Thank you, david. I feel very comfortable managing a basket of funds that meet my objective. It's either I identify and manage/rebalance, etc. these investments or I involve a fee only CFP. The insurance 'salesman' has been shown the exit; the bank 'financial advisor' won't be giving me his pitch.
I will review-check out your recommendations. Balanced is good, as is simple. Do these funds appear to you to be tax friendly? It looks like you did much research analyzing risk and more before coming to a decision. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your efforts with me.

Rising food prices could be a problem. But i don't think developed countries are immune to rising food prices either. It could be said that several EM countries still promote growth where rising food & energy cost may be less of a burden compaired against developed Europe and US. And it should be said that EM countries might even be more business friendly too.
Seafarer may not have the financial reserves for hiring staff currently ? Perhaps that is one reason why he's sticking with what he knows - asia. I'm also mindful that other managers ( Bruce Berkowitz, etc ) had great success without much staff either.
Grandeur Peak went down the other road - they had a whole team in place

Over the very long-term, financial markets tend to reflect reality. In rate sensitive bonds, the most important being inflationary expectations for future years and, to a lesser extent, political & economic stability here and abroad as BobC references. (For lower tier bonds, ability of issuer to repay is crucial - but sounds like discussion's more about higher tier). We came close to a deflationary collapse in '08 - and still may get there - no predictions from this corner. If you think that's where we're headed, buy bonds. You'll be able to purchase food, shelter, cars etc. for less 10 years down the road while growing your nest-egg at a compounded 1.73% as of this morning. But, if you think inflation will run significantly more than 1.73% (compounded annually), than bonds today do not reflect reality very well. Catch has made much of the "capital appreciation" potential of rate sensitive bonds. That's true as long as investors continue to buy - eerily similar to the speculation that drove NASDAQ to 5000 a decade ago or real estate through the roof more recently. Now, much $$ was made from the "capital appreciation" in these sectors even after prices soared into the stratosphere. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're not the last one standing when the music stops.
Don't much follow bonds ... but there have been some "wiffs" of inflation recently which probably spooked some of the bigger players. Housing prices in some U.S. markets have started to rise. Food prices look to be on the rise due to drought conditions across much of the country. Gas is back over $4.00 in many places. Getting back to "reality", if you think 1.73% compounded over 10 years represents a reasonable return of your investment after taking into consideration your inflationary expectations, than snatch up some treasuries this morning. If you believe that's not realistic, than they represent a poor long term investment. As BobC noted, things don't move in a straight line. Treasuries will rally at some point and may do very well again if deflationary signals return or if the speculative fervor resumes. In thinking how financial markets move, Abby Joseph Cohen used to use the supertanker analogy. I like the words of T.S. Eliot who when discussing how the world will end says: "Not with bang, but a whimper." A good analogy I think for how painfully long it might take for bond markets to change direction.

Opps - sorry, BobC. I will ask my attorney to recommend a fee only - NOT fee based CFP. Typing faster than I'm thinking.
I called the insurance salesman for an appointment to sign the papers. He asked if I could meet Wednesday. I told him we didn't need a meeting - I only needed to sign the papers. He asked me if his company could help me. I said 'no'. I told him unlike my uncle I was making my own investment decisions and have for years. He asked me if I was unhappy with his company. I said 'no'. He asked if in the future he could help me. I said 'no' and thank you. Hope that's over. He is mailing me the papers to sign. Maybe this is finally the end of our 'financial' (or otherwise) relationship.
Thank you again.

