For Verizon cellphone customers I call attention to their black Visa card (Synchrony), as for all food-related purchases, gas, and Vz purchases (including Fios service) it gives you 4%
That's interesting. Verizon gives a $10 or $20 discount when you pay FiOS bills with autopay, so long as you don't pay by credit card. But it makes an exception for its own Verizon Visa. Doesn't work for me though. I've already got other cards that give me 5% on groceries and 4% on gas and can't see getting a card just for FiOS.
A few bucks gets put on my United Visa each year just to keep the ~1M miles I have active
United stopped expiring miles a few years ago. "Our miles never expire ..."
Perhaps there's something special about keeping a 1M balance?
If merchants neglect to mention surcharges for Mastercard or Visa purchases, they are not following defined rules for surcharging.
In NYS, a merchant must disclose total price including credit card surcharges (in dollars) prior to sale. AFAIK it's an open question as to whether out-of-state merchants selling to NYS residents must comply.
Still with CapitalOne at 1.5% for everything, no fee
CapitalOne seems to have an excellent reputation, and as I noted above, price matches on its travel "portal", making its Venture cards more valuable than other banks' for travelers.

@hank
The Symantec VIP app is used for Two-Factor Authentication.
I've used it for years at Fidelity and recently with a new Schwab account.
I haven't had any issues with the app - it works as expected.
Since Symantec VIP is only installed on my desktop computer,
I can't comment on mobile versions of the app.
I'd prefer Fidelity support hardware authentication devices (e.g., Yubikey),
but this is probably the next best solution from a security standpoint.
Do yourself a favor and try using a password manager app.
I suffer from CRS (can't remember s***) so a password manager is very helpful.
There's no way I'd remember strong passwords like =qaDg|I$%3g/IIa*zKzn from memory.

MOAT has good amount of turnover and I do not recall it ever having a cap gain distribution
The implication being that significant turnover such as that caused by a change in index being tracked does not necessarily result in an ETF recognizing cap gains. It is true that ETFs can handle large periodic portfolio rebalancings (e.g. due to index reconstitution) as described below. But changing indexes is not a periodic, routine event.
If the OEF/ETF structure of VIGI were a cause of the large cap gain distribution in 2021, then would one not expect some cap gains, however small, to have been realized in the other nine years the fund has been around? Further, the probability that the sole year any cap gains were recognized would randomly coincide with the sole year that the index fund was changed is just 10%.
What does turnover even mean for an ETF? Probably not what one thinks. It's certainly not what I would have thought - the value of portfolio shares sold (or bought) divided by the average AUM. Rather, turnover counts only those shares bought or sold for cash.

Turnover rate excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including Vanguard ETF Creation Units.

https://institutional.vanguard.com/investments/product-details/fund/4415
So we may be comparing apples and oranges in saying that MOAT and VIGI turnovers are comparable. Though the real issue is not the turnover rate per se, but the anomalously high rate that VIGI experienced in 2021 (1.5x - 3x its normal rate).
ETFs put a "heartbeat" mechanism in place to handle routine changes in portfolio composition (rebalancings). Even the large quarterly reconstitutions that MOAT has to deal with.
In a "heartbeat" trade, the APs buy the securities that the ETF must discard (due to rebalancing). A couple of days later they sell the new securities that the ETF needs. All done with in-kind trades, using ETF shares as "currency".
The audacity of these maneuvers is so great that Elisabeth Kashner used MOAT as a case study when she coined the term "heartbeat" trades for ETFs in 2017.
https://insight.factset.com/the-heartbeat-of-etf-tax-efficiency
One might ask what's in it for the APs. It turns out that they can make a nice, reliable profit for this service (on the order of 24 basis pts/year). At the (hidden) expense of the shareholders.
https://insight.factset.com/the-heartbeat-of-etf-tax-efficiency-part-three-trade-forensics
One might ask why the SEC lets ETFs get away with this sort of blatant tax manipulation.

Recognizing the potential benefits to ETFs and their shareholders of employing custom baskets, but also being cognizant of the potential for abuses, the SEC now permits virtually unfettered use of custom baskets. However, ETFs using these custom baskets must adopt and implement detailed written procedures that “set forth detailed parameters for the construction and acceptance of custom baskets that are in the best interest of the [ETF] and its shareholders . . . .” These written procedures are internal, non-public documents. Rule 6c-11 also permits ETFs to do heartbeat trades with non-APs on the day of a reorganization, merger, conversion, or liquidation.

