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 wasn't impressed with TBGVX's 38% loss in 2008. Even though the MSCI EAFE lost 43%, this fund was reputed to "excel in down markets". I expected better downside protection, and a 38% loss coupled with high fees was good enough reason to sell the…
It isn't such a big deal to scroll past the posts, whether it be from Ted or anybody else, that don't interest you. Ted does us a service by locating articles that might be of interest to anybody reading this page. I welcome Ted's effort, which ha…
Thanks David. You were right. I had the zoom set to 120%. I can see the page at 100% and at 110%, but then, at 120% the text disappears. I guess I will just get new glasses.
It's funny that you mention Naples and taxes in the same breath. There is a huge underground economy in Naples where no taxes are paid. Well, at least not to the government...Avoiding taxes is as popular as soccer in Italy.
It must be my computer. When I try and magnify the page to 120%, I lose the text, whereas if I keep the magnification at 110% or below, then the text returns. Very strange.
OK, we have heard many of the negative aspects of this fund. I would like to to know whether or not there are still people holding this fund, and if so, what are their reasons. After yesterday's 3.51% drop, and gold predicted to keep falling, I am…
OJ, I haven't tried it, but I did call up AF and asked them if it could be done, and they mentioned that it could. This was a few years ago, so anybody thinking of trying it should ask them.
Ah, the seed corn analogy, coined by the infamous Taylor of fundalarm fame. FWIW, it is possible to buy shares in CAIBX by first buying shares in one of American's bond funds that charges a 2.5% load. Then, simply convert those shares into CAIBX. …
MJG, It is a pretty big deal for those of us living in the EU. Our bank accounts are supposedly insured up to 100,000 euros by the gov't. Each country has it's own agency which is responsible for guaranteeing each depositor's account. When a gov'…
Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I do have 6 allocation funds that I didn't mention: FPACX, GLRBX, OAKBX, VWINX, PASDX and PRPFX. Was also planning to add to these.
It seems that active management would be more effective in beating the indexes by simply losing less money when the market is heading down. This can be done by holding either holding a mixture of bonds or cash in addition to equities, or by just se…
I don't recall which bond fund has a 2.5% load, but there is one. One can then transfer those shares into an equity fund thereby paying "only" a 2.5% load instead of a 5.75% load.
I was thinking of adding to my positions in oakbx, fpacx, vwinx, glrbx, prpfx and pasdx, as well as moving out of cash and into bond positions, which I don't have except for the above funds. I'm having second thoughts though.
Just to set the record straight, I will quote the ERs directly from this page: http://investments.pimco.com/Regulatory/External Documents/PIMCO_Income_Inst_SP_BD.pdf
all ER's are total annual fund operating expenses:
Institutional class: .61%
Clas…
According to the Fidelity website, PONDX has an expense ratio of .91%. I thought that a CEF would have a lower expense ratio than the equivalent mutual fund, but I guess not.
Thanks everybody for your suggestions. Catch, I don't hold any bond funds yet, only allocation funds, (Oakmark Equity Income (OAKBX), Vanguard Wellesley (Vwinx), FPA Crescent (FPACX), James Balanced (GLRBX), Pimco All Asset (PASDX) and Permanent Por…
msf, 1.72% was the average ER posted by Fundmentals, who designed the portfolio. Don't know if is correct or not. I just stated what he had already mentioned.
Certainly not a cheap portfolio to own. The average ER is 1.72%!
One of the requirements was:
1. No-load, ER less than or equal to category average, been in existence for at least 5 years.
The ER's seemed above the category average to me.
Beside…
Catch, Spain has changed quite a bit since 1973. Prices have risen dramatically since the introduction of the euro. It has become a much more modern country. What happened to you at your restaurant could easily happen today as well. There are still …
Hi Catch, I will look into your suggestions. I'm a US expat living in Spain. For that reason I don't believe that I need any more foreign exposure, and would rather invest in bond funds Stateside. Funds that I'm consider are: FTBFX, DODIX, BCOIX, …
Thanks for the suggestions. Would it make sense to combine core plus funds with intermediate term funds, in order to make the bond portion of my portfolio less volatile? Such as Fidelity Total Bond (FTBFX), Dodge and Cox (DODIX), MetWest Total Retur…
Thanks for the comment msf. I phoned my accountant, and apparently there isn't any difference between short and long term losses, as far as taxes are concerned. (Short and long term gains are another story as all of you well know.) One is allowed to…
Rono, a question: I bought a couple of international funds in April of this year. Sextant international has a 11% loss and Matthew Growth and Income has a 17% loss. If I were to sell these funds now, would that be considered a short term capital los…
It all sounds a bit fishy to me. Why would a Canadian company want to pay in US dollars through paypal, so that he could receive the money while living in England? That means that the money would be exchange twice, first to US dollars, then to Poun…
According to Morningstar, Saturna Capital out of Washington State manage this fund. The managers are Nicholas Kaiser (since 1990) and Monem Salam (since 2008).