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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).
What I can't understand is why Morningstar rates TBGVX as being low risk. In 2008 the fund lost 38%, while the EAFE lost 43%. That hardly seems like low risk to me. If the fund were to protect you in bad times, then the high ER would more than pay…
Vanguard International Value (VTRIX) seems to have performed comparably with TBGVX over the past 10 years. Expense ration is only .39, over 100 basis points less than Tweedy Browne. Am I comparing apples to oranges, or is this a viable alternative?…
