Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

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.

    Support MFO

  • Donate through PayPal

fred495

About

Users name
fred495
Joined
Visits
3,714
Last Active
Roles
Member

Comments

  • My thoughts re BLNDX...is I am passing on it as long as I can get 5%plus in tbills...why get greedy and screw around with the black box stuff? Well said, I agree.
  • BLNDX is advertised as an "all weather" fund. I was also somewhat surprised that BLNDX lost approx. 2% in the last 2 days. As a retired and conservative investor, I am looking for a little more consistency. After posting the above on July 19, …
  • Thanks, Derf, much appreciated.
  • Sorry, but for an average investor like me, it would have been more helpful if they also showed the percentage of the portfolio that's in each sector.
  • BLNDX is advertised as an "all weather" fund. Yes, the fund may finally be "on fire this year", but looking at your chart, it seems to have exhibited a relatively flat total return performance for most of the previous 2 years, i.e., from approx. A…
  • Try Fitchratings.com.
  • msf said: "A problem using ETFs (or any bond fund) in lieu of a MMF is that either one takes the monthly divs in cash (rather than reinvesting) or one runs the risk of dealing with wash sales on each redemption. A minor nuisance but still something …
  • If you are looking for a highly competitive MM interest rate for your cash and can't find it at your brokerage, why not just put it into iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF (TFLO)? Currently, the 30 Day SEC Yield is 5.33%. In addition, while in…
  • Be mindful of any PM changes. Do you have a particular fund in mind? VWIAX or FMSDX or PRCFX?
  • Thank you so much, again, yogi and msf, for your excellent and very helpful comments. I am leaning towards PRCFX at this point. P.S. By the way, I have to say that both of you have a knack for explaining and commenting on topics that are so succinc…
  • FMSDX is a multi-asset fund that holds stocks, bonds and some alternatives. It is riskier than VWIAX. Although classified as conservative-allocation (CA), it is somewhere between CA and MA, taking into account its lower grade bonds. VWINX / VWIAX i…
  • @ Fred495. Pondering the same question. I think you nailed the key differences. My research has shown that the Fidelity product has a broader mandate and may move into areas that might not be what you are looking for. Perhaps greater returns b…
  • I hear you, but I try to limit the number of positions in my portfolio. Thanks for the suggestion, JD
  • Thank you, yogi and msf, for the clarification. Much appreciated.
  • You can have brokered CD from a bank, and then at bank itself, you can have personal a/c, joint a/c, IRA a/c, multiple POD/TOD CDs. Under the current system, all that can add up to a lot at the same bank. But the new FDIC limit will be $1.25 million…
  • @fred495 - to reinforce yogi, the trick here is to buy brokered CDs through your brokerage, and spread them around through different banks. Maybe 50k here, 50k there. However, my plan is to buy five CDs through my brokerage firm in my TOD and in my…
  • Thanks, yogi. I always appreciate your thorough and very helpful replies. Much appreciated.
  • The FDIC coverage is for all personal assets held at a bank with the new max $1.25 million considering various tricks. The FDIC coverage kicks in when the bank fails. For cash and securities held at brokerage, the SIPC insurance limits would apply. …
  • QDSNX has shown itself again to be quite a steady performer, even on days like today when the market turned ugly. For example: QDSNX +0.1% VWELX -1.1 PRWCX -1.1 S&P 500 -1.6 So far, so good. Fred
  • Thanks for all your informative replies. I have been mailing my state tax returns by USPS First Class Mail for the past 50 or 60 years without any problems. I go to my local Post Office and the clerk gives me a receipt that shows the city and Zip C…
  • Well said, Andy. What stood out for me as a retired and conservative investor in the above Portfolio Visualizer results were the significant differences in Standard Deviation (6.9% vs. 12.2%), and Maximum Drawdown (-4.6% vs. -13.6%). Investors wi…
