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.
For some time now I've been playing a game with myself that's all about avoiding palm oil. While I'm getting better at it, it's pretty difficult in that it requires that I read every single label affixed to every single packaged food and personal c…
This idea that SS increases at 8% per year strikes me as fallacious. In "dollars," sure, but not in purchasing power, which decreases each and every year (unless we hit an extended period of deflation, which I'd have a problem counting on). Moreov…
Consider reading Daniel Amerman's commentary on taking SS early. It's pretty compelling. I know that my personal rate of inflation is about 5% annually which is just one reason why waiting makes less sense.
"All we know is in the past stocks have gone up." That's good enough for me, once we consider the manifold reasons why that has generally been the case.
I've worked directly with (not for) the SEC: believe me, generally speaking they do not know up from down. If they were geniuses they'd be making fortunes in the markets, not GS salaries. Don't count on the SEC to be anything other than a day late…
Unlike Grantham, I feel hopeless at predicting where things will stand in a day, a week, or a quarter. But a little voice keeps reminding me that "buy low, sell high" is what I'm "supposed" to do, and when I look at the current value of my investme…
True, a few of the holdings in my portfolio show no change from Wednesday's closing prices when in fact there are differences as of Thursday. It's a good thing M* doesn't operate a brokerage, given their many technical gaffes.
I have experienced the same stale price data with respect to a mutual fund I have listed on M*'s non-premium portfolio manager and suspect that there's another glitch in their systems -- they've experienced quite a few lately. I thought it might be…
Looking once again at those investor reports brings back awful memories. (That's possibly a good thing in the current environment.) It wasn't just MBIA; TAVFX went long on Ambac, Radian, MGIC, and added to its pain by investing in MBIA bonds. I r…
I was a TAVFX shareholder for quite awhile. Alas, everything Mr. Whitman thought he knew about value investing proved false in the case of the mortgage insurance companies he bought before, during, and after the housing crisis. I got out in time, …
Attempts to maintain my chosen level of asset diversification are defeated by the constant increases in equity valuations. It's a nice problem to have.
Today Sen. Schumer described yesterday's events as "an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president." I agree and have relayed messages to his office, as well as to that of my own Senator (I seem to have only one at the moment) …
Sure -- M* screws up a lot. To be fair, there's a whole lot of data that gets dumped on them each day but that's true for brokerage firms, the Bloombergs and other financial websites of the world, as well as many others. M* seems particularly susc…
I had the same problem as the original poster (and others) but now I don't. I didn't change anything and assumed this was a M* issue (things like that usually are). Maybe they fixed it so if it affected you, try again.
Someone dropped $25 million into this fund last Friday (the difference between Thursday and Friday AUM, not accounted for by market move). Perhaps someone who read the MFO profile? At any rate, fine Sharpe ratio and historical upside/downside capt…
Former Schwab executive here. Trust me, Schwab's goal is to make money: that's a fact, not a criticism. There are many ways to attract clients in order to do that, including fair pricing, responsive customer service, and a superior online experien…
Not trying to pile on Matthews, because I don't currently own any of their funds, but another PM recently departed after co-managing the Pacific Tiger fund for several years. He was replaced by two people, one of whom had earlier been at Matthews b…
I've been impressed by the approach taken by Grandeur Peak (as well as by the performance). They seem interested in serving their clients, not merely themselves. In tough markets, like 4th quarter 2018, they may drop like a rock but seem to recove…
Schwab Total Stock Market Index Fund -- SWTSX: 0.03% expense ratio (10x less than the Price version). Schwab has a very good website and local branches. Personally, I'd steer clear of actively managed funds for reasons of cost and the fact that mo…
I haven't seen much evidence of layoffs in the six-figure pay space but, possibly related, reports around here say that residential rents in San Francisco and Silicon Valley have tumbled 10 - 15% year-over-year. That's down from a ridiculously high…
The shareholder letter immediately preceding this latest one touted FMI's outperformance in down markets. Oops. All three of their funds dropped more than their benchmarks in this latest rout. They admit that they lag in up markets. That may not…
From a M* article posted today--
The most vulnerable strategies in the current environment have been flashing red well in advance. For example, AlphaCentric Income Opportunities (IOFIX), a multisector bond fund that has invested the majority of its…
I hope that people who are actually experts in the field, both within and outside of government, step up and call him out on this delusional perspective.