Devesh and I, separately, chose to think through the implications of "higher for longer" as a Fed mantra.
Lynn began poking at the new TRP Capital Appreciation ETF and wrote a really nice reflection on Retirement: Year One.
I made some portfolio shifts, which is rare for me. I cut Matthews Asian Growth & Income (MACSX) after a long time. I booked a substantial gain, but mostly in the early years of the holding. What ultimately got me to act was reading the fund's own webpage (their pretty straightforward in reporting performance) and the apparent turmoil / turnover at Matthews. It strikes me as hard to do your job when other people are losing theirs. I added Leuthold Core (LCORX), because I don't have the energy just now to worry about how to reallocate assets when the picture (goodbye, Speaker McCarthy) changes daily. And I had already added RiverPark Strategic Income, which I'd written about this summer in tandem with Osterweis Strategic Income. OSTIX is leading in absolute returns but has more short-term volatility, and I'm just not into that. It's up 5.9% YTD / 5.8% APR over three years.
All of which moves me back closer to my "neutral" position of 50/50 stocks/bonds-cash-alts.
Comments
https://www.morningstar.com/financial-advice/david-giroux-i-want-look-forward-not-backward
Thank you @David_Snowball. It’s a puzzle to me the popularity of these modes of personal transportation. One I ponder often while weaving my way through a grocer’s parking lot, groceries in hand, searching for my midsized sedan obscured among an acre of taller pickups and SUVs. (Not to decry anyone else’s personal choices)
Seriously, after driving small Dakota and Ranger pickup trucks for over 20 years, I decided to lease a Toyota Camry. A sedan. Hated it. Not because it was a bad car, but you couldn't carry anything in that little trunk. Convenience is why people buy SUV's and why sedans are becoming obsolete. After that sedan lease, I bought a Subaru Outback. Love it. Now my golf clubs and pull cart have a summer home.
There are 2 kinds of SUVs - the original rugged ones (like Jeep Wrangler - basically, a flimsy cabin slapped on a powerful engine) and crossovers.
The rugged SUVs are based on pickup/truck chassis/platforms that are rough and possibly unsafe.
Crossover SUVs are just based on car chassis/platforms. For example, Honda CRV is based on Honda Civic chassis/platform, and Honda Pilot is based on Honda Accord chassis/platform. In mechanical, drivability and safety aspects, the crossover SUVs are very similar to their related car-chassis/platforms. The only difference is the outer shape/shell.
Initially, my wife was hesitant to drive Honda CRV, but I explained to her that it is really "smaller" and "lighter" than Honda Accord that she drove for years. Now, it is "her" car.
For me, CRV was sort of underpowered, so I got Acura RDX with V6. Just a year later, Honda came out of Honda Passport with V6. I like to think that it was in response to my complaints to dealers and Honda about the lack of a bigger V6 in Honda mid-SUV line (I was told just to go with RDX). But Honda listened (my wishful thinking!), and came out with Honda Passport, a mid-SUV with V6.
So, what is the difference between 4WD and AWD? Well, that is for some future post.
Speaking of which, it's getting really hard to find 6-banger ICE SUVs these days. Most are 4-cylinder and feel woefully underpowered. :/
Bloomberg, by the way, declared "Station wagons are back to cure SUV fatigue." (In 2017)
Looks just like this one-
Oh - but “wagons” had so much more class. You could actually tell one brand from another.
Chip's favorite car is her Honda Fit, basically a chopped-off wagon with a freakish amount of storage capacity owing to rear seats that fold flat to the floor. 40" of vertical space when that happens.
Neither car is being sold in the US anymore. The Fit is sold overseas, and the Accord wagon passed away in 2015.
I’m one of those unicorns who drives a hatchback in the states. I wish we had more options but they’ve been mostly displaced by crossovers.
Sink Unlimited Volumes of money into it.
My tiny white front-wheel drive Saturn 4-door went cross-country maybe three times. And I took it to British Columbia, too. Cassette Tape player. And A/C. Luxury model with automatic transmission. Almost 300k miles before it was donated to charity.
I had resisted getting an SUV for years due to their terrible gas mileage. However, my RAV4 hybrid gets more than 40 mpg — which is considerably higher than my little Golf. I do miss the handling and easy parking with my Golf, but the RAV4 handles and parks surprisingly well, and it has much more power. And, of course, it has tons of storage space and room for my dog. We seldom get snow in NC, but the all-wheel drive could prove useful during our rare snow events.
If I get tired of driving an SUV, I would probably now get a Toyota Prius, which has incredible gas mileage. The newest model has much more power, nice handling and good styling for a change. Toyota finally seems to be listening to critics about the awful styling of some of their models.
My "roadster" is a 2008 stick-shift Fit. Fun for driving around town. A little too bouncy on the freeway at higher speed.
My favorite driving experience was an ‘86 Ford Escort with “4 on the floor”. Just a 4-banger but fun to drive & maneuverable. Later I owned a 2013 Mustang with automatic / V6. A good looker, but less enjoyable driving. Ford had retarded the timing at lower RPM’s to boost EPA ratings. So the advertised 300+ HP didn’t even kick in until you reached a certain RPM. Really a dog off the line considering engine size.
The ferry to Vancouver Island was a highlight. And running around the "Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia."