Retirement Investing Tools Retirement Calculators Retirement Plan Primer Take a Motley Fool Crash Course. Learn what you need to know to retire comfortably. The line you're in at the toll booth is always the slowest. Somebody else always wins the lottery. The dog has, again, eaten that sandwich you took your eye off for a second.
Life is unfair sometimes.
Well, no, it isn't fair, but there is a way out. A low expense ratio is simply the most important reason a fund does well. Management fees are annual fees charged by all funds, and you want to maker sure that management fees are as low as possible. The average fee, by the way, has actually been climbing in recent years. You also want to make sure that you aren't paying any sales charges .