Yes, 8.5% and 8% respectively for us, back in the 70s. We also survived. The rates for the last ten years or so were so low that everyone now seems to think that that was "normal".

I've been procrastinating forever moving my HSA from a low interest savings account to a Fidelity account to invest long term. This thread was the motivation I needed to make the move, thanks to @bee and others.
My HSA amount isn't great and with being on Medicare the past 5 years I haven't been able to contribute. Bummer. I wish the gov. would change that rule and allow contributions for seniors! I mean, my Medicare advantage plan is no different than the required plans younger folks have.

There has been some talk in DC about changes to HSA and its relationship to Medicare. But it may be more of give & take - get somethings, but give up some other things.
https://ybbpersonalfinance.proboards.com/post/592/thread

I've been procrastinating forever moving my HSA from a low interest savings account to a Fidelity account to invest long term. This thread was the motivation I needed to make the move, thanks to @bee and others.
My HSA amount isn't great and with being on Medicare the past 5 years I haven't been able to contribute. Bummer. I wish the gov. would change that rule and allow contributions for seniors! I mean, my Medicare advantage plan is no different than the required plans younger folks have.

For 15+ years, we have been in a Bull Stock Market, bolstered by government stimulation and zero interest rates. That looks like an artificial set of conditions that was overdue to end. If you are holding your "breath" expecting those conditions to return anytime soon, I don't see that as likely. It appears that Banks are projecting 5% interest rates for quite a few more years, so stocks will likely have a formidable alternative for many investors' cash. I am breathing just fine with 5% interest rates, and I am not interested in "guessing" if we have hit the bottom of the stock market.

@Crash, yes, DCA down each month into BRUFX. A few years ago I migrated some of my HSA to Fidelity from Bruce Fund. About 25% of my HSA is with Bruce.

When I was 8 years old I challenge myself to touch the bottom of the deep end.
We may have felt the bottom of the market this week, but consider this ...
The Fed's Index Finger
When my doctor does this I instantly cringe.
Long term investors need a leap of faith and a healthy dose of lubricate.
Hang in there everybody.

I guess it’s time to sell the I-bonds I bought a couple years ago. The fixed rate was 0.0% at that time, so they are now yielding considerably less than CDs and Treasuries.

Did either of you get the sense that Rieder, for all his smarts, was making the best case for his fund with the goal of attracting assets?

Great question @BenWP
Hard to say. What manager doesn’t want more assets? Nearly included in my earlier post: ”Rieder could sell ice to (the proverbial) Eskimo”
But I felt it would be a bit unfair. Have watched him a few times on Bloomberg Wall Street Week and that’s just the way he typically is. Always seeing the glass ”half full” as BaluBalu said. In my mind, his professional integrity is very high.
Certainly a lot of “experts” extolling bonds in today’s climate. Someone (likely a Barron’s contributor) commented that 1-3 years out they thought bonds would do better than equities, but that 5+ years out they liked equities better. Personally, I’ll side with a Mark Twain comment from Life on the Mississippi when his riverboat mentor asked him what the next bend in the river ahead was called - “I told him I didn’t know.”
Anybody see a likeness to Peter Lynch? Lynch was a glass half-full guy. Always finding something good to invest in. Claimed his wife would return home from shopping for clothing & accessories with valuable insights into what companies to buy. I don’t know whether or not Lynch attracted any new assets into Magellan … Anybody remember? :)

Your comments regarding bond funds in 2022 and 2023 are spot-on.
You have a knack for reporting past performance.
I'm much more interested in future bond fund performance.
Can you tell me which bond funds or bond categories will outperform over the next 5 Yr/10 Yr?
Thanks in advance!

"Nice" comment. I'm a bond trader, not a holder, and I never predict or invest based on that. I do base my investment on what is doing well currently using my own proprietary system that is easy to execute and takes just minutes per week.
I used to open threads annually and keep posting what and how I do it.
The trolls kept interrupting and why I don't do it anymore.
Sometimes, I post what I do and how. BTW, in 2022-3 I posted several hints when I was out, in, and what I traded.
I have talked about bank loans for years for rising rates.
Also posted many times why I have preferred RCTIX over PIMIX for years.
...you just didn't pay attention.
I have been holding 2 bond OEFs for several months and they are nicely up while most others lost money. This can continue 1-4-8-more weeks or ends tomorrow.

