Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
I'm a fan of SRI in principle, but the dearth of quality MF's in this space makes it difficult. I'd be curious for a brief understanding if there is a legitimate connect to the Muslim Brotherhood. If not, let's not waste out time on a possible conne…
Top 3 open ended mutual funds (I'm excluding index funds in my 401k) are:
AVEDX - Ave Maria Rising Dividend (plan to hold)
FAIRX - Fairholme (plan to hold)
DODFX - Dodge and Cox International (have held for 6+ years, reducing position)
I am under …
Iben has performed well in his global funds. He manages a sub advised fund from ING also. He is conventional, but willing to place unconventional bets where he sees value.
I love NTF's for building a position or even a portfolio, but you have to ask yourself "Why are some MF's NTF and others aren't". To get on an NTF list with a brokerage the mutual fund company must pay the brokerage a fee (typically 40 basis points …
Well, nobody likes to pay excessive fees. In some cases paying a higher expense ratio for a "better" fund has paid off in the past. I would say that some load funds are good options if there isn't a better no load alternative. The bottom line still …
FYI - Just b/c you have an account at Fidelity, doesn't mean you can only own Fidelity mutual funds. Fidelity offers mutual funds from about 240 families.
I think that FMIHX is a nice fund and I would say it is a core holding. Over 5 years M* lists it as low risk with high return.
VintageFreak makes an interesting point though. And it depends on how you manage your portfolio. Usually core means that…
IMPORTANT NOTICE: On April 14, 2011, shareholders of Firsthand Technology Value Fund approved a reorganization of the Fund into Firsthand Technology Value Fund, Inc. (Nasdaq: SVVC), a closed-end fund registered with the SEC as a business development…
Maurice,
I tried it in a taxable, regular IRA, and a Roth IRA.
Trade Message
(003908) The quantity you specified is less than the minimum required to buy shares in the mutual fund you selected. The selected mutual fund has a minimum investment re…
ACINX is the Z share class of Columbia Acorn International. Fidelity has A, B, and C share classes or both intl and intl select:
LAIAX Columbia Acorn Intl CL A
LAICX Columbia Acorn Intl CL B
LAICX Columbia Acorn Intl CL C
LAFAX Columbia Acorn In…
At Fido First Eagle Overseas Inst CL (SGOIX) has a transaction fee of $75, but it doesn't have a load. I tried a test buy, but it says "The selected mutual fund has a minimum investment requirement of $1,000,000." There are two other share classes a…
Another vote for PRWCX as a core holding.
TRP tends to have steady eddy type funds. These are slightly more steady eddy in a volatile asset class:
PRMSX T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock
PREMX T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Bond
Most 529 plans let you invest automatically in small amounts each month ($50). I say this b/c if the Illinois 529 plan has a bad rap now, then it will surely be changed (It might change a few times in 18 years). So you could consider doing both, a R…
Made the top of some lists for short term performance. Fund has been around since Apr. 1 2009. This is run by a Canadian guy who has been running US funds for Canadians for longer that that. Tends to be growthy. He has a longer track record with his…
PSA,
Can you provide percentages instead of total dollar amounts. It is easier to think about portfolio composition and allocation in terms of percentages.
I'm confused about what you are looking for. Are you only looking for extra kick for the ne…
Congratulations on your new arrival!
Have you considered using a 529 account for baby's college education. ROTH IRA will give you more flexibility (i.e. you don't have to use it for college, you can also use it for retirement). But I do prefer to…
Here are a couple for the beginning investor about personal finance in general:
The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach
Bach promotes the benefits of "paying yourself first" and recommends practica…
There's lots of international funds to choose from. Can you give us a little more description for what you are looking for. Here are a few of my favorites:
HIINX Harbor International
UMBWX Scout International
MAPIX Matthews Asian Dividend
Pretty bland article. Thanks for posting the category returns Ted. I have a few on the list.
Sven, I hate the higher ER's as much (if not more) than the next guy, but the funds help provide diversification and downside protection (sometimes).
Better than my employer's offerings.
MACSX vs. MAPIX or both has been debated a bit. And I don't think there is one right answer there. MACSX has been around much longer and has a good record as a more conservative Asian fund. It has done so with …
Catch,
Just saying that posters who are saying we should revert back to the FA format should give it a chance for a little while first. I wasn't enamored with the FA format the first time I visited the site. And then it took some getting used to. Tr…
Don't let the haters bother you. There are advantages and disadvantages to the new site. We are all very grateful for all the hard work ya'll have put in.
Looking up posts by a specific person is a very cool feature. I probably won't use the inbox…
ARIVX Aston/River Road Independent Value N is my vote for a multi-cap value fund that has low AUM. It's a new fund, but the manager has a great track record with a similar fund (ICMAX Intrepid small cap).
ARIVX can invest in stocks with market caps…
Vanguard High Yield tax exempt (VWAHX) is an option.
You can also look at foreign stock dividend funds for a little yield.
I'm still hanging on to my muni fund: I might add a little.
M* lists it as low risk and average return.
I don't own the fund and don't follow it closely. I just knew it wasn't a PIMCO clone. It seems to lag the category during bull markets but holds up better during down markets.
The Harbor High-Yield Bond Fund is subadvised by Shenkman Capital Management, Inc. The Fund invests primarily in below investment-grade bonds of U.S. corporate issuers. The portfolio manager selects securities issued by companies that generally exhi…