Reply to @BobC:
Several states still have estate taxes (or inheritance taxes) that kick in at $1M. For example, NYS's rises quickly to 16%. Ignore state taxes at one's peril.
Regarding seeking advice - I agree with you that planning comes first, before investing. If you don't know what you're investing for, or when you'll need what amounts of money, you're flying blind with the investing. It seems that most "advisors" focus on the investing without knowing the person (or even the whole portfolio); I've certainly found that to be the case with the friendly folks at (insert name of discount brokerage here) who seem eager to review your holdings, but not look at the big picture.
It seems to me that there are basically three ways that a service provider can get paid. If it's done "right", they should all come out to roughly the same amount of compensation - a fair amount of pay for good work. And they all create incentives that can distort the service:
1) Commission - encourages churning, using investments that pay higher commission rate (e.g. insurance)
2) Percentage of job (e.g. percentage of AUM for financial advisor) - encourages targeting higher return investments regardless of fit, controlling more assets even if they'd be better invested in something the advisor can't offer
3) Fee for service
a - fixed amount for a deliverable, e.g. investment plan, a will, etc. - encourages short cuts, less time dedicated to doing complete job
b - hourly rate - encourages padding time, scope of job
Nothing is perfect, and one needs to be prepared to push back. Also to look hard for someone who is genuinely interested in doing the best job, not making the most dollars.

Thank you Old Joe and BobC! Yes, unfortunately the insurance salesman is still in the picture. My estate-trust attorney provided him the EIN last week and left a message for him to call me to sign the papers that will initiate the transfer of funds to me as trustee. He hasn't called me, and as soon as I complete this message I will try to reach him to ONLY sign the papers. My attorney told me he is planning on meeting with me and my husband RE: my distribution. Won't happen. He is so persistent. He had my uncle in many annuities and life insurance as you would expect. I would just sit back and observe the sales pitch but keep myself out of it. It wasn't my place - it wasn't my money. At one point when my uncle told him he could get a better policy with another company, this salesman brought in the 'top gun' to convince my uncle. Pressure - pressure! It worked. I will just have to be very, very firm with him.
RE: the bank. They have served me well in other areas, however, a former bank manager sat in on a meeting with a client and a former 'financial advisor' who was suggesting an annuity. The mgr. interrupted him and told him that was not an appropriate investment for this customer. Kudos to her! Staff has changed at my bank, and they say the new advisor won't push annuities. They want me to schedule a meeting and at least listen. Doubtful I will.
Thank you for clarifying fee only and fee based. Yes, I will ask my attorney if he would recommend a fee based CFP. I will also check out FPAnet.org. How would I talk with you offline?
In closing, the majority of our rollover IRA's/TSA-403b are invested where I have the option of 4.25% in their guaranteed account. Other options include TRP, VG, Fid - fine funds. I have a majority in the fixed fund and likely will transfer more into this fund now that I will have these additional monies without that guarantee. I have had a WellsTrade account that holds an IRA rollover for many years. It is not perfect but has served my needs. I am very pleased with the mix of funds. I manage it completely online and could do the same with these new monies once I determine a mix of funds/investments. The difference is now I need to be aware of tax liability.
Again, your efforts are very much appreciated. Thank you very much!

Reply to @perpetual_Bull: Thanks, I did not realize...but not surprised. Dissapointed though that Morningstar appears to call no attention to any regulatory issue.
American Funds American Mutual A AMRMX, for example, rates Gold for all five of Morningstar's pillars. Here is Parent Pillar assessment:

No reference of the censure described in the LA Time article: "An appeals panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the self-policing agency of the securities business, upheld the group’s three-year-old case alleging that the sales arm of L.A.-based American Funds broke industry rules in rewarding brokerages that sold its funds to investors."
And under stewardship, Morningstar gives an "A" overall, but remains "Neutral" on regulatory part:

Thanks again perpetual_Bull for shedding light on this topic.

