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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MikeM
I know you are not a fan of his, Mona (understatement :) )
Another Bills fan!!! Junkster just sent me a note saying the same. GO BILLS! They will be right down the road from me when training camp starts next week at St. John Fisher College. But tickets sold out in hours, so I won't be going. Are you from the area, Western NY?
Hi Bee. I bought FAAFX in Feb, 2011. It's up over 20% YTD, but it's been a wild ride. I am on the plus side of my purchase. I see Berkowitz's funds having a sustained 'long term' uptrend. Problem is they are so concentrated, anything can happen shor…
Reply to @Ted: I agree with Old-Joe. Ted, this bullying makes you appear very insecure and unpleasant. If you don't like Catch's style or opinions, why do you open his posts? I don't get it.
I get things in the mail all the time to buy warranty insurance. My 2cents is all insurance is weighted against the buyer. If it wasn't, the insurance companies would go broke. Obviously you need insurance in some areas if the outcome could be catas…
I think you listed legitimate concerns about all 3 funds. I own both PRPFX and the other Yacktman fund, YAFFX. I am not concerned at all at this point on YAFFX. I would be more concerned if Yacktman senior left the fund (or retired). But so far I ha…
Reply to @hank: Hi Hank. The TRP Target funds are exactly what I use as bench marks. And honestly, some times I wonder why I bother with putting my own portfolio together. Those all-in-one funds are pretty darn good. I think I just like "the game" o…
The Yacktman funds come to mind, YACKX or YAFFX. YAFFX is my large cap fund. I thought about taking a position in SEQUX before it closed, but in my mind it was too much like the Yacktman fund. They are both focused, have good long time management, g…
Hi Hank. fwiw, my wife uses Amazon.com to buy and sell a lot of used books. I noticed the book you want can be had 'used' for ~$3. Problem is they'll charge you $4 for shipping. Still cheaper then their download though.
Here's the link to that boo…
Reply to @hank: Always enjoy your comments Hank. You seem to be a logical and good natured individual. Not sure why I got caught up in this discussion. I never really understood what inflamed so much frustration to begin with... but we all handle si…
Reply to @hank: "yank the $$ out to show em"... To show them what? Dodge & Cox is and has been for quite a while one of the best fund houses around. Heck, Max even said that's one reason he decided to use their bond fund. If their policy is tha…
Reply to @MaxBialystock: Hi Max - to each his own I guess. But I don't see where D&C has been negligent. My guess is if you sent it the 5th it 'may have' gotten to their mail room by the 9th being a holiday weekend and all. Today is the 11th. 5-…
Just my 2cents, but buying mutual funds directly from the fund supplier(s) will be extra work and hassle every time you go to a new fund house and open yet another account. It would be so much easier to open one account with say, TR Price, Fidelity…
Hi skeeter. I enjoy reading your posts and your investing style. You are very precise in your allocation methods.
My approach would make it very hard to do what you do. I have chosen funds who's managers adjust the percent equities in their funds.…
Hi Max. I'm certainly no expert, so you can take my comments with a grain of salt. Seems you have always put a premium on dividend returns over total return. I actually don't see a problem with that since dividends smooth out the ride. The bigger co…
I'll second Scott's comment on diversifying. Just curious, what made you settle on MSCFX as your small cap. It's such a new fund and I don't see a lot of history for the manager. I know Mairs & Powers is pretty solid with large caps, but is this…
Reply to @johnN: Hi John. You mean you aren't a Cowboys fan!!! I thought everyone in Texas loved Dallas.
