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A Primer for Mutual Fund Investing

beebee
edited February 2015 in Fund Discussions
And a primer for mutual fund investors, new and old.

From the home page:

"The fact that the average rate of return earned by mutual fund investors is way below the average rate of return of all mutual funds indicates that an awful lot of investors are very unsuccessful."

and,

" I do not advocate chasing the current hot mutual funds, buying and selling funds in response to moves in the market, day trading or any other short-term strategy, or holding a portfolio of funds that is not well-diversified. There's a lot of evidence that indicates these are all excellent ways to ensure that you either lose money or achieve very poor performance.

On the flip side, there's even more evidence that indicates that buying and holding a diversified portfolio of mutual funds with good long-term performance records is a strategy that is nearly guaranteed to reward you with handsome returns in the long run."

investing-in-mutual-funds.com/

Comments

  • @bee: Nice find, excellent !!
    Regards,
    Ted
  • edited February 2015
    Hi, bee ... Indeed a good find.

    It seems I catch a lot of heat, at times, for my style of investing.

    What should be added though, and what a not of lot is written on, is when is the best time to buy? My thinking is when good long term holding type assets are out of favor. Right now, to me, energy seems to be the most out of favor and most undervalued within the S&P 500 Index.

    So, I am of the current posture to do a little buying, at this time, in funds that also have a good presence in the energy sector.

    Old_Skeet
  • TedTed
    edited February 2015
    @Old_Skeet: "It seems I catch a lot of heat, at times, for my style of investing." You sure do, and you need to be complemented for withstanding the slings and arrows. However, please find room in your vast fund portfolio for a biotech, general healthcare , and technology Fund.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Hi Ted,

    I'll give it a look.

    Old_Skket
  • beebee
    edited February 2015
    Old_Skeet said:

    Hi, bee ... Indeed a good find.

    It seems I catch a lot of heat, at times, for my style of investing.

    What should be added though, and what a not of lot is written on, is when is the best time to buy? My thinking is when good long term holding type assets are out of favor. Right now, to me, energy seems to be the most out of favor and most undervalued within the S&P 500 Index.

    So, I am of the current posture to do a little buying, at this time, in funds that also have a good presence in the energy sector.

    Old_Skeet

    Keep stoking the stove...I hope you realize we all learn from each other here. Thanks for your continual sharing. I'm watching the price of oil (USO) as the leading indicator for energy (XLE) as commented in the linked thread below:

    mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/19214/recent-asset-class-performance-using-key-etfs#latest
  • ted: what's your tech fund of choice? i'm in the mood ....
  • TedTed
    edited February 2015
    linter: That's easy !
    1.QQQ
    2. PRGTX
    Regards,
    Ted
  • thanks, ted!
  • edited February 2015
    Hi Ted,

    I looked into QQQ through doing a Morningstar Instant Xray analysis. While it indeed does hold a lot of technology (56%) it also holds a lot of other sectors and carries a large growth classification.

    From review of this it seems you like to invest in investment vehicles that spread things around some eventhough they might be heavly weighted towards a certain sector(s). My thinking is that is a good thing because if technology tumbles ... well there are the others sectors that can offer support and perhaps propel QQQ. My portfolio based sleeve system does much the same. The concept is to spread not only asset risk but to spread portofio manager risk as well.

    I have provided a link to its Morningstar portfolio report for those that would like to take a closer look.

    http://portfolios.morningstar.com/fund/summary?t=QQQ&region=usa&culture=en-US

    My best to you,

    Old_Skeet
  • TedTed
    edited February 2015
    @Old_Skeet: Please, your not telling me anything I don't already know about the Nasdaq-100. Check QQQ's performance against any of your fund YTD-10 Years Its time for you to get off the porch and hunt with the big dogs.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Those big dogs are still licking their wounds from the 2000 tech bubble pop. Only now has the QQQ come almost back to that level. 15 years drawdown is a long time.

    http://etfs.morningstar.com/quote?t=Qqq
  • edited February 2015
    Hi Ted,

    I think the saying goes more like ... If you can't hunt with the big dogs stay on the porch! This is one of the favorite slang sayings with southern hunters and can cover many meanings. However, for old_skeet, I got a prime beagle that loves to tree squirrels. Ever treed a squirrel? Sometimes my cat joins in the fun too and even points in his own way much like "Buster" the dog. That can be exciting too as the cat "Skeeter" goes up the tree after the squirrel. Never ever seen a big dog do that! Heck, even Buster will try to climb too.

