I'm looking for help understanding transaction fees for a mutual fund I am considering.

I've recently received my share of assets following my recent divorce, and for now the money is just sort of sitting there. When I set up my accounts I chose Fidelity over Vanguard because they have an office here in town and I have really appreciated having the personalized help in getting everything set up. I don't think I'm ready to give up that convenience yet; for now I want to stick with Fidelity.

I've come to realize, though, that for comparable mutual funds, Fidelity's expense ratios are 3-4x higher than Vanguard. I've just checked that purchasing Vanguard funds through Fidelity comes with a $75 fee. Do you think it is worthwhile to purchase Vanguard funds - even with the fee - or just stick with the Fidelity funds for now? Since I'm expecting to just stick the money in a fund and leave it, I'm not terribly worried about a one-time fee, but I don't know if that's the only thing to worry about. Are these just one-time fees?

Brokerage 40% conservative growth ($80k):

• VSCGX @ 0.15% ($75 fee) vs FFANX @ 0.56%

IRA 2035 retirement ($200k):

• VTTHX @ 0.18% ($75 fee) vs FFTHX @ 0.75%

Below is the text explaining the fee (from the link above):

• Transaction Fee (Online)¹ $75.00

¹ A transaction fee is similar to a brokerage fee or commission which you pay when you buy or sell a stock. For some funds available through Fidelity you are required to pay a transaction fee. However, you will not pay a sales load on Transaction Fee (TF) funds. You will only be charged a transaction fee when you buy a FundsNetwork TF fund, not when you sell one. All other fees and expenses described in a fund's prospectus still apply. You can choose to buy or sell shares directly from the fund itself or its principal underwriter or distributor without paying a transaction fee to Fidelity.

Online Transaction Fees: $49.95 for most funds. Certain funds will have a transaction fee of $75. To identify any applicable transaction fees associated with the purchase of a given fund, please refer to the "Fees and Distributions" tab.

Fidelity Automated Service Telephone (FAST): 25% off representative-assisted rates, Maximum: $187.50, Minimum:$75 Representative-Assisted: 0.75% of principal, Maximum: $250, Minimum: $100 Automatic Investment: $5 per transaction, after the initial investment.