Jeffrey M Colon, Unplugging Heartbeat Trades and Reforming the Taxation of ETFs, University of Chicago Business Law Review, Vol 2.1 (2022?), Section VII.
https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/print-archive/unplugging-heartbeat-trades-and-reforming-taxation-etfs#heading-6
In short, evidence that OEF/ETF structure causes cap gains is lacking (virtually no gains recognized across decades and scores of funds), ETF turnover isn't what one thinks so use is judiciously, and ETFs work with APs to handle periodic portfolio rebalancings (including reconstitutions).

I've used Fidelity's Rewards Visa for approximately 8 years.
I appreciate that it offers 2% cash back on all purchases so that the cardholder
doesn't have to contend with varying cash back rates in "revolving categories."

Hence my interest in looking at cards that give high flat rates when coupled with brokerages.
Flat rate cards cited above:
Fidelity: Fidelity Rewards (2%) - must redeem into Fidelity account for full val
BofA/Merrill: Unlimited Cash Rewards (1.5%, 2.625% w/$100K invested) but foreign xact fee
BofA/Merrill: Travel Rewards (1.5%, 2.625% w/$100K invested) - must redeem against travel charges
Robinhood: Robinhood Gold (3%) - $50-$60 annual fee, for full cash val must redeem w/app into RH acct
US Bank: Smartly Card (2%, 4% w/$100K invested) - $50 annual brokerage fee, foreign xact fee, for full val must redeem to bank acct
It's not hard to find cards paying 2%, but they are usually inferior in some way(s) to Fidelity. For example, Wells Fargo Active Cash (WFC, need I say more?) and Bread Financial Cash Back (Amex, not Visa/MC)
Cards paying more than 2% come with strings and/or costs, some slight some more consequential.

I've used Fidelity's Rewards Visa for approximately 8 years.
I appreciate that it offers 2% cash back on all purchases so that the cardholder
doesn't have to contend with varying cash back rates in "revolving categories."

MOAT has good amount of turnover and I do not recall it ever having a cap gain distribution.
I have owned all sorts of ETFs over the past 20+ years and have a good comprehension of the situations when cap gain distributions are a possibility. I will never knowingly buy an ETF which is a different class of a mutual fund in a taxable account. I never owned an equity mutual fund in my taxable account(s).

To get the full 2% cash back value from a Fidelity credit card, you have to deposit the money into a Fidelity brokeage account. That's okay - no min on the brokerage account, and Fidelity brokerage is excellent.
To get 2.625% cash back from a couple of BofA's credit cards, you need to have $100K combined in Merrill accounts (and/or BofA bank accounts). That's okay if you've got the investment assets; Merrill is passable as a brokerage and the cash back is good. And you don't need to deposit the cash back there.
Bonus: BofA will add an extra 2% cash back (or points) for charges you make on any of its credit cards on Nov 7, up to $2500 in charges (an extra $50 back).
https://promotions.bankofamerica.com/card/morerewardsday
US Bank has a couple of interesting credit cards. One that is not out yet will give 4% cash back on all charges if you've got $100K in combined assets (like BofA). From the little I can see, its brokerage arm does not impress: only 100 free stock/ETF trades/year and a $50 annual fee for balances under $250K. But that extra cash back will likely cover the brokerage annual fee and more.
Another US Bank card, Altitude Connect, has no annual fee and some quirky travel benefits. No foreign transaction fee, four free airport lounge passes/year, additional passes if your flight is delayed by over two hours, $100 credit every four years toward TSA Pre-Check (or Global Entry), some travel insurance, and 4x points for travel without having to use its travel service. Like Fidelity, you have to redeem points into a US Bank account to get full value.

If this Bogleheads post is credible, that ETF likely was VIGI / VIAAX.

As an illustration of how well ETFs can avoid capital gains, Vanguard has had only three years in which its diversified stock ETFs distributed a gain.
Vanguard FTSE All-World Ex-US Small-Cap distributed small capital gains in 2009-2010, its first two years. It started near the 2009 market bottom and doubled in its first year, so it didn't have many stocks with losses to sell to meet index changes.
Vanguard International Dividend Achievers Index distributed a 6% capital gain in 2021, when it changed indexes and was thus forced to sell a lot of stock.
Among sector funds, Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF distributed a gain in 2004, its first year, and REIT Index has frequently distributed gains.

https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=404611
There's always the risk of a portfolio overhaul, whether an actively managed fund has a manager change or an index fund changes target indexes (or worse, its objective). The patented structure of VIGI is immaterial here. Outside of 2021, it has never made a cap gain distribution, long or short.
https://advisors.vanguard.com/investments/products/vigi/vanguard-international-dividend-appreciation-etf#priceanddistributions

