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Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
  • Schwab Transaction Fee Mutual Funds
    Yes, Vanguard and D&C mutual fund TFs have been $74.95 for a while.
    TFs for other firms' mutual funds were listed as being $49.95.
    This no longer seems to be the case.
    I checked the Fund Facts & Fees section for several "other" funds and it stated:
    Schwab Transaction Fee Up to $74.95.
    Not sure if TFs increased or if the verbiage just changed.
  • Schwab Transaction Fee Mutual Funds
    I didn't find any recent Schwab announcements regarding TF increases
    Nov 1, 2021:
    The cost of buying any no-load fund that’s not on Schwab’s NTF list is $49.95.
    At least that was the case until today. The $49.95 purchase-only transaction fee remains in place for most non-NTF funds. But retail investors who buy Vanguard, Dodge & Cox, or investor-class Fidelity funds via Schwab will pay more: $74.95.
    https://soundmindinvesting.com/articles/schwab-increases-transaction-fees-for-vanguard-and-fidelity-funds
  • Schwab Transaction Fee Mutual Funds
    Someone posted on another forum: "Some of my favorite funds at Schwab now have Transaction Fees
    of $74.95, up from $49.95."

    I spot-checked several TF funds at Schwab.
    The Fund Facts & Fees section states: Schwab Transaction Fee Up to $74.95.
    The specified dollar amount was previously $49.95 for these particular funds.
    I didn't find any recent Schwab announcements regarding TF increases but didn't conduct an exhaustive search.
  • Didn’t see today’s UP market coming!
    @Larry - Didn’t someone from the administration call earlier today and tip you off about the pending ceasefire agreement?
  • For AI, blackmail and murder are "misaligned" behavior
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/leading-ai-models-show-96-115311248.html

    “Models didn’t stumble into misaligned behavior accidentally; they calculated it as the optimal path,” they wrote.
    As far as I know, all of the well-known AI LLM's were tested. I should add that the AI's were threatened with being taken offline, or otherwise thwarted.
  • prwcx expands # 'co-managers'
    In the prospectus, pull up the 5/20/25 Supplement (from dropdown in upper right)
    https://prospectus-express.broadridge.com/summary.asp?doctype=pros&clientid=trowepll&fundid=77954M105
    In the Summary Prospectus and Section 1 of the Prospectus, the portfolio manager table under “Management” is supplemented as follows:
    Effective June 30, 2025, Vivek Rajeswaran, Mike Signore, and Brian Solomon will become co-portfolio managers of the fund. David R. Giroux will remain as the fund’s portfolio manager and sole chair of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee. Mr. Rajeswaran joined T. Rowe Price in 2012, Mr. Signore originally joined T. Rowe Price in 2015 and returned in 2020, and Mr. Solomon joined T. Rowe Price in 2015.
    This isn't included in the manager information because it hasn't happened yet.
    The real shock is that Shadow seems to have missed this (gasp!). That's about as unlikely as oil prices dropping after the US bombs Iran. Or to borrow from Ghostbusters, the next thing we'll have are dogs and cats living together.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    My parents have a slug of american funds in a capital group 403b. if I take their 25 years of investing in it and compare that to a risk adjust index portfolio its basically cost them about 100bps a year. some of that is because they are in R2 shares which are i think the most expensive share class. (they don't pay much in 403b fees so I assume thats the reason) When I ran it with F1 it was much closer.
  • Deutsche: junk bond outlook. Pub in Times of London
    The Junk Bond Reckoning is Coming in 2023 by Jonathan Levin, 12/27/22 (link)
    PHIYX made 12.75% in 2023.
    =================
    PHIYX made 3.2% in 2025.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    Since the 80s, about 40 years, wars didn't influence the markets short-mid term, why would it happen now?
    The period of 2000-10 SPY lost close to 10% in 10 years, nothing to do with war.
    Several institutions suggest the next 10 year about 5-6% for stocks and 4-5% for bonds, that's great for my style of mostly unique bond funds. I will take 6% for the next 10 years.
    As I said before, no need to complicate things, just invest based on your age, goals, and style.
    The war started on June 13th, 10 days ago.
    SPY is up over 1%
    The iShares MSCI Israel ETF (EIS) is up 9.5%. Did anyone predict that?
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    Boeing makes the MOP. They appear to specialize in things that fall from the sky and result in destruction.