Reply to @Mark: A couple of somewhat "Berkshire-like" vehicles (no particular order)
1. Greenlight Re (GLRE). This is a reinsurance company where the float is invested with the same positioning as hedge fund manager David Einhorn's long/short Greenlight Capital. It has not done that great in the last year or two - it really follows peer companies at times - but is somewhat interesting. It is a Cayman company, and there are other hedge funds looking for permanent capital that are planning the same thing - Third Point and SAC. I don't own GLRE.
2. Fairfax Financial (FRFHF.PK) Fairfax's float is invested by Prem Watsa, who has often been called the Canadian Buffett. Fairfax also actually generated a positive return in 2008 betting against subprime. From Morningstar: " In recent years, Fairfax produced stellar investment results as it capitalized on the financial crisis with prescient credit derivative bets. Fairfax's investment record over the long run is very impressive as its common stock portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 by an average of 8.7 percentage points per year over the past 15 years. Similarly, its bond investments outperformed the Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Index by an average of 4.1 percentage points per year over the past 15 years. These outsized investment gains have translated into book value gains averaging nearly 25% per year since 1985." (http://quote.morningstar.com/stock/s.aspx?t=FRFHF&region=USA&culture=en-us) I don't own Fairfax.
3. Leucadia (LUK) There is no insurance component, but Leucadia is otherwise often compared to Berkshire and, despite a poor last year and unpleasant 2008, the conglmerate otherwise has an excellent very long track record. The conglomerate is a mix of holdings in public (financial firm Jefferies) and private (including a joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway and even vineyards. I don't own LUK - it did not do well last year but for believers in the long-term record of the firm, it would be a value play.
Other conglomerates that are less Berkshire-like that I like are Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Jardine Matheson (JHMLY.PK) Jardine is an Asian conglomerate that has been around since the 1800's and owns everything from grocery stores to Asian IKEAs to Manadrin Oriental hotels and more. Brookfield is an enormous Canadian conglomerate consisting of renewable energy assets, infrastructure assets and massive real estate assets around the world. The assets are largely in spin-offs (much of the real estate assets will be spun off in another limited partnership later this year - if that happens, shareholders in BAM will get a special dividend) and Brookfield is an asset manager. Both yield +/- 2% otherwise. I own both Jardine and subsidiary Dairy Farm, as well as Brookfield and Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP)
Berkshire is Berkshire, one certainly can't argue with one of the most successful records of all time. I do have some issues with some of the subsidiaries, which I think .I think it will be interesting to see Berkshire's eventual transition.
The issues with Fairfax is that it's nearly $400 a share and it does generate a dividend (about 2.5%)
History of Jardine Matheson from the 1800's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_Matheson_Holdings
DEFINITELY DO RESEARCH BEFORE INVESTING IN ANY OF THE ABOVE.

Seems what you're really asking is what should you do - quite different from what any one of us might do. Nothing wrong with waiting for six months or so while you formulate a plan. And, if considering exposure to equities, dollar averaging in over a few years not a bad idea anyway. Above all, do what's within your knowledge base and comfort level. Managing finances, whether a household budget, a million $$ inheritance, or money you've slowly stashed away, is an ongoing life-long process. So, simple answers not likely to solve much if anything.
---
"Should I not try to do this by myself?" --- The fact you are asking suggests you probably don't possess the financial background, experience, and comfort level needed to deal with your issue. A fee-based planner is likely a good option.
"Should I be looking for an adviser who doesn’t sell a product but may give me direction on how to invest this distribution?" - Yes. Those trying to sell you a product would likely have a conflict of interest that may not serve you well.
"I checked out local members of Napfa, and there are base fees of $5000, $10,000, 1% of 2m." --- 1% of amount invested does not in itself sound outrageous. Consider that a commission-based advisor might well put you into "loaded" funds where up front commissions of 4-5% or higher are common. Additionally, such products often carry ongoing "12b-1" fees, insuring a future income stream to the selling agent.
"I did have a conversation with a Vanguard rep and was going to visit the local Fidelity office as well as T. Rowe Price" --- High regard for Price based on 15-20 years with them. I find their integrity, resources and abilities managing a wide array of funds exceptional.
"My bank wants to talk with me, too" --- I'd be leery of this except for the portion you wish to commit to fixed income instruments. Nothing against banks. Just think there are better options for diversification and growth, as many have mentioned.

