Advisor Commissions Revealed

Most investors have absolutely no idea how much money advisors earn from their investments. There's certainly nothing wrong with advisors being compensated for their work. The problem arises when there is a lack of transparency in the advisor/client relationship. You should know exactly how much you are paying, for the investments and services you receive. Only then can you make an informed decision on whether or not you are receiving a good value for your money.

I can't tell you how many times people have told me, "Oh, I didn't pay my advisor anything. The insurance company paid him, not me." Or I'll hear, "Commission? What commission? I just bought a muni bond, not a stock." The problem with commissions is that you don't always see them. But trust me, there is no such thing as a free lunch. You are paying something, whether you realize it or not.

On some investments, the commission is quite obvious. On others, you have to dig a little deeper to uncover the charge. In an effort to level the playing field, I'm going to reveal the typical commissions paid on a variety of investments. Be aware that these commissions can vary between different providers.

Let's start with one of the most popular investments; mutual funds. No load funds charge no up front commission, but do have a yearly management fee that can range from .25% to 2% per year. Load mutual funds, the kind you would buy from a commission-based advisor, can top out at 5.75% for equity funds, and 4.5% for bond funds. But breakpoints can greatly decrease the commission you pay. So the more you invest, the less commission you pay.

The commission paid on individual stocks can be as low as $10 a trade. Because there is so much competition in both stock trading and mutual funds, commissions on both are dramatically less than they used to be.

The commission on individual bonds is much harder to see, because it is built into the price. Commissions increase with the bond's maturity length, usually topping out around 3%. But the only way you'll know for sure is to try to get a price for the same bond from a discount house.

Now we'll get into the higher commission products where the fees are especially tricky for the investor to uncover. For example, variable annuities typically pay the broker between 6% and 7%, yet most investors think they're not paying anything when they buy them. If they ask their advisor about it, they're often told that the insurance company pays the advisor, not the investor. But it's amazing how the surrender penalty amount closely resembles the amount the agent received in commission.

Investors may not realize that no-load annuities are available. These "plain vanilla" products lack some of the flashy features of their high-cost cousins, but they deliver the same basic result at a dramatically lower cost.

Commissions are considerably higher for equity-indexed annuities. Rates of 10% or more are common, with some charging less. But these are by far the highest commissions charged in the financial services industry. Is it any wonder that these are promoted so heavily?

One of the main problems with commissions on insurance products is that the insurance companies realize their real client is the agent, not the investor. If they don't pay a high enough commission, an agent will simply sell an annuity from another company. And since the commission isn't clearly understood by the investor, sky-high commissions are the result.

Agents will argue that the additional features of these annuities are worth the money paid. But I disagree. If it were such a good deal, then why not use these high fees as a selling point, instead of hiding them in pages of fine print?

Here's the commission the advisor receives if you move a $500,000 IRA or 401k into each product: Mutual Fund - $12,500, Individual long-term bond - $15,000, Variable annuity - $30,000 and $50,000 for an equity-indexed annuity. How many months/years did it take you to save the amount the advisor will be getting?

I feel there is a conflict of interest when these details aren't disclosed. How can you make an informed decision unless you know what the advisor is making? How can you compare various options? Frankly, you can't.

Do You Need A Trust Or Foundation?

Trusts and private foundations aren't just for the rich and famous like Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. Nowadays, even people of modest means are realizing the great benefits trust and foundations can provide. Read on to see what they can do for you.

There are many different kinds of trusts and foundations, but they all share a common element; control. Using them, you can control what happens to your assets while you are alive, in the event of incapacity, and for generations to come.

For instance, a trust is highly recommended if you and your spouse each have children from a previous marriage and you want to avoid any conflict when one of you passes away or becomes incapacitated. A trust can be just the thing if you are concerned about a child losing their inheritance in a divorce. And, in today's litigious society, trusts can be used to shield assets from lawsuits. A trust can be as simple or as complicated as you need it to be.

Foundations have many similarities to a trust. The main difference, though, is that foundations are designed specifically for charitable, religious, educational, scientific or literary purposes. Like a trust, a foundation allows you to control how the assets are invested, who they are distributed to, and when. Plus, there are tax benefits for transferring assets into a foundation, that aren't available with most trusts.

If you expect to leave several hundred thousand dollars in assets to charity, a foundation may be right for you. That's especially true if you want the assets to be invested and each year's earnings distributed to a special cause.

There's more involved in setting up a foundation as compared to a trust. They also require more work. Accurate records must be kept and informational tax returns must be filed. For those with much smaller contributions, it may be easier to donate the money or assets to an existing organization, as opposed to forming your own.

Still, it may be easier to donate a significant amount than you think. You might have had a life insurance policy for years and you no longer need it. Instead of canceling it, you can name your foundation as the beneficiary. In fact, life insurance is a great way to not only provide the initial funding for a foundation, but also to help it increase in size over time.

I mentioned tax incentives. Appreciated assets like real estate or stocks can be transferred into a foundation (and certain charitable trusts). That way, capital gains taxes don't have to be paid, and you still get a tax deduction for the contribution. The result is that your charity receives more money than if you sold the asset, paid the taxes and donated the remainder.

There are different versions of charitable trusts. Some allow you to donate an appreciated asset, get a tax deduction, and receive an income stream for life. When you die, the remainder can be used by your favorite charity. Another version is similar, but the charity receives the income stream during your life, and your heirs receive the remainder at your death. This can be beneficial if you have investment property that has greatly appreciated, you need income and you don't want to pay all the taxes.

In can cost thousands of dollars to set up a trust that allows you to avoid probate and protect your child's inheritance from a lawsuit. Foundations can be even more expensive. But they don't have to be.

If you are comfortable doing research on your own and are willing to take the time, you can set up a trust and/or foundation on your own very inexpensively. Legally, you can serve as your own attorney and draft your own estate documents. There are many sources that provide templates. If your situation is straightforward, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

For those with more involved situations an experienced attorney is recommended. Even if you do it yourself, it's not a bad idea to have an attorney review it. Lastly, a trust does nothing for you unless you transfer assets into it. Don't forget that step, or all your work will have been for naught.