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
@Scott and Bee, these large number of new accounts came from novice investors. The propensity or love of gambling in the world of investing is a bad combination. Not sure if Chinese citizens can invest their $$ outside of China. Beware that the b…
@Ted, congratulation to your fund pick - 70%! Unlike the late 90's, many biotech firms are actually producing products cannot be manufactured by traditional drug companies while making good profits. Like you I also invest with T. Rowe Price Healt…
Not being nitpicky, but the picture of the biotech lab is pretty impressive...
The biotech companies within healthcare sector has been doing well in the last several years, not just 2015.
Moreover, REITs often move in a different direction from stocks or bonds. In the past three decades, REITs’ rolling 36-month correlation with other stocks—a measure of whether their returns moved independently of one another, or in tandem—has ranged…
@Mo, agree with you there. Enjoyed visiting Greece in the past, but there are serious structural problems remained from the past. They are experiencing high unemployment since 2007 (especially among the younger generations) and the educated ones l…
Have been adding to Franklin Mutual European fund, MEURX for awhile. Like the currency hedging in the fund. Europe is in early phase of recovery and there is more to go vs US.
Also added to Vanguard Health Care ETF, VHT.
No changes to bond a…
The bigger issue of Greece's problem is the situation can spread to other weaker EU countries including Italy, Portugal, Spain, and (possibly) Ireland. Ultimately survivability of EURO as the single common currency becomes a question mark.
…
@Old_Skeet, my hat off to you! My parents have done similar thing when we were growing up and we maintained a lush veggie garden water largely from rain water.
Additionally, if it gets to the point where we have to discuss as a nation that we have to start figuring out a way to send water by rail to California... geez.
@Scott, really like your investment idea on water.
I think getting water to US is m…
The security breach is more expansive including security clearance application. This could compromise intelligent agents working oversea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/chinese-hack-of-government-network-compromises-secur…
Even Yale/Harvard endowments are not using 200 investment vehicles. Read elsewhere that Calpers failed to keep up with the expected return in recent years and thus they ventured into hedge funds without knowing the cost and benefits.
I do miss Craftsman's tools. Now they are all Markita and DeWalt. As such, I have no interest in Fairholme funds while BRK.B has done very well in the same time period (no drama).
Unfortunately this is the dark side of capitalism. Management team gets rewarded when they cut cost (as in domestic human capital) that ultimately leads to higher stock price and large bonus, regardless of the quality of the products or services th…
These countries already have serious structural problems to begin with. Thus It is unrealistic for IMF (particularly Germany) to expect them to meet their debt obligation. The run on the banks scenario already started in Greece. Ted posted a simi…
@MJG, I too have been working with Portfolio Visualizer for awhile. In addition, I have access to Financial Engine from work that open my eyes on back-testing.
This has been a rough week on bond funds around the globe this week. Majority of them has lost 1% or more. Think they will rebound in next few weeks.
Few fared better (mostly with short duration):
River Park short term high yield, 0.1% loss
T. …
In 2000, fund giant Vanguard Group introduced what it calls its Admiral class of shares as a way of rewarding loyal investors. Shareholders who held $150,000 for at least three years or $50,000 for at least 10 years were bumped up into the Admiral c…
this is one of them...
While the A-share index has had some periods of crazy performance, it has done so with nearly double the risk of boring old H-shares. Whether it’s worth taking those outsize risks to get those outsize rewards is certainly a ma…
@JoJo26, Artisan funds tend to be higher than that of the average mutual funds. Perhaps in the future retail investors MAY gain access to the lower expense Advisor shares with lower minimum for IRA accounts. For now the minimum is $250K.
Kudos to Taymour Tamaddon who maintains the investment process left from Kris Jenner (and his analysts who left with him).
Vanguard Health Care fund is a viable alternative with a more conservative approach (i.e. less biotech allocation). The ne…
Also...
China A-shares will be added to Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund and its ETF share class—VWO, the world’s largest emerging markets ETF—making them the first broad-based emerging markets, market-cap weighted index fund and ETF to i…
Former manager from Janus. Short piece from Denver Post in 2014.
In perhaps his biggest misstep, he invested with a neighbor from Cherry Hills Village named Sean Mueller, who promoted a day-trading system offering returns of 12 percent to 20 perc…
Management team at FMI has been taking a conservative and cautious approach (currency hedging and high cash position) has worked out nicely since inception. FMIJX is only open fund in this small shop.
The lowest cost American funds are the "R" class that are available in 401(k) and 403(b). Otherwise they are set up for advisors, not generally no-load mutual funds for small retail investors. There is nothing magical about the American funds and t…
@Ted. I wonder the David Marcus's motivation of returning to open-end mutual business. After all one can be much more profitable in hedge fund business.
I think foreign stocks are in better position in the near term:
1. trading at more favorable PEs
2. Europe and Japan are in early phase of recovery (however slow) and better chance of further earning expansion than that of US.
@Bee. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Your example using VTI and PONDX is similar to a typical 60/40 (equity/bond) model, and that illustrates the benefit of a balanced allocation throughout the MaxDD period. One can slice and dice the equ…
@JohnC, For cash sleeve here are my thinking:
1. Saving accounts pay little (actually negative after inflation) but they are flexible.
2. Short term investment grade bonds yield 1.5 - 1.6%. VFSUX and VSCSX for example. Minimal duration impact f…
Thank you. I have similar personal experience with that of Mr. Kavula, except I started in my early 30's with job changes and a growing family. There is nothing more satisfying than learning to become a competent and well-informed investor.
@TSP_Transfer, More info on Hanergy. Problem is that this spills over to several ETFs particularly in the solar energy sector. I have a small position on EEMV that is supposely minimal volatility index but contains 1.4% Hanergy. What does it impl…
