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Investment Fees: How A 1% Hit Can Be Worth More Than Half of Your Portfolio
by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist, The Oxford Club
Thursday, February 15, 2007: Issue # 641
With so many discount brokers and cost-conscious investments out there (like no-load funds and ETFs), we’ve been lulled into believing that we no longer have to worry about excessive investment fees eating up our returns.
Just recently, my uncle was bragging about how happy he was with the “reasonable” 1% he’s charged on his investments. I mean, can 1% really be considered excessive? If someone were willing to pay you a 1% return, “excessive” would be the last word you’d choose to describe the arrangement.
But it’s not the fees themselves that hurt – it’s the loss of the compounded value of those fees
Without fees, a $100,000 portfolio earning 10% a year grows to $11.7 million after 50 years. Add in a 1% fee, and your ending value quickly shrinks by $4.6 million. (Only $794,000 of that difference is actually fees. The rest comes from the lost gains associated with those fees compounded over time.)
Long story short: Even “reasonable” fees can cost us dearly.
How To Reduce Your Investment Fees
We all know we can’t invest for free. But we can take steps to reduce our expenses. How? Trade as little as possible. Doing so, according to Vanguard founder John Bogle, can shave half a percentage point off your expenses.
This is certainly easier said than done, considering we’re all hardwired for some churn. But here are two recommendations we’re convinced will help
First, always use trailing stops. Doing so will ensure the markets, not impatience, dictate exit points. Plus, it’s an easy way to maximize your holding period, let your winners run – and postpone and reduce costly fees.
Plus, it works.
At The Oxford Club, we’ve held onto 20 out of 33 positions in our trading portfolio for more than a year, thanks to our 25% trailing-stop discipline. And that’s saving us money by avoiding both transaction cost investment fees and higher short-term capital gains tax rates.
The second thing to do is consider loading up on investments that you’ll likely never have to unload. Doing so effectively cuts your trading costs in half. And yes, these stocks do exist.
Fight Investing Fees with Trees
Take, for instance, Rayonier (NYSE: RYN) – one of the country’s largest timberland owners. The reasons it’s such a rare buy-and-hold investment are straightforward.
First, you get a Treasury-like yield of 4.2%. And although it’s not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, you don’t need that reassurance with this company.
Instead, there’s safety in the fact that timber has had just three down years since 1960. Stocks, on the other hand (as represented by the S&P 500), have had 11.
On top of a reliable income stream, you also get steady appreciation. Timber has outperformed stocks by a 4% margin for roughly 30 years. Rayonier has fared even better, outperforming the S&P 500 by more than double that amount in the past decade.
Lastly, timber investments have very little correlation with stocks, making them a great diversifier. And since Rayonier owns more than 2 million prime acres, there’s no easier way to gain instant exposure.
In short, seemingly low fees can take a serious toll on your investment portfolio’s long-term performance. Use a 25% trailing stop to guide – and reduce the number of – your trades. And look for high-quality stocks you can hold for years.
Good investing,
Louis Basenese
Today’s Investment U Crib Sheet
- The primary role of trailing stops is to protect your principal and your profits. Oxford Club Investment Director Alexander Green recommends placing a sell stop 25% below your entry price. As the stock rises, you raise the trailing stop. In other words, if you buy a stock at $20, your stop loss is at $15. When the stock hits $32, your stop loss (still trailing at 25%) will be at $24. If the stock closes at or below your stop loss, you sell. No questions asked. This takes the guesswork out of investing. And ensures you always let your winners ride and cut your losses early.
- Rayonier has been an Oxford Club holding for almost three years now. And members are sitting on a 71% gain – excluding its 4.2% dividend yield. Here are the Club’s top income-producing holdings, whose 96 dividend checks a year can be reinvested, received as cash or be used to purchase more investments.
- Trailing Stops Made Simple…
- Why Doing Nothing is the Right Investment Strategy
- Timberland Stocks: Why It’s Time to Knock on Wood for Profits… Literally
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In addition to being the foremast expert on small-cap stocks, Louis is also well versed in special situations including IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, spinoffs and contrarian investments. His commentary has been featured in several media outlets, including MarketWatch. And he's also a top-rated speaker at financial conferences throughout the country. 
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