  • Using Chinfist's above three fund suggestions, I decided to use Portfolio Visualizer to compare 1/3rd multi-asset fund (AQRNX)), 1/3rd style premia alternative fund (QSPNX), and 1/3rd long-short fund (QLENX) with QDSNX for the available period of Ju…
  • Well, Dutch, that sounds simple enough. But, can you give me an example of how you would replicate BLNDX's other half "in the actual alternative strategy"? Thanks, Fred
  • Thanks, Mike, appreciate your comments. Besides QDSNX, both JHQAX and BLNDX are on my watch list . I feel fairly comfortable with JHQAX's 10 year performance record and investment approach. Still working on the other two funds. Wish there was more …
  • Balu said: " So, I appreciate others cross checking the information I post." I followed your advice and checked Portfolio Visualizer's March 2023 return for QDSNX and, as I posted above, it shows a loss of 3.7%, not 6%. I assume PV is a reliable s…
  • I agree, Mike. Well said. Fred
  • Balu said: "I only know PVCMX and for the year 2023, PVCMX did much better than QDSNX which lost 6% during the March 2023 SVB tantrum ..." Sorry, but just for the record I checked Portfolio Visualizer, and I see that in March 2023 QDSNX lost 3.7%,…
  • I like and own WBALX for the more conservative part of the portfolio. 50/50 and quite conservative. Small 230K AUM. When the s--t hits the fan this should lose less. In retirement I hold the mantra, "Do not lose it " in high esteem. As a retired a…
  • Here are two multi/alternative strategy funds, with excellent risk/reward records, that a conservative retiree might also consider and that are available NTF at Fidelity: - AQR Diversifying Strategies N (QDSNX) has a 3-year total return of 10.9% an…
  • There are other conservative funds that hold cash when things are so pricy and then can jump back in like MRFOX . It cam up on another thread and I dug into it and was impressed enough to buy some. Unfortunately, MRFOX cannot be traded at Fidelity.…
  • Fwiw. I've started a position in PHEFX. We'll see how it goes Best regards Baseball fan I am still sticking with JPMorgan Hedged Equity A JHQAX, a fund that has a consistent and excellent 10 year risk/reward history. Good luck. Fred
  • dividends are 99.9% tax exempt in my state @Fred495, if I am correct, treasury bonds/ ETFs are federal tax-exempt, not state exempt. TFLO invests in floating rate treasury similar to that of USFR, WisdomTree treasury floating rate ETF. Sven,…
  • Besides CDs at major national banks, I still keep most of my cash in TFLO (iShares Treasury Floating rate Bond ETF) which currently has a 30 Day SEC Yield of 5.40%. The dividends are 99.9% tax exempt in my state. So far, so good.
  • “ You have heard the saying, "Buy low, sell high," correct?” So, my thinking goes, “why not wait a little longer…rest in the mmkt sweet spot with 5%+ for a while. The 3,6,12-month t-bills ain’t bad either.” Well said, Level5. Especially since, "…
  • When I advise my thirty something daughter I have to repeat to myself that for her it’s time in the market. For me it’s how much time is left. Well said, larryB
  • Thanks for sharing your data, yogi, much appreciated. Fred
  • I am now in. My approximation for the closed PRWCX is a mix of TCAF + PYLD + USFR. Don't try backtesting as there is no history. But you must, use suitable mutual fund replacements that have existed for longer. If you care to share, how would you…
  • Thank you very much for the information. Much appreciated, yogi. However, I noticed that the Illinois tax publication you referenced states that: "The following types of income are exempt from Illinois Income Tax: Interest on U.S. Treasury bonds,…
  • After all, JHEQX has quarterly index-option rolls (options are NOT on individual stock holdings). Fund is huge at $16+ billion (AUM peak was in 2021; [...] See this brochure for explanation of index-options overlay to achieve 60-40 effect from all s…
  • dt, my CD purchases are generally in the 6 figures, sometimes up to the FDIC insurance limit. Fred