Management fees and total expense ratio data provided by Fitzrovia International, Plc.

FORBES: Offshore Funds

Fifth Third, for example, has long been known for its tight expense management, but its efficiency ratio was 63% in the fourth quarter.

WSJ: Lenders See Little Choice: Layoffs

Tutor Perini ( NYSE:TPC) This construction management company has a price-to-book ratio of .77.

FORBES: More Boring Stocks That You Wouldn't Be Interested In

Ms Gee recommended that investors ask about the TER (total expense ratio) rather than the AMC (annual management charge) of a fund to give a more accurate idea of ongoing costs and look out for use of passive holdings such as those used by groups including T Bailey and 7IM, which, she says, have a comparably low-cost fund of funds offering.

FORBES: Funds of Funds Might Not Be The Best Deal Out There

For long-term investors the more important cost is the expense ratio, the annual assessment for overhead and portfolio management.

FORBES: Mutual Fund Survey

But the official expense ratio doesn't tell the whole story about the portfolio management costs that come out of investors' hides.

FORBES: Hidden Expenses