Who doesn't love a good deal? I certainly appreciate the opportunity to spend less than I have to, especially for things I'm going to buy anyway. Here are a few examples of good deals I appreciate:
- Low-cost trading commissions. My main brokerage is TD Ameritrade
(NASDAQ:AMTD) . Its commissions may not be the lowest around, but they're still rather low, at around $10 for most trades I make. I don't trade too often, but even at, say, six trades per year, when I consider that some people are paying $50 or more per trade, I'm saving a total of at least $240 a year in comparison. (Learn how to find a better brokerage for yourself in our Broker Center, which features some outfits offering trades for less than $5.) - Low, low fees. I'm speaking here of mutual funds with lower fees than their peers. The best of these are index funds, such as the Vanguard 500 Index
(FUND:VFINX) , which charges 0.18% (compared to more than 1% for typical managed mutual funds) and instantly invests you in 500 of America's biggest companies, including General Electric(NYSE:GE) and Bank of America(NYSE:BAC) . - Here's a new one to me, courtesy of the Motley Fool Green Light newsletter, which is devoted to helping readers save, invest, and find great deals: "Looking for the best deals on airfare? Check out www.farecast.com, which ... is designed to identify the best time to buy your ticket. Choose departure and arrival cities, click the green 'Go' button, and voila: Farecast returns a list of available flights along with a prediction about the near-term direction of prices for that route. Farecast may still be in beta, but it's a cool freebie well worth test-driving the next time you're making travel plans." (Want more helpful tips? Try Green Light free for 30 days.)
- I love good deals even when it comes to giving my money away. That's why much, if not most, of my charitable giving over the past decade has gone to amazing organizations I've discovered through the Fool's annual Foolanthropy drive (which has been supported by Hilton
(NYSE:HLT) ). These outfits have been able to do some wonderful things with relatively few dollars. Recent selection Co-op America, for example, has been busy saving forests, addressing climate issues, promoting solar energy, and helping companies become more environmentally responsible, among other things. Room to Read has been establishing schools, scholarships for girls, and libraries in the developing world.
Good deals have helped me save lots of money and spend it sensibly.
What's sending Fools' hearts aflutter? Go back to our intro page to see what else we have a crush on.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of General Electric. Bank of America is an Income Investor recommendation. The Motley Fool's disclosure policy is a master in the ways of love.