Not sure how we missed this relatively big news item this week....which I have very mixed feelings about.
US broker Schwab to roll out broader overnight trading platform
Oct 30 (Reuters) - Charles Schwab Corp plans to expand the availability of 24-hour trading to include all stocks in major U.S. indexes as well as hundreds of ETFs beginning in about two weeks, the brokerage said in a statement on Wednesday.
The move comes amid burgeoning interest in extended hours trading from retail investors that is driving some brokers and exchanges to expand their offerings.
Last Friday, the New York Stock Exchange, a division of Intercontinental Exchange said it would file for permission to extend its trading hours to 22 hours each business day.
"About 90% of the customers we surveyed in our newest Traders Sentiment Survey said they would be interested in participating in 24-hour trading," said James Kostulias, head of trading services at Schwab.
Kostulias said that the high level of interest seems to be linked to the changing demographics of Schwab's client base. Nearly 60% of the households that Schwab added as clients in the first half of 2024 are headed by individuals under 40 years of age.
"They seem particularly likely to have an expectation that they will be able to trade any time, anywhere," Kostulias said.
< - >
Schwab said it plans a slow rollout of the expanded trading capacity, starting with its most active traders, and won't begin the process until the week after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
The expanded trading capabilities will be powered by the platform operated by Blue Ocean Technologies LLC, which also underpins overnight trading for Robinhood Markets Inc.and other U.S. brokerages.
The rollout is expected to be completed midway through the first quarter of 2025, by which time Schwab said clients will have access to overnight trading in all stocks listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index
and hundreds of ETFs. Currently, Schwab offers overnight trading in only about two dozen ETFs.
< - >
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-broker-schwab-roll-out-broader-overnight-trading-platform-2024-10-30/

At the end of last year so many "experts" predicted 6-7 cuts and were wrong.
I documented over many years so many foolish predictions. See
https://fd1000.freeforums.net/thread/13/wall-shame-worse-experts-predictions
There are better opinions how to make money real time in this site in bonds at any given time.

@sma3 MVP was my bad - its MPV as above.
I do not like to pay premiums for CEFs either, but if M* is to be believed MPV looks to have been bouncing between premium / discount in 3-4 years a runs and the current premium sequence has just started - as unpredictable as it might be.
Your issue with (relatively) low volume is fairly taken, but if one treats this as a long-term investments - waiting a few days for a limit order to fill should not be an problem, I'd think.
The main selling point for me is that MPV has had
NAV maxDD of -10.83% over 20 years!
(And a maxDD of -5.80% / -2.98% over 10 year per MFO / M*.)
All of this, while generating avg NAV returns of:

1-Year 8.39%
3-Year 7.85%
5-Year 9.45%
10-Year 8.78%
15-Year 10.57%
20-Year 10.23%
LOF 10.68%

I am no expert on fixed income and I understand private loan investing even less - that's why I hire professionals by buying mutual funds... ;)
But can anyone name any other mutual fund and/or any other (accessible) investment that returned > 10% avg annually over 20 years with a single DD of ~ -10% and several ~ 5% over this time?
Seriously, I'd really like to find a few!
[Yeah, I remember about the price premium/discount w CEFs, but ultimately MPV's average Price performance is arguably even better than NAV's. It also makes a Price maxDD of ~ -20% - not bad in-and-of itself given the returns - a lot easier to swallow, when you know that the underlying asset keeps ticking up @ 10% avg annual almost w/o drops...]

Careful what you say about mein leader's company. The leader is goot. Heil mein leader. Orange might sue you for $10B if he doesn't like your comments - just ask 60 Minutes.
But you should still vote for him. His tariffs will fix us all. Fix us goot.

poor baby going to his old playbook. LOL. interesting they filed it in a deep-red district in TX with a very controversial MAGA judge, probably hoping he'll get a favorable verdict or at least drag it out for a while to make CBS squirm.
someone should sue *him* for eleventy bazillion dollar for failing to be a human being and causing the world excessive and unnecessary mental anguish over the past 8 years....

Thanks @stayCalm. We don't get CEF fund flows in our Lipper feed, unfortunately. But we do have AUM going back 10 years or so ... perhaps time to compile that into our own flows database for CEFs and Insurance Funds. Would be monthly. Here's performance summary:

When I changed to T-Mobile a few years ago, I stopped getting 2FA codes by text (not everyone provides phone option). After calling firms, who confirmed send, I called T-Mobile.
T-Mobile said, of course, 2FA txt codes are auto-blocked on new accounts to avoid problems with purchases by kid users.
After unblocking all line, I told them that proper default would be not-blocked, but people can set block by phone or online.
Not sure what T-Mobile does now.

