3. It's moronic Monday, your chance to ask any of those lingering questions without...

It's moronic Monday, your chance to ask any of those lingering questions without fear of harassment.

Hi there, I've read the FAQ but a few things are still fuzzy for me. TIA for your help! Basic info: I'm 36, SO is 40, objectives are 100% retirement savings, retiring in ~30 years, slightly above average risk tolerance (tolerance is dropping as we age). SO has separate retirement account.

Several years ago, I opened an account with eTrade, where I bought shares in individual companies just for fun (aka gambling, which I knew... I'm talking just maybe $750 initial investment here). Then about 1.25 years ago I lost my job and rolled my 401k over (~$94k) into an IRA, also with eTrade. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone with Vanguard, but it is what it is at the moment. Haven't contributed to IRA since rolling over, getting ready to start up again now that job situation has stabilized. My IRA is invested in a mix of index funds with low expense ratios. As of ~March 2016 only debt will be mortgage, which has 27 years left on it. Here are my questions:

  • For the past 1.25 years, the Roth performance has been flat-to-slightly-down. I haven't panicked and sold, I understand long term horizon and market volatility, but it is rather disappointing. I'm no expert, and so I'd like to just go with a 3- or 4-fund lazy portfolio using the Vanguard funds typically recommended. Do I need to move my $$ from eTrade to Vanguard to get the most benefit from this? Or is it the same difference to buy the Vanguard funds via eTrade? I've read about Admiral and Investor shares, and for some reason just can not wrap my head around it.

  • Instead of the lazy portfolio, should I just do a Target Date fund? Same question - do I need to move from eTrade to Vanguard to buy a Vanguard target date fund?

  • Very broad generalization here - since I don't actively trade, is there another reason I should or should not stay with eTrade?

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