WSJ reporting that MS may boot Gill from ETrade over manipulation concerns, so I guess BBF was right, this time there might just be some manipulation afoot. (The article says MS is debating on what kind of retail blowback they'll get if they actually give him the boot.)
< - >
Morgan Stanley employees, knowing that Gill is a customer, looked at his E*Trade account, according to people familiar with the matter. That sort of monitoring of clients is routine.
The employees saw he had purchased call options before the tweet, the people said. A call option gives a trader the right to buy the stock by a certain date at a stated price. At least some of those options expired that week, one of the people said. That meant Gill’s trades likely generated profits thanks to the stock move his tweet generated.
Morgan Stanley’s global financial-crimes unit and external counsel began discussing whether Gill’s actions were legal and whether the firm should cancel his E*Trade account, the people said.

”Let's ask the obvious easy question: if you held just the SP500 for your stock portion (based on Bogle+Buffet) have you done well YTD + in the last 3-5-10-15 years?”

The S&P 500 lost approximately

56.8% of its value between October 2007 and March 2009, according to the historical performance data. This significant decline was a result of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. (Credit: Brave Search AI summarizer)
Hey big guy - Every dollar you held in your S&P 500 index fund in October 2007 was worth 43 cents 16 months later. Sound like fun?

And...how much did the SP500 ended at after 15 years = 6/1/2008?
418% which includes the 50% loss that happened as you noted above, but wait, since 2010 I have been posting why you should invest in US LC tilting growth, SPY has been an easy choice but you could also invest some in QQQ. If you invested in QQQ you ended at 934% (https://schrts.co/zTCFZQSB)

”Let's ask the obvious easy question: if you held just the SP500 for your stock portion (based on Bogle+Buffet) have you done well YTD + in the last 3-5-10-15 years?”

The S&P 500 lost approximately 56.8% of its value between October 2007 and March 2009, according to the historical performance data. This significant decline was a result of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. (Credit: Brave Search AI summarizer)
Hey big guy - Every dollar you held in your S&P 500 index fund in October 2007 was worth 43 cents 16 months later. Sound like fun?

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1295908/000158064224002881/lebenthal_497.htm
497 1 lebenthal_497.htm 497
LEBENTHAL ULTRA SHORT TAX-FREE INCOME FUND
A Series of Centaur Mutual Funds Trust
Supplement dated May 29, 2024, to the Summary Prospectus, Statutory Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information, each dated February 28, 2024
Effective immediately, the Lebenthal Ultra Short Tax-Free Income Fund (the “Fund”), a series of Centaur Mutual Funds Trust (the “Trust”), has terminated the public offering of its shares and will discontinue its operations effective July 10, 2024. Shares of the Fund are no longer available for purchase and, at the close of business on July 10, 2024, all outstanding shares of the Fund will be redeemed at net asset value (the “Transaction”).
The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”), at the recommendation of the Fund’s investment advisor, DCM Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), determined and approved by Written Consent of the Board on May 29, 2024 (the “Written Consent”), to discontinue the Fund’s operations based on, among other factors, the Advisor’s belief that it would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to discontinue the Fund’s operations. Through the date of the Transaction, the Advisor will continue to waive investment advisory fees and reimburse expenses of the Fund, if necessary, in order to maintain the Fund at its current expense limit, as specified in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Through the Written Consent, the Board directed that: (i) all of the Fund’s portfolio securities be liquidated in an orderly manner not later than July 10, 2024; and (ii) all outstanding shareholder accounts on July 10, 2024, be closed and the proceeds of each account be sent to the shareholder’s address of record or to such other address as directed by the shareholder, including special instructions that may be needed for Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”) and qualified pension and profit sharing accounts. As a result of the Transaction, the Fund’s portfolio holdings will be reduced to cash or cash equivalent securities. Accordingly, going forward, shareholders should not expect the Fund to achieve its stated investment objectives. Any capital gains will be distributed as soon as practicable to shareholders and reinvested in additional Fund shares, unless you have requested payment in cash.
Shareholders may continue to freely redeem their shares on each business day prior to the Transaction. Procedures for redeeming your account, including reinvested distributions, are contained in the section “Redeeming Your Shares” in the Fund’s Prospectus. Any shareholders that have not redeemed their shares of the Fund prior to July 10, 2024, will have their shares automatically redeemed as of that date, with proceeds being sent to the address of record. If your Fund shares were purchased through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and are held in a brokerage or other investment account, redemption proceeds may be forwarded by the Fund directly to the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary for deposit into your brokerage or other investment account.
The Transaction will be considered for tax purposes a sale of Fund shares by shareholders, and shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure its proper treatment on their income tax returns.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RETIREMENT PLAN INVESTORS
Shareholders invested through an IRA or other tax-deferred account should consult the rules regarding the reinvestment of these assets. In order to avoid a potential tax issue, shareholders generally have 60 days from the date that proceeds are received to re-invest or “rollover” the proceeds in another IRA or qualified retirement account; otherwise the proceeds may be required to be included in the shareholder’s taxable income for the current tax year.
If you have any questions regarding the Fund, please call 1-888-484-5766.
Investors Should Retain this Supplement for Future Reference

