David,,,,I am only guessing but Detroit might have paid above market just to get anyone who would answer that phone call at 0700. I was hired after my sophomore year and that was only two years after the riots of 67. I earned that 37.50 !

Coincidently, I just ran a portfolio backtest for several quality funds.
GQETX, SPHQ, JQUA, and QUAL were included in the backtest.
VFIAX was added as a benchmark.
Note: GQETX has a $1M minimum initial investment.
QLTY has the same portfolio managers who implement a similar strategy
but foreign equities are excluded (GQETX: 24.6% foreign as of 5-31-2025).
https://testfol.io/?s=4lRBE0FPqc1

I agree with you and I've been tracking their progress along with the addition of CGDV and QLTY into the mix. Why? I felt the addition of one or the other would add to my overall portfolio balance but I couldn't choose which one. I started positions in all 3 and here is the total return to date using the TCAF starting date.
CGDV 47.37%
TCAF 39.24%
SPY 39.97%
Since QLTY did not begin trading until 11/30/23 (QLTY inception) here are those total return figures.
CGDV 42.02
QLTY 33.27
TCAF 32.84
SPY 35.94
I agree that a longer time period is needed for fair judgment.

I have not yet found a compelling reason to switch to it (much less any of the others) from JQUA, which has not been mentioned here for some reason, at least on a skim, but the last year or so of outperformance might make me reconsider.

Anybody TACO trading today?
I hear the 500 set a record the other day. It's 45th on my watch list YTD. The NASDAQ set a record too. QQQ is 16th on my list YTD, right behind VEIRX.
Of the 12 LCG funds on my list, only MLAIX places higher than QQQ at #6. Coming in at #35 is PJFZX.

hundreds of predictions about inflation, stagflation, recession, and depression...and the SP500 is at a new high today...I'm so "sorry".

I have written, every few months as necessary including within family since Bank of America has limits on electronic transfers, ancient Fidelity checks going back 15 or 20 years, dried and curled-up edges, without any problem whatsoever

@hank The below is a different '25 of the best'.........
Several online articles and lists discuss some of the most notable journalism and literature pieces that have appeared in Playboy Magazine. While it's difficult to definitively compile a list of the "25 best," here are some frequently mentioned and highly regarded examples:
Interviews
Miles Davis Interview by Alex Haley (1962): A gripping and emotional interview with the jazz icon, which was considered revolutionary at the time for its candid discussion of racial equality and marked the beginning of the renowned "Playboy Interview" format.
Martin Luther King Jr. Interview by Alex Haley (1965): The Nobel Peace Prize winner sat down for his longest press interview with Alex Haley, discussing racism and the Civil Rights movement, according to The Hundreds.
Muhammad Ali Interview (1964): Features a defiant Ali discussing his adopted Muslim faith, racism, and himself, shortly after becoming Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Jimmy Carter Interview by Robert Scheer (1976): During his presidential campaign, Carter admitted to having "committed adultery in [his] heart many times," sparking controversy amidst the growing "born again Christian" movement.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono Interview (1980): A wide-ranging conversation with the musical icons.
Bette Davis Interview (1982): A candid discussion where Davis expresses her pro-choice politics.
Robin Williams Interview (1992): An interview that captured the comedian's unique blend of humor and insights.
Maya Angelou Interview (1999): A conversation with the renowned author and poet.
The Cast of Saturday Night Live (1977): An interview with the cast of the groundbreaking show.
Fiction and literature
Playboy has published works by renowned authors. Some notable examples include serialization of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" (1954), a prequel to "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac titled "Before the Road" (1959), Roald Dahl's "The Visitor" (1965), Gabriel García Márquez's "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" (1968), Joyce Carol Oates's "Saul Bird Says: Relate! Communicate! Liberate!" (1971), Haruki Murakami's "The Second Bakery Attack" (1992), and Margaret Atwood's "The Bog Man" (1991).
Journalism
Playboy also features significant journalistic pieces. Examples include Hunter S. Thompson's "The Great Shark Hunt" (1974), a piece of gonzo journalism, Norman Mailer's coverage of the "Rumble in the Jungle" in "The Fight" (1974), Gore Vidal's essay "Sex Is Politics" (1979), Eric Konigsberg's "Death of a Deceiver" (1995), a report that inspired the film "Boys Don't Cry", and Mark Boal's "The Man in the Bomb Suit" (2005), an embedded report that inspired "The Hurt Locker".
These examples highlight Playboy's varied content and its influence on culture through interviews, fiction, and journalism by notable figures.
Hugh Hefner's Playboy did a lot of great journalism.

