousands of dollars per year.

Most brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Robinhood, etc) don't charge any sort of equivalent fee - they are free to open and maintain. And yes it is fairly easy to construct an equivalent portfolio made up of ETFs in a standard brokerage account. You would be losing out on the convenience of WealthFront's automated rebalancing and tax-lost harvesting, though.

Is the convenience of automated investment, rebalancing, and tax-lost harvesting worth paying 0.25% of your total account balance every year? For me, no. But I know some people who are really happy with services like WealthFront and Betterment. Especially for someone just getting started with investing, I would have no issues recommending those services.

Edit: also just noticed you are referring to a retirement account. In that case, WF's tax-loss harvesting feature would not be applicable (since retirement accounts are tax-free), so even less of an incentive to go with WF vs. DIY.

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