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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.
  • Fidelity Slashes Mobile Deposit Limits Following Fraud Wave

    Per WSJ:
    Fidelity slashed the amount certain customers can deposit into their cash-management accounts to $1,000 from $100,000, people familiar with the matter said. The Boston firm is also subjecting some account-holders to a 16 business-day hold on deposits before the money is made available for withdrawal or investment.
    The restrictions don’t impact retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans. Instead, they focus on cash management accounts, a type of brokerage account used to make purchases, pay bills online and withdraw funds from ATMs. Deposited checks typically take two to six days to clear.
    The scheme targeting Fidelity’s mobile-app shares some similarities to the check-fraud scams that have hit JPMorgan Chase and other banks recently.
    The organizers rely on social-media platforms such as Telegram and TikTok to recruit customers of those firms. In exchange for access to their accounts, customers are promised a cut of the proceeds. The swindlers deposit fake or doctored checks and then quickly withdraw those funds.

    < - >
    https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/fidelity-slashes-deposit-limits-following-fraud-wave-37b3e970?mod=hp_lead_pos10
  • Was the 401(k) a Mistake
    There are two primary problems with self-directed retirement plans. First, the old grasshopper and the ant fable. Some people save for the future, others live for today. The other big problem is how to live off your savings. It seems to me that many people would be better off buying an annuity with at least some of their savings, providing guaranteed income for the rest of their lives. My wife and I both have pensions, but in reality they are just annuities. We treat our IRAs (formerly 401Ks) as the inflation adjustment for our pensions, which lack that feature.
    Finally, there is always Social Security. I am a big fan because it provides a base of income that isn’t affected by the stock and bond markets. It is also inflation adjusted.
  • Was the 401(k) a Mistake
    I don’t have the answer. But it seems idiotic to expect every Tom, Dick & Harry to possess the foresight and financial discipline to save for something that may well be 30+ years away and to have enough stashed at that point to make it last another 30 years if necessary. Maybe the guy’s a great construction worker, or reliable mechanic or metal worker or whatever. That doesn’t endow him with the financial know how or discipline to make the 401K viable. Many don’t save enough, raid the money when younger or in their first few years of retirement or make bad investment decisions. Now, if they did all of the preceding correctly, they still wouldn’t know when they would die and how to make their assets last precisely the right length of time. Albeit - buying an annuity would partially solve the latter issue,
  • Was the 401(k) a Mistake
    We act as if we are the only country in the world that has tried to deal with the general question of a reasonable and efficient retirement system. It seems to be beyond anyone's ability to evaluate systems used world-wide, eliminate those that would not work here for various structural reasons, select the best options from those that would work here, and get on with it.
    Our systems seem to have square wheels, while I suspect that many better systems may have gone with round wheels.
    Lack of good faith (or maybe even any faith) in our political arena (as usual).
  • Was the 401(k) a Mistake
    “Larry Fink, the chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset-management companies, wrote that the United States was facing a retirement crisis due in no small part to self-directed retirement financing. Fink said that for most Americans, replacing defined-benefit plans with defined-contribution plans had been “a shift from financial certainty to financial uncertainty” and suggested that it was time to abandon the “you’re on your own”approach.”
    I’m sure Mr. Fink and BlackRock have a solution to remedy that uncertainty.
  • Was the 401(k) a Mistake
    Oh no, not another piece on Teresa Ghilarducci's prpopsals for a national retirement plan. One of her proposals may require discontinuing existing 401k/403b and folding them into the grand national plan. Good luck with that. We and the Government have enough problems with Social Security.
    401k/403b have issues that need fixing. The DB plans it replaced were also too burdensome for employers.
    403b have existed for a long time. But tremendous growth came after an accidental discovery in 1978 by Ted Benna, often called the father of 401k (but the section existed already). He noted a short 869-word section (subtitled 401k) in the 1978 Revenue Act) that allowed pretax employer and employee contributions for retirements (unclear who slipped that in). Companies caught on to this quickly, and by 1983, there were already 7.1 million 401k accounts, and by 2023, 60 million accounts.
  • Lower rates, wall of monies looking for a home?
    Question so harsh to answer.
    Still 12- 15 yrs til retirement
    78% in stocks /22% Cash/cd (most cash in Corp bonds, sgov, $bil, and fbnd). 4% cryptos. Not sure if will sale afterdec 20th...after Xmas rally. 2025 could be recessed and poor returns?. I am so scare of large down turns from recessions now and 22% in cash.
