I seem to recall that many years ago, White Oak and Pin Oak were popular and highly touted funds.

For the past two months, I have been following two "Market Neutral" funds, QQMNX and VMNFX, which held up very well and provided some protection during recent market downturns. New managers have been at the helm of both funds since 2021.
As MikeM said: "I have to admit, QQMNX is a tempting alternative in this alternative field for a less bumpy ride and, so far, excellent returns."
..............QQMNX....VMNFX
YTD.........15.6%.......8.9%
3 YRS.......14.4........14.8
5 YRS.......10.3..........8.2
2022..........9.5.........13.5
Std. Dev....8.6%.......7.3%
As a retired investor who doesn't need a lot more money, preserving capital is more important to me than seeking sizeable returns on capital. While both funds have excellent risk/reward profiles, I have decided to add QQMNX to my portfolio at this time of fairly high equity valuations.

A couple other market neutral funds you can consider: BDMAX and JMNAX. BDMAX has outperformed QQMNX over the last 1 and 2 year trailing periods, and has a higher Sharpe ratio and lower standard deviation over the last 3 years according to Morningstar data. JMNAX has had lower returns, but has a smooth ride. I use a combination of BDMAX and JMNAX, but I might consider adding QQMNX. Thanks for bringing it up.

I drive cars till they quit. We have had great luck with Prius V. Almost 200,000 miles ten years old
Not as fun to drive s others but best deal I ever made in a car

The 'loveliest smile' phrase appears in a poem by WC's brother John H Bryant:
https://www.comfortspringstation.com/2021/09/29/autumn-years-loveliest-smile-printable/

If your sample size is 3 years, fine. Over 10 years BGHIX outperformed QQMNX with a CAGR of 8.18 vs 7.24 and a sharpe ratio of .84 vs .61 and max drawdown of 13.29 vs. 18.27 (it's this last number that's most concerning). All that being said, I've decided to take a chance on this one.

The reason I picked 3 years is because a new management team took over QQMNX in 2021. So far so good. But, "Past results are not a guarantee of future results....".
Good luck.

While the government said it won't interfere by ordering workers back under Taft-Hartley, my guess is that it used that power to pressure both sides to come to a temporary resolution.
1. Management was at +$3/hr increase each year for 6 years, but the union was asking +$5/hr. So, they were probably told to split the difference and settle for +$4/hr wage increases NOW.
2. Both sides will continue to haggle on other aspects until 1/15/24.
A long port strike could be very disruptive for the supply-chains and the economy. Pictures of people already hoarding supplies weren't good. Powell probably took note of these wage increases that were multiple times of his +2% average inflation target.

That's my worry with QQMNFX. Is the risk/reward that much better than a solid bond fund particularly if rates fall as "expected"?
BGHIX would be one example that I've been in since before the managers joined BrandywineGlobal.

Sorry, but a quick glance at BGHIX's Standard Deviation of 7.7% and a 3-year total return of only 4.2% doesn't qualify the fund to be on my personal watch list. If I invest in bond funds, I prefer funds like ICMUX or CBLDX, for example, that have significantly better risk/reward profiles than BGHIX.
By the way, QQMNX, which has a slightly higher SD than BGHIX, 8.6% v. 7.7%, has a 3-year total return of 14.4%, a difference of over 10%. That's "much better" than any solid bond fund I am familiar with.

If your sample size is 3 years, fine. Over 10 years BGHIX outperformed QQMNX with a CAGR of 8.18 vs 7.24 and a sharpe ratio of .84 vs .61 and max drawdown of 13.29 vs. 18.27 (it's this last number that's most concerning). All that being said, I've decided to take a chance on this one.

Inflation isn’t just increasing prices. It’s also increasing wages. The two may not move in perfect harmony. Longer term it tends to even out. But it can appear herky-jerky on either side of the coin. The old adage / warning about the hazards of living on a fixed income during retirement ring true today. Over decades you’d be swamped by price increases without having either a good COLA adjustment or alternative sources of income (ie investments). Likely, the one area seniors probably need most as they age - health care - has increased more than the rate of inflation in recent years.
I’m wondering if the short strike affected the cost of imports and hurt foreign based companies that import to the U.S. - if only briefly. And unconfirmed media reports suggest shoppers had begun to hoard necessities again with some Costcos running out of paper towels and toilet tissue. Amazing how everything is interconnected.

Located another fund that invests in Nordic HY going back a few years - they are located in Finland. Nice returns....

