INVESTMENT COSTS
Pay attention to the costs attached to the specific investments you purchase. Many mutual funds still charge commissions of as much as 5.75 percent to buy, but you can eliminate those costs by purchasing no-load funds from reputable firms such as Vanguard.
Don’t overlook annual expense ratios when buying investments like exchange-traded funds. The Schwab Standard & Poor’s 500 index fund charges just 0.03 percent annually, whereas the SPDR S&P 500 index fund charges 0.09 percent — three times as much.
Annual Savings: $1,437.50 for a $25,000 investment in a load versus no-load fund