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.
@Old_Joe: he may well have started someone clever on the path to creating the latest-crazy-idea ETF. 2X futures contracts on America's favorite breakfast drink, with a large chunk of Florida real estate short holdings as selected by associate portfo…
We know that compounding on investments made early in one’s lifetime makes a huge difference in one’s financial success. Even though I was a very low earner when I started my career in 1970, we still were able to buy a house in 1973 based on my inco…
@hank: that’s quite a tribute to a Mercury, a brand that hotrodders loved in my teen years. It did not retain its cachet. A friend of mine got stuck with a Mercury SUV lemon, manufactured north of the border, no doubt. Once he could afford to unload…
I have never followed Mr Giroux’s fund, but I do think his ETF can work for me. I’m dialing back on aggressive growth, so TCAF’s GARP makes sense. The three medical device companies highlighted recently (BDX, RVTY, FTV) were all up today. They have …
Ronnie promised the moon to the working class, but left the country with massive deficits. A true hood-winking. Old man Bush beats one of the worst candidates the Dems ever nominated and gets to name Clarence Thomas to the SC. Talk about a decline. …
Champlain used to be fine funds. CIPSX and CIPMX still have M* Gold, but have dropped to four stars. MFO Premium correctly rates their last 5 and 3 year performances as a “3.” They attracted a lot of money, closed the SCG and MCG (maybe too late?), …
My best wishes to Chip for a rapid recovery @David_Snowball. An MD friend of mine, one who had volunteered at testing sites early in the pandemic had remained Covid-free during the entire emergency up until the time last month when she went on a saf…
I have CapitalOne in my wallet. The company has repeatedly asked to to enable the virtual feature, but I have not because I don't fully understand it. Thanks for the above links and info; I'll try shifting my brain out of neutral.
@hank: really good points regarding the "whys." Your mention of the loss of defined-benefit pensions could be expanded to include the factors that have all but wiped out what we used to call "the middle class." It's not that the social stratum itsel…
@dtconroe: thanks for your very clearly expounded review of your situation and how your current portfolio evolved from something quite different from what you are holding/managing today. I had forgotten what you reported doing to your portfolio last…
Thanks, @Old_Joe. I did read to the end and was rewarded. BTW, I crossed the four-score line in 2022, but I know you to be far more mature than I (lol).
Somewhat related: I do worry about leaving a complicated portfolio for my wife, say, who has n…
@dtconroe: I am intrigued by your explanation of how you use of CDs and their multiple maturity dates. I spend what some would probably call an excessive amount of my free time juggling MFs and ETFs. However, I did put $10K into a CD for the very fi…
Sad to think this transformation occurred during the years when I was employed full-time, 1970-2012. In my sector, higher ed, we fought like banshees to get a union recognized, then fought some more every 2-4 years to try to carve out some portion o…
Despite urging from more than one source, I waited until this AM to read the “annotated” versions of the indictment published by The NY Times. Un f’n believable, or UFB, as my college buddies said. MSNBC and CNN reporters and analysts all were sayin…
These three stocks already figured in the fund’s holdings, so not new buys for Giroux. Surprising strength just judging by how well they have held up the last couple of down market days. RVTY defied the big drops in all indices on Wednesday.
Anothe…
@BaluBalu: Thanks for that link. After doing my best to understand what this fund purports to do and how, I wondered if the people in charge might be running a seminar at my local Holiday Inn for people like me.
@BaluBalu: I never have owned it. Before just looking at a M* listing of all the Artisan funds, I had not realized that ARTTX is their only domestic LCG offering. A single manager has been running it since inception; I don't see Christopher Smith as…
CNBC noon show today featured a short discussion on prospects for healthcare in the near term. Both participants were cautious to negative, one saying that despite the return of growth stocks this year, biotech has not seen any rally. Merck reports …
To be perfectly honest, and totally conflicted, I am not in the least bit proud of holding some healthcare companies, either their stocks directly or indirectly via my funds. I just found out that one fund I hold has a big position in Phillip Morris…
@Puddinhead: I recently sold XLV, but I am holding on to BHCFX. My inexpert opinion is that uncertainty (as alluded to in above analyses) will hold healthcare stocks back. However, an aggressive fund, such as the Baron one, might be able to find goo…
How do I get to be an influencer? I'm planning a run for Congress, but I need a launch pad from which to hurtle into fame and fortune. I have never read such hooey as in the linked Sun article. How did I not know about these people and these phenome…
Back to the original topic…
Amy Zhang was supposed to be a star SCG and MCG manager at Brown Capital. She got hired away by Alger. However, her record there leaves a great deal to be desired. Not that her former fund BCSIX has shot the lights out s…
@rforno: CGDV certainly looks like a good idea based on what it’s done in its short lifetime. What I find surprising is that last year’s dividend darlings SCHD and GQHIX, to name a couple I have followed, are really sucking air this year by comparis…
Etfrc.com also tells you the stocks a given ETF is underweight with respect to another fund. Overlap is expressed as a number of similar stocks as well as the percentage of the two fund's similar assets. I like the site.
@LewisBraham: re: the Capital Group ETFs. Did you find the same team approach as the American OEFs, or are there differences? I own CGGO and CGGR, both of which have four-person teams, but I don't know about those teams' access to research and analy…
Due to a couple of bone-headed moves, I ended up with both institutional (TF) and retail (NTF) of the same fund at Schwab (not Lazard). I asked to have the retail shares, which carried a much higher ER, converted to institutional. The Schwab rep fi…
@yogibearbull: We had to choose the AT&T bundle because we are far enough away from a main street to have to rely on a buried copper cable for all our connectivity. Comcast is in town but would have charged us big bucks to lay a cable 2/10th of …
A quick look at GRID (First Trust Clean Edge®Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF) shows 17% utilities as well as many industrial and tech companies that stand to benefit from what Giroux is talking about, namely the conversion to green energy. GRID does n…
Just received this newsletter regarding KMLM managed futures fund and its rationale for not including equities at all in its trend-following ETF. If I understand correctly, the argument is that trying to short equities, for example, is tantamount to…
This week's New Yorker has a fine article about the rise of Gov. Whitmer and the Dems in my adopted state. Not sure if Condé-Nast paywall allows guests to read a limited number of articles. The portrait of Whitmer, in color and in her signature leat…
In 2022 I was one who tried using BLNDX/REMIX, a fund that engages in L/S trading of stock indices, FI, currencies, and commodities. The managers’ monthly reports are quite detailed regarding how their positions fared over the previous 30 days and w…
@WABAC: I have hung on to FIW with no regrets. Of the « theme » ETFs I own or have owned, PAVE held up the best during 2022. The ones I sold don’t get mentioned.
@WABAC: ISTM that at the time you mentioned buying TAN, you also spoke of GRID. That was a great pick, up some 38% the last year. QCLN and ICLN, also clean energy themed, have both failed to put up exciting numbers.