Dian, it would seem to me that you have a good background and grip on the situation. If I read your initial post correctly you feel that your financial house is in pretty good order and this gift is icing on the cake, a truly great position to be in.
You have already received a number of useful checkoff items and suggestions (e.g. eliminating bad debt, avoid the banker, spread your assets around, avoid the bankers advice, watch out for the sharks, avoid the banker etc.) and did I mention avoiding the banker. You might also wish to include insurance sales folks in that avoid list when it comes to what you should do with the inheritance. You have also received some fund and annuity suggestions and information. You have not mentioned how the assets (inheritance) are currently allocated and maybe it's not important to this discussion except that your uncle was a saver and apparently did quite well in that regard. You mentioned looking for tax free or at least tax-friendly investments. I'm not sure if you are looking to put things on cruise control or if you might want to dabble in active management.
Assuming I have everything correct so far, and in what might be considered blasphemy on a mutual fund discussion board, might I suggest that you give uncle Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway A or B shares) your gift to invest. Here's why I would do this.
1. Any mutual fund, annuity, rental property and so on is going to come with on-going fees, possibly taxes, maintenance costs, headaches and whatever else I'm forgetting until the day they are exhausted or disposed of. You may or may not wrestle with thoughts of "Gee, did I buy the right fund, plan, property" or wonder if X, Y or Z might be better suited or more appropriate.................. the list is endless.
2. Berkshire Hathaway is notorious for not paying dividends or distributions (read: no taxes) and your gains will just keep accumulating until "you" decide to sell at a time and place convenient and tax-managed by you.
3. If you buy the 'B' shares you will be able to "gift" them at possibly tax-friendly opportunities to family and charitable causes.
You will of course pay stock trading commissions but you can minimize those depending on your choice of brokerage firms. I am also fully aware that the current managers of Berkshire (Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger) are getting up in years but I am not concerned with their succession plans. It is something that you will have to look into and decide for yourself.
Just an alternative thought, quick and dirty. Congratulations and best wishes.

Regarding debt - generally a good priority, for financial reasons (reasonable certain rate of return), psychological reasons, and planning reasons. But if that debt is a mortgage, these days, it's hard to make a financial case for paying that off. A mortgage is effectively a way to leverage investments - you borrow at a low rate (the rate of your mortgage) and invest for a (hopefully) higher rate of return. Both the mortgage and the investments are long term, so they're well-matched. If we were not in such a low interest rate environment, I'd say one should pay off mortgages, but right now, it depends on your comfort level.
Regarding annuities - these are effectively equivalent to nondeductible IRAs. You put in post tax money, and what you pull out is taxed as ordinary income, except for the amount you put in. (Because of a quirk in the tax laws, the first money you pull out of annuities, unlike IRAs, is fully taxable; it's only when you draw down to the initial investment that you get the post tax money out without more taxes. Unless you annuitize, and almost nobody does that.)
I write all of this because nondeductible IRAs (unless you convert them to Roths) and annuities generally don't make sense (run the numbers) unless you have the money invested in them for decades. I think I'm one of the relatively few people here who will speak positively about deferred annuities, but only where there make sense.
Regarding the ones Catch named - Fidelity's VIP Contra fund (3*) is managed by the same team that manages Fidelity All-Sector Equity (FSAEX), which I view as a clone. It is not managed by Danoff. Regarding Growth Co. (a retail fund FDGRX, managed by Steve Wymer since 2007), the annuity offers VIP Growth Opportunities, managed by Wymer since 2009. It is this fund that's the clone (or near clone) of Growth Co;, not VIP Growth, or VIP Growth Stock, two other funds offered in the annuity.
Also to consider in the annuity space (if you're still so inclined) is TIAA-CREF. Their Intelligent Variable Annuity charges 35 baiss points in a $100K annuity (25 basis points over $500K), and this drops to 10 basis points after a decade. They offer a similar number of funds to Fidelity, and the funds in their annuity are usually institution class shares (cheaper). A wider variety of fund companies and managers, and generally better performance.
Regarding muni bonds - despite all the horror stories, they're still some of the safest investments. The general rule of thumb is that individual bonds make sense only if you have a min of $100K to invest (taxable), or $50K (muni). With the slight increase in muni bonds these days, maybe $100K+ in munis might also be advisable. The problem with munis (as with all bonds) these days is that the rates are so ridiculously low, that it's hard to justify the risk. You're looking at 10 years just to get 2%. Remember that you're effectively locked in - individual bonds are expensive to trade, and if rates drop, you won't get 100c on the dollar for your bond (i.e. you'll only break even by swapping bonds, even if you ignore trading costs). I really like munis as a class - unlike taxables, you are more likely to get what you pay for (out to 20 years, yield seems fairly proportional to maturity), relatively low risk (still), and about a decade ago, they got more transparent and easier to buy. Still, I'm not sure what strategy to apply to them in this market. (See last paragraph below for short term muni fund.)
Regarding insurance - Life insurance has two uses I'm aware of. One is for estate planning - a way to transfer assets and avoid estate taxes. Depending on your assets and plans (e.g. not needed for bequests to charities), this might make sense. A second is to replace income that others rely upon if you pass away while you're still bringing in income. If you're close to retirement, this might not make sense for you.
What Consumer Reports says about long term care insurance is that it makes sense primarily for people with assets between $200K and $2M. So this is something that you may or may not want, depending on age and assets. If you are considering this, I suggest you look into policies that participate in Partnership for Long Term Care. This is a way of getting Medicaid to take over (wtihout spending down all assets) if the long term care policy runs out.
I'm sorry that most of the comments above seem to be of the nature "don't do this, don't do that". It's relatively easy to point out the limitations of various products and services. It's much harder, especially with the limited information here (and you don't want to disclose more in a public forum), to say what would fit your particular needs. A good financial planner (possibly working in conjunction with a lawyer and/or accountant) , on a fee basis (not commission), who will look at your whole picture (not just investments), would seem like money well spent. You could drop the cash into something like Vanguard Limited Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund (VMLUX), while figuring out what to do. Something like this doesn't seem to fluctuate by more than a percent over months, and pays about 2% federally tax-free. So at least you get something for your troubles.