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/225930/000174177324002468/c497.htm
497 1 c497.htm
6316 P2 05/24
TEMPLETON FUNDS
SUPPLEMENT DATED MAY 29, 2024
TO THE SUMMARY PROSPECTUS, PROSPECTUS AND
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (“SAI”)
EACH DATED JANUARY 1, 2024, OF
TEMPLETON INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE FUND (THE “FUND”)
On May 22, 2024, the Board of Trustees of Templeton Funds, on behalf of Templeton International Climate Change Fund (the “Fund”), approved a proposal to liquidate and dissolve the Fund. The liquidation is anticipated to occur on or about August 9, 2024 (Liquidation Date); however, the liquidation may occur sooner if at any time before the Liquidation Date there are no shares outstanding in the Fund. The liquidation may also be delayed if unforeseen circumstances arise.
At the close of market on July 2, 2024, the Fund will be closed to new investors, except as noted below. Existing investors who had an open and funded account on July 2, 2024 can continue to invest in the Fund through exchanges and additional purchases after such date. The following categories of investors may continue to open new accounts in the Fund after the close of market on July 2, 2024: (1) clients of discretionary investment allocation programs where such programs had investments in the Fund prior to the close of market on July 2, 2024, and (2) Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans or benefit plans and their participants where the Fund was available to participants prior to the close of market on July 2, 2024. The Fund will not accept any additional purchases after the close of market on or about August 7, 2024. The Fund reserves the right to change this policy at any time.
Shareholders of the Fund on the Liquidation Date will have their accounts liquidated and the proceeds will be delivered to them. For those shareholders with taxable accounts and for Federal, state and local income tax purposes: (a) any liquidation proceeds paid to such shareholder should generally be treated as received by such shareholder in exchange for the shareholder’s shares and the shareholder will therefore generally recognize a taxable gain or loss; (b) in connection with the liquidation, the Fund may declare taxable distributions of its income and/or capital gain; and (c) an exchange out of the Fund prior to the Liquidation Date may be considered a taxable transaction and such shareholders may recognize a gain or loss. Shareholders should consult
their tax advisers regarding the effect of the Fund’s liquidation in light of their individual circumstances. Participants in an Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan that is a Fund shareholder should consult with their plan sponsor for further information regarding the impact of the liquidation. In considering new purchases or exchanges, shareholders may want to consult with their financial advisors to consider their investment options.
Please retain this supplement for future reference.

As shipwrecked mentioned....If you actually look at Palm Valley's website, it refers to ABSOLUTE RETURN Investing...."Focused on Absolute Returns"....in large letters.

And I already commented that this IS NOT an absolute fund.
Mr C. uses cash, how about communicating better every month the % of stocks, cash, and the rest?
Maybe I missed it, but can you find on the fund page (https://www.palmvalleycapital.com/) the portfolio breakdown?
Just for fun, I read Mr. C comments on 4/1/2023 (https://www.palmvalleycapital.com/_files/ugd/ef2f99_c0d0844318294a93b988e858fd3274da.pdf) Quote "Today, there are numerous signs of an impending recession and an incipient loss of confidence in the financial system, as the higher interest rates required to quash inflation are exposing deep cracks in the economy. "
He is a typical downer and don't like tech...since 4/1 SPY is up about 30% and QQQ about 42%

