I can't remember how much both Barron's and WSJ cost, but unless your portfolio is only a few thousand dollars, the money is money well spent and beats paying an adviser 1%
Although of the two Barron's is a far better deal for most of us( $52 a year first year). The Murdoc's have horribly dumbed down the WSJ and it's investing articles are nowhere near as good as they used to be.
I keep reminding myself to look at FT

VF, I'm not trying imply that it is your fault. I know that if you go to the American Funds site, they also say that $250 if the minimum. Maybe somebody at TIAA just copied and pasted what they saw on the AF website on to their own page? Yes it's their fault. On the other hand, you might still be able buy shares, maybe with a higher minimum.

Hi @VintageFreak,
I am sorry to learn of your difficulties in your attempt to purchase F sares. I am going to reference the link to American Funds I recently posted above.
https://www.americanfunds.com/individual/investments/share-class-information/share-class-pricing.html
It reads, in part, "Class F-1, F-2, F-3 & 529 F-1, are designed for invstors who choose to compensate their financial professional based upon the total assets in their portfolio." With this, I'm thinking that to purchase F shares your account has to be part of a qualified fee based program. Is your account at TIAA part of a fee based program?
Again, I admire you trying to find a short cut around the above ... and, if you do "I say "Bless You" and don't tell.
Again, I am sorry to learn of your difficulities; but, not surprised. And, I wish you the very best in your finding a resolution to this matter.
Best regards,
Old_Skeet

Many of AF's retirement dated funds are M* (5*) funds with ER close to (.7).

VF, at Fidelity the minimum is $2500 for the inicial purchase of F1 shares. Maybe you need to investigate what the minimum is at your brokerage?

dude... TIAA clearly says minimum is $250 and additional is $50 for F-1 shares. It has NTF logo displayed prominently as well. Can we just agree TIAA is the culprit here, not me and move on :-D

VF, at Fidelity the minimum is $2500 for the inicial purchase of F1 shares. Maybe you need to investigate what the minimum is at your brokerage?

Now only 7% of Bruce's FAIRX portfolio, but still...it's something. While it lasts.

Try Schwab.

Thanks, David, for doing the fact-digging. M* reports fund assets at 3.5B, so those are some conviction buys.

@David_Snowball

It's a relatively concentrated fund with just 38 stocks; that's high commitment for a small cap product. A number of their holdings had a decent day (1-2%) but their second largest holding (Blackbaud) rose 13.5% and their fifth largest (Tyler Technologies) rose 10%. No idea of why but I'm guessing that accounts for most of the jump.

Also interesting is that AGOZX, now managed by Amy Zhang, a past member of the BC team for 12 years, gained 3.07%, have these two companies in its own portfolio and 7 holdings among its top ten with that of BC as of EOY.

(From David's opening remarks): So why the rally? Mostly, I suspect, because people have become unhinged by the circus in D.C. Peggy Noonan, Reagan’s best speech-writer and doyen of the country-club Republicans, frets “we are living through big history and no one here knows where it’s going or how this period ends… Mr. Trump has overloaded all circuits. Everything is too charged, nothing feels stable. ‘Nothing is stable,’ [a prominent friend] replied” (“In Trump’s Washington, Nothing Feels Stable,” WSJ, 2/4-5/17). In such moments of great uncertainty, crowds surge. (I think about the news reports of people crushed to death against the doors of a burning theater as the crowd behind them rushes without thought or perception.)
---
Yep - A potential Supreme Court test case of Presidential Powers arising within the first month in office? Has to be some kind of record. All I would wish for would be to be around in 100 years to read the history books on this period.

Hi, Ben.
It's a relatively concentrated fund with just 38 stocks; that's high commitment for a small cap product. A number of their holdings had a decent day (1-2%) but their second largest holding (Blackbaud) rose 13.5% and their fifth largest (Tyler Technologies) rose 10%. No idea of why but I'm guessing that accounts for most of the jump.
David

FYI: Some alternatives, traditional equity, and fixed-income ideas from our Morningstar Prospects list.
Regards,
Ted
http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=791893

Just FYI, I entered order for BALFX for $250 at TIAA. Why? Because it clearly says for F1 shares, fund is NTF and minimum investment is $250.
Then they reject my order. Jokers! I'm already regretting opening account with them.

Don't know what they're smoking over there. But Price has muffed quite a few calls lately. Most glaring is a statement from the (now year-old) Annual Report for New Era (PRNEX). Anyone who's watched commodities over the past year must seriously doubt the report's claim that we were in the initial years of a commodities bear market. (It got the low in oil correct, stating it would go below $30. Doubt they had a clue it would than double to over $50 by the end of 2016.)
"As we have written in previous shareholder letters, we believe that we are in the initial years of a secular down cycle in commodities." (Annual Report T. Rowe Price New Era Fund December 31, 2015)
That's not to say they don't have the bond call correct. I simply don't know. I've been looking over their end of 2016 report for their target date funds and find myself in disagreement on several calls - especially their preference for domestic over international equities.

Thanks; same thing w DSENX; took 2+ mos for it to pass SP500. Hope it is available at Fido soon, ntf.

FYI: After dropping below a third in the last two weeks, bullish sentiment on the part of individual investors saw a modest rebound this week, rising from 32.8% up to 35.8%, which is still an extraordinarily low level given where the market is. This week’s level also marks the 110th straight week where bulls have not been in the majority.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.bespokepremium.com/think-big-blog/individual-investors-slightly-less-depressed/

@WallStreetRanter, Thanks.
While 3 D&C funds gained assets, that doesn't nearly equal the outflows from 3 others.
The increase in DODIX is however interesting. A lot is probably hot money chasing an outperforming fund. (Although the 2015 rankings suggest otherwise).
A small bit of that is money that I've gradually shifted in from DODBX over the past year.

@Old_Skeet I think Edward Jones plan for addressing asset bloat with it's Bridge Builder Funds is just to add subadvisors....For the small/mid value they currently have Vaughan Nelson, Robecco, Blackrock, LSV...among others. Their funds are really just funds of funds...without the extra layer of costs.
@hank in regards to where D&C investors....here is where they were going...and those fleeing due to short sighted view of 2015 performance clearly made a mistake.