Hi @Willmatt72
I own two infrastructure funds TOLLX and PGUAX. At this time, I keeping both and will add to them over time.

Yes, it's a tough spot right now. I thought it would hold up better in a downturn but it seems the opposite happened. I'm trying to figure out why GLFOX cited by BenWP is doing so well this year.

GLFOX is still up YTD and for a year. I have not watched other funds in the sector.

Sooooo, let's see what you would do with your portfolio if you had to put things into 1-3-5-10-year buckets......and the one where, after death, your heirs will deal with it?!!
Year 1: The What's Hot Now stuff as overseas mine DODFX, RERFX, FMIJX.
Year 3: Say what might be -- FMEIX, FSCRX, FSENX, GLFOX, MAPIX.
Year 5: The Who Knows Zone --- healthcare --- GLRBX, PRBLX, YAFFX --- things that will be there.
Year 10: The core -- index funds -- health, again -- bonds.
Til Death --- insurance --- house --- toys you have, i.e., cars, boats, coins, guns -- and the forever stocks, bonds & funds land.
Just some ideas......what I would like to see is what a Board of Many thinks.....because of the ranges in ages, wealth, upbringing, etc., where you live as well as many other things.....how you think about the rest of your life. Something to give pause to and sip a longneck over....at a slow point in time, maybe.....
God bless.
the Pudd

Right now I am overweight foreign equities (40% US, 31% foreign) because of more attractive valuations and, more importantly, those countries are in the midst of QE whereas we are at the end of our QE. I continue to like lower volatility foreign plays like MINIX, EFAV and GLIFX/GLFOX.
Kevin

A few active management funds I have screened based on comparative performance within their sector:
Foreign Small Blend - GLFOX
Foreign Small Value - QUSOX
Foreign Small Growth - WAIOX
World Allocation - KTRSX
Europe - CAEZX

Not to rain too heavily on your parade, but regarding a couple of the funds I recognize here:
The Lazard Global Listed Infrastructure Fund (GLFOX) is just what it sounds like - a sector fund, and one that even for a concentrated fund, is very concentrated (1/3 of its assets in its top five holdings). It is value leaning (as is typical of Lazard), unlike most infrastructure funds (and despite M*'s characterization of the fund as blend). A fine fund, and it holds mostly foreign equity, but that's as far as it goes to fitting in as a foreign fund.
Polaris Foreign Value Small Cap (QUSOX) - if you're including this one and a world allocation fund, it seems that you might also want to list Polaris Global Value (PGVFX) - a world stock fund from the same team, that recently lowered its ER to make it quite attractive. (As M* notes, its former higher cost was its only negative.)
Acorn Europe Z (CAEZX) - like the rest of the Acorn funds, this noload share class is closed except to grandfathered investors (who own any Columbia or Acorn Z class shares from before 2005). I keep a toehold for just this reason.

A few active management funds I have screened based on comparative performance within their sector:
Foreign Small Blend - GLFOX
Foreign Small Value - QUSOX
Foreign Small Growth - WAIOX
World Allocation - KTRSX
Europe - CAEZX

Foriegn SC funds (other than QUSOX):
GLFOX
WAIOX
Europe:
CAEZX
World Allocation:
KTRSX

http://csinvesting.org/tag/david-iben/
David Iben is touting uranium, gold, and coal according to the linked article. Not surprising that KGGIX hasn't done anything since he opened the fund. Thanks to kevindow for the CS white paper. I have a position in GLFOX.

@linter: LLJB was discussing KGGIX, which is a "diversified" global all-cap fund which is really liking materials and Russia, whereas GLFOX is a non-diversified infrastructure fund with 39% in utilities and 43% in industrials. So I wasn't sure if infrastructure was of interest. Also, infrastructure funds, because of their exposure to utilities may not fare well in a rising interest rate environment, and hot money may migrate to other sectors. Surprisingly, GLFOX did well in the latest interest rate spike 4/21/2013 - 9/1/2013, when the 10 YR increased from 1.66 to 2.94%, whereas its competitors were no so fortunate as shown HERE.
@LLJB: Both funds are outstanding, but recent performance has been better for GLFOX which hedges its currency exposure. I suspect that GLFOX had some sort of hedge in place during the interest rate spike in 2013 as its performance was very different from its competitors.
Here is a nice white paper on infrastructure investing:
https://www.credit-suisse.com/pwp/am/downloads/marketing/infrastructure_ch_uk_lux_ita_scandinavia.pdf
Kevin

the phrase "amenable to infrastructure" suggests that some people might have a bias against it. if you don't mind, what are the downsides to an infrastructure fund like GLFOX (which I own a good chunk of, btw.)?