Thursday evening.
Are we witnessing a mental failure ??? (More than normal).
CNN ARTICLE

The checks arrived today, 2 weeks after purportedly being shipped. Thanks all for the wise advice and support. I haven’t opened the parcel yet but there appear to be enough checks in it to last 25 years or longer.

A very large thread topic drift has taken place …

True. And there’s been a lot of “drift” since @equalizer first initiated this thread in January 2020. It was before Joe Biden was elected President. It would be another month or so before “Covid” became a household word. You could refinance a mortgage for around 3%. Money market funds yielded around 1%. Beer was cheaper.
There is some semblance however. The OP dealt with attempting to rank the best 25 mutual funds. I won’t get into a rant on that, but I agree with @equalizer’s general sentiment as he expressed it then. Playboy as I recall also featured every month ”25 of the best”. Perhaps risqué for the day. Passé by today’s standards.
“Greed and Grit on Wall Street”? I don’t think that’s changed much since Lou highlighted it in ‘87.

Might be too late on MP. Up 50% today.

Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji was a guest on The Long View podcast
recorded at the recent Morningstar Investment Conference.
This podcast was published on July 8.
https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view/1bdada96-5893-45e1-969f-6ba3440902b3

Vanguard ranked last out of eight major brokerages for customer satisfaction with website performance and mobile apps in a recent survey of 2,700 investors conducted by Investor’s Business Daily:

Case in point, I had a frustrating website experience at Vanguard yesterday.
I am managing a friend's portfolio and wanted to sell "all shares" of an OEF on line. Got a nonsensical error message that the transaction could not be completed because the fund had insufficient shares. Requested I call an agent. Was on hold for 45 minutes until I finally got an agent on the phone. However, he got the same error message and spent the next 15 minutes in the "back office" trying to complete my transaction request. Seemed to be as frustrated as I was.
Thankfully, he finally was successful, but I wasted a good hour on the phone. It was also a good reminder why I prefer not to have an account at Vanguard. Low cost or not.

The Defense Department is stepping in to support MP Materials, and will become their largest shareholder. Details at the dinky linky, you might have to turn off your ad blocker to read the story.

AAII Sentiment Survey, 7/9/25
BULLISH remained the top sentiment (41.4%, above average) & neutral remained the bottom sentiment (23.0%, low*); bearish remained the middle sentiment (35.6%, above average); Bull-Bear Spread was +5.8% (below average). Investor concerns: Tariffs, budget, jobs, inflation, recession, Fed, debt, dollar, geopolitical, Russia-Ukraine (176+ weeks), Israel-Hamas (67+15 weeks). For the Survey week (Th-Wed), stocks up, bonds down, oil up, gold down, dollar up. NYSE %Above 50-dMA 77.24% (overbought). US letters to several countries set tariffs 20-50% effective 8/1/25. Sectoral tariffs will be separate. #AAII #Sentiment #Markets
Sentiments are CONTRARIAN indicators.
https://ybbpersonalfinance.proboards.com/post/2085/thread