    For mama portfolio retirement -Most parked in Target date fund 2020, bonds, fbnd bnd, sgov, tbil. New div $ go into new Corp bonds (try look for ones return 4.9 - 5.3% ytm 4-10 yrs)
    Try to place new incomes and cash to new corp bonds and jnk. Still also place cash secure puts and cover calls to generate weeklies incomes (until the indicators say market extremely overbought then may have have take profits and sell little more). Extremely lucky to learn options games and managing- looking for 1-3k weeklies Extra premiums incomes from optipns
    Nobody know for sure what futures will bring
  • Rondure New World Fund will be liquidated
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1537140/000158064224005603/rondure497.htm
    497 1 rondure497.htm 497
    Rondure New World Fund
    Investor Class - RNWOX
    Institutional Class - RNWIX
    (a series of Northern Lights Fund Trust III)
    Supplement dated September 18, 2024 to
    the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information dated August 31, 2024
    The Board of Trustees of Northern Lights Fund Trust III (the “Board”) has concluded that it is in the best interests of the Rondure New World Fund (the “Fund”) and its shareholders that the Fund cease operations. The Board has determined to close the Fund and redeem all outstanding shares on or about October 18, 2024 (“Redemption Date”).
    Effective immediately, the Fund will not accept any new investments, will no longer pursue its stated investment objective, and will begin liquidating its portfolio and investing in cash equivalents such as money market funds until all shares have been redeemed. Any required distributions of income and capital gains will be distributed as soon as practicable to shareholders and reinvested in additional shares, unless you have previously requested payment in cash.
    Prior to or on the Redemption Date, you may redeem your shares, including reinvested distributions, in accordance with the “How to Redeem Shares” section in the Prospectus. Unless your investment in the Fund is through a tax-deferred retirement account, a redemption is subject to tax on any taxable gains. Please refer to the “Tax Status, Dividends and Distributions” section in the Prospectus for general information. You may wish to consult your tax advisor about your particular situation.
    ANY SHAREHOLDERS WHO HAVE NOT REDEEMED THEIR SHARES OF THE FUND PRIOR TO THE REDEMPTION DATE WILL HAVE THEIR SHARES AUTOMATICALLY REDEEMED AS OF THAT DATE, AND PROCEEDS WILL BE SENT TO THE ADDRESS OF RECORD. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your financial advisor directly or the Fund at 1-855-775-3337.
    This Supplement, and the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information dated August 31, 2024, provide relevant information for all shareholders and should be retained for future reference. Both the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are incorporated by reference and can be obtained without charge by calling the Fund at 1-855-775-3337.
  • Natixis Loomis Sayles Short Duration Income ETF will be liquidated
    In short duration like SEMIX , DHEAX and HOSIX. I have used them as cash substitutes this year. Albeit with DHEAX they will be quick to ban you if you move in and out too frequently with size.
    Interesting. I may have helped doom LSST (which I realize is a tradable etf) by moving in & out frequently - treating it more like a mm fund than what it was intended for.
    There always was a longer term place for it within the retirement accounts after I’d depleted a sizable non-retirement stake in PRIHX. The latter has rebounded pretty well from a disastrous 2022. Any major cash needs will come out of it until it is fully exhausted - hopefully before it nose-dives again.
    Thanks for the suggestions @Junkster
  • ⇒ All Things Boeing ... Machinist Union Accepts Latest Boeing Contract Offer
    Some 96 percent of union members voted in favor of the strike, rejecting a proposal that would have boosted pay and benefits even as it fell short of other demands.
    Following are edited excerpts from a current report in The Washington Post.
    SEATTLE — Boeing workers picketed outside the company’s plants in Washington state early Friday morning after voting overwhelmingly to strike. Tens of thousands of machinists voted Thursday to reject a proposed deal between the company and the union that would have significantly boosted pay and benefits even as it fell short of other union demands.
    Some 96 percent of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 voted in favor of the strike — far more than the two-thirds needed to launch the work stoppage.
    The walkout is a stinging rebuke for Boeing and could represent the most disrupting challenge yet for a company that has spent much of this year in damage control as it careened from crisis to crisis.
    The strike risks derailing the aerospace giant’s recovery from ongoing financial and safety challenges and could cost the cash-strapped company an estimated $1 billion per week, according to analysts. The union plays a key role in assembling some of the company’s best-selling aircraft.
    The most direct impact is on Boeing’s assembly plants in Washington, especially in Everett and Renton. An extended work stoppage could also impact Boeing suppliers and possibly shrink its share of the aerospace market.
    Machinists in Seattle said the strike was long coming: “We just want to be treated right and they’re not doing it,” said mechanic Charles Fromong, who has worked for Boeing for more than 37 years. “So I guess we’re going to get it done.”
    Boeing said early Friday that it would return to the bargaining table: “The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members,” the company said in a statement. “We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”
    After a string of tense, marathon negotiating sessions over the last several weeks, the IAM and Boeing announced Sunday that they had reached a tentative four-year agreement, including a 25 percent pay increase over four years and enhanced health and retirement benefits. Also significant: If workers had voted to accept the deal before the current contract, Boeing committed to building its next new aircraft in Washington state, a key union demand. Both sides and investors had cheered the deal.
    “Four years is not enough to make up for the last 16,” Boeing worker Roger Ligrano said before he voted. He said he was voting to strike, in part, to give union members more time to understand a deal.
    Harold Ruffalo, who has worked for Boeing for 28 years, said after the vote results were announced that too much corporate greed is impacting the company, and workers need more money to live as inflation hits paychecks.
    The Biden administration was monitoring the situation; acting Labor Secretary Julie Su has been in contact with both sides.