Put me down there too... Scott has been a great help to me in introducing alternate and sector funds. Amazing guy- pretty young, but thinks like a guy with experience well beyond his years. He's a born financial cynic, and that helps a lot.

Yup, Bull, hear you. In '87 after selling a rental property, a phone call comes from a 'financial advisor'. Obviously a public document showed this sale, and that is how he found us. We agreed to meet - very foolish of me - but then again, the positive out of the negative eventually arrived - I learned to be my own advisor. He had placed us in load funds - sorry but my ignorance didn't even allow me to ask what that meant - one was 8% and one was 5% - I'm embarrassed to admit. Yikes - shutter when I think of it. Of course, within a month the crash/correction of '87 came, and, of course, he sells us out at the bottom and just leaves us there. No attempt to get us back in while the slow climb upwards begins. He even had the nerve several years later to call us and ask us to do retirement planning with him - a new area he was entering into. Didn't happen. We all have our stories. I try to protect my adult children from this thru my experiences. Hope I'm making a difference. "Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me," Leaving now for that Friday night fish fry - will return later.

Hello Scott RE: Munis - I do think about the cities heading for bankruptcy. But, that shows my ignorance in this area, because not all munis hold that debt. There are many high flyers out there, but for how long? Wells Fargo has an Advantage Muni fund that has done very well. Wells Fargo took over Strong Funds, and the WF Advantage funds are managed down the road from where I live. Risk Parity is a new fund classification for me - always changing - always learning. Very interesting fund. A quick google found AQRIX has 5m minimum for individual investor, 100,000 thru financial advisor. AQRNX has 1m minimum for individual w/1.48 gross expense ratio. I'll look into it further. Thank you.

Just received your edit, Bull, and Mark's response. I don't plan to invest these $'s with my bank, but they sure want to talk with me. I thought maybe I would just listen to their 'financial planner' and maybe FWIW just take his proposal to the CFP as stated above - another learning experience. Thank you for your trust and advice Re: Bob C.

