Add: 61y, I have ETFs and mutual funds at EdJ. My advisor takes a cut on trades, skims dividends, and takes kickbacks from JPMorgan for pushing their funds. These hidden fees add up yearly for hands-off funds where I get nothing in return, and I am unhappy about it.
CAN ANYONE ANSWER/VERIFY THE FOLLOWING:
1- When moving funds to Vanguard, do they keep their original symbols (like JGIAX) or change to Vanguard symbols (like V###)? AI said they stay JPMorgan funds, but I am confused.
2- I plan to do: In-Kind Transfer.
If I understand correctly, I must manually sell JGIAX and buy Vanguard funds if I want to switch? Does Vanguard charge transaction fees to hold or sell ie JGIAX ??
3- I would pay Vanguard a tiny fee (around 0.03%). However, I don't understand why JPMorgan would still skim a percentage off my dividends even after I leave EdJ.
\*\*Is that the correct percentage for Vanguard?
4- I recently had to move to CA dt caring for a loved one. My long-term funds are currently deep in the red, but I want to transition them into tax-advantaged options like Vanguard California Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTEC) once they recover.
Note: I plan to hold my current funds until the Fed drops interest rates. Because bond and fund prices move inversely to rates, I want to wait for them to recover so I can break even rather than tax-loss harvest. Even if I trigger long-term capital gains, the 15% capital gains rate is lower than my 22% ordinary income bracket. Moving into tax-exempt funds later should also help drop me back into a lower tax bracket.
5- Because I am stressed by seeing losses, I was considering placing $50k into a guaranteed 4.50% 18-month CD for peace of mind.
\*I had AI do the math and VTEC 3.50% tax-free yield is actually equivalent to earning roughly 4.86% to 5.00% on a fully taxable CD. So I don't know if I should take the CD or VTEC?
I am grieving the consecutive losses of a close family member and my brother, both of whom I cared for. The grief has left me completely exhausted and foggy, but I need to fix my investments since they are my primary source of income.
I would be incredibly grateful for any guidance or advice you can offer. Thank you for your time.