This week I had the opportunity to pick the funds for my 401K and was overwhelmed with all of the options. I ended picking the following two funds:
Vanguard Growth Index Fund (VIGAX)
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Top Holdings
(as of 12-31-14) |
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Apple Inc
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7.9%
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Coca-Cola Co
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2.0%
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Google Inc Class A
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1.7%
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Gilead Sciences Inc
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1.7%
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Google Inc Class C
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1.7%
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Facebook Inc Class A
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1.7%
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Oracle Corporation
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1.6%
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Walt Disney Co
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1.6%
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Philip Morris International Inc
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1.5%
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Home Depot Inc
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1.5%
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Totals 22.9% of
assets
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Vanguard
Value Index Fund (VVIAX)
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Top Holdings
(as of 12-31-14) |
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Exxon Mobil Corporation
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3.7%
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Microsoft Corp
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3.4%
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Johnson & Johnson
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2.9%
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Wells Fargo & Co
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2.7%
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Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B
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2.6%
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General Electric Co
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2.5%
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Procter & Gamble Co
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2.3%
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JPMorgan Chase & Co
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2.2%
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Chevron Corp
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2.0%
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Verizon Communications Inc
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2.0%
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Totals 26.3% of assets
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Expense Ratio for each of
these funds is currently 0.94
Cost per $1,000 = $9.40
My concern is that I don't have current exposure to international funds at this time. Vanguard has the lowest expense ratios which is why I went with two of their funds. I also don't know a lot about funds, but I would like to eventually get into a foreign fund as well. I am content with what I have picked to start off with but I am unsure if I should add to this.
What do you think? Should
I add a foreign fund or any other type of fund? What are some
great funds that have worked out well for you?Cost per $1,000 = $9.40
My concern is that I don't have current exposure to international funds at this time. Vanguard has the lowest expense ratios which is why I went with two of their funds. I also don't know a lot about funds, but I would like to eventually get into a foreign fund as well. I am content with what I have picked to start off with but I am unsure if I should add to this.
DM,
ReplyDeleteMy employer only allows us to use certain index funds (500s, 100s, fixed, foreign, etc). over the past year, my 500 grew the most with my small caps coming a close second. My foreign investments actually lost me money.
I actually heard Vdigx is actually a really good fund to buy and hold but haven't done any research on it.
BDI,
ReplyDeleteI was actually looking for some kind of dividend growth fund but to my knowledge, VDIGX was not offered. I am going to have to take a second look at some point. I also found that many funds had over a 1.10 expense ratio except for the Vanguard funds. This was very alarming because it ends up getting very expensive once you accumulate a large sum in your 401K account. Thanks for your insight on this. I am going to check again for a dividend growth fund.
The expense ratio is nuts!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
DeleteUnfortunately these were the two lowest expense ratios available. I think normally Vanguard funds are lower than everyone else. So if I had a portfolio of $500,000 than the fees would be $4,700. That sounds nuts to me to.
Year after year after year...it is really going to add up quick.
DeleteAnonymous,
DeleteI agree that this will eventually get very expensive. I did my research and found that there is no way around getting a lower expense ratio. I think getting a 100% matching contribution will certainly make up for the fees. I read that the expense ratio is higher in a 401K in general. If I had just bought these funds from Vanguard, it would be a lot less. However I also wouldn't be getting a matching contribution.
Were those the lowest cost funds in your 401 (k)? If you are limited to funds, stick to a broad based US Large-Cap, Mid/Small Cap and a Broad International Fund ( assuming you are not paying more than 0.10 - 0.15%).
ReplyDeleteDGI,
DeleteI couldn't find any funds with a low cost ratio of less than 0.94. I am going to double check to see what the expense ratio are for a Broad International Fund will be. There was one that caught my eye. It was called the International Equity Index Fun (JIEQX) and the expense ratio was 0.97. Do you think this is too costly or is it reasonable with other funds?
If you buy JIEQX direct the fees are 3x lower. It appears to be some sort of insurance product. How much is just investing your dough into a cash account? I think over the next 5 years a cash account will probably beat the market + those tacked on fees.
DeleteI would just put in the bare minimum to get the full match. The fees are too high.
Anonymous,
DeleteThe company matches 100% up to the first 5K. So I am having $192 taking from my pay bi-weekly. The company is matching that, so my 401K will certainly be adding up within a few years. I think it is one of the best company matched policies that I have seen. I am staying conservative with the two funds I have chosen. I did notice that if you buy JIEQX direct that it is 3X lower, but I think the higher expense ratio is due to management fees from the broker.
These 2 funds at Vanguard seem fine but I agree the MER are kind of high particularly, these are the Admiral versions at 0.09% directly at Vanguard.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess you did not have much choice here...
Regarding the international exposure, in my latest post I am mentioning the vanguard funds I am considering adding soon.
Fab Savings,
DeleteYou are right. I don't have much of a choice as far as the expense ratio goes. I picked the two lowest expense ratios and both funds are conservative. I think these funds will do very well in the long term. The best part is I will be getting a 100% match so these should at up in no time. I will also be providing a quarterly report on how these funds are doing.
Dividend Mongrel,
ReplyDeleteVanguard funds are usually pretty good and low cost is really nice. My 403b only lets me pick funds even though I like stocks better. I have a wide variety of funds in there. Fidelity and Vanguard mostly right now and a small cap one that has high expenses kind of, but seems like the managers are smart.
I have been building a cash reserves for awhile so I can get a brokerage link started within it and open up an even wider range of fund options.
DSI,
ReplyDeleteI looked through the entire list of options and only Vanguard had funds that were less than a 1.00 Expense ratio. Everything else was higher than 1.19 which was concerning to me. I think these funds will do well in the long term considering they are both low risk. I thought about adding a Mid and Small cap fund from Vanguard but decided against it because I wanted to keep the risk tolerance low. I am going to provide a report on how these funds are doing on a quarterly basis so I can keep track of it. The good thing is I can re-balance whenever at no cost.
I like the buys personally. Vangaurd is a solid low cost reliable product. I like the idea for funds for intl exposure as it is easy to manage especially currency hedging.
ReplyDeleteA-G,
DeleteThank you very much. I think Vanguard has an international fund, but the cost ratio is slightly higher. I am going to look further into it. I may try to re balance next quarter depending on how these funds are doing.