News is about suspension of strike until 1/15/25, the date to which the current contract is being extended with agreement on wages only. The rest of the issues will have to be negotiated by 1/15/2025.
Wage increases will be as follows:
Current base wage $39/hr
Increase of +$4/hr for each of the nexr 6 years.
So, wages will go like $39/hr, $43/hr, $47/hr, $51/hr, $55/hr, $59/hr, $63/hr (6th year).
Rational cited is that shipping companies made lot of money when rates skyrocketed during & after pandemic and due to other geopolitical factors.
So, those shipping rates aren't ever going back to what they were in view of this temporary contract extension.
Many ask will prices rollback when inflation is 0% - NO, they will just stay at higher levels.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/03/business/port-strike-union-deal/index.html

Bought a new GMC pickup 20 years ago. Still drive it. $16,000 price tag. I hear they’ve gotten more expensive.
:)

My simple answer is that if QQMNX underperforms at some point, I will just sell it. Just as I would sell any other underperforming fund. There are no guarantees in this business, and I am certainly not a buy-and-hold type of investor.
My problem (which I recognize is a me problem) is I hate taking a loss. Those great slow and steady performers like this appears (though not that slow, granted) can take a very long time to dig out from say an 18% drawdown (the funds max in last 10 years) if you happen to invest at the wrong time (another me problem). That being said, I think I may take a chance on this one.

If Derf is looking at this the same way that I do he just means that if he were twenty years younger he'd be in the market, but as an older person it may not be a good choice at this time.

If I was 20 years younger, we'ld be scraping money together for the mortgage and daycare.

If Derf is looking at this the same way that I do he just means that if he were twenty years younger he'd be in the market, but as an older person it may not be a good choice at this time.

Wade Pfau, David Blanchett and others have recently studied the effects of adding annuities (immediate or deferred) to withdrawal studies. TIAA Institute has also done articles on this. But as the Price/TROW piece mentions, SECURE provided additional push by allowing annuitization option within the corporate 401k TDF framework.
These options have existed for many years within the 403b at government and nonprofit institutions.

Over the years, I have chosen varying ways of taking my RMDs, at differing ways. When I was heavily using a Bond OEF strategy, I chose to take my RMDs on a monthly basis, from the monthly and predictable PIMIX monthly dividends. A few years ago, PIMIX started having some problems in their dividend distribution predictability, so I switched to other dividend paying bond oefs, such as SEMMX, and essentially took RMDs, later in the calendar year from "accumulated" dividends that I had reinvested. Unfortunately, I abandoned these risky nontraditional bond oefs, when they started showing major drops in market corrections. For the past several years, I have been a CD investor in a rising interest rate environment, and I would base my RMD harvesting on specific CDs maturation date during the year, preferably late in the calendar year. Now, I am faced with a falling interest rate environment, and faced with some tough choices on how to reinvest maturing CDs. For now, I am just placing maturing CDs into higher paying money market funds, paying close to 5%--I will likely harvest RMDs from money market funds very late in the calendar year from accumulated interest earnings. I will have to re-examine my options starting in 2025, based on what I choose to invest in going forward. So my short answer to harvesting RMDs, is that I choose to be very flexible, change as I need to, in conjunction with my changing investing choices.

"Back me up 20 years & I'd still buy the market." Not sure I follow. Do you mean you want it to be 2004 to buy into equities / bonds?

Mr. Market at all time highs ! I'll stick with CD's & T-Bills. Back me up 20 years & I'd still buy the market.

"A reminder, just 4 years ago the Middle East was calm and 4 Arabic countries signed a peace agreement, first time since Israel became a country. All you got to do is connect the dots."
Oh yes, I'm quite certain that if Trump were president Hamas would never have thought of attacking Israel. And, of course, all that has followed from that would never have happened. Surely must be sheer incompetence on the part of the present administration.
@FD1000: Evidently you have some sort of problem with reality, as you seem to prefer fake realities.

This thread should be about Iran, it's proxies, Israel, the Middle East, and the US. You have to discuss history because it's all part of the complex.
Was this a new escalation? Yes
Is Israel going to attack? Yes
If Mexico and its proxies will send thousands of missiles on southern CA claiming they want it back? What is the US going to do?
Remember, The Jews lived in Israel thousands of years ago and always were there.
The Hezbollah sent thousands of missiles on Northern Israel for a year. When Israel finally was able to get back some of its forces and attack back, the world is calling for a cease fire? How hypocritical is that?