Since I live in Upstate NY, I'd pick the Giants as my 2nd favorite. Can't like New England just like I can't like the Jets. Being a Bills fan j…
Sorry PSA. I think the Jets are the joke, not the N.Y media (at least in this case). This is nothing more then a publicity stunt to get some media attention in a land where the Jets play ugly step-child to the Giants. At most, Tebow will get 3-4 pla…
Reply to @AndyJ: hi andy. I agree with you. I thought that was what I was describing with the 3 legged stool, ss being 1 leg, annuities the 2nd and drawing from savings being that 3rd leg. All that added together supplements your retirement in come.…
Reply to @Derf: hi Derf. CDs will certainly increase once inflation kicks in. When is that? Who knows. I'm 58 now and would like to keep working full time until 62. I'm guessing 4 years from now the financial landscape will look a whole lot differen…
I think it's important to remember "the three leg stool" when thinking how your investments need to be distributed within a retirement portfolio. The bucket system feeds just one leg of that stool. The other 2 legs of course being social security an…
I have recently adjusted the income part of my 401k. I sold off most of my total return bond fund, MWTRX, and also sold all of my HSTRX fund which holds a large percentage in treasuries. I put the money into 3 funds that have greater flexibility and…
Hi Ron. I can't improve on the suggestions already made. I whole-heartily like both the Spectrum and Target date suggestions. The mix I'm sure can be best suggested by someone who knows his needs and risk tolerance- you.
The TRP account does give h…
Reply to @hank: hi hank. I admire your fortitude holding onto a fuund choice you made for specific reasons at the time. But have you given thought to maybe upgrading in the long/short category. Seems a fund like MFLDX does a much better job knowing …
Reply to @prinx:
"He essentially is saying that in time as you look at your investment performance with a particular fund, if it under performs the S&P then you might have just as well invested in the S&P ."
Sorry prinx, I don't buy that …
Reply to @glampig: I wish you luck on your investment. I would like to hear your thoughts down the road, good or bad.
You mention that after 2008 you became a more risk adverse investor. That would be true of myself and probably many on this board.…
Not sure what the dividened distribution has to when you buy, if you are impressed with ICMAX return history, be aware that the manager who steered that funds great 2008,2009 performance left in 2010 to start his own fund, ARIVX.
Reply to @scott: Hi Scott. I agree with your assessment on MLP's and dividend stocks. I'm thinking of this as more of a long term holding that given the mix, will hold it's own in most economic ups and downs. I figured it should keep pace then the t…
Reply to @chip: Thanks Chip. The problem is with all pages. I can see the banner and all the tab options, but none of the tabs work. As mentioned, it did work originally but something changed. Maybe something I did. Now that I think about it, I thin…
Recently started to reduce bond funds (MWTRX LSBRX) and put money into PGDIX. This fund holds HY bonds, but diversifies into other assets (scott, i think you mentioned you owned a little of this?). Also moved money I had in a guaranteed fixed income…
Reply to @bee: Hi Bee. I wouldn't go much with Bloomberg's classification. If you look at the ETF's on this list, they are basically just high yield bond funds. PGDIX does have a good percentage in junk also, ~36%. But it also diversifies it's portf…
Hi Bee. Take a look at this fund, PGDIX. It's funny, I was just replying to David's post asking if he had an opinion on this fund since part of this months commentary is about alternative income producing funds. Good luck on your search.
http://www…
Hi David. Another great commentary. From your writings, Mr. Fosters words and his history with MACSX, I would be willing to set a toe-hold in his new fund today. But alas, it seems TRP, whom I have my 401k with, does not carry the fund at this time.…
I like the fund GASFX. Rono, you turned me on to this fund a few years ago and I've used it in the past. Seems a bit less volatile then FSNGX.
I've always liked to play energy (and natural resources) in a more diversified way though with PRNEX, but…
Reply to @tgeno:
I think you are correct that Berkowitz is no Buffet. He just doesn't have the longevity to be listed on a par with Buffet. But if you look at a 10 year performance record, Berkowitz comes out on top. Granted, he misjudged financia…
In my opinion, Hussman's ultra conservative style is better fitted for his Total Return fund HSTRX then an equity fund like HSGFX. I own and like HSTRX because to me it is a conservative "alternative" bond fund. So my expectations are for steady bon…
I've recently started to arrange my fixed income bucket because of the inflation fears and the talk about bonds taking a beating. I've decided to use a couple (new to me) funds that use other income streams along side U.S. bonds. One is RPSIX, a fun…
Reply to @VintageFreak: fyi, if you are looking for asian exposure, this may not be your fund. This fund is not suppose to be an Asian concentrated fund like his previous fund at Matthews, MACSX. From David's review, it will based on the MACSX formu…
