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.
As @Catch22 pointed out, for retirees in MI (comme moi et ma femme) who worked as represented employees our entire careers, our health, Rx, dental, vision and hearing plans are subsidized. We pay Medicare premiums and premiums of about $150 to the s…
@PBKCM: Has your fund ever held assets other than stocks? At present, it doesn't seem to merit the moniker "multialternative" assigned by M* because it holds all stocks.
@PBKCM: Given what Old_Skeet said above about unrealized gains and high turnover of your fund, do you have any idea what you'll be paying out in distributions for 2017? Thanks.
@hank: Very prescient comments about Verlander; two long balls give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead and someone else had to win the game. I watched JV with the Tigers as you did.
Closed out long-time position in GPEOX; adding the yearly max to GPMCX and holding GPGOX. The EM fund hasn't been bad, but it has lagged and I can afford to trim there.
With respect to the increase in Medicare premiums that may ensue if one takes two RMDs in the same calendar year, it is possible to appeal to Medicare for a return to the lower premium rate if one can show that the one year with the high income was …
By way of disclosure, I'm old and I sometimes post. Being as old as I am, I am not inclined to "share." That probably makes me a curmudgeon.
The very best offerings on MFO concern specific funds or types of funds. I am most interested in knowing wh…
I owned MFMPX after its predecessor CEF open-ended. I sold when the prolonged downturn in frontier markets was underway. In my view, the asset class has not recovered and I am disinclined to re-enter it. Index rejiggering eliminated some of the coun…
FWIIW, a company called Intersections, Inc (INTX) owns IdentityGuard. While the stock is up about 8% over the last couple of days, this company could best be called a "distressed small-cap value" issue. They haven't made money, but they certainly ou…
@hank: Thanks for the suggestion about Identity Guard. The $20 per month plan seems to fit our needs, so I signed up. I just hope it does not result in gremlins popping up on my browser screen asking about more coverage, or virus protection, etc. My…
We could have a password protection program such as Dashlane create an identity for each of us. The identity will be impossible to commit to memory, like a Dashlane password. Then we won't know who we are, who are friends are, or anything else. Who …
I feel like a schmuck. My credit card account was breached last March and I was referred to Equifax to set up credit monitoring. In my panic, I agreed to pay them 16.95 a month to "protect" me. Recently, I canceled that service as it gave me nothing…
Thanks for finding that fund, @slick. Some of the big holdings at both of Jain's funds overlap, but it appears GSIHX will be a global developed markets giant and large cap.
DVSMX is the new fund profiled by David this month. While the minimum purchase is said to be $10,000, Schwab's system took my order (for Tuesday's close)for 5K. We'll see if the trade goes through.
Just traded a 2007 Accord for a used (4500 mi) hybrid Accord. I have bought low-mileage Hondas since 1999 and never been disappointed. It's not necessary to pay a Honda dealer to certify the car; you can negotiate the coverage, which is really a pro…
Nothing really negative that I can see about this fund. It so happens I recently opened a position in RPGAX, TRP's global allocation offering. It's part of my move to increase my global/foreign exposure.
Added to HQL on Thursday on weakness. WSJ reported outflows from health funds and it seems HQL was affected. While I did not get to take advantage, the price dropped to $19 on Friday AM, then recovered to 20.12 at the close. The difference between t…
Audi did not run a prototype at Le Mans in June, reportedly because of the diesel scandal. I think it's a matter of time before Audi suffers the same indignity as VW. It's really a shame about the Europeans not making the diesel passenger cars clean…
After insuring home and autos with Amica for more than 30 years, Consumers top-rated insurer, I switched to Liberty Mutual. Amica would not budge on their high rates to retain me. I've been satisfied with Liberty Mutual who gave me a Northwestern Un…
Consumers recent issue addresses cost of owning various brands. Audi is high, but not the highest. BMW is the worst, with VW about in the middle. You could have driven a Camry for very little. We are a Honda family looking for a late-model Accord to…
@davidrmoran is correct about a discount or premium continuing to grow even though it seems to defy logic. M*'s quote page for any CEF provides a lot of information about current discount/premium, the historical d/p, and the 1-year Z-Statistic, a me…
Just finishing "Return to Glory," the story of Ford's return to Le Man 24-hour race in 2016. The author correctly points out how the design of racing cars has positively affected passenger cars. Both racing cars and our daily drivers are indeed coco…
I'm not a linker, but here's a candid (read: foul-mouthed) conversation between Scaramucci and Ryan Lizza from the New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-…
It's going a lot faster than in that hot summer of '73 when I remember having a TV on at work to keep up with the Watergate hearings. Anyone remember how Anthony (the Bag Man) Ulasawicz's testimony had us transfixed? Sadly, it was a national nightma…
I almost always try to sell the shares, in a fund or a stock, that result in the least amount of taxes. I also sell losers at the end of the year to help off-set taxable gains. I like BobC's suggestion of gifting a highly appreciated asset.
I do hold them both. My MACSX holding followed Foster to SFGIX and when MSMLX disappointed, my small cap money went to Grandeur Peak. Decided to keep a fairly small position in MAPIX. It's a solid fund and my only Matthews position.
Glad you're OK, VF. Those deployed airbags reminded me of an accident I had in Detroit on the way to a school in CT. Not my fault, but the whole family was really shaken. Off to Atlanta next month with youngest daughter who is transferring from UM. …
There's GQGPX, managed by Rajiv Jain, who made his mark elsewhere in the same way that Louis Kaufman did. Investors do chase performance and/or a star. Don't know for a fact, but think EM might be a tough asset class to offer to the public without e…
I have no stats to back up my opinion, yet I wonder if this is not an example of the disappearance of another small cap from the investable universe. Two places where I shop, Panera and Whole Foods, are being bought. Probably should follow Ted's exa…
Cut back on two three-year performance laggards, WSVIX and BRUFX. Using some proceeds to make my annual contribution to GPMCX and to initiate position in RPGAX. Thanks to those who contributed to discussion on global allocation funds. I particularly…
