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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Sven
Lynn,
Thank you so much. I am planning on a 3-year ladder since I am a year away from retirement. Lots of spreadsheet work to calculate the income replacement needed. This ladder will create a steady income stream. So thank you for all your help.
I moved back to high quality bond funds this year. Some of which you covered in the SA article. For now, I will stay with agency bonds to the bond ladder. I will pick active managers for corporate bonds.
Sven
For Vanguard, it requires a bit more work. Here is an excerpt form Bodgeheads forum,
HOW TO:
locking down your Vanguard account against ACATS Fraud :
yes you can at Vanguard ,
however you must call the Vanguard "security department" and make a…
@Mona, thank you for the article. We have placed lockdown on all our Fidelity accounts. While it was easier to transfer assets, but it poses vulnerability within the system for bad actors from exploiting it.
Edit: for Fidelity customers, lockdo…
@Mona,
US dollar continues to rise against other major currencies and that poses sizable headwind for foreign stocks. Foreign index funds are generally NOT currency hedged as they lag US stocks for sometime now. I trimmed these positions ( while m…
Reducing S&P 500 and VEA exposure. Bought more T bills and let the rest stay in money market.
Building precious metals and miner positions since November 2024.
@JD_co, sorry, my earlier comment was not direct to you. It was someone in @Mark’s link who stated that.
@Crash, thanks for the info on Romania. Putin stated many times that he wanted Russia to return to the glorious days Soviet Union post WWII. …
In addition, the US dollar has been strong against other major currencies; a sizable headwind when investing oversea unless the managers hedged the currency invested.
I don’t believe Grandeur Peak hedge currency in their foreign and global funds.
2FA works well at Vanguard in all browsers (Safari, Chrome, and GoGo duck), OS (MacOS, iOS, and Windows). I prefer the full site rather than Vanguard’s app since the full features are in front of you instead being buried several layers within the A…
You are getting great advices here. Please consider moving you accounts to other reputable brokerages, and Wells Fargo is not a good firm to work with.
My parents were in your position many years ago. I helped them to move to Fidelity brokerage.…
My iPad has all other categories including Other Investing on the left hand side. On the iPhone, please follow @BaluBalu” instruction, and go to “Full Site”.
@Mark, on Mac, the MFO website is already in Full Site with full display of all options…
Initially, “60%” traffics on China was imposed without specifying which goods. Then it went to “10%”. Now is “25%” on steel and aluminum. In the meantime, China is taking their case to World Trade Organization. In his previous administration, tar…
Most strange thing is that he did not place his hand on a bible when he took the loath as all previous presidents did. So can he be held accountable for what he is doing now?
All that traffics amount to diversion tactics as President Musk along with his sidekick Trump dismantling the government. When was the last time the government is offering buyouts ?
@yogibb said: So, Fido and Schwab aren't providing their mutual fund platforms as public service. This is one lucrative area that remains for them that is untouched by the drive to zero commissions. Options are another area.
I understand there is n…
That change amounts to "old wine, new bottles". Small shops are facing of flat or declining asset are ding the same in order to survive.
We used to invested with Tweedy Browne 30 years ago and learned there are better choices out there. High fees…
Guess what many of those who voted for him will suffer as he takes away Medicaid and financial assistance. This hurts everyone in particularly the low income families. regardless whether they live in blue or red states. This amount to class warefare…
In the past we owned all the Vanguard funds mentioned in this tread. We have since left majority of them awhile back for the same reasons that pr viusly mentioned. How times have changed for Wellington and Primecap funds that trail their peers for a…
Fidelity has a retirement calculator that allows for expected return, inflation and withdrawal rate. Don't know how robust.this calculator is. Vanguard has a calculator too, but it is buried deep inside their website and it has limited input variabl…
High costs have also weighed down results for tactical asset-allocation funds. On average, funds in this category levy annual expense ratios of 1.4% of assets, making them one of the pricier categories
Management fee of 1.4% is not easily to overc…
Speaking of damages that Musk is causing to the government. Turely appalling ….
https://npr.org/2025/02/03/nx-s1-5285539/doge-musk-usaid-trump
Some of those working for Musk don’t have security clearance but they are assess classified files in the…
IPhones (and Android phones) too have their AI within their OS. It is one thing that they like to track your activities while you are at their sites. It is another that report your information to foreign government. When I travel abroad, I like to…
The damage is happening now. Next senate election is 2 years away. It may be too late to get these GOP out of their seat. There are few moderates as they get squeezed out in recent years. It is sad to see the cabinet confirmation failed to get the…
I came across this article about China’s DeepSeek AI. Something to think about your personal information and data.
https://npr.org/2025/01/31/nx-s1-5277440/deepseek-data-safety
That is the reason to fire all 15 Inspector Generals whose jobs are serving as independent watchdogs over the government agencies. There are apolitical civic servants.
Furthermore, the major networks such as CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and NBC are in a mes…
I am watching closely on the H5N1 virus as it mutates and jumps from birds to human. Few death cases are due to the existing health issues of those infected.
The speed of transmission from one poultry farm to another is alarming. Even with the c…
We better pray that there is not another round of pandemic take place soon. This administration is even more incompetent than his previous one. He nearly died from COVID-19 if it was not for the anti-viral drugs he was given, not bleach.
I read the article too - very depressing ! These are career civil servants who are supposedly apolitical. It is the DOJ and FBI duties to investigate those who broke the laws of this country.
what does *that* tell you about the so-called 'free markets' here?
It is not a free market just as you see the big tech leaders at the inauguration. They all want the corporate tax cut just like previously. Now many of them are removing DEI from …
Quite chilling reading this article from last year.
https://ecfr.eu/publication/the-orbanisation-of-america-hungarys-lessons-for-donald-trump/
There is good reason why he admires authoritarians such as Putin and others.
This is the first round of tariff with China, Canada and Mexico. Both Canada and Mexico retaliated the same 25% tariffs, especially liquor from Red States. China is taking their case to WTO. There is more to come as he also threatens EU and England.…
Same here. He is a frequent contributor at the Canadian side of Bloomberg.
https://bnnbloomberg.ca/search/?query=rosenberg
Mike Wilson of Morgan Stanley is another bearish strategist.
This is a truly tragic accident. In the past, all presidents offer their condolences to the victims right away on TV, then made visit to the sites soon afterward. This man is disgusting to the nation.
It is totally NUTS to turn on our biggest trading partners in North America. US import most of the oil from Canada and became less dependent on Middle East. A WSJ article “ Trump’s 25% Tariff Deadline Is Almost Here. What to Expect” highlights man…
We have been trimming S&P 500 in last several months and buying IAU (new position), DBA (new position), BRKB, and active managed bonds. This year we will be more defensive. Made a modest gain last year that that is good enough for us.