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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.
  • RiverPark Floating Rate CMBS Fund - (RCRIX)
    Anyone have any experience and/or thoughts on this fairly new (September 2016) RiverPark fund. It is not managed by Cohanzick Management (David Sherman) of the Riverpark High Yield (RPHYX/RPHIX) & Strategic Income (RSIVX/RSIIX) funds, and there's no real history but it looks interesting as a commercial real estate mortgage play with a yield based on the monthly LIBOR rate resets. Mr. Snowball posted a Launch Alert back in October but I see nothing else in the archives.
    The main drawback I see to this fund (other than its being an MBS) is its structure as a closed-end "interval" fund and a limitation of only being able to redeem (sell) shares on a quarterly basis. In all probability, the 5-25% of outstanding shares quarterly repurchase limitation would never (probably never?) be invoked, but it is a consideration limiting ones personal liquidity.
    Other comments?
    /dave
  • VWINX
    The problem is one shouldn't really invest 100% in 1 fund like VWINX. It is just too risky to do that. If there was "guarantee" I would get 3%, keep my principle, year after year in retirement, accepting the occasional loss, is one thing. However, I need multiple funds like that invest in retirement to offset single fund list.
    In my Scottrade IRA, I keep a few "income" funds. I don't trade them. Not that I'm retiring, but just use remaining money to get in/out of stocks while I keep part of it always invested in income funds. VWELX/VWINX would be swell to own in this portfolio, but I just don't have that option. I'm making do with RNDLX, SIRIX, ETNMX, MAINX, RPHYX, RSIVX, PLMDX (for now) and IRNIX (contemplating)
  • RiverPark Short Term High Yield Fund to reopen to new investors
    Nothing is zero risk. Wells Fargo funds shouldn't be bought on first principles.
    Take a look at SIRIX and SSIIX. ER is very high, but these guys seem to be navigating portfolio well and do actively focus on capital preservation. I've had SIRIX in my IRA for a while along with RPHYX and RSIVX.
  • RiverPark Short Term High Yield Fund to reopen to new investors
    Hi, Derf.
    No, the "beating" came at Mr. Sherman's other fund, RiverPark Strategic Income. Things went poorly with two positions at once, which causes a sustained dip in performance. RPHYX's maximum drawdown by 0.5% in August 2015. RSIVX's maximum drawdown occurred in February 2016, with a peak to trough drop of 7.6%. It's up 13.4% since then.
    David
  • Need Income? These Investments Are Great Places To Park Your Money Right Now
    The tax implications of MLPs is driving me away from them. Perhaps I should get over my fears. Thing is there is already so much to RE-search and ANAL-yse. So I have always avoided REITs and MLPs and the like.
    Even bonds I am not comfortable with. So use balanced funds even in taxable accounts, e.g. VWELX and JPVDX. I only became poor man's 007 with RPHYX and RSIVX. Maybe after I retire and if still alive I will look in to MLPs when I would have more time on my hands. Right now if I use that time, I couldn't post this message.
  • Best and Worst Funds Discovered Here At MFO
    Best: RPHYX/RPHIX - I annually funded it for 2 years worth of monthly withdrawals as our retirement 'paycheck'.
    Mixed Bag: RSIVX/RSIIX - On the taxable side, I did a little tax loss harvesting and then reinvested once Mr Sherman got the train back on the track. On the IRA side, it's been an interesting ride, but in the long run, it has been an overall gainer. ( I tend to be a buy & hold traditionalist )
    Worst: The RiverPark Focused Value Fund RFVIX/RFVFX
    Speaking of which: Whatever happened to the occasional Conference Call invitations? I haven't seen any for awhile...
  • Best and Worst Funds Discovered Here At MFO
    I have RWGFX and RSIVX in IRA. SEEDX I never did sell, and sold SCMFX itself. Now that I remember, SCMFX was my biggest blunder.
  • Best and Worst Funds Discovered Here At MFO
    Best: DSENX, SFGIX, Grandeur Peak, RPHYX
    Disappointments: SEEDX, RWGFX, FOBAX, RSIVX
  • Best and Worst Funds Discovered Here At MFO
    Best are FMIMX, RSIVX, MSCFX
    Worst is EXTAX
  • Best and Worst Funds Discovered Here At MFO
    Best- rphyx/rphix, prsnx, rncox,pondx,vmnvx
    Worst- rsivx. purchased just before it flailed and it ended up being tax harvested. repurchased recently.
  • ten two-and-two funds
    Thank you Mr. Snowball.
    I opine...
    SSTHX - out of the reckoning on first principles. Wells Fargo...FAR GO I.
    GABCX - Succession issues.
    ZEOIX - not available at Brokerages (I know, I know, I'm being picky)
    MWSTX - Just look at the chart and see what happened in 2008. No sirreee...
    ENIAX, SEEAX - $100,000K minimum. Nope
    ITAAX - After Dot Com Bust can't look at this fund company ever again, just like can't look at Invesco ever again
    HLGFX - $1MM minimum, so looked at ONUAX which dropped a M*, then looked at chart around 2008. Nope dee doo.
    RPHIX - I own RPHYX
    BRASX - BATAX may be more accessible to buy, but BRASX is Corporate Bond and BATAX is Intermediate Bond, and someone please put M* out of business.
    So all in all, ZEOIX is it for me looks like...