A poster on another forum discovered additional information
via their Profile and account settings on Vanguard's website.
For the full text, navigation on Vanguard personal website is:
Profile (at the very top) > Profile and account settings > Accounts and trading >
Cost basis method > Looking to use SpecID as your preferred method? > Show more.
This expands the box to reveal "Although SpecID will continue to be offered as a cost basis option
when placing market orders, effective August 1, 2025, it will no longer be available
as a preferred cost basis method option." Then click "Learn more here" which displays the following:
Frequently asked questions
Why is Vanguard making this change?
SpecID requires you to manually identify specific lots for each sale or transfer, which makes it incompatible with automation. In some cases, such as automatic distributions, IRS rules may default your trade to FIFO if SpecID instructions aren't provided by the settlement date, which could potentially result in unfavorable tax consequences.
By switching to an automated method, you'll still have the flexibility to use SpecID at the time of a transaction, while also benefiting from having additional automated options beyond FIFO.
What are my other options?
For details about the cost basis methods Vanguard offers, go to Cost basis methods available at Vanguard.
Can I still select SpecID when placing an order?
Yes. You'll still be able to select SpecID as a method when placing individual market orders or requesting a transfer, such as gift or a change of ownership. For example, if your preferred cost basis method is MinTax, you can still select SpecID at the time of the transaction. SpecID is no longer available for limit orders, stop orders, and stop-limit orders.
How can I change my cost basis method for a particular order?
To switch your preferred method to SpecID or another method for an order, locate the investment and select Sell. Under Cost basis, select Edit and choose from the options that display.
Why is SpecID still available for market orders?
Market orders are executed immediately at the current market price, making it easier to match the specified shares with the sale. This immediacy aligns well with the SpecID method, ensuring that the chosen shares are accurately sold.
What action should I take now?
If you've selected SpecID as your preferred cost basis method for any investments, we ask that you switch them to another method before August 1, 2025.
What if I don't take any action?
Any investments still set to SpecID as a preferred cost basis method on August 1, 2025, will be transitioned to the first in, first out (FIFO) method. Open orders won't be affected.

for me its about liking the type of stocks that pay a dividend vs investing in them BECAUSE of the dividend. the dividend is just the natural outcome of investing in older stable companies. reinvest them if you don't want them.
it was also a much larger deal 50 years ago when IRA's, 401k's weren't the primary investment vehicle. today having heavy dividends doesn't matter because you aren't paying taxes each year on that income whether you reinvest or not. I like dividend payers as a portion of my investing (largely index funds for large cap) because of what they do. not because of the dividend. Luckily most of that happens in my 401k/IRA. I'd rather make my own income decisions.

"if it gets folks on the road to saving and investing, that's a good thing"
Absolutely. In our case it was an advisor who made his living peddling American Funds, which at the time had a hefty front load. However, his knowledge and advice went well beyond just American Funds ….

Same here. One day during my 2nd year on the job I was chatting with one of the older guys - about nothing really - when it dawned on me to ask him if there was anything else I should be doing for long term financial planning beyond mandatory contributions to the pension system. He said “yes” and gave me the name of a fella who sold Templeton funds at a “discounted” 4.17% load. Knowing nothing about investing I called the guy and he got me started contributing. Not a lot really. But that was more than 55 years ago. Einstein is said to have called compounding “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Dick Strong (of ill repute) also had a positive influence on me (in the mid 90s) Strong talked a good game. Based in neighboring Wisconsin I felt some familiarity. First heard the expression “Pay yourself first” from Strong. I think it might have been a company motto. Your first task every payday should be to invest something for your future. Unfortunately, Strong took it a bit too far and was found to have had his fingers in the cookie jar. :)

Here is 'trick' to see composition (holdings) in full:
Equity Fixed income Short-term reserve Portfolio composition file
There is header above the 3 listed holdings in the link you provided.
Click on [Portfolio composition file]
You will then see the following, in blue, at bottom of your screen:
View the PCF for this Vanguard ETF
Click on it, accept the conditions, and you have access to 1,375 page listing of holdings, broken down into ten holding per page.
Pretty simple, huh? Couldn't be friendlier!
This could make Schwab blue, and Fidelity green with envy!

Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji attended Morningstar's recent investor conference
where he reportedly stated: "Vanguard’s technology spending is paying off."
The following info is from Jeff DeMaso's IVA Weekly Brief for Wednesday, July 9.
"Ramji pointed to quicker updates to the 'front-end experience' (the side of Vanguard’s site you and I use)
as proof of progress. But two weeks after I first wrote about it, I still don’t have a 'Compose' or 'Send Message' button in my Message Center on vanguard.com."
"Earlier this month, two IVA readers contacted me after their routine ACH transactions failed.
One had an automatic monthly transfer that’s been humming along for more than a decade
and suddenly stopped. The other had a trade reversed because Vanguard was unable
to withdraw the money from their external savings account."
"Then there’s the simple (yet fundamental) task of showing the correct fund holdings.
Take Total International Stock ETF (VXUS), which owns more than 8,500 stocks.
On Vanguard’s Investor site, the holdings list shows… just three companies:
SCB X PCL, Saregama India, and AEM Holdings. (If you haven’t heard of them, you’re not alone.)"
The following link can be used to view the portfolio composition for VXUS.
https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vxus#portfolio-composition