Bad Timing

My dumbest investment was rolling over an IRA from one mutual fund (Kemper Technology) to another (Brandywine) just before Kemper's year-end dividend of $2 per share was declared. My first mistake was bad timing, and the second was transferring the entire amount instead of the minimum that Brandywine required.

— Betty Whitehead, Jacksonville, Ill.

The Fool Responds: Moving your money wasn't such a bad mistake. The Kemper fund, now known as the DWS Technology A fund, doesn't look more attractive than Brandywine. For one thing, it sports a sales load of 5.75 percent, meaning it will lop off $575 of a $10,000 investment on day one. Brandywine is a no-load fund, with a market-beating 10-year average annual gain of 7.4 percent, compared to just 1.4 percent for the DWS fund. Your timing was indeed regrettable, though. Always make sure you're not due to receive a dividend payment soon, before you sell out of a fund. You can always just call the fund company and ask. To research mutual funds and their records and fees, among other things, click over to Morningstar.com.

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