AUS INVEST 42 GOOD INDEX FUND
From: espressy (bananabag@no-spam)
Subject: good index fund
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:53:25 +1000


I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on indices) for the core of my portfolio.

Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of dollar-cost-averaging.

Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.

Does anyone know of anything like what I'm looking for?

Cheers newbie









From: "Tom N" (tom@no-spam)
Subject: Re: good index fund
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:12:12 GMT

You can get into Vanguard through www.yourprosperity.com.au with lower minimums than your quote below. Your Prosperity charges 0.65% fee on top of the fees of the fund (although the wholesale fees you get this way are often more than 0.65% lower than the retail fees - you'd have to check the fees for Vanguard direct vs through Your Prosperity).

N.B. there are rumours that Your Prosperity is for sale by NAB (its owner).

Other approaches are a listed fund such as streetracks http://www.streettracks.com.au/ or Commonwealth Diversified Share Fund http://www.comsec.com.au/LearningCentre/frame.asp?Filename=CDISFund.asp
Or a listed investment company such as Argo or AFIC (these are not index funds but they are low cost).

Listed funds and listed investment companies can be bought and sold on the stock market so there is a very small minimum purchase. However if the $500
minimum additional investment is too much for you, that might not work for listed funds and listed investment companies because of brokerage (e.g.
Comsec charge of 19.95 for small trades would be nearly 4% of a $500 trade).

"espressy" <bananabag@no-spam> wrote in message news:beiv14$6q9$1@no-spam >
> I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on > indices) for the core of my portfolio.
>
> Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment > of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of > dollar-cost-averaging.
>
> Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some > allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.
>
> Does anyone know of anything like what I'm looking for?


Subject: Re: good index fund
From: Steve Ball (steveb@no-spam)
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 11:28:21 GMT

These...
http://www.streettracks.com.au/

are about the cheapest in terms of MER (but you pay brokerage on transactions as they're traded on the ASX).

HTH,
Steve = : ^ )

> > I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on > indices) for the core of my portfolio.
> > Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment > of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of > dollar-cost-averaging.
> > Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some > allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.
> > Does anyone know of anything like what I'm looking for?
> > Cheers > newbie >
-- Not my real email address of course but true all the same. Reply to steveb.bigpond@net@no-spam swapping the "." and the "@no-spam"s.


From: espressy (bananabag@no-spam)
Subject: Re: good index fund
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 15:38:23 +1000

Thanks for your input.

Vanguard MERs for wholesale and retail are 0.9% and 0.35%, yes the difference is unusually small.

I found the Commonwealth Diver Share Fund you mentioned interesting: I can avoid paying brokerage yet get the benefits of a listed fund.
I've never paid much attention to this fund, probly because Commonwealth doesn't do much promotion these days - I couldn't even get the PDS for the fund, the web page was down.

Cheers
Tom N wrote:
> You can get into Vanguard through www.yourprosperity.com.au with lower > minimums than your quote below. Your Prosperity charges 0.65% fee on top of > the fees of the fund (although the wholesale fees you get this way are often > more than 0.65% lower than the retail fees - you'd have to check the fees > for Vanguard direct vs through Your Prosperity).
> > N.B. there are rumours that Your Prosperity is for sale by NAB (its owner).
> > Other approaches are a listed fund such as streetracks > http://www.streettracks.com.au/ or > Commonwealth Diversified Share Fund > http://www.comsec.com.au/LearningCentre/frame.asp?Filename=CDISFund.asp > > Or a listed investment company such as Argo or AFIC (these are not index > funds but they are low cost).
> > Listed funds and listed investment companies can be bought and sold on the > stock market so there is a very small minimum purchase. However if the $500
> minimum additional investment is too much for you, that might not work for > listed funds and listed investment companies because of brokerage (e.g.
> Comsec charge of 19.95 for small trades would be nearly 4% of a $500 trade).
> > "espressy" <bananabag@no-spam> wrote in message > news:beiv14$6q9$1@no-spam > >>I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on >>indices) for the core of my portfolio.
>>
>>Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment >>of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of >>dollar-cost-averaging.
>>
>>Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some >>allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.
>>
>>Does anyone know of anything like what I'm looking for?
> > >

From: espressy (bananabag@no-spam)
Subject: Re: good index fund
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 15:45:36 +1000

Thanks for the info.
I'm quite surprised these funds are so big. The streetTRACKS S&P/ASX 200 has more than half a trillion in market capitalisation.

Cheers
Steve Ball wrote:
> These... > > http://www.streettracks.com.au/
> > are about the cheapest in terms of MER (but you pay brokerage on > transactions as they're traded on the ASX).
> > HTH,
> Steve = : ^ )
> > >>I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on >>indices) for the core of my portfolio.
>>
>>Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment >>of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of >>dollar-cost-averaging.
>>
>>Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some >>allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.
>>
>>Does anyone know of anything like what I'm looking for?
>>
>>Cheers >>newbie >>
> >

From: "Tom N" (tom@no-spam)
Subject: Re: good index fund
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 07:44:56 GMT

There is an ASX web page on listed managed investments http://www.asx.com.au/markets/lmis_am2.shtm
"espressy" <bananabag@no-spam> wrote in message news:beo6t3$51v$1@no-spam > Thanks for your input.
>
> Vanguard MERs for wholesale and retail are 0.9% and 0.35%, yes the > difference is unusually small.
>
> I found the Commonwealth Diver Share Fund you mentioned interesting: I > can avoid paying brokerage yet get the benefits of a listed fund.
> I've never paid much attention to this fund, probly because Commonwealth > doesn't do much promotion these days - I couldn't even get the PDS for > the fund, the web page was down.
>
> Cheers >
>
> Tom N wrote:
> > You can get into Vanguard through www.yourprosperity.com.au with lower > > minimums than your quote below. Your Prosperity charges 0.65% fee on top of > > the fees of the fund (although the wholesale fees you get this way are often > > more than 0.65% lower than the retail fees - you'd have to check the fees > > for Vanguard direct vs through Your Prosperity).
> >
> > N.B. there are rumours that Your Prosperity is for sale by NAB (its owner).
> >
> > Other approaches are a listed fund such as streetracks > > http://www.streettracks.com.au/ or > > Commonwealth Diversified Share Fund > > http://www.comsec.com.au/LearningCentre/frame.asp?Filename=CDISFund.asp > >
> > Or a listed investment company such as Argo or AFIC (these are not index > > funds but they are low cost).
> >
> > Listed funds and listed investment companies can be bought and sold on the > > stock market so there is a very small minimum purchase. However if the $500
> > minimum additional investment is too much for you, that might not work for > > listed funds and listed investment companies because of brokerage (e.g.
> > Comsec charge of 19.95 for small trades would be nearly 4% of a $500
trade).
> >
> > "espressy" <bananabag@no-spam> wrote in message > > news:beiv14$6q9$1@no-spam > >
> >>I'm looking for a cheap index fund (or diversified fund based on > >>indices) for the core of my portfolio.
> >>
> >>Vanguard's minimum investemnt of $5000 and minimum additional investment > >>of $500 are a bit too big for me. I want to make better use of > >>dollar-cost-averaging.
> >>
> >>Many retail funds allow $1000 initial & $100 monthly addition; some > >>allow as little as $50 initial & $50/fortnight.