@LLJB, in the global multi-cap space, I continue to like VMNVX/VMVFX, HCOYX, and if you are amenable to infrastructure, GLIFX/GLFOX. Of these funds, we own HCOYX and GLIFX. Actually, right here, right now, I like all of these funds much more than Iben's fund.
Kevin

Over the weekend I compiled a few funds that I hope will be complimentary to my equity holdings. Real Estate and commodities were on my list along with a variety of bond funds (LT / ST treasuries, TIPS, and Multi-sector funds). I also wanted to consider some equity sector funds and here I'm considering Utilities, Industrials, Japan, India, and Transportation to perform well this year.
With this, here's are some choices that have outperformed in there respective category over 1,3 and 5 years. They have relatively low ERs and are often available with no transaction fees.
RE - RRREX,
Utilities - GASFX, TOLSX, GLFOX
Commodities - SKSRX, PCRDX
Income - PONDX, FAGIX
TIPS - TIPSX
Japan - HJPNX
India - MINDX
Industrials - FSRFX
LT Treasuries - WHOSX
ST Treasuries - FMEQX

The concept "Real Assets" is open to widely differing interpretations by different managers. If a manager rode the real estate bull for the past several years, he's looking pretty good today. If he's been heavily into oil, not so good. It's a broad area which might include timber, infrastructure (railways, ports, power generation), farmland, miners or gold bullion. So, you really need to look under the hood and see what you'd be diversifying into.
...
I'm not familiar with the funds you list. But, I known there are a great many out there and that there are profound differences among them.

@willmatt72 I think @hank 's advice here is exactly right. Because "real asset" can mean such a broad swath of things, you need to look under the hood. There are lots of differing funds, each sort of specializing in different areas. NRIAX, for instance, looks a lot different than PRAFX, which is different than FSRRX. They can all certainly act as diversifiers, but you have to know specifically what you want out of them.
NRIAX / JRI 's focus is creating income in areas which could also show capital appreciation and might fight inflation. As such it looks for passthrough income from real assets, specifically from Real Estate and Infrastructure, and in both equities, preferreds, and fixed income. In other words, it has very limited commodity or natural resource exposure. That's also a big part of the reason why it has looked so good recently. Here's a link to NRIAX's info page at Nuveen. They have some good literature on the fund there. In particular, this is what the prospectus says about NRIAX's holdings:

Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in securities issued by real asset related companies that are generating income at the time of purchase. Real asset related companies are defined as: (i) companies that are in the energy, telecommunications, utilities or materials sectors; (ii) companies in the real estate or transportation industry groups; (iii) companies, if not in one of these sectors or industries, that (a) derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from the ownership, management, operation, development, construction, renovation, financing, or sale of real assets, or (b) have at least 50% of the fair market value of their assets invested in real assets; or (iv) pooled investment vehicles that primarily invest in the foregoing companies or that are otherwise designed primarily to provide investment exposure to real assets.
The categories of real assets on which the Fund will focus its investments are infrastructure and real estate. Infrastructure consists of the physical structures and networks upon which the operation, growth and development of a community depends, which include water, sewer, and energy utilities; transportation and communication networks; health care facilities, government accommodations, and other public service facilities; and shipping, timber, steel, alternative energy, and other resources and services necessary for the construction and maintenance of these physical structures and networks.

