How to Get Around Mutual Fund Minimums

Sometimes a broker's investment minimum on a fund may be lowerthan what you'd pay if you bought the fund from the family. At CSFBdirect, for example, the minimum investment on transaction fee funds is generally $1,000. That's a good deal. Many Vanguard funds, for example, (a family that CSFBdirect offers) carry a $3,000 minimum if you buy directly from Vanguard. Meanwhile, at Schwab, you can get into the (WVALX Quote)Weitz Value fund for $2,500, when you'd need to put up $25,000 to buy the fund from Weitz directly.

If investment minimums are an issue for you, ask your broker about its policy and how it applies to specific funds you're considering.