Hey Bob- there's a situation regarding financial planning that could benefit greatly from your input here: ⇒ What would you do with a large inheritance?

So happy to be of help! :-)
A few minor notes/clarifications:
The adviser's fee is partially performance based and partially a standard fee (it's definitely not "hedge-fund style" 2% and 20%, but it is similar in that there is a standard management fee and a very small % of performance fee)
I forget the exact % of the fee, but it seemed reasonable. Given that the adviser has what I would call an "absolute return" approach (long/short flexibility, use of a fairly wide array of various funds), I thought the fee seemed reasonable. However, I think the performance fee works because the adviser is dealing almost entirely with people at or near retirement. So, while the adviser is very active in terms of moving and monitoring, the risk level is acceptable and the ability for them to go short is a nice added touch - in other words, just because there is a performance fee has not meant taking on oversized risk in order to try to boost fees.
These family members had been previously working with someone who was sort of a broker and sort of a financial adviser, but it became very clear that the funds used were funds that were told to be used "from higher up" in the company and that this broker/adviser wasn't really paying much attention - it was get into some of the funds the company wanted to sell (although some of them weren't the worst funds ever), and then largely autopilot.
Having some fee based on performance as well as a sort of "absolute return" approach with the new adviser almost seems to make the fees more reasonable because of the amount of work and monitoring the new adviser is doing, whereas the fees for the prior adviser/broker didn't seem to be really going towards much of anything. You had a broker whose view of a 2008-style situation was "it's a bad year, it'll come back" and the adviser who actively worked in 2008 to protect against downside significantly, then was able to find opportunities when things started to come back.
I think it's tough to find someone good, but from my viewpoint (and not just the above scenario, but watching other family near retirement age), you definitely want a financial planner and not a broker. I think it's also good to get a sense of the client base - that's not a must, but I think getting someone geared towards people near retirement age and understanding of risk tolerance is not a bad idea.
You may want to devote some money to an adviser and handle some money on your own.
Poster Bob C is an adviser and can probably offer some great advice about how to best research an adviser/what questions to ask/etc.

If it was me (and keep in mind this comes from the perspective of someone younger trying to put themselves in the shoes of someone older)
No particular order:
1. Pay off debt (if any).
2. This is going to depend probably on age (in terms of what approach), but make sure you are well set with insurance - whether it be long-term care insurance or otherwise. So many people these days run into a medical issue and then the costs spiral out of control. In other words, invest in yourself.
3. I would not put it all in mutual funds or other such investments. A portion of the money should go towards tangible investments - land, art, prec metals, rental property, any number of things could be within this category.
4. Do not put all the money to work - do leave some cash for unknowns or just the ability to be opportunistic if things come along.
5. If you give to younger family members, maybe have a family gathering where you can discuss investing and get them started. There needs to be financial education in this country and there just isn't in schools, so helping someone understand at a younger age investing is definitely a good thing.
6. What's something you've always wanted to do? A special trip? Again, some investment in yourself.
7. Definitely look for a fee-based (family members work with a planner whose fees are partly performance-based, which has been a tremendous improvement over when they were at a broker) adviser if you go that route.
Others will be able to discuss tax-free investments such as munis better than I, but I do like as a low-key, fairly low-tax fund Pimco Unconstrained, which is a bond fund that focuses on absolute returns rather than yield. Its yield is 1.97%, but the fund has done reasonably well in all environments, including 2008. Pimco Unconstrained can also bet on rising interest rates and remains an interesting alternative fixed income product. Many stock funds generally do not create large tax issues in terms of dividends/distributions, but there's no way to know that a particular fund won't have an unusual distribution at year-end one year. However, the choices when it comes to individual stocks and funds are so broad that it becomes a matter of what would be your risk tolerance and other such factors.

