A safe harbor for mutual fund pirates

�The Wallet Doctor�
A financial newsletter for long-term investors!
Volume 1, Issue 16
Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D.

A SAFE HARBOR FOR MUTUAL FUND PIRATES!

Soft dollars, a form of legal kickback, is a sly way you can get ripped off by mutual fund managers. Full service brokers give these kickbacks to non-indexed mutual funds in the form of a �rebate� to purchase research, software, and even computer equipment.

You pay for these soft dollars! In recent years, the SEC estimated that soft-dollar deals exceeded $1 billion. Typically, $1 accrues for every $1.60 of brokerage commissions paid. Congress made these kickbacks legal in 1975 when it passed the �safe harbor� law. The legislation allows fund managers to pay more in commissions than is necessary, as long as the excess comes back in the form of services or research that benefits investors.

The problem is that this has created an opaque system that can be abused. In 1998, the SEC found that some money mangers were using soft dollars to pay for salaries, office rent, and even vacations! Think about this. You sweat every day at work to make a living. You buy a mutual fund to secure your retirement. Then the person who is supposedly protecting your retirement is sipping Margaritas in Cancun discussing with his or her buddies where to buy their next mansion with your retirement dollars!
The second problem is that many funds are not taking advantage of cost saving efficiencies in their operations just so that they can keep the soft-dollar spigot open. Think about this as well.

If you had enough money to not have to work you would spend a considerable amount of time looking for safe places with a good return for your money. You would not waste money on things your family did not want and hence did not need. Why five your money then to a mutual fund managers who could care less if they waste some of your retirement dollars; its no skin off their back! The best way to avoid these losses altogether is to restrict your purchases of mutual funds to your 401(k) and try to only buy indexed mutual funds such as the Vanguard 500 (FINX).
If you want to learn more about investing in individual stocks get my course �The Blue-Collar Base Bonanza � What the insiders [definitely] don�t want you to know!� More detailed information about the course is on my website at http://walletdoctor.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=3&c=208.

OUR MISSION:
The mission of the Delano Max Wealth Institute is to guide investors toward a secure retirement with the peace of mind that comes from the elimination of fear of investing and recognition of abundance within us instead of perception of lack in the world outside of us. We are driven by compassion for our fellow sentient beings, not fear of them, recognizing the equality and self evident rights of all, and are committed to conducting business based on the principles of the golden rule. Because of this commitment, we promise the following: To teach our students in the most simple, plain language wherever possible. To teach our students how to save consistently in increasing increments with increasing wealth: To teach our students how to diversify: To teach our students how to avoid large losses as best we know how: To teach our students how to turn away anything that sounds too good to be true: To share every secret we know about investing with investors who participate in our trainings. Finally, the Delano Max Wealth Institute promises to lead the way with innovative courses and seminars, bringing benefits to all who are associated with us.

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