Fees for buying Vanguard target funds outside Vanguard

Submitted by SearchApprehensive35 t3_yijbmg in personalfinance

I own Vanguard target date funds through a Vanguard IRA. I am preparing to become an expat, so I need to move the IRA to a more expat-friendly company. I'd like to stay invested in the same funds though. What is unclear to me is whether there are extra fees imposed for buying a Vanguard fund via a third party such as Schwab or Fidelity. I've read the prospectuses and fee schedules, and only understand maybe half. Where should I be looking to identify any brokerage premiums on top of the fund's own baseline fees?

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DeluxeXL t1_iuizint wrote

The commissions are charged by the brokerage, so you won't find any of those information on Vanguard.

Example: Fidelity and Schwab charge $75 to buy Vanguard mutual funds. However, they also have their own versions of target date index funds. So you should switch if you switch brokerage.

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SearchApprehensive35 OP t1_iuj29lt wrote

Thanks, I should have been clearer that I meant I read those on the Fidelity and Schwab sites, trying to find anything that looked like an additional fee over what Vanguard itself charges. I can't find any mention of the $75 fee at Fidelity. It's not on https://www.fidelity.com/trading/commissions-margin-rates for instance. Where should I be looking to catch this type of thing?

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jennypenny220 t1_iuj06bt wrote

You have to look at Fidelity and Schwab (or any other firm's) fees. Fidelity generally charges $75 to buy Vanguard funds.

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ahj3939 t1_iuj1maa wrote

Many brokers charge a fee to buy non-preferred funds.

Just buy the funds with no fee, there is nothing special about a Vanguard target date fund or even total market index fund compared to Schwab, Fidelity, iShares, etc.

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