Wouldn't expect this from conservatively-run juggernaught Capital, but here they are. I hope these funds don't tarnish their reputation by getting too ... creative. (I hold several large long-long-loooong term positions in various of their equity funds)
Per WSJ:
Capital Group, the stock-picking juggernaut whose American Funds have been a staple in brokerage accounts for nearly a century, is tapping private-equity pioneer KKR to step into the lucrative world of private investments.
Capital and KKR are planning a series of hybrid funds that will invest in both publicly and privately traded assets. The first two strategies, expected to launch next year, will hold about 60% in public bonds picked by Capital managers, and 40% in direct and asset-based loans sourced by KKR.
The new funds will target mass-affluent clients, or those who invest between $100,000 and $1 million. These customers hold the biggest chunk of the assets in wealth accounts, and represent the next frontier for firms that manage alternative assets such as private companies, loans and real estate.
Capital and KKR also intend to explore multiple flavors of hybrid funds—and private assets—in different markets around the world.
< - >

The plan marks one of Capital’s biggest forays into private assets since the 1970s when it helped start a venture-capital fund that would later emerge as Sequoia Capital. The money-management industry has changed dramatically since then, as trillions of dollars flowed into low-cost funds that track market indexes.
For KKR, the partnership will help extend its reach beyond the ultrawealthy individuals and families who currently invest in its products through wealth managers and financial advisers.
“Roughly 5% of U.S. households would meet that qualification,” Nuttall said. “There is this whole universe that we’re not getting close to touching.”
Facing relentless pressure to lower their own fees, traditional stock and bond managers have turned to investing in alternatives. These investments still command higher fees, and are harder for index and exchange-traded funds to duplicate. The pitch for customers is a chance at market-beating returns.
< - >
https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/american-funds-parent-launching-partnership-with-kkr-to-move-into-private-assets-114430d0?mod=hp_lead_pos5

No, we can express gratitude to any service provider. Because we in this forum have written pages and pages of angst from financial service providers, it was easy to mention them.
It does not have to be “beyond call of duty.” It can simply be doing duty sincerely and competently, which I do not take for granted..

Are we limited to strictly financial dealings? I can recall a "beyond the call of duty" episode with airline staff, many years ago, at the airport...

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1014913/000110465924063686/tm2414610d1_497.htm
497 1 tm2414610d1_497.htm 497
Filed pursuant to Rule 497(e)
Registration No. 333-07305
1940 Act File No. 811-07685
FRONTIER FUNDS, INC.
Supplement to Prospectus Dated October 31, 2023
Frontier HyperiUS Global Equity Fund
Institutional Class Shares (FHYPX)
Service Class Shares (FHGSX)
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Frontier Funds, Inc. (the “Company”), based upon the recommendation of Frontegra Asset Management, Inc. (“Frontegra”), has determined to liquidate the Frontier HyperiUS Global Equity Fund (the “Fund”). Frontegra is the Fund’s investment adviser and Hyperion Asset Management Limited doing business as H.A.M.L. is the Fund’s subadviser. After considering a variety of factors, the Board concluded that it would be advisable and in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders that the Fund be closed and liquidated as a series of the Company, effective as of the close of business on the liquidation date, June 10, 2024.
The Board approved a Plan of Liquidation that determines the manner in which the Fund will be liquidated. Pursuant to the Plan of Liquidation and in anticipation of the Fund’s liquidation, the Fund will be closed to new purchases, additional investments and incoming exchanges, except for purchases made through an automatic investment program or the reinvestment of any distributions or a purchase exception that is approved by the officers of the Company, effective after market close on May 22, 2024. After the Fund is closed to new investments, shareholders will be permitted to exchange their shares of the Fund for shares of the other available Frontier Funds or to redeem their shares of the Fund, as provided in the Fund’s prospectus, until the liquidation date. No redemption fees will be imposed by the Fund in connection with redemptions or exchanges; however, please note that your financial intermediary may charge fees in connection with redemptions or exchanges.
Prior to the June 10, 2024, liquidation date, the Fund will no longer actively pursue its stated investment objective, and H.A.M.L. will begin to liquidate the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s portfolio managers will likely increase the Fund’s assets held in cash and cash equivalents in order to prepare for an orderly liquidation and to meet anticipated redemption requests. As a result, the Fund is expected to deviate from its stated investment objective, policies and strategies.
Pursuant to the Plan of Liquidation, any shareholder who has not exchanged or redeemed their shares of the Fund prior to the liquidation date of June 10, 2024, will have their shares redeemed and will receive one or more payments representing the shareholder’s proportionate interest in the net assets of the Fund as of the liquidation date, after the Fund has paid or provided for all taxes, expenses and any other liabilities, subject to any required withholdings. The automatic redemption of Fund shares on the liquidation date will generally be treated the same as any other redemption of Fund shares for tax purposes, so that shareholders (other than tax-exempt accounts) will recognize gain or loss for income tax purposes on the redemption of their Fund shares in the liquidation. In addition, the Fund and its shareholders will bear transaction costs and tax consequences associated with the disposition of the Fund’s portfolio holdings prior to the liquidation date. The Fund expects to have declared and paid a distribution or distributions, which, together with all previous such distributions, will have the effect of distributing to the Fund’s shareholders all of the Fund’s investment company taxable income and net capital gain (after reductions for any available capital loss carryforward), if any, realized in the taxable periods ending on or prior to the liquidation date. The distribution or distributions will include any additional amounts necessary to avoid federal income or excise tax. Shareholders should consult their tax adviser for further information about federal, state and local tax consequences relative to their specific situation.
This supplement should be retained with your Prospectus for future reference.
The date of this Supplement to the Prospectus is May 21, 2024.

