Etrade low transaction cost portfolio

[jIMOh]

I am in the process of getting my investments in order. I have initiated 4 401k rollovers to my existing etrade account(s).

1 account is pre-tax/ traditional IRA/ rollover IRA
1 account is a Roth IRA/ Roth Rollover

I have many questions, here is a little background

My divorce in 2012 wiped out all investment accounts. Since then I have been rebuilding. I currently max out my 401k, about 12% to pre-tax and 5% to Roth 401k. 9.5% match in addition to me maxing this out.

My job situation was unstable for a while, so from 2012-2017 I had 5 different 401ks and the rollover balance is about $80k once all accounts are combined. I am 46 yo.

question 1- for anyone which has accounts at etrade, what ETFs or mutual funds do you use with low cost/ no transaction fees? I looked today, and found a few index ETFs (from Vanguard) which are NTF. Some were at a premium/discount, and curious if this impacts which ETFs to choose?

question 2- for those with accounts at brokerages, do you dollar cost average/ invest regularly with no fees, or do you invest lump sum once a year to minimize transaction costs?

question 3- I am likely investing 80% stocks and 20% bonds/cash - is there a model portfolio of index funds/ index ETFs this board would recommend?

If there is other pertinent information I left off, please ask. Any guidance is appreciated.

 

[zinger1457]

Up until last month I had a ROTH IRA account at Etrade that was invested in the Vanguard Index 500 fund. I recently transferred the account over to Schwab, didn't have any issues with Etrade, just wanted to consolidate my accounts.

 

[Sunset]

I use vanguard, as I can invest in vanguard ETF's and funds without a transaction fee.
So I can reinvest tiny amounts (example $100) for free.

Generally I buy ETF's instead of mutual funds as the fee is often lower for similar collection of things, and more income tax efficiency.

I don't use e-trade so know nothing about it.

 

[gwraigty]

question 2- for those with accounts at brokerages, do you dollar cost average/ invest regularly with no fees, or do you invest lump sum once a year to minimize transaction costs?

We have brokerage accounts at Fidelity and Schwab. I invest money regularly as it becomes available, several thousand at a time. I look at NTF first, but am open to ETFs that may cost $4.95/trade if they give me more of what I'm looking for as compared to a comparable NTF.

 

[Sunset]

If you have over $200K in Merrill Edge, you get free trades.
Can buy 1 share at a time.