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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.

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bee

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bee
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  • Thanks Charles...look forward to examples and thanks for the explanation of UI and Martin Ratio. VWUSX didn't give me an ulcer back in 2000-2002, but did burn a hole in my portfolio.
  • Thanks Ted, Interesting comment from a shareholder of FPA at end of article: "The fund is clearly bloated and the managers have taken no steps to either lower the management fees or stem the inflows of new money. Romick concedes that the funds's s…
  • Howdy @bee PIMIX (PONDX's cousin) remains one of our largest bond holdings, so you may consider me/us biased. Have to agree. I have recently added to USFIX for similar reasons. At moments of under performance in the market a multisector bond fund m…
  • @bee LT care insurance--- what funds that? You can get a lot more, for a lot less, right now. Not a chance...I'm self insured. My gravestone will read, "I told you I was sick!" (Reference Key West, FL)
  • @ Junkster Even with a draw down strategy aren't we still talking close to $1M over a 30 year time frame? Trying to figure out how to generate $50 K of income (with colas) over 30+ years was a real challenge for me and my pre-retirement portfolio. …
  • For investors who are thinking of going to cash (timing "out of the market"), but don't like the idea of (timing "back into the market") you might consider using these contrarian fund managers as an alternative to "holding cash". "Hold Cinnamonds"..…
  • Might I suggest a 4 part portfolio. 1-Cash invested in USSBX or similar 2-UUSTX (or your favorite Ultra ST Corporate Bond) to cover expenses equal to 6 years. 3-VWINX (or your favorite conservative allocation fund) that will disperse new monies i…
  • Thanks Ted, Thought I'd include this chart from the last page of your article:
  • I have respected R. Kessler's calls on owning LT treasuries that he has made multiple times over recent years. I have owned MINDX as a momentum investment for most of this year. Keeping an eye on its price appreciation going forward using 50 dma. …
  • Related Story and Chart: Alarming Sign in NDX Stocks’ Drawdown "The Nasdaq 100 Index is making new multi-year highs, levels not seen since the weeks just after the 2000 Internet Bubble top. But it is interesting for us to see that the average compo…
  • One of the tragedy's of my life. BRUFX not available for sale in TX. Seem like a silly exclusion that you should be able to figure out a "work around"...maybe a relatives address in another state?
  • I believe stock market valuations to be a little on the frothy side and to support this thought I have provided a link to P/E Ratios and Yields on the major indexes along with Morningstar’s Fair Value Graph. More on this frothiness globally...no…
  • This might be a bit unconventional, but with interest rates at historic lows consider taking on debt burden. Your debt burden threshold is much higher as a wager earner verses a retiree. I went from 90K of income in my last year of work to a little …
  • Related News: Proposals to replace the 117-year-old system of fixing prices for the $5 trillion silver market are poised to add more transparency for the London benchmark used in the $18 trillion gold industry as well. London Bullion Market Associa…
  • Edit...sorry you guys set that one up for me. Partial orginal post: "but I think they have a pill for that."
  • Thanks David for each session sniglet...how's the food? Any freebies...M* coffee cups? As a warning, my daughter and classmates attended a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program put on by the local police department. She and her classm…
  • I would think a trillion-ish dollars of stimulus would slightly water down the value of the Yen, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Article quote from the "Short Side of Long": "We’ve seen close to record high levels of short bets against the …
  • A perfect portfolio is a moving target and in reality is an allocation that allows an investor to achieve what is NEEDED with the least amount of volatility. Peter Bernstein: "Risk-taking is an inevitable ingredient in investing, and in life, but ne…
  • ATM? Ya, but we use it rarely, and never out-of-town. PLANNING ahead works rather well! Cash back at the grocery store also works very nicely for "free". Somewhere along the line the "big dogs" lost the "r" in free.
  • Here's my "indirect" personal experience. I manage my mom's finances and she has been a BofA account holder for a very long time. Last August she was charged an account maintenance fee. She had met all the requirements prior to August, but because…
  • Last time I checked Hawaii, Alaska, Utah, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Vermont & Wyoming where part of America...funny BofA doesn't think so...wish they would…
  • I feel your very small abandonment. My institiution does two small transactions...imagine how upset I feel. But, back to your situation. Unfortunately, here at Federated Valley Local National Bank we take these small deposits very seriously. We hop…
  • Thanks Ted, When it comes to buzzfeed (links) you are the BZB. I have some catching up to do.
  • Hi Folks, Dealing with an elderly parent has kept me far away from the internet and this site. Hope all is well. When it comes to PMs I take a slightly different stance than the above posters. Manipulated? Like the rest of the market? Of course.…
  • I recently open an health svings account with The Bruce Fund. I will add to this hsa for the next 10 years (until age 65). The website leaves a lot to be desired, but I believe my occassional health care related reimbursements won't create too much …
    in Bruce Fund Comment by bee May 2014
  • Thanks Ted, Interest rates eventually will cause LT bond mutual funds to reset lower with each incremental interest rate increase, but I believe this is an easier set of events to plan for. This recent price appreciation (out performance) has bee…
  • This math (cost differentials) reminds me of a retirement decision I grappled with a few years ago: "When should I take my retirement pension". My employer provided me with a retirement pension calculation chart to consider (an annuity chart of s…
  • Personally the concept of using an enormous amount of energy to separate tar from sand and then build an extremely expensive pipeline to move this liquified tar to refineries that then use more energy to finally produce a usable fuel seem antiquated…
  • Gold as a currency has lost some of its relevance since the dissolution of the Bretton Woods Treaty. The end of the Bretton Woods System (1972–81) Many parts of the world still think of gold as money and a form of exchange. I believe that etfs, l…
  • Thanks for the article Ted, I would go step further and I would try to work in a Roth conversion strategy (before 70.5) using taxable savings and or spousal benefits to pay taxes on the yearly conversions. With both husband and wife taking full S…
  • You might enjoy this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9_wdRkxT7GI The Phillips Brother's Mill is located in Oakrun, CA
  • Some allocation funds and multisector bond funds use high yield bond (strategically). Full List: Conservative Allocation Funds FKINX BERIX Full List: Moderate Allocation Funds BUFBX Full List: Multisector Bond Funds NEFZX PONDX In the M* High Y…
  • A younger populations outside the US is also what Frontier and Emerging Markets have going for them. Combined with education, health, good goverance these youthful areas of the world have the potential of being healthy economies and great long term…
  • Thanks for the submission johnN. I thought this was worthy of highlight: "The average person can learn enough over a period of time to manage their own investments as well or better than most advisors. But the biggest advantage a person can have o…
  • Referencing a previous thread here: 5 Ways To Protect Your Retirement Income This was kinda my point regarding target date funds. They often get you "to" retirement. When you step off into retirement a target dated fund may not be designed to get …
  • To cman Comment: "A realistic middle ground exists between being a Pollyanna and a Doomer." Years ago I remember watching a documentary called "Common Ground" which presented the issues surrounding Logging in the Pacific Northwest. The reporting st…
  • Note in the article's pie chart which asset allocation from conservative to aggressive had the best returns over time. Regards, Ted Thanks for the article Ted. Here's an approach I would like others to comment on if you would be so kind. For sim…
  • In my opinion T. Rowe Price has a lot going for it. When I compare TRP fund's to other funds in their category they seems to exhibit a better combination of higher alpha and lower beta in up and down markets making it easier for an individual inve…