“Theft”? If the sanctions directly caused financial loss to the Russian parties to the project (the principal Gazprom, lenders, designers and engineers, contractors, vendors and suppliers, etc.) then it could be quite sensible.

@msf said, Bogle built a solid money management firm. Once he left, Vanguard dabbled in expanding financial products. For the most part, it hasn't done this well. While still dabbling it has often retreated to its core business. Sticking to one's knitting does not mean that one is placing the bottom line ahead of shareholder interests.
This is not to say that Vanguard shouldn't be spending more to support its huge number of investors. It can, and IMHO should, nudge people toward electronic trading and communication. But it also needs to improve its human communications as well. This is not a matter of shedding lines of business. This is a matter of providing decent service for its core businesses.

How true. When I started invest with Vanguard 30 years ago, their phone service is very good. Then the internet came and online investing began and that human touch decline. Flagship clients have a special phone number but few perks. We are reconsidering our earlier decision to stay put.

”Regulators advanced a plan to ban derivatives contracts based on political elections, athletic competitions and awards contests, in a bid to clarify the boundaries between gambling and financial markets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission voted Friday to propose a new regulation aimed at regulating event contracts, a small but fast-growing part of the markets in which investors can bet on the outcome of events. CFTC commissioners voted 3-2 to release the proposed regulation for public review, with the agency's three Democratic commissioners voting in favor and its two Republicans dissenting. The proposal won't take effect until commissioners approve a final version, a vote that is likely many months away.”
Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal / May 10, 2024
Subscription May Be Required https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/cftc-wants-to-ban-trades-tied-to-elections-sports-and-awards-contests-3d6fb3c6?st=selp4m3bjclxkdu&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Oh, I wasn't talking about Fidelity/Elan. I was thinking, perhaps of one of the AAA cards, though they are provided by Bread Financial/Comenity Bank. That is not well regarded either. So a AAA card may not be a better alternative.
I'm looking for a backup card for foreign travel. Backup means it won't be used frequently but reliability is important. It seems that QuickSilver (Capital One) changed from Visa to MC a couple of years ago. It checks all my boxes.
It pays only 1.5% cash back, but for an infrequently used card a half percent difference isn't important. What does matter is that it has no annual fee or foreign transaction fee. And MC means it complements the Visa card I use for foreign travel. A modest signup bonus ($200) is a small plus. Not to mention half off coffee drinks in their cafes.
Obviously, each person's criteria are different. The Fidelity card works nicely for many.

Invesco website says 5.44% comes from underlying funds - holdings look a mix of funds and individual MLPs. Why would there be funds within anything called "Select".
https://www.invesco.com/us/financial-products/mutual-funds/product-detail?audienceType=Investor&fundId=32052

Apart from a Fidelity MMF (which can't be THAT expensive!) I don't see any funds in their Portfolio holdings. Just straight equities from what I can tell.

Invesco website says 5.44% comes from underlying funds - holdings look a mix of funds and individual MLPs. Why would there be funds within anything called "Select".
https://www.invesco.com/us/financial-products/mutual-funds/product-detail?audienceType=Investor&fundId=32052

Jeff DeMaso discusses Vanguard's new CEO among other topics.
https://www.independentvanguardadviser.com/a-new-leader-comes-to-vanguard/

Thanks for the link. Always appreciated.
He writes:

it certainly feels like Vanguard's culture has been changing already. Vanguard adding fees and selling off non-core businesses—like its small-biz retirement accounts—lends a sense that the bottom line has taken priority from the shareholder (owner) experience

