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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.
  • Schwab has account aggregator similar to Fidelity FullView /eMoney
    Does anybody else use Quicken to download transactions at various brokerages? I have done it for years and believe it is safer, as the passwords remain on your computer and not on Quickens.
  • Are the risks of Financial Account Aggregation really worth it?
    @ Old_Joe
    I have been tempted for years to use Yodelee or the aggregator ( most also use Yodelee) at one of my four brokerages ( don't ask!) but always shied away, as I could not be convinced that giving them my password was safe.
    I have never been able to get them to demonstrate how they limit their ability to access anything other than balances and positions. Your passwords are still stored in their computers and how safe is that?
    Ever so often I would google "Yodelee hack" to see if any had occurred. Haven't done it recently
    When I asked my broker at Morgan Stanley how safe it is, he said he knew nothing about it and MS had no responsibility. I assume Schwab would say the same thing.
    Quicken will download transactions from all brokerages, but the passwords are on your computer and not Quickens. I copy and paste them into the software temporarily just as an added safeguard.
    I think this is safer than going through two third party websites
    Only recently has Schwab required users specifically certify that this Quicken downloading is acceptable. No one else requires this.
    I have been unable to find out is this is due to a security breech, but it is a bit concerning.
  • Buy Sell Why: ad infinitum.
    Unfortunately Tesla is big enough to be the 4th holding in S&P500 index. Also it is widely held in many large cap growth funds as shown below. Not easily to avoid it in your investment, even ESG funds.
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TSLA/holders?p=TSLA
    Let’s hope other electric car manufacturers catch-up and displace Tesla in the near future.
    China will face challenging business environment with their COVID situation in coming years. They are facing the lack of effective vaccines, dense population density, and the worst COVID policy.
  • Buy Sell Why: ad infinitum.
    I reduced exposure to China several years ago. Geopolitical risk is increasing lately and globalization is devolving…
    Now is a good time to rebalance the portfolio before year end. What a year!
  • Are the risks of Financial Account Aggregation really worth it?
    In another current MFO thread the issue of safety with respect to financial account aggregation was raised. It seemed to me that this whole topic might deserve a thread of it's own. I'd sure be interested in hearing a range of opinion on this question. For starters, I did find some information regarding this topic, but nothing that specifically went into much detail on the potential security risks.
    Here are a couple of excerpts:

    From Investopedia
    What is Account Aggregation?
    How Account Aggregation Works
    Account aggregation usually occurs only within a single financial institution. However, certain assets held outside a financial institution may be included if the account holder has agreed to that.
    Many personal finance services offer customers the ability to aggregate data from all of their savings, checking, and brokerage accounts, as well as other financial assets across all the institutions with which they do business. These services usually require that users provide account-access information, such as a username and password, for each of the accounts that they wish to include in the aggregation. Using this information, the service "scrapes" or downloads account balances and other data from each account to include in the aggregation.
    However, account aggregation software is often allowed only to access balance information and transaction records. And for security reasons, many aggregation services do not permit users to make transactions from within the service.
    In addition to aggregating data from savings, checking, brokerage, and other financial accounts, some aggregation services and software—particularly those used by professional financial advisers on behalf of their clients—aggregate additional net-worth data, such as recent home-value estimates. Account aggregation platforms may also categorize cash inflows and outflows.
    From "The Balance"
    Account aggregation services only give the software permission to view your account balances and transactions, not make transactions. If you actually want to access your money or move it, you would need to sign in to each account's website.
    Additionally, the software draws on many advanced security features. For example, if you are logging on from an unknown computer or device, additional authentication will likely be necessary.
    I've used account aggregation at Schwab and First Republic Bank for several years now. I did wonder about the potential security risks, but rationalized that if the risks were significant then large banks and brokerages probably wouldn't involve themselves with the service, especially as it's likely there isn't much profit in it. Maybe I'm being too complacent about all of this.
  • Schwab has account aggregator similar to Fidelity FullView /eMoney
    I've briefly used the account aggregation feature at Fidelity or Vanguard years ago.
    It's nice to view "one pane of glass" but the increased security risk wasn't worth it for me.
    As yogi mentioned, account credentials must be provided to the data aggregator.
    This creates another avenue for a potential breach.
  • Schwab has account aggregator similar to Fidelity FullView /eMoney
    At the risk of saying something stupid (again) I believe that Schwab does indeed have an account aggregator, which I've used for a couple of years.