    Leading up to the strike deadline, analysts said they were worried about how long a strike would last. They said that many workers have not forgotten previous rounds of negotiations in which Boeing pushed for concessions — including the end of the traditional pension program — to keep aircraft production in Washington state.
    Michael Bruno, Aviation Week Network’s executive editor for business, said in previous rounds of negotiations Boeing threatened to move airplane production to other states to extract concessions from the union, which soured relations.
    The last time IAM members struck was in 2008, a 57-day day walkout that Moody’s estimated cost Boeing about $1.5 billion a month. Boeing reopened negotiations on that contract twice, in 2011 and in 2013, and won significant concessions from workers.
  • DJT in your portfolio - the first two funds reporting (edited)
    I read an article recently about a man who lost a substantial portion of his retirement savings by investing in DJT — more than $500,000. The article wasn’t political, more of a business article about the dangers of investing with your emotions and lack of diversification. Sorry, I didn’t copy the link.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    BND(US total bond index) the most recommended bond fund made only 1.6% annually in the last 10 years.
    I’ve done a lot of looking recently at bond funds (investment grade). It’s shocking how poorly they have performed over the past 10 years. I ran comparisons at Fido using CVSIX and LQDH against many bond funds (and also compared results to many bond CEFs). Both are low-volatility arbitrage strategies often viewed as cash substitutes. Interestingly, both have stomped short-term bond funds and ultra-shorts over 10 years as well as just about every other investment grade bond fund. They’ve even managed to outshine Price’s Spectrum Income Fund (RPSIX) which typically allocates 10%+ to equities. I don’t mess with high yield - so don’t know. But as FD says, investment grade bond fund returns have stunk for the past decade.
    To be fair, 2022 was disastrous for bonds / bond funds and does tend to distort their recent performance numbers. Disclosure: I own CVSIX. Have considered owning LQDH.
    @bee - Thanks for the computation & especially for the reminder about inflation. Too many folks I know personally regret not factoring in that second item in their retirement planning. More important than ever due to the miracles of modern medicine and lengthened life-spans.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    Who cares about the 4% "rule" when most bond funds are paying that and more, maybe much more? Just take the bond interest instead of eroding the asset base by selling anything.

    brilliant, really.
    ****************
    Isn't it obvious? I don't get the obsession and wasted "ink" over "buckets", or sticking to some percentage which will be different for everyone, etc.
    My obsession for years was to get a big enough asset base to provide income for retirement (I only have SS, no pensions).
    I was trying to avoid (and did) having an asset base that I would have to sell off for retirement income, and hoping it would last til I croak. But if you need 4% to cover expenses, then back to my original point of just taking bond interest and leaving the base alone.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    Who cares about the 4% "rule" when most bond funds are paying that and more, maybe much more? Just take the bond interest instead of eroding the asset base by selling anything.
    brilliant, really.
    ****************
    I would advise younger investors who are dollar averaging in, saving for retirement and still in their 20s and 30s to go 100% equities. My confirmation bias just got a boost.
    +1.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    @hank said- "I would advise younger investors who are dollar averaging in, saving for retirement and still in their 20s and 30s to go 100% equities... I’d probably split it into 3 different equity funds for safety if had to do it over."
    And I strongly agree with all of that. I would also add that my preference would be for equity funds that are managed by a group of advisors, such as at American Funds. (But I'm not at all pushing American Funds in any way.) Over the years here at MFO I've seen way too much anguish about funds led by some sort of wizard, who either loses his magic wand, quits to go somewhere else, retires, or dies.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    I would advise younger investors who are dollar averaging in, saving for retirement and still in their 20s and 30s to go 100% equities. Over 40 it becomes less of a ”no brainer” I suppose. My Templeton fee-based advisor put me in a single global fund when I was 23 or 24. While it was an excellent fund and served me well, I’d probably split it into 3 different funds for safety if I had it to do over again. The secret when very young is probably to be so busy with a burgeoning career, growing family, continuing education, new cars, sports etc. that you never think about those investments. The more you think about them the more you begin to worry and possibly get too conservative …
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    WABAC said, "
    It's hard to think about retirement when you're hoarding soda bottles for their deposit value." Or aluminum cans for scrap.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    Cash cushions, or emergency funds, are different from investments in those getting-started years.
    It's hard to think about retirement when you're hoarding soda bottles for their deposit value.
    Ahhh, the good old days in San Francisco when a Bohemian life-style was still possible.
    I did end up taking penalties on what little I had in IRA's to help come up with a down payment on a house in Marin. Might be the smartest thing I've ever done with money besides paying cash for used cars.
  • Portfolio Withdrawal Strategies
    "I did not realize that you are supposed to invest 100% of your retirement accounts with equities."
    Some people suggest younger investors (early 20s to early 40s?) could be 100% invested in equities.
    Since their retirement is distant, they would ultimately get compensated for accepting additional risk.
    This of course assumes these investors have the risk tolerance
    necessary to avoid making poor decisions during market downturns.
    I don't believe this suggestion differentiated between taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-exempt accounts.