Funds-buy thru provider or stockbroker/how secure are they?

[thomsk]

Hi all. I am currently researching the markets, looking at funds like Emerging, India, Latin America, Mining, etc.
I have one or two issues to address-perhaps you lot can help?!
1) Does anyone know whether it is more cost effective buying into a fund via a stockbroker-or is it better going thru the likes of Rabo/ Quinn/eagle , etc?
2) Merryl L. recently lost $billions due to subprime. Hypothetically, if they became bankrupt, would holders in units of, say, ML China Fund lose their money? Likewise, if I had bought a fund thru, say, Rabo-and they went bust- would I lose my money?
3)Lastly, JPM's India fund is doing better over last 2 years than ML(offered by Rabo). Does anyone know of a provider offering JPM,s fund?

 

[shanegl]

ETF through a broker is more cost effective, annual charges can be significantly less.

 

[thomsk]

Yes- that's the verdict I reached...stockbroker seems best bet ! plus have a choice of hundreds of funds/etfs.
Question, now, is...which broker is "safest", and/or cheapest??
I suppose asking for share certificate makes the whole transaction safer, together with crest membership.

 

[PMU]

Before you write-off QL, you must remember as most people can only invest on a monthly basis as that’s when they get paid, the ability to drip-feed each month in to QL has certain advantages; also with QL you can make two free switches a year and €25 per switch thereafter than makes portfolio rebalancing easy and cost-effective.

stockbroker seems best bet ! plus have a choice of hundreds of funds/etfs.

Yes, you have a choice of hundreds of ETFs but afaik if you want to keep them in a CREST a/c you are restricted to those traded on the London and Dublin stock exchanges, i.e. the ISEQ one plus this lot:

I suppose asking for share certificate makes the whole transaction safer, together with crest membership.

[FONT=&quot]Afaik, all ETFs are dematerialised products, so if it’s not settled in CREST , it’s in your broker’s nominee a/c or if bought abroad in a foreign broker’s nominee account.


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