    My "Accounts-Summary" page lists all securities held within Schwab of course, and on that page you should find "Add a Non-Schwab Account". Clicking on that opens a window which says "Easily view and monitor your overall portfolio by linking your non-Schwab accounts and assets through our aggregation service."
    Schwab follows our accounts at American Century and American Funds mutual fund companies. Previously it also followed all of our accounts and CDs at First Republic Bank, and also JP Morgan Chase.
    After using that setup for a long time all of a sudden Chase stopped cooperating- that's one of the things that caused me to stop using Chase except to maintain a checking account with a minimal deposit, to receive monthly pension and SS deposits.
    First Republic also has such an aggregation service, and oddly enough Chase still maintains that linkage. So I dropped First Republic from the Schwab setup, and monitor them directly, and Chase through them.
    I also worry a bit about the security issues that Yogi mentions. Also, it's worth mentioning that apparently Schwab and First Republic do not operate their own "aggregation" services- from my experiences it seems that they both use an external third-party service for this, and that may account for the fact that Chase is available at one place but not the other.
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    Pretty much topped out in the IRA, with mostly stock funds, and 25% cash. Will look at selling to raise some cash and reposition if the current rally continues. We don't need IRA income at the moment, so we can let it ride for another five-six years. I might take some cap distributions, but otherwise reinvesting in a dog's breakfast of a fund portfolio Christine Benz would love to simplify. Will really need to simplify as distributions approach.
    Still at 40% cash in the taxable. Harvesting some tax losses in theses I no longer have interest in. Looking for buying opportunities in the near future as inflation news continues. Mainly focused on dividends, health, tech, utilities, alt energy, water, and staples. Taking a few cap gains distributions to help with the holidays. But otherwise reinvesting.
    Not living large. But the house is paid for. And cash flow is currently less stressful than when we were working.
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    Don’t know much about Zulauf. Runs a consulting firm. Lives in Switzerland. Writes a newsletter. ISTM he was a member of the Barron’s annual “Roundtable” for many years and was a lot more pessimistic than most other members, including Gabelli and Cohen.
    What struck me from the interview is that this man seems to have a pretty precise time-line figured out for all the major moves in equities, bonds and commodities almost to the month on through 2024. Awesome. Meanwhile, here am I fumbling around trying to remember where I placed the car keys an hour ago!
    Thanks @Mark for sharing your positioning.
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    Felix Zulauf: going forward, we are looking at a structural, not cyclical, weakening of the European economy. Including UK, Ukraine. "Extremely weak" in 1H '23.
    U.S.A.: "mild" recession coming up, in the middle 2 quarters of '23.
    Generally, the next DECADE will be a "rollercoaster."
    Geopolitically, a divided world. In Europe, the boycott of Russia is counterproductive. (But ethically?)
    The world is de-globalizing. Supply chain issues will not go away. We do not have the influence we once did, in the USA. We will be less prosperous 10 years from now, generally speaking. So make the best of your investment decisions.
    China cannot afford to store their reserves any longer in US Treasuries. They know that, so do we all. (Geopolitical considerations.)
    (He is, of course, speaking amorally, without regard to ethical considerations. His presentation is about making money. There are no value-judgments in what he's saying, clearly. Zulauf: The USA in particular is stupid for freezing assets and boycotting Russia and restricting the flow of chips and maybe other stuff to China.)
    Dollar: rally in 1st Quarter, '23. But longer-term, declining. As will the influence of the USA, worldwide.
    When the post-recession rally comes, it will be pronounced in growth stocks. When they get to a high-point off that rally, then switch into energy stocks. That's his trade.
    Right now he is neutral on stocks and will go net-short "very soon."
    **********
    ....... i don't trade in and out at all. Buy & Hold is dead, so I'm not there anymore, either. Portfolios WILL need to be babysat and supervised much more, into the future. But I don't do shorts. I don't trade in and out, every couple of months. I will have to let this interview percolate and figure out just how much of what he said is useful to someone like ME. But it was time well-spent.