Though the antecedent (Vanguard returning to its core business) was apparent, I had drawn the opposite conclusion.
Some companies manage to expand their lines of business successfully. Many do not and decide to focus on strengthening their core competencies. For Vanguard, that has always been inexpensive, conservatively managed funds.
Between 2002 and 2019 Vanguard offered a cash management account, Vanguard Advantage. It was offered only to Voyager Select ($500K+) and Flagship ($1M+) customers; the former had to pay $30/year and $4.95/mo if you used BillPay.
https://www.investmentnews.com/industry-news/news/vanguard-to-end-its-small-cash-management-service-78435
https://www.mymoneyblog.com/vanguardadvantage-all-in-one-checking-account-at-vanguard.html
This was not Vanguard's core business, and it wasn't going to put money into it unless it saw it getting traction with it well-heeled customers. Today it offers a barebones cash management account that offers nothing but ACH transfers (and a bank sweep) - minimal services that are cheap to provide. Even here, it started with a controlled rollout.
It launched three managed payout funds in 2008 (talk about bad timing), merged them into a single fund in 2014, eliminated the managed payout feature in 2020 (renaming the fund Managed Allocation Fund), and ultimately merged the fund away altogether in 2023.
https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/who-we-are/pressroom/Press-Release-Vanguard-Announces-Changes-To-Managed-Payout-Fund-02282020.html
It offered a variable annuity (through an outside insurer) with underlying Vanguard funds. Again not a core product, it got out of the business of administering the VA in 2019.
https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/who-we-are/pressroom/Press-Release-Vanguard-Transitions-Variable-Annuity-Offering-061919.html
In that press release, Vanguard even comments that it will be "Focusing on core offerings". This is nothing new; it didn't start in 2024 with Vanguard shedding its small business retirement accounts.
Bogle built a solid money management firm. Once he left, Vanguard dabbled in expanding financial products. For the most part, it hasn't done this well. While still dabbling it has often retreated to its core business. Sticking to one's knitting does not mean that one is placing the bottom line ahead of shareholder interests.
This is not to say that Vanguard shouldn't be spending more to support its huge number of investors. It can, and IMHO should, nudge people toward electronic trading and communication. But it also needs to improve its human communications as well. This is not a matter of shedding lines of business. This is a matter of providing decent service for its core businesses.

Read the article and the complaints in there are garbage and the reporter is lazy, going for easy hits.
But the useful information in the article was that only 10% of the accounts were moved in the final batch this weekend. Schwab did not learn anything from moving 90% of the accounts prior to this or they did not care.
@rforno, I did not work for Schwab. In my work we had let people that worked on M&A integration go or re-assigned to mundane tasks outside M&A for repeating mistakes in M&A integration, depending how much of FU attitude they showed. The Schwab CEO should be held accountable for keep screwing up after doing this for a year. I always knew that financial industry is one of the slowest to adaptation and full of fat cats but this is beneath American work ethic and standards.

Following are excerpts from a current NPR report:

About 8.9% of credit card balances fell into delinquency over the last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — a sign that a growing number of borrowers are feeling the strain of rising prices and high interest rates.
"Everything is more expensive. Debt is more expensive. Rent is more expensive. Food, gas, everything," says Charlie Wise, senior vice president at TransUnion, the credit reporting firm. "Even with relatively healthy wage gains we've seen over last several years, many consumers just aren't keeping up with the price pressures."

Maxed-out borrowers are a big concern-
The New York Fed's report shows the pain is not evenly spread. While many households are on solid financial footing, almost 1 in 5 cardholders is "maxed out," using at least 90% of their credit card limit. That's worrisome, the report says, because maxed-out borrowers are much more likely to fall behind on their bills.
People under 30 and those who live in low-income neighborhoods were particularly likely to be maxed out, according to the report. Among Generation Z borrowers, about 1 in 6 was close to exhausting their credit, compared with 4.8% of baby boomers.

IOW, the usual once a decade (or more) unexpected shocks.
https://www.ft.com/content/5148cd1e-cf01-11e4-893d-00144feab7de
At least we made it to 36,000, also predicted in 1999.
https://www.amazon.com/Dow-36-000-Strategy-Profiting/dp/0812931459

The Glassman [Dow 36,000] thesis was that investors had somehow, for all of history, misunderstood how truly risk-free investing in stocks was, and that they would within a few years come to this realization.
...
No one could have, in 1999, perfectly anticipated that there would be a crash in tech stocks, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, two major wars and a global financial crisis over the subsequent decade.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/08/the-author-of-the-spectacularly-wrong-dow-36000-has-some-new-thoughts-on-the-stock-market/