San Diego, CA. – If there was a critical fact or missing piece of information that was costing you money or could cause a problem in your future, when would you want to find out about it?”

A good example of this is mutual funds fees.  When they aren’t quantified and subtracted out ahead of time many people don’t know what impact they actually have on their true returns. Steve Sexton advises about how to determine how much you are paying to have your money managed for you.  In an age of high tech gadgets, you’d assume tracking this would be easier but it’s not.

So here’s a quick tutorial on how mutual fund costs add up and how you can do some homework for yourself.

In the boxes below, you’ll see three versions of the same mutual fund: the Alliance Bernstein 2030 Retirement fund.  You’ll see there are three different purchase options.

Let’s take a look at the costs associated with owning the Alliance Bernstein 2030 A share version.

There is an initial load of 4.25% which means if you buy this fund there is a built in cost of $425 per $10,000 purchased – so on a twenty thousand dollar fund purchase you’d pay a commission of $850 – so, your initial $20,000 on day one would put $19,150 to work for you.  Larger investments often get “discounted” through breakpoint discounts; so the larger the investment the smaller percentage fee.  There is also an on-going cost in the .65% management fee and the .30% 12b-1 marketing fee – so when you add it up, it’s a little less than 1% on-going (actually, .95%).
So, is B better?  Well, you’ll see there is still a sales charge. It is just deferred, and if you wait long enough it’ll go away – so, in B share funds the fee is more of an early redemption fee or a “back-out” fee.  These are often marketed as no-load funds but that is an inappropriate description plus you’ll see the on-going management fee is significantly higher at 1.72% which is a .77% higher annual cost.  After the deferred sales charge period the B share converts into an A share and the costs reduce to the A share management fee schedule.
So, is C the right choice?  Again, you’ll see the higher expense ratio and a redemption fee of 1%.  These are often marketed as “advisors shares” as the advisor typically has a “trail” commission coming from the fund for acting as the advisor.  C shares were designed for a shorter duration investment.
How to choose the right fund?  “Well there’s more to it than share class – a lot more,” said Steve Sexton, President of Sexton Advisory Group. “Mutual funds struggle with the strain of forced diversification and the drain of redemption both of which makes tax management difficult.  A fund manager’s decision to sell for diversification purposes or to get money together for investors cashing out affects your tax bill – in 2000, the tax bill to American Investors during the “hot market” was $19.8 BILLION Dollars” (http://www.sec.gov/news/speech/spch491.htm.).

Would knowing this information have had an impact when you purchased these mutual funds to begin with?  We believe you should know all the facts before choosing an investment vehicle to make sure it is in your best interest.  The decision to invest and where to invest is a difficult one, and, all too often, retirees and those seeking retirement make purchases for all the wrong reasons – like: past performance, a “hot” tip or advice from an unreliable source (like the internet).

An ideal situation is when you find an advisor you can trust; who’ll tell you straight what a reasonable expectation is, and, who speaks enough about safety that you are comfortable not just with the return on your money but the actual future return of your money. Slow and steady seems a logical way to win the race to a secure retirement.

For more information on how Steve Sexton can help, please visit www.sextonadvisorygroup.com.

For media inquiries only, please contact Jenn Horner at [email protected].

About Steve Sexton:

Steve Sexton has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry and holds multiple licenses and designations. His company, Sexton Advisory Group has grown steadily over the last eight years and has seven offices serving Riverside and San Diego Counties.

Sexton is a well known media expert and has been asked to appear on a variety of Southern California media over the past three years to share his expertise. Starting in May, he will also be hosting his own radio show.

Sexton also works with many charities. He has sponsored special events for various charities, such as A Salute to the Military, benefitting Pat Boone’s Ryan’s Reach charity, events for Hospice of the Valleys and many more.