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    I intend to go into '23 pretty much the same way I went into '22. That is I'll be muddling along drifting where the current takes me. I hold a good slug of dividend paying blue chips that haven't skipped a beat for over 10-25 years. I have a goodly sum of CEF bond funds and BDC's which although they've come down in price, are still over-earning and paying their monthly 9-12% distributions. But lastly, and maybe most importantly I purchased for the first time ever a S&P 500 fund back in Feb-Mar that is only down like less than 3% to date. I will continue to add to that should Mr. Market crash and burn again while meanwhile stockpiling those before mentioned distributions until the fog lifts. If all the experts with all their resources can't seem to agree on where we are going what clue does anyone, including me, think I have.
    One final thought, @hank favorite columnist Randall Forsyth shared an interview with Felix Zulauf recently in Barron's Market Vet Predicts the Next Decade Will Be Awful for the 60/40 Portfolio. How to Invest. I don't know if his track record is any better than 50-50 but a lot of what he said made sense.
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    "”economy slows down but also muddles along” - That’s as good a guess as any."
    I sat in SUV at Walmart for 45 minutes after dropping gal pal off to exchange 70" TV. Lesson learned, don't take open boxes.
    This happened Sat. 3:45 ish. LOTs of shoppers , parking lot about 75% or more full.
    Point taken , Christmas pushing economy at this time. After New Years salute, I'm thinking economy to slow way down ! Trucker says it's getting harder to find loads.
    As of this time I'm looking at some sales come Monday , with CD's & T Bills being bought.
    Going further out on maturities 12,18,24 months.
    FWIW, Derf
  • How are you positioned going into 23'?
    Curious as to how folks are positioning their portfolios going into the New Year.
    I remain cautious as always, top down as follows:
    Tbill/Note/CD laddered out to 1 month thru 5 years (~80-85% of portfolio)
    AMEX money market online savings
    PMEFX
    PVCMX
    FORTX (Abraham Fortress Fund, Abraham Salem runs the fund...rain maker...now avail at Schwab)
    SVARX (thinking that high yield bonds might do very well by end of year 23'?)
    PCAFX (Prospector Capital Appreciation, experienced fund mgr's)
    Thoughts: I believe inflation will be sticky, balance sheet tightening continues, Ukraine/Russia war continues, housing market muddles along, does not collapse, economy slows down but also muddles along, of course all that being said I have no idea and sure hope things get better! I'll leave my political thoughts off this post as prolly better that way, just to keep the focus on investing.
    Best,
    Baseball Fan
  • Just uncovered: AXAHY. AXA insurance. Paris HQ
    5 year chart
    Strictly from a technical view over 5 years, this product appears to be near fully priced at this time. A RSI of 30 and below is a technical level that may be considered near or at 'oversold'; while a RSI of 70 and greater may be considered as at or near 'overbought'. AXA is at 65.16 RSI, which may be considered near the top of its technical price range at this time; that there may not be much more upward movement remaining.
    Of course, other market circumstances or special circumstances for this company must be taken into consideration; that may nullify technical criteria.
  • The $42 Billion Question: Why Aren’t Americans Ditching Big Banks?
    I was happy with Washington Mutual (WaMu) for a number of years.
    They had many branches close to my home, their personnel were friendly, and customer service was great.
    Under Kerry Killinger in the 90s, WaMu expanded from 84 branches in 1991 to 248 in 1995.
    The following decade Washington Mutual became the country's largest savings-and-loan bank
    and also the largest mortgage originator. Subprime loans accounted for some of this rapid growth.
    When the subprime lending crisis culminated, the Office of Thrift Management seized the bank on 09/25/2008.
    Washington Mutual was sold to JPMorgan Chase hours later. This was the largest bank failure in U.S. history.
    I was not pleased with JPMorgan Chase.
    They were much more "corporate" than WaMu.
    Their lobbies felt sterile and their associates were impersonal.
    I switched to a local credit union in 2010 and haven't looked back.
    Most of my banking is conducted online with other financial institutions
    but it's nice to have an option with a nearby physical presence.
    When a medallion signature guarantee was needed to transfer my Roth IRA a few years ago,
    the credit union provided a convenient avenue to obtain this guarantee.
  • The $42 Billion Question: Why Aren’t Americans Ditching Big Banks?
    I've been banking online for 15+ years. I still have an account with one of the Big 4 and keep just above the minimum balance to avoid monthly fees. Best of both worlds though for all practical purposes I can close out my physical bank account.
    Over 15 years the differential between online bank rates and the measly rate I get from my Big 4 bank has been pretty significant.
  • The $42 Billion Question: Why Aren’t Americans Ditching Big Banks?
