Vanguard's [profile] decision to drop MSCI as the index provider for 22 ETFs has brought the mainstream media's attention to index fees. Today the Associated Press has a story out on the rising cost of index fees.

Just how much will Vanguard save with its switch? The AP doesn't know, but says that "based on disclosures resulting from Vanguard's move to drop MSCI," index fees can make up a quarter of investors' expenses.

Not a whole lot of fresh intel in this story, but the AP got a quote from Gus Sauter, who disapproves, unsurprisingly, of increasing index-licensing fees. "It's no secret within the industry that the cost to license benchmarks has been escalating, and represents a growing portion of expenses that shareholders pay to own an index fund," he told the AP. 

Edited by: Chris Cumming


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