<prompt> Human: I have about 7,000 invested in Vanguards total stock market index fund, and I want to buy the bond market as well to diversify my holdings. Vanguard has a 3,000 minimum investment in the told bond market fund, as well as most of its funds. I dont want to put in that much initially - I want to start with about 1,000. Schwab has a low minimum of 100, but the expense ratio is higher than Vanguards - .55 gross and .29 net. Can anyone recommend another good firm with low expense ratios and a low opening minimum? Another option would be to buy Vanguards target retirement income fund, which is intended for people already in retirement and only requires a 1,000 to minimum. Im 22, nowhere near retirement, but over half the fund is composed of bonds domestic and international.  <response>: Schwab has a low minimum of 100, but the expense ratio is higher than Vanguards - .55 gross and .29 netWith a 1,000 investment, that means youll pay 90 cents more in fees with Schwab than with Vanguard if Vanguard had a 1,000 minimum. I think youre putting in a lot of effort to save less than a dollar. 