    Math (or lack thereof) + lethargy issue.
    In today's world where a fully FDIC protected bank account + ACH transfer can be opened and done within minutes on the phone it boggles the mind. Buying CD's/Treasuries within brokerage account is even more easier.
    Savings + CD rate arbitrage over 20+ years starts adding up, it isn't chump change.
  • The $42 Billion Question: Why Aren’t Americans Ditching Big Banks?
    Americans are missing out on billions of dollars in interest by keeping their savings at the biggest U.S. banks.
    Following are edited excerpts from an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. While we here at MFO discuss the merits of CDs which pay 4.85%, huge numbers of fellow Americans are earning next to nothing on their bank deposits.

    The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to their highest level since early 2008. Yet the biggest commercial banks are still paying peanuts to savers. In theory, savers could have earned $42 billion more in interest in the third quarter if they moved their money out of the five largest U.S. banks by deposits to the five highest-yield savings accounts—none of which are offered by the big banks—according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
    The five banks—Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co.—paid an average of 0.4% interest on consumer deposits in savings and money-market accounts during the quarter, according to S&P Global. The five highest-yielding savings accounts paid an average of 2.14% during the same period, according to data from Bankrate.com. These five banks collectively hold about half of all the money kept at U.S. commercial banks in savings and money-market accounts tracked by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That share has held steady despite the availability of higher rates elsewhere.
    The $42 billion gap in the third quarter was the largest amount since record-keeping began, but will likely be dwarfed in the fourth quarter because top high-yield savings accounts have raised their interest rates to more than 3.5%.
    Since the start of 2019, Americans have lost out on at least $291 billion in interest by keeping their savings in the five biggest banks. That total balloons to $603 billion when going back to 2014, when the FDIC started tracking consumer deposits in money-market and other savings accounts.
    And U.S. savers have likely missed out on much more than $600 billion because the average rate the five biggest banks have paid over the past eight years, 0.24%, includes higher-yielding money-market accounts and some business accounts. Traditional savings accounts paid an average rate of 0.02% at the five largest banks during that period.
    Why haven’t savers moved more of their money? Some customers aren’t aware of how much money they could make by switching, and others just don’t care. Alicia Gillum has been with Bank of America for 26 years and says she has no interest in searching for a new bank, even though her savings of more than $100,000 is earning almost no interest. Her loyalty has earned her Platinum Honors Tier status, which affords her a 0.04% interest rate on her savings instead of the 0.01% rate the bank pays to customers of its basic savings accounts.
    Americans flush with stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment checks flooded U.S. banks with deposits earlier in the pandemic. The biggest banks got an outsize share of those deposits. About $425 billion flowed into money-market and savings accounts at U.S. commercial banks between the first quarter of 2020 and the third quarter of 2022, according to the FDIC. More than 95% of that went to the five largest banks.
    But things could be changing. The average rate on money-market and savings accounts at the five largest banks nearly tripled in the third quarter from where it was in the second. And people are starting to move their money around in other ways to take advantage of higher rates, pouring a record amount into higher-yielding savings vehicles such as Series I savings bonds and Treasury bills this year.
    Wow! "Platinum Honors Tier status" at BofA... Now that's really something!
  • Td acquired by schwab
    I moved 99% of my account out in October '20 after the deal closed, b/c I wanted my TDA FA to 'get credit' for my account as he'd been really good to me over the years. I also didn't want to deal with the drama/chaos of brokerage intergrations -- I've been through enough of them already.
    Since then, I've kept it active with a tiny stock position and $1000 cash just so I have access to prior statements and moreso, to keep my access to ThinkDesktop, which is fan-frakking-tastic compared to Schwab's dinky browser-based 'active' trader platform.
    When they tell me it's 'my turn' to be migrated, I'll transfer the rest over to Schwab and close the account, b/c I only need 1 Schwab account.
  • Vanguard Quits Net-Zero Alliance
    @sma3 "Texas at least, can claim their economic interests are at stake, although with the huge wind and solar arrays there, they will probably do pretty well with renewable energy. "
    Are you implying Texas has huge solar & wind projects at this time or they could develop them ? I've traveled to & through Houston on my way to coastal Bend area for six years & have as yet to see a wind turbine or solar farm.
    Perchance I'm not in the right area as TX is quite large
    I did note one car being charged via plug in.