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MikeM

I know you are not a fan of his, Mona (understatement :) ) Another Bills fan!!! Junkster just sent me a note saying the same. GO BILLS! They will be right down the road from me when training camp starts next week at St. John Fisher College. But tickets sold out in hours, so I won't be going. Are you from the area, Western NY?

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MikeM
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  • @msf, my 401k from a past employer transferred from TRP to ML last year. I've only kept the 401k because I cannot transfer PRWCX in-kind from a 401k to an IRA. The odd thing about the ML 401k account is the account is not direct from the Merrill Ly…
  • Thanks for the heads-up @WABAC. I have wanted to add-to PRWCX in my 401k at Merrill forever. It would never allow me to do so in the past. I just put in an order to do so. Seems to have been accepted. Has a $49 TF but I'm ok with that. Fingers cros…
  • The 4% "rule" is not a rule at all. It is a guide. Adjust it as you may, but it is a starting point for decisions. Also, it has nothing to do with SS or pensions. It is independent of that. It has only to do with the life, or probability of the avai…
  • @hank, doesn't the Fidelity portfolio breakdown show what funds or percentage of a fund is categorized "other"? Schwab does, so I'm assuming Fidelity does also. I wouldn't be surprised if a good portion of other is in PRPFX. At least the gold and si…
  • My Schwab portfolio analysis lists about 20% other for me also. I suppose this is analyzed like Fidelity, given msf's comment that it repeats M* data. For me, I hold 2 hedged funds, JHQAX and PHEFX, that makes up a hefty 14% of that 20%. The rest of…
  • Started to dabble in home builder and builder supply stocks. I started buying BLDR, Builders Firstsource, back in April and have added periodically to it. I've owned this stock multiple times over the years and I like it a lot. Started a position in…
  • Thanks, @catch22 for the info. Yes, when I was looking to add income exposure over what I already had, I wanted an intermediate term investment grade corporate bond fund, so I know what I was adding. From what I read, junk or HY bonds are typically …
  • @Crash, I don't think it is any more volatile than other funds in its category. Probably the same volatility, standard deviation, as your HY fund you hold now. I just meant it is more so than what I already hold, CSOAX, RSIIX, CBLDX, RPHYX. IGIB see…
  • Happened upon IGIB. Eyeing it as replacement for the bulk of my junk bonds. Ha, @Crash, I started buying this ETF a few weeks ago. So far so good, but it is kind of on the volatile side. At least more than my other bond funds.
  • Thanks @Crash. That's good news.
  • I believe Gates and Allen went to IBM to sell their operating system at their very early stages and IBM management believed they could invent a better operating system. I believe they called it DOS. Intuitive management sure could have changed the c…
  • In my mind, playing a gold ETF versus playing the miners is 2 very different games. IAU has been a nice, reasonable trend for me since 2020. I know I couldn't handle trading in and out of miners to make a buck.
  • Thanks @Junkster. I really appreciate your input. Out of all the options you mentioned, DHEAX strikes my fancy. I have to say, you sure do find the smooth trending funds, but I know that is your forte. I invested in CSOAX a few months ago. I know it…
  • Hi @hank. I hadn't heard of WEA before so I took a look. That looks like one wild ride when added to the trend chart along-side my usual suspects. On JMBS, I took some advice from something Junkster noted in another thread. Floating rate and mortg…
  • This constructing of a look-a-like mix of investments to match an existing fund seems ludicrous to me. Isn't that what an over-all portfolio is supposed to be? It is obvious there are different ways to get the same results. A little of A added to a …
  • I've been a happy owner of JHQAX for many years now and think of it's expected return and volatility the same as you stated, like a moderate balanced fund. But I also bought into the T.Rowe Price hedged fund, PHEFX, when it came out and have steadil…
  • I'm not worried about the fund investing in SPACS at all if that is where DS finds value. I've held SPC for over 2 years in my conservative withdrawal bucket and have found it to be a low volatility, steady eddy, positive trending ETF (5% 1Y return …
  • ...and to make corresponding revisions to the Fund’s principal investment strategies. Any idea what these revisions are? @davidsherman, can you fill us in?