To reintroduce myself, I occasionally posted on FundAlarm. I have tried to follow the MFO discussion board, however, being the eldest child and niece of many ‘senior’ seniors took much of my time. The last of that generation recently passed. I may soon have time for myself.
So herein lies my concern. I knew I would receive an eventual distribution and will within a few months. Since learning the hard way many years ago and ‘investing’ money with a financial ‘salesperson’, I learned to take care of my own financial investments. The majority of our assets are in IRA rollovers; I am pleased with them. My husband started collecting his RMD’s this year; I will in two years. Our emergency fund is covered. The inheritance isn’t money I need.
Herein is where I am asking for your thoughts as I make a decision on investing a large sum. The ‘salesman’ where most of the funds are coming from ‘told me’ years ago he wanted me to buy life insurance (from him) on myself for estate planning with my eventual distribution. Of course!
My Uncle was the eldest of 11 who grew up during the Great Depression. It was a very difficult time for him. He worked very hard and was very careful with his money, and I want to protect what he left me. I may give some to younger family members; I may take a very small amount each year for – at this time - unknowns. I am looking at tax free or tax friendly investments. I know nothing about purchasing individual bonds. I know how to research and purchase muni bond funds, but this area is new to me. I know there are tax friendly stock funds or individual stocks as well as ETF’s. Maybe even a balanced fund or two?
Should I not try to do this by myself? Should I be looking for an adviser who doesn’t sell a product but may give me direction on how to invest this distribution? I checked out local members of Napfa, and there are base fees of $5000, $10,000, 1% of 2m. I did have a conversation with a Vanguard rep and was going to visit the local Fidelity office as well as T. Rowe Price. My bank wants to talk with me, too – caution! I’m just looking for input on what others would do. I learned much in the past from FA posters. Now I’m hoping the MFO posters will assist me. Before releasing the funds, I will take my notes to a CFP that is provided to me at $150/hr as a member benefit thru where I have my 403b, T. IRA rollover, and Roth. Just trying to do my homework.
I remember awhile back Will came to FA when his Father passed, and Will was looking for investments to protect a 1m inheritance in memory of his Father. He would sometimes post his investments. I believe it was Catch who posted here when he was trying to help a relative who received a large inheritance, but I don’t know what the eventual decision was.
I look forward to learning from you. Thank you.

I also do a Yahoo portfolio as you have done. In it I have about a dozen ETFs that I use as tracking indicators for my open end funds. Like you, I have made some buy or sell decisions for that day based on the tracking indicator ETFs .
I also have a Yahoo portfolio with the top 10 holdings for each fund so that I can quickly switch to those and see how they are doing as well.
These two methods help me have a good sense of what the NAV is likely to settle at or around that day.
With a fund like PETDX that tracks an index my caution is to be sure that you are comparing apples to apples by choosing an ETF that tracks the same index. In PETDX's case it is the Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index (index ticker: DWRTFT). So I also use the DWRTFT ticker as a tracker. In REITS that's important because there is a world of difference between an index like the Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index which is comprised
of companies whose charters are the equity ownership and operation of commercial real estate and an index like the FTSE NAREIT All Mortgage Capped Index which could be tracked by the iShares ETF REM.
So, from this I hypothesize that PETDX's interests are (but held as derivates) seen in the DWRTFT's top 10 stocks:
Simon Ppty Group Inc New 11.71%
Public Storage 5.16%
Hcp Inc 4.87%
Ventas Inc 4.67%
Equity Residential 4.61%
Boston Properties Inc 4.19%
Prologis Inc 3.89%
Vornado Rlty Tr 3.75%
Avalonbay Cmntys Inc 3.38%
Health Care Reit Inc 3.25%
REM's holdings are quite different since its index follows the mortgage REITS:
ANNALY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT IN 20.62%
AMERICAN CAPITAL AGENCY CORP 18.53%
TWO HARBORS INVESTMENT CORP 5.56%
CYS INVESTMENTS INC 4.89%
STARWOOD PROPERTY TRUST INC 4.57%
INVESCO MORTGAGE CAPITAL 4.49%
MFA FINANCIAL INC 4.23%
HATTERAS FINANCIAL CORP 4.07%
CHIMERA INVESTMENT CORP 3.98%
ARMOUR RESIDENTIAL REIT INC 3.78%