    Buster, Skeeter and Old_Skeet just might take the Jeep and ride back into the woods this afternoon. I've got a scope on my K-22 pistol. Ever shot a squirrel out of the tree with a hand gun ... most people use a rifle. Perhaps we will pick Snickers (a neighbors dog) up along the way, now that is indeed a big dog and pretty much roams and goes about as he pleases. Buster and Skeeter can ride in the Jeep and are more house type pets ... but, Snickes has to make his own way. But, don't get fooled they can all indeed hunt.

    Now, Snickers is indeed nice to have around in case we happen upon a pack of wild dogs or even wild boar have been seen on and around the property from time-to-time. I only own a few acres now but it is enough for a good squirrel hunt as it has a good number of nut trees on it. Squirrels love those pecans. And, I have access to property close by to hunt on.

    Here is a link on the history of the S&W K-22 ... http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2012/11/13/a-look-back-at-the-smith-wesson-k-22/

    My best to you …

    Old_Skeet
  • I can't imagine shooting a Squirrel,a rabbit or a deer ect. ect.......Is that for sport or fun? Please....
  • Hi Tampabay,

    Thanks for your comment.

    The policy in the family for years has been if you catch, trap or shoot wild game ... you have to fix and eat it. Its one of the reasons I did not shoot any squirrels yesterday. I simply was not in the mood for squirrel stew. However, I did watch Buster and Skeeter tree a few of them yesterday out in the grove. If I shoot the squirrels in the grove then they can not have their afternoon fun. That's why I wrote we would have to take the Jeep and go back into the woods. Last night we had about three inches of new snow fall. Right now I am picking, the best I can, on the key board of my laptop ... thinking about what I'll write under Scott's post ... "What are you buying, selling or pondering?"

    Have a good one ...

    Old_Skeet
  • Who is Valley Vista Enterprises LLC?
  • edited February 2015
    @Charles - Valley Vista Enterprises offers one a complete guide to investing in mutual funds. They (it) sponsor a website offering "Everything You Need to Know to be Successful at Investing in Mutual Funds." I neither trusted or verified, you're on your own.
  • Charles said:

    Who is Valley Vista Enterprises LLC?

    Looks like a one man show:
    https://dandb.com/businessdirectory/valleyvistaenterprisesllc-garwin-ia-25362973.html

  • OR:Send me a one-time (renewable) fee and I send you my previously (free) posted report "how to use Mutual funds to YOUR advantage", A limited offer to first 50 requests
  • @TPA: Even thought the Lightning beat my Blackhawks last night 4-0, I still would like to thank Jeff Vinik. Why ? I owned Magellan from 1972-1996.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Jeff Vinik is going to own Tampa, before it's over, local politicians on board....
    Guess that's ok, He has Vision and lots of money (backing Him), Tampa will be the playground it Should have been all these years...
    Wish Jeter/Vinik could get ahold of the Rays...but would be political problem with The Yankees in Tampa
  • edited February 2015
    @Ol' Skeet: Agree it's OK to shoot the varmits long as you can use the meat or fur. In the case of squirrels, they can get into attics and do a lot of harm. Someone gave us a piece of venison last fall and it went great in a stir-fry. I hunted a bit when younger. Was fun stomping through the cedar swamps trying to scare up a partridge.

    From one of our favorite plays, Oklahoma ... from the Eulogy for Poor Jud (who everyone agreed was a pretty dispicable person):

    "He loved the birds of the forest, and the beasts of the field! He loved the mice and the vermin of the barn, and he treated the rats like equals - which was right!".

    Good Investing!:)
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