  • The mandatory 12% in cash that returns about 0.2%, plus the mistimed heavy allotments to international, emerging markets and small caps since the funds inception has been a losing strategy for Schwab's Intelligent Portfolio. At one time it was 1/2 m…
  • Absolutely correct @Old_Joe. Good points made. I am taking some risk with this play, but I don't put a high percentage in investments like this. I play the higher yield game with Gov Agency bonds too. Again, with money I'm able to risk to get highe…
  • FWIW, I picked up a 20 year corporate bond from Deutsch Bank at 6%. It won't be called for at least 2 years (aug. '26), so I'll take the higher return with the expectation it will inevitably be called in 2026. Deutsche Bank Aktien 6% 08/16/2044 Ca…
  • In the June Standpoint commentary for BLNDX, it stated it's biggest winners as: Biggest Winners Long U.S. and Japanese equities. Short soybeans, corn, and Japanese yen. I guess holding Japanese equity will be their biggest loser in the next report. …
  • I couldn't get into Schwab either this A.M., but I'm taking it as a divine sign to not try and catch a falling knife :)
  • The ranks of potential VPs are such a treasure. Dems have a hell of a cohort ready to serve... I agree, which makes me wonder why those in charge of the Democratic party have had such a hard time finding a winnable candidate to run for president. Wh…
  • Thanks @Junkster, your response is much appreciated. So, in your opinion, where are the best of the bond categories as fed rates drop?
  • @catch22, thank you for the data. I have 3 bond funds in my portfolio that I have been putting maturing CD and treasury money into since late 2023. CSOAX has returned 5.2% YTD. RSIIX 4.8% and CBLDX 4.4%. I believe duration in that order. All on pa…
  • @BaluBalu said: I warned you guys! Well, from the glass 1/2 full perspective, BLNDX is still up substantially YTD... for now. p.s, do you plan to exit soon? :)
  • @Crash, not questioning the plan, but say, if you don't have enough income to pay any taxes, and if you or your wife had some work income during the year, wouldn't that be an ideal situation to convert T IRA money to a Roth? In fact, as a retired se…
  • Could it be that a Trump victory isn't a shoe in any more with Harris taking the reins? I think recently there was quite a bump in trump sectors that may now not be as secure as thought.
  • I have the answer @hank. I just checked my Roth, 401k and T IRA accounts, which I try to manage as one portfolio, and the answer to your question is 15. 16 if you add cash that I group as treasuries, CDs and MM. No more, no less should be used! I…
  • It's been a very good fund for me. I bought in 2021-2022. It had a mediocre 2023, but over it's history, it has delivered as well or better than PRWCX and FBALX, 2 balanced/alternative funds I also own. It's doing better than these 2 funds YTD and, …
  • Dennis Baran did a write up on MRFOX in the Feb. 2019 MFO commentary. He mentions that the funds' philosophy, process and discipline have been used successfully by the managers since 2008 with winning results and gives data on that SMA method. As D…
    in MRFOX Comment by MikeM July 16
  • @rforno, I agree. The way they handle cash accounts is revenue for them, not us. That is the main reason, among others, that I sold out of my Intelligent Portfolio robo account. They hold 12% of assets in cash in a robo, which makes nothing for the …
  • " in 2023 Schwab made 50% of their revenue from interest on uninvested cash" @rforno, @Old_Joe, I don't find anywhere where the interest from uninvested cash is 50% of their revenue. I do find this, below, that lays out where the 50%+ interest incom…
  • Not apples to apples, but a comparison where the manager uses an alternative strategy using specific stock picks compared to the same strategy using representative index ETFs would be Leuthold Core Investment, LCORX versus LCR. I would assume LCORX …
  • @Shostakovich, fwiw, I've held IAU since the start of covid in 2020. I've added and subtracted slightly during that time. This year I'm probably at my highest total. I believe it to be a good diversifier. Portfolio Visualizer shows gold to have a lo…
  • To Mark's point, you should be able to set up a monthly auto payment to cover the minimum amount. In that way you wouldn't have to worry about missing a payment and getting "gotcha'ed". FWIW. I know I can do that with my Capital One card, though I h…
  • Ditto what Andy said. I am very annoyed to be getting 2 or 3 texts a day for donations to Democratic candidates. "Triple the match if I donate now". I block the number and delete, but it doesn't matter. They have thousands of them.
  • Side note: Does Schwab offer fractional CDs (units of $100 instead of $1000)? I just opened a Schwab account and don't see this product offered. @msf, multiples of $1000 is all I've ever seen at Schwab. And as I think @Old_Joe mentioned, you are alm…
  • I knew one of their "top investment partners " or whatever they called their independent broker salesmen. That had to be a long time ago, @sma3, when you could only buy from American and you had to pay a load/commission for the "privilege". Those da…