401k rollover to Vanguard - what is best a standard or brokerage account?

[TechYogi]

I am about to roll over a 401k from Fidelity to Vanguard based on the good information at MMM!
I am late 50's and have $412k to play with but as mentioned in another post I have to take out around $75k to cover credit card and some other stuff. I also have an RV I stupidly bought with a loan at about $75k that I would really like to pay off too but I would hate to dip so deeply into the 401k

I am looking for regular work having done some consultancy in the past year following my "retirement" so do expect to earn something this year. Luckily for me my wife works and is stable and pulling in $5k in cash each month. My mortgage payment is now low at under $2k per month on a recent 30 yr loan. But I owe about $450k (includes $50k 2nd mortgage). House value is about $730k. So my plan is to live on wife's money and throw everything I earn when I start work into the house and 401k. Kids are now all out of college ( at last thank goodness).

So should I opt for Vanguards Brokerage service or just keep it as a standard index funds account. Now with Fidelity I have mainly stock funds. TRP Growth at around $125k, company stock at the same. Two Vanguard funds - Sml Cap Index and target 2020 with about total $100k. Thanks in advance

[Frankies Girl]

If you want just mutual funds, then the standard, but they'll want you to have a brokerage account if you want anything else.

Is the only reason you're rolling to Vanguard is to invest in index funds/lower fees? Because Fidelity will let you self-manage, and they have the Spartan series that mimics very closely Vanguard index funds and low cost. That's what I currently have, and I really like Fidelity's website and ease of usage, and have heard that their customer service is slightly better than Vanguard (not trying to discourage you from Vanguard, but it is possible to invest wisely using Fidelity)

http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Fidelity


I would sell that RV like yesterday and pay off as much as you can of that loan.

[TechYogi]

Oh my. So many choices. As for the RV it is an expensive boondoggle but great fun. It is used very often as we are on the west coast and for some reason still sunny and warm. My wife would kill me as it is her loan.

[Another Reader]

I have many years of experience with both Fidelity and Vanguard.  The website, low cost funds and no commission ETF's, and the customer service are vastly superior at Fidelity.  I have a Vanguard account for their ETF's and a long standing treasury money market account, but that's all I keep at Vanguard.