Depending on the size of your portfolio, your risk tolerance, individual goals, and your comfort level with managing such things, you could just take a global infrastructure fund (GII, GLFOX, TOLSX) and combine it with a REIT index/fund or REIT income fund (FRIOX, LRIOX), and maybe some sort of TIPS or commodity exposure to come up with your own allocation. If the portfolio is smaller, or you want professional management, than something like NRIAX or PRAFX make sense to my mind. In anycase, it makes more sense as an "alternative" to me than liquid alternatives/managed futures/non-traded assets or what have you.

Four Healthcare Funds
3-FIDO-1-JANUS.....enough said.
GASFX - been selling into strength all year; have small position left (great move dumbass!)
GLFOX - shout out to Scott.....great call! must talk with and listen more to you.
PRBLX
LCPAX - the one I'm most proud of....who would've thunk it?!
God bless!
the Pudd

GASFX = 21%
MINDX = 64%
VGSIX = 30%
GLFOX = 17.6%
OAKLX = 15.4%
TOLSX = 18%

@JohnChisum
Thanks for the link to dailyalts.com. Looks interesting, and I have bookmarked this site.
Right here, right now, with domestic equities fully valued, developed foreign equities in a definite funk, and interest rates destined to increase over the next 12 months, I would have no problem owning a 10-20% position in Alts -- as long as they continue to perform. At this time, we own a 10% position in PQTIX (investor ER 1.15%), and I am considering the purchase of a 10% position in QLEIX (investor ER 1.39%).
@Junkster
Conditions like 2008 will inevitably occur in the future, and just like in 2008, common investors like us -- who likely overestimate our abilities -- and the "professionals" will be caught by surprise.
I continue to think that investors can obtain adequate downside protection with a wise mix of relatively low-cost equity, balanced and bond OEFs/ETFs, such as: MOAT, RPV, SCHD, VDIGX, VASVX, VSTCX, VMNVX, SPLV, EFAV, TOLSX, GLFOX, DODGX, DODFX, DODWX, DODBX, PRWCX, VWENX, HBLIX, WHGIX, VWIAX, PIMIX, PIGIX, MWTIX, DBLFX, DBLTX, DBLEX and RSIVX . But I remain open to relatively low-cost alternative funds, such as PQTIX, QLEIX, AQRIX, LMAPX, CRUMX, and even BG's JUCIX. As for the Alts, I am willing to be very, very patient, and track and track, and resist the temptation to be an early investor, but if the Alt fund continues to impress, I am willing to pull the trigger and buy.
Kevin

A fund not listed that M* categorizes as world allocation, but is heavily weighted to utilities is TOLSX. Also GLFOX for sc/mc ute play

GLFOX has a considerably better performance record and MPT stats than IGF.

Hi Old Skeet!
I'm like you....cash ready, hang tough. It's coming..... after all, the G-20 are meeting now, so please be calm. We don't want to scare the children, now would we? I was looking in Fidelity funds because of EU doing QE. Thought some money. Would go elsewhere in the world. Bumped into this fund FEMEX. Wow! I say run away if this is the best they got. I am waiting for a small & mid cap fall....not so much the big stuff. Am buying silver now. Does anybody have any investments for the strong dollar? I am looking at MAPIX, GLFOX for this. Also, for U.S. mid caps: CHTTX. I like the girls. I also saw (on CNBC) that 1 in 4 Americans want to secede from the country. Me, too! And my state stinks, too. Duke says I can be President of our country if I want to. He said he'll be the army... not sure how well that's going to work out. Wife says she wants to be First Lady, and that means a new wardrobe. Can you say, deficits already?! That also means a new car...have to go in style. Maybe I can print my own money....that would help. Get some inflating going. That always helps things. Duke wants a new doghouse. Awww, the military always wants something. I guess I have to give it to him. Don't want a coup. He's been snappy since the pool's closed. Anyway, looking for a pullback really bad. I want to buy some things. Cash doesn't pay well.
Party on Dudes!
the Pudd

You may want to look at a global infrastructure fund that invests in worldwide energy, utility, engineering,transportation,water,etc.projects and ownership there of.I own MTIPX.
MTIPX
http://portfolios.morningstar.com/fund/summary?t=MTIPX&region=usa&culture=en-US
GLFOX
http://portfolios.morningstar.com/fund/summary?t=GLFOX&region=usa&culture=en-US