"Will this be in a taxable account? That will make a difference in what you should select."

Yeah, that was part of what raised my eyebrow on Fidelity's high minimum investment.  She's just starting her Roth this year, so it makes it impossible to do Fidelity index funds in a non-taxable account now.  Maybe Fidelity's balanced funds have different levels, I haven't looked.

At any rate, that's part of what made Vanguard look more attractive, even with slightly higher expense ratios.  I'm glad you mentioned the $20 maintenance fee they charge; I hadn't seen that.

Thanks for responding.  I'll keep looking into the various index funds, balanced funds, target retirement funds, etc.