Worth watching. Given their huge minimums most of us cannot access their mutual funds. Occasionally, they have co-managed other MF, like one for Vanguard years ago.
Never went anywhere and finally GMO got fired.
Their "Climate Change" fund seems to be outperforming most of the other similar funds I have looked at

I have watched OSTIX for years but never got into it. It has strategic in its name but has never ventured beyond HY. Here is the MFO piece,
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/2023/04/osterweis-strategic-income-ostix-fund/

@JD_co, many investors are extending their bond maturities as the FED is near the terminal rate hike. There may be one more hike in Nov/Dec rate hike. The rate is likely stay there for awhile unless the economy tanks and slides into recession. The 5% yield money market May not be there several years from now. Money flow into intermediate term bonds has started and likely to increase into next year that fits the Q1 comment above.

I noticed that VWEAX had double the MD of OSTIX in both 2020 and the GFC era. However, CAGR over 15 years is OSTIX 5.23% VWEAX 5.38% relatively close.

HSA annual contribution limits are (single/family):
2023 $3,850/7,750
2024 $4,150/8,300
There is also additional $1,000 catchup for 55+.
https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/hsa-contribution-limits

She is single and would be able to contribute the full amount of $5,150 in 2024. In a 32% tax bracket, does that mean she would be saving $1,648 in taxes?
And, assuming that she works 3 more years and for easy math, have $15,450 ($5,150 x 3) available for qualifying medical expenses (deductibles, co-payments, etc.)?

One huge benefit of HSAs is years of buildup of funds ....

If she is only going to work 2-3 more years, I wonder if it is worth her while to sign up for the HSA now and deal with unenrolling from Medicare Part A with the Social Security Administration. However, she is in a 32% tax bracket.

Average life expectancy for a US female aged 65 is about 20 years (shorter than 2/3 of the other OECD countries). That's two decades of appreciation.
Even a non-spouse heir can withdraw the HSA assets tax-free, so long as she keeps records of qualifying expenses. The heir must make the withdrawals within a year of death.
https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/blog/what-happens-to-the-funds-in-an-hsa-after-the-account-holder-dies/

Michael Hasenstab started co-managing Templeton Global Bond (TPINX) on 12/31/2001.
He started managing Templeton Global Income (GIM) on 02/28/2002.
The two funds generated excellent returns for years.
Mr. Hasenstab was subsequently named M* 2010 Fixed-Income Manager of the Year.
However, Hasenstab's funds have underperformed for a long time after he lost his mojo.
I owned GIM for several years but exited long ago.
There is a 2022 MFO thread regarding GIM and Saba Capital Management.
Link

@Mona, yes, HSA contributions are not allowed while on Medicare.
Employers may now require Medicare signup for eligible employees. Mine kicked me out of the group plan as soon as I became Medicare eligible (as a retiree).
One huge benefit of HSAs is years of buildup of funds and that won't happen with late signups.

If she is only going to work 2-3 more years, I wonder if it is worth her while to sign up for the HSA now and deal with unenrolling from Medicare Part A with the Social Security Administration. However, she is in a 32% tax bracket.

Newer term-structure CEFs PDO and PAXS have discounts that will disappear in a few years. Many avoid them just because they are newer, but they are more attractive than their older BIG cousin PDI.

10/27 Episode:

In a world where stocks have been the go-to asset class for income and returns, bonds are making a comeback. That’s the view of Mary Ellen Stanek, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Baird Advisors and President of the Baird Funds, who says that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes have made bonds more attractive to investors.
Stanek argues that the rapid rise in interest rates has created opportunities in the fixed-income market, as bond yields have increased to their highest levels in years. This means that investors can now lock in higher yields for their money, which can provide a valuable source of income and diversification in a volatile market.

@yogibearbull, she is still employed (she figures at least two more years) and her employer does not require her to sign up for Medicare. She signed up for Medicare Part A when she turned 65 to get it out of the way and because it was free, not thinking that she may be interested in an HSA. Her employer seems to be cutting healthcare costs by increasing her contribution and changing to a Blue Cross plan with higher co-pays and deductibles.