Is a Single Vanguard Fund Enough to Invest for Retirement?
The real beauty of the single fund strategy lies in its efficiency. Once you've made the commitment to one of these funds, there's no need to follow the market every day, no need to scour analyst reports for the next hot stock, and no need to periodically rebalance your portfolio. There's literally no time or energy commitment, which is really appealing to many lay investors (and many experts alike!). Costs to consider  First, you'll pay an annual management fee of 0.14% to invest in these funds, which amounts to $14 for every $10,000 invested. It's safe to say that the fee shouldn't be something preventing you from investing in these funds, but it is an additional cost you'll need to pay if you go the LifeStrategy route. You could always go ahead and buy the underlying portfolio funds directly, but that will take extra time and require ongoing rebalancing. Some people are fine with this, and some aren't -- it's nothing more than a matter of preference.