Cost Control Calculator

Small expenses can seem inconsequential in the short run, however inefficient investments with higher fees and poor tax management can take a big bite out of your portfolio in the long run. Focus on the things you can control – fees and taxes. And use our Osbon Cost Control Calculator (below) to see just how much these small improvements add up over time.

Relentless on expenses
Morningstar’s most recent figures show that the average annual expense ratio on mutual funds is 126 basis points – that’s 1.26 percent out of your pocket into the fund managers’. On ETF index funds, that average drops to 76 basis points with many broad exposure ETFs charging only 5 basis points. The fee war on ETFs should continue to drive these costs lower, but many companies still feel they get away with big fees. Why pay more for the same thing?

It’s all about what you keep, not what you make
Reporting investment performance after fees is mandatory. After-tax, however, is not. And without knowing what your after-tax performance is, you are looking at an incomplete picture. Watch out for performance driven by taxable realized short and long term gains, and capital gains distributions. Tax drag on a standard 50% equity and 50% bond portfolio in our experience is routinely 70-100 basis points. This can be avoided.

Anti-taxing
How do we avoid a tax drag? Two things. Tax loss harvesting, we like to call it anti-taxing, where we manage all portfolio changes with little to no tax bill. Simple but not easy. Secondly, we use tax-efficient ETFs that pass our efficiency test.

Introducing: The Osbon Labs Cost Control Calculator

The SEC recently released an investor bulletin highlighting the real mathematics behind this called How Fees and Expenses Affect Your Investment Portfolio. Here is a calculator to help demonstrate the impact of the drag that taxes and expenses can have on a $1,000,000 portfolio over 10 years. Simply enter your assumption for annual return (default: 7%) and different levels of expenses in basis points to see the net effect.


Free up your money
Virtually every portfolio we review has and tax exposure lurking in the shadows. We encourage you to ask your advisor about your performance after fees and after taxes. In the end it’s not about what you make, its really all about what you can keep.

So where should you look? And how can you find these fees? We’re happy to do an analysis of your portfolio. You can reach us anytime at 617 217 2772.


This article may include forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements (including words such as “believe,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” “should,” and “expect”). Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Various factors could cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements.



Nothing in this article is intended to be or should be construed as individualized investment advice. All content is of a general nature. Individual investors should consult their investment adviser, accountant, and/or attorney for specifically tailored advice.

Any references to third-party data or opinions are listed for informational purposes only and have not been verified for accuracy by the Adviser. Adviser does not endorse the statements, services or performance of any third-party vendor without specifically assessing the suitability of a third-party to a client’s or a prospective client’s needs and objectives.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.  Investment in securities, including mutual funds and ETFs, may result in loss of income and/or principal.

An investment cannot be made directly in an index.

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