This is a perfect time to uncover the hidden costs you paid for your investments. That might take some digging. But if you know what questions to ask and where to look, your investment providers are required to disclose them in writing.—IRA fees. If you have an individual retirement account , the custodian will likely charge an annual fee, deducted from your asset value once a year, typically between $25 and $50. But some online brokerage firms waive annual fees.—401 fees.
Second, there may be expensive and hidden charges in the recommended investments. So your “adviser” might be getting a rebate of the fund management fees, or even commissions on your initial investments or on your withdrawals. —Fund “class” fees. Some well known fund companies offer different “classes” of the very same named fund. The only difference is that some pay the advisers with commissions taken out of your investment up front — or perhaps at the “end” of your investment when you withdraw funds.