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
Long, really long. However, fact-check his state of the union is enlightening.
https://npr.org/2025/03/04/g-s1-50488/trump-congress-joint-address-fact-check
I understand you concern. That is why I stated, "for now". No one really know what treasury department looks like a year from now.
The other choices are high quality corporate bonds, or money market.
To add content to @Junkster's comment above:
https://msn.com/en-us/money/markets/atlanta-fed-posts-alarming-new-economic-projection-of-trumps-first-quarter/ar-AA1AabBo?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Please see the plot.
Treasury is less risky than that of corporate bonds. For now, treasury department operates independently from the executive branch.
Alternatively, take a page from Warren Buffet and buy T bills. He takes no chances with $360 billion in cash. H…
US stock market is all RED today due to tariffs concern: DJIA -1.5%, NASDAQ, -2.6%, S&P500 -1.78%. What are these business people thinking ? American exceptionalism, really?
@yogibb, thank you for the pertinent information. I’m not familiar on the methodology/data FED uses in forecasting the quarterly GDP. Two sources provided similar negative numbers and that is concerning. Last time GDP went negative was during COVID…
Hackman is an incredible actor, who played many roles in memorable movies. NPR listed many of them that spanned way back in Bonnie & Cycle.
https://npr.org/2025/03/01/nx-s1-5305757/remembering-gene-hackman
RIP. Many of us will miss you.
@yogibb said,
Noted in Barron's - Economy:
Atlanta Fed GDPNow is projecting economic contraction for 2025/Q1 of -1.5% (real) vs +2.3% previously, while Piper Sandler switched to -2% from +2% previously.
@yogibb, The economy is slowing, but this i…
Mag 7 stocks are behaving differently these days. Tesla stock is trailing badly from its peak. Sale in China grew only 1% while the local Chinese brands are growing in double digits.
Otherwise, we are increasing cash position via our treasury ladd…
Barrons’ ranking is not much different from the Morningstar’s.
Thanks to @Charles and company. One can get more useful data from MFO Premium on OEFs and ETFs over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years periods.
Next Tuesday, March 4th is when tariffs will start with Canada and Mexico (25%) and China. There has been talk about EU in next too.. Will investor sentiment improve?
The consequences of both layoffs (government and freezing funding) could be much bigger than initially thought of on the economy. Consumer spending in 2008 was very bad and it took several years before people want to spend. The worst part is that i…
Thanks @Mark. The anti-science attitude is truly disturbing as NIH funding is being cut. Part of the funding goes to many health research institutes including Mayo Clinic.
Their reasoning is that they need to review the panel process when these…
Apparently these ETFs are traded with a slight premium, which may indicate investor demand.
I wonder how these ETFs compare to DIY treasury ladder consisting of i, 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 months T bills.
@hank, I stand corrected. Yes, the future market starts to trade on Sunday evening. What I saw was from Friday. Need more coffee to wake up. My post is corrected.
I remember those facts covered in my high school history class. An acquaintance recently said quietly “Will we have the United States 4 years from now ?” Coming from this conservative individual, it is very disturbing.
I like @Crash asset allocation. With all the turmoil and tariffs. Monday’s future market looks bleak, even gold.
https://cnbc.com/pre-markets/
https://finviz.com/futures.ashx
Mark your calendar, March 14, 2025. Will the government shut down?
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…