    Question - Where do I get max DD numbers if MFO does not track fund. I own IRNIX and wanted to see how it did. Rolling returns on 1 year basis at M* not looking too bad at first glance, but I'm worried I am not evaluating correctly.
    Finally - I also own FPNIX. Thinking RPHYX, RSIVX, IRNIX, FPNIX - I should just chill out.
  • Cash Alternatives
    I have been intrigued by GADVX, but never pulled the trigger. I have used RPHYX, RSIVX, LCMAX, MINT, and some free trade ETF
  • Cash Alternatives
    Thanks for all of the suggestions! I hold RSIVX which I consider to be in that 3-5 year timeframe. I had found ZEOIX to be intriguing when I had looked before but at least at that point it was not ntf through fidelity. Hopefully that has changed. I will do some research on the other funds listed as well. I appreciate everyone's suggestions.
    -psuche98
  • Cash Alternatives
    Hmmm...I never heard of PTIAX and it has a maturity out 7-8 years. Need to research. I do own both RPHYX and RSIVX in both taxable and tax deferred accounts.
    I am really trying to avoid directly holding fund with the fund company. It is just a pain at tax time. Very few funds I own direct. PTIAX is available at brokerages so its a plus. Funny thing is its municipal bond fund has capital preservation in the goal, PTIAX doesn't, and very wierd part is that for fact sheet of PTIAX it mentioned municipal bonds are undervalued while for THAT funds fact sheet it mentions no such thing.
    If anyone aware of any manager interviews or something for PTIAX, kindly link. Google didn't help me out, but then you have to know what to search for.
  • 2016 At A Glance
    Some other taxable fixed-income mutual fund categories, not well represented in the AGG, with significantly different results per M* category return pages: multisector +7.6%, bank loan +9.2%, high yield +13.3%, emerging mkts +10.0%.
    Short duration high yield funds (not a M* category): RSIVX +9.9%, OSTIX +11.0%.
    Basically you're looking at bond funds whose portfolios land them in the lower left corner of the style box (short term, junk)?
    That covers a pretty broad swath of funds. Bank loan funds, obviously. More generally, any floating junk (since the float keeps effective duration small). Also some other funds of interest: DBLTX +2.17%, JUCTX +3.92%, ZEOIX + 4.32%, DFLEX +5.48%, TGBAX +6.61%, BXIAX +14.59%.
  • 2016 At A Glance
    Some other taxable fixed-income mutual fund categories, not well represented in the AGG, with significantly different results per M* category return pages: multisector +7.6%, bank loan +9.2%, high yield +13.3%, emerging mkts +10.0%.
    Short duration high yield funds (not a M* category): RSIVX +9.9%, OSTIX +11.0%.
  • Rising rates and what to do!
    All of the above illustrates the dilemma of finding a way to wring income out of a sector ( Bonds) that is so overbought. Look what has happened to Munis in the last two weeks.. an entire year's income gone.
    I had a large position in FFHRX in May 2015 after which it lost 9% in the next nine months, souring me on BL funds for a while
    Kiplinger's Income Newsletter portfolio ( widely diversified with MLPs, Taxable and Muni Bond Funds, Dividend stocks) has had an income return of about 16 % since 1/1/2014 (about 6% a year) but the principal has declined 5% in that time so a retiree would see their nest egg shrink (and it was far worse in March before the current rebound in energy!)
    A quick M* chart from May 2015 to March 2016 of some of the above funds shows losses of up to 8% ( RSIVX ), and of course those funds with the higher yields lost the most. PONDX somehow sailed right thru, but the leverage is a huge concern.
    No one has mentioned ZEOIX which held up nicely but still pays 2.4% . Maybe better to accept a lower income stream (if you can) than to see your money melt away as rates rise.
    There is no such thing as a free lunch
  • Rising rates and what to do!
    FWIW, I ran a M* screen on taxable bond funds with duration greater than 4, and found 525 distinct funds (one share class per fund). Of these, over 40% (212) had three month returns greater than -2.0%. That's not to say that one would want to own many of these 212 funds, just that they're not hard to find if one looks at the whole universe of funds.
    Reiterating what I wrote above, what matters is not what's in the rear view mirror, but what one expects going forward. If further changes in rates are moderate (albeit volatile), then one can get modest positive returns going forward without taking on additional credit risk.
    One of those risks is linked with interest risk, because if rates do rise quickly that can be detrimental to businesses and thus trigger defaults. On the other hand rates can rise is response to an improving economy. In that case, risk of defaults goes down.
    Why take on duration risk? Because the higher yield (especially now that rates have risen) can mitigate some of that risk. Following the suggestion of using short duration funds, I ran a second screen for funds yielding over 4% (TTM) having duration under 1.5%. Just 38 funds showed up, of which over half (20) were bank loan funds.
    Five were junk bonds. Most of the rest were "nontraditional", meaning almost anything. There was also one multisector bond - RSIVX. I'm sure several people here can comment on that option.
    Personally, my feeling is that in uncertain times don't just do something, stand there. Especially if you have built a well diversified portfolio.
  • How do I delete fund symbols or entire line of symbols
    line 1 in my risk profile ---ffrhx rphyx PRFRX whgix rsivx dlfrx DBLTX ostix gabcx WSHNX
    -- Thanks Charles for your reply.
    How would I delete one or more of the above symbols or the entire line from the Risk Profile tool to avoid duplication with other lines or clutter? I have several lines of fund symbols.
    Thanks
    Ralph