Scandal Bypasses Congress

If you're concerned about the mushrooming scandals in the mutual fundindustry, write your US senators and representatives to find out why you can't getwhat they have. The fund options for elected officials may be a tad limited, butthey're dirt cheap and scandal-free. Federal lawmakers have their choice offive index funds, including one that tracks the S&P 500 and sports an expense ratioof just 0.07%. That number makes even the notoriously skinflint Vanguard 500Index fund look like it's throwing money away. Vanguard's 500 fund has anexpense ratio of 0.18%, while the average 500 index fund charges 0.76%. Theexpense ratio for the average domestic equity fund runs 1.4%, 20 times whatyour elected representatives are paying.