How Phuket expats can cut their investment costs

PHUKET: If you are like many expatriates in Phuket, or indeed across Thailand, you have probably failed to realize the impact trading or investment fees can have on your portfolio’s return, as such costs are often hidden and can quickly add up over time.

In a rising market, these costs may not be so noticeable; but in a stagnant or falling stock market, they may quickly become very apparent. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can cut your investment costs in order to boost your investment returns.

Consider all of your investing costs

Trading is only one investment cost you must deal with, and even trading fees can vary considerably, as some investment products come with large front-end or back-end loads, or both. Other fees you might encounter when investing include annual fund expenses; custodian/account fees; advisory fees; FOREX transaction charges and bid-ask spreads, with the later being particularly hard to evaluate as a lousy spread can quickly increase your trading costs.

Remember, there are some investment fees that can’t be avoided, but there are also plenty of other fees that can be minimized or completely avoided – so long as you are made aware of them before you invest. That’s why it’s critical for your financial adviser to be transparent about all of your fees. If he or she isn’t being completely transparent, then find someone who is.

Invest in ETFs rather than expat target products

Many ETFs have no extra commissions beyond normal transaction costs and have average annual expenses of just 0.49%, while the average stock mutual fund will cost investors around 1.57% in annual fees. However, many managed funds or offshore investment products targeted for expats come with high upfront fees (often 5% or more), annual fees of around 2% and a sales commission when they are sold. When these high fees are combined with taxes, inflation and currency fluctuations, you might be left with little to no return at all on your money.

Buy and hold rather than trade

Even if you are investing in low cost products like ETFs with a discount broker, the best way to reward your broker rather than yourself, is to trade frequently, as trading will generate commissions. You should only trade when changes in your personal situation, market conditions or the value of an investment calls for changes in your portfolio’s investment
allocation. Otherwise, a general portfolio review each quarter and around the beginning of the year should be sufficient for making necessary portfolio adjustments.

Limit FOREX transactions

As with frequent trading, moving in and out of currencies can be both costly and unnecessary. Ideally, you should use the currency of the country or countries you hold citizenship of as a base currency for your investments, and invest only in products that transact in your base currency (for example, for Americans, an ETF listed on the NYSE) to gain exposure to other currencies or markets.

Consolidate your accounts

While having multiple financial accounts may seem like a good way to spread your financial risk around, it likely means you won’t have economies of scale with any single financial institution. After all, the larger your account balance is with one financial institution, the more interested they will be in servicing your account and keeping you happy as a client by offering lower investment and trading fees. They may also be able to offer you investment products not available to clients with lower account balances.

Use tax deferred or tax exempt accounts

If you are an American, tax deferred or tax exempt accounts will often be your best choice to hold all of your investments, since you are taxed on your worldwide income, while the use of offshore investments will draw more scrutiny from tax authorities or is simply not allowed. If you are a citizen of another country, it would be wise to consult an expert in your country’s tax matters to determine what the best tax structure for your investments would be.

Don Freeman is president of Freeman Capital Management, a Registered Investment Adviser with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), based in Phuket, Thailand.