    :-)
    If one is looking for investment opportunity here, perhaps Northrup Grumman (B-2 manufacturer) is the better long term investment.
    The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a [service] contract worth up to $7 billion ... set to run through 2029.
    ...
    The Air Force is notionally planning to retire the dual-capable B-2 in the early 2030s — replacing it with the B-21 Raider, also a Northrop Grumman product ... Officials expect to buy at least 100 B-21s, which will replace both the B-2 and Boeing B-1 Lancer. The Air Force will then drop to a two-bomber fleet, [... the B-21s] and Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress
    I have been considering buying NOC for a long while. I have several friends that work there, actually. M* thinks they are well below FMV ($620). Currently up 7% YTD.
    I do own RTX, as a spinoff of UTX. It has served me well and is up around 27% YTD. And a 5-yr return of ~20% annually.
  • T Rowe Price New Horizon management change
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/80248/000199937125007852/nhf-497_061725.htm
    497 1 nhf-497_061725.htm DEFINTIVE MATERIALS
    T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund
    Supplement to Prospectus and Summary Prospectus dated March 1, 2025
    In the Summary Prospectus and Section 1 of the Prospectus, the portfolio manager table under “Management” is supplemented as follows:
    Effective July 21, 2025, Shaun Michael Currie will join Joshua K. Spencer as the fund’s co-portfolio manager and cochair of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee. Effective September 30, 2025, Mr. Spencer will step down from his role on the fund and, effective October 1, 2025, Mr. Currie will become the fund’s sole portfolio manager and sole chair of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee. Mr. Currie joined T. Rowe Price in 2016.
    In Section 2 of the Prospectus, the disclosure under “Portfolio Management” is supplemented as follows:
    Effective July 21, 2025, Shaun Michael Currie will join Joshua K. Spencer as the fund’s co-portfolio manager and cochair of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee. Effective September 30, 2025, Mr. Spencer will step down from his role on the fund and, effective October 1, 2025, Mr. Currie will become the fund’s sole portfolio manager and sole chair of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee. Mr. Currie joined the Firm in 2016, and his investment experience dates from 2010. During the past five years, he has served as an equity research analyst and, beginning in 2023, as a portfolio manager and associate portfolio manager.
    The date of this supplement is June 17, 2025.
    F42-041 6/17/25
  • Zero coupon CDs
    @msf It's hard to believe there would be that much difference between Sunday night & Monday morning!! Last night VG showed 3 or 4 bank cd's. Seems I forgot to mention what I was looking at: 18 month non callable. That has remained.
    Rechecked Schwab 18 month cds, list of4 or 5 banks cds now. I see NO zero coupon listed.
    @Old_Joe Did you happen to check rates at Schwab last night. The page I was looking at had 20 or more cds listed.
    Would bombing by US caused this list to vanish, be pulled.
    I don't have an answers.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    Boeing makes the MOP. They appear to specialize in things that fall from the sky and result in destruction.
    :-)
    If one is looking for investment opportunity here, perhaps Northrup Grumman (B-2 manufacturer) is the better long term investment.
    The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a [service] contract worth up to $7 billion ... set to run through 2029.
    ...
    The Air Force is notionally planning to retire the dual-capable B-2 in the early 2030s — replacing it with the B-21 Raider, also a Northrop Grumman product ... Officials expect to buy at least 100 B-21s, which will replace both the B-2 and Boeing B-1 Lancer. The Air Force will then drop to a two-bomber fleet, [... the B-21s] and Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress
    https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/northrop-wins-7-billion-air-force-contract-for-more-b-2-sustainment-upgrades/
  • prwcx expands # 'co-managers'
    giroux not using same team.. i view prcfx equity sleeve as derived from prwcx, and hope former can take advantage of smaller base.
    or maybe just title\pay promotion.
    m* :
    3 new comanagers added ,Vivek Rajeswaran, Brian Solomon, and Mike Signore , and TCAF at [30 june 2025]. ... have been associate portfolio managers since 2023, each has a longer tenure as an analyst contributing to strategy.
  • Zero coupon CDs
    I'm looking at CDs available at Schwab (login required)
    https://client.schwab.com/Areas/Trade/FixedIncomeSearch/FISearch.aspx/CDs
    I set no restrictions on the search (i.e. secondary market included), except for "best offer only" and maturities from 0 months to 30+ years. I then sorted on coupon (smallest first). There were no CDs with 0.00% coupons. The smallest coupon shown was 0.25%.
    When restricting to new issues, all of the CDs offered by Schwab are priced at 100 (par) and pay coupons a bit north of 4%. Many of the short term (12 months or less) CDs are shown by Schwab to pay their coupon "at maturity". As I explained above, you can call those zeros if you wish.
    To see the same thing at Vanguard, go to its fixed income search page (no login required) and click on the CD tab.
    https://fixed-income-trading.web.vanguard.com/
    Go to "advanced search" and for "payment frequency" select "interest at maturity". You may as well select the "new issue" checkbox as well.
    Vanguard reports 39 bank CDs that pay interest at maturity.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    Are you using MFO premium to screen for the =< 20% for the Mag 7?
    Just brute force, I'm afraid. Sorted funds by 3 year returns and looked at their portfolios. Time consuming, but it had the benefit of getting me to glance at many funds I'd never heard of. (I've found that playing with numbers though tedious usually offers some enlightenment.)
    Also, some of the funds hold over 20% in Mag 7 but under 20% in their top 10 holdings.
    For example, M* reports that AICFX had 18.8% of assets in Mag 7 in its top 10 holdings (Microsoft 6.4%, Meta 4.5%, Amazon 3.6%, Nvidia 2.3%, Alphabet C 2.1%). Apple (1.89%) and Alphabet A (1.83%) are among its next ten holdings.
    While I'm not much of a fan of American Funds since they became so large and FD came around, I do appreciate their management style and the ability to hover around their indexes while reducing risk in many instances (usually by including 8-15% international stocks)
    I used to think of American Funds as Vanguard plus a load, i.e. relatively cheap, well managed, nothing extreme. Perhaps due to growth, American Funds offerings have become more homogenous as you've observed, though now more accessible (e.g. F1 shares). Vanguard has gone in other directions, with various less-than-successful launches such as alternative investments (VASFX closed April 19, 2023) and managed payout funds (three different offerings merged into one in 2014 and payouts terminated in 2020).
    The R-1 class his no 12-b-1 fee.
    R-5 or higher?
    image
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    The iron dome has its limits. Waves of drones cannot be all shot down simultaneously. Three potential targets:
    1. Israel.
    2. Strait of Hormuz. It’s only 6 miles wide, and thus susceptible to attack. Tsp tankers made U-turn a way form this area. Oil prices rose to $75 barrel.
    3. US bases in Middle East.
    add:
    4. random American and Israeli targets worldwide. Asymmetrical warfare. Congress does indeed need to reassert its own control over the War Powers Act. But of course the Repugnant Majority at the moment is content to go along for the ride. Free Pass for the Orange Abomination. Maintaining control and power trumps the Constitution.