Please!
Fink was speaking to an international group of financiers. He believes both short-end (Fed influenced) and longer term (market determined) rates are trending higher in the years ahead. He sees this as a logical response to rising inflation. Interestingly, Fink cites deglobilization (fewer imports coming into the U.S.) as one, but not the only, factor in the rising inflation at home.
Keep in mind these are broad far-reaching trends he sees and they are global in nature. Neither Fink or anyone else is forecasting what will occur in the next 3, 6, 12 or 18 months. Should we enter a recession, inflation would likely fall temporarily and rates would fall in accordance.
For many older investors bonds provide income and are an important part of their planning. What I may have suggested before is that (from a risk-reward perspective) I don’t much like rate sensitive bonds as a key portfolio component. There are exceptions. If the manager of a multi-asset, multi-strategy or moderate growth fund uses them as part of an overall investment strategy I’m fine with them. However, for individuals looking to hedge equity risk or generate income there are probably less risky alternatives, including cash.

”I'm thinking the fools are the one's looking at valuations, playing it safe etc”
Wasn’t that the case a year ago as well? Remember all the chatter here about cash / T-Bills / CD’s early this year? Many were happy with a guaranteed 5% return, some locking it in for several years out.
I’m not being critical of anyone who opts / has opted in the past year for “safe” investments. Just wondering wth it has to do with the election? Or why you consider it timely. Or are you just baiting people?
Regardless of party in power, (Presidential) election years tend to be pretty decent for investors.

"Does GMO offer any funds that incorporate Grantham’s pessimistic views?"
Don't know if GMO has any such funds.
Several years ago an article stated investments in his foundation* did very well.
Edit/Add:
"Grantham's foundation is about 60% invested in early-stage venture capital.
His plan is to raise that share to 70% 'in a few years' and then place half of that pie in green undertakings.
The foundation has averaged a 19% compounded return over the last 20 years, he added."
Link
* Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment

The $100 incentive for committing to a $50 monthly investment is commendable. As one who transitioned from debtor to saver late in life, it really changes your outlook when you find yourself with an extra $100 “saved” somewhere and your debt paid off or shrinking. The transition can be mind-altering for someone accustomed to living hand-to-mouth. I guess if this helps even 1 individual it’s worthwhile. Looks like you can withdraw the money you have contributed about anytime you want as long as you keep the auto investment going for 2 years. Close it before then and you forfeit the $100 incentive.
The $50 auto-invest program for new investors was more common 25 years ago across the mutual fund universe. I think many firms have killed it as likely too expensive …
Don’t do any business with Janus Henderson but keep an eye on JMBS for no particular reason. Appears to be a decent actively managed fund if you want to take a gambit on mortgage debt. I’m not currently in a frame of mind to ride any rate sensitive products … .

Food for Thought... @msf popcorn for thought
@WABAC highlighted:

Americans believe they need to save an average of $1.8 million for retirement

@ a 4% SWR that $1.8M would provide $72K of income for spending. Seems like a reasonable retirement spending amount.
Looking at this $1.8M nest egg another way, one could assign a 25 year asset value to one's pension, SSI or a combination of the two by adding up the 25 years of payouts.
SSI Only:
Those that will receive SSI, one could assign a "25 yr asset value" to SSI. An average earner will receive $24K while a high earner will receive about $42K for 2024. In today's dollars, one would need $600K to provide a $24K SWR for an average earner and $1.05M to provide a $42K SWR for a high earner.

Average earners will still need ($1.8M-$600K) or $1.2M to bridge their $24K SSI income of $72K
High earners will still need ($1.8M-$1.05M) or $750K to bridge their $42K SSI income of $72K
For most Americans who have little or no savings, SSI optimistically will provide about 30-60% of a retiree's income needs. Retirees will need to make up the difference by spending down savings/assets, working after age 65, and modifying their spending.
Sadly for some, it's a bridge too far.

The second item (incentive program) seems to be primarily changing the name of Janus' incentive program for new investors. That is, for people signing up to contribute at least $50/mo for two years. It is now called "Ready. Invest. Go." Janus has filed this as a trademark.
More interesting (except to new investors) is the rest of the incentive program, which this supplement does not replace. Through the end of this year, if you transfer between $20K and $1M to a Janus account, you'll get a bonus ranging from $100 to $2,500. Further, if this is done in an IRA, you can get up to an additional 10% bonus on next year's contribution (based on the size of the initial transfer/rollover).
https://www.janushenderson.com/bonus