Want to avoid trading costs on exchange traded funds (ETFs)? It's now becoming easier to do so.

This week, Fidelity teamed up with iShares to eliminate trading fees on more than two dozen popular ETFs. The move comes three months after Schwab introduced eight of its own free-trade ETFs.

Traditionally, if you wanted to invest in an ETF, you had to pay a sales charge each time you bought or sold shares. When Schwab rolled out free-trade ETFs in November it put pressure on other big brokerages to do the same.

And Fidelity has responded–in a big way.

Fidelity investors now can choose from among 25 popular iShares ETFs (compared with Schwab's eight). Examples include the iShares S&P 500 Index (IVV), iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond (AGG) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM).

And collectively, the iShares ETFs offer sweeping coverage of the market, including emerging-market stocks and bonds, blue-chip U.S. stocks, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and muni bonds.

To buy the iShares ETFs at no cost, you have to have an account with Fidelity and the trades must be done online. Go here to read the fine print.

But the bottom line is this: Until now, the sales charge on ETFs, which tend to carry lower annual fees than mutual funds, has dinged investors who make small but regular contributions to their portfolio.

Now, however, Fidelity and Schwab (and others soon, perhaps) are offering the best of both worlds: super-low annual fees "without paying the price of admission," as one Morningstar article put it.

To me, that sounds like a good reason to get in line for a ticket.

Why they're a buy: Many knife makers have cut prices on fancy block sets to appeal to penny-pinching consumers. But Chad Ward, author of "An Edge in the Kitchen," says you need only one high-end blade: an eight-inch steel chef's knife, which costs about half as much as a set. Get either a forged European-style model (if you like to chop with a rocking motion) or a Japanese one (which is lighter and better for precision cutting).

The strategy: Pass on big names like Wüsthof. Some lesser-known brands offer higher quality for the same price, says knife retailer Mark Richmond. Many pros point to the German-made Messermeister Meridian Elite ($100) and, in the Japanese category, the Shun Classic ($120, with a lifetime warranty and free sharpening).

Get more value: Start your shopping at chefknivestogo.com and cutleryandmore.com, which offer some of the lowest prices and best selection around. And both accept returns.

Why they're a buy: Many knife makers have cut prices on fancy block sets to appeal to penny-pinching consumers. But Chad Ward, author of "An Edge in the Kitchen," says you need only one high-end blade: an eight-inch steel chef's knife, which costs about half as much as a set. Get either a forged European-style model (if you like to chop with a rocking motion) or a Japanese one (which is lighter and better for precision cutting).

The strategy: Pass on big names like Wüsthof. Some lesser-known brands offer higher quality for the same price, says knife retailer Mark Richmond. Many pros point to the German-made Messermeister Meridian Elite ($100) and, in the Japanese category, the Shun Classic ($120, with a lifetime warranty and free sharpening).

Get more value: Start your shopping at chefknivestogo.com and cutleryandmore.com, which offer some of the lowest prices and best selection around. And both accept returns.

Personal finance from around the Web:

• The new credit card law requires issuers to notify cardholders about account changes 45 days in advance. But what's the point if people don't read their credit card mail? [CreditBloggers]

• Have a mysterious pain you can't identify? Want to know how to soothe an upset stomach? Text your question to a group of doctors for $50. [Bits]

• The Toyota recall might be a very good thing for buyers, says one blogger. [The Financial Decoder]

• Come tax time, don't forget about unemployment benefits. The first $2,400 were tax-free in 2009, but after that you'll have to pay Uncle Sam. [Bargaineering]

• Count the number of cars on your street and divide it by the number of households. If the number you end up with is greater than two, you can bet there will be some foreclosures in your neighborhood. [WalletPop]

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For most people, housing costs are the biggest monthly expense–and a particular drag when you're unemployed. So where can you live in America for cheap today?

According to Reis Inc., which tracks the rental market, the lowest average rent for an apartment can be found in these five cities:

1. Wichita, KS  - $516
2. Oklahoma City – $543
3. Tulsa, OK – $577
4. Knoxville, TN – $587
5. Chattanooga, TN – $619

What's more, each city has an unemployment rate lower than the current national average of 10.0%. (An updated jobs report from the BLS is due out this Friday.)

…Not that you're guaranteed to find a job in any of these places. As Oklahoma City University finance professor Keith Hazelton points out in his blog, unemployment in the wind-swept state is likely to rise if the U.S. economy doesn't kick into high gear by the end of the year.

But whereas Hazelton thinks the jobless rate could top 11% nationally in late 2010, he argues that, in Oklahoma, the number is likely to hover near 7% (up from 6.6% today). He writes:

"Oklahoma did not participate in the nation's housing bubble nor much of the commercial real estate bubble now in the process of popping…Oklahoma and other energy states went through their own mini-depression from 1982-1992 as collapsing energy prices brought down banks, retail, home values, etc. The banks and businesses that survived emerged far more cautious about leverage and credit quality, having witnessed first-hand the ill effects of a debt-deleveraging, deflationary episode, in which many parts of the nation now find themselves immersed…"

Wait…the state's "mini" depression lasted from 1982 to 1992? Does that mean it will take a decade (or more!) for the U.S. economy to recover from its "great" recession?

Pack your bags. Oklahoma, here we come!