I hate to say this, but the author of this article should be ashamed. Look at the long-term history of this fund including before the 2009 recovery began compared to Berkshire or the S&P 500 and there's no comparison. You can do this by either clicking the "Maximum" link or entering an earlier start date on this chart which goes back to September, 1999 if you adjust it, then add the S&P 500 Benchmark and Berkshire:
quotes.morningstar.com/chart/fund/chart?t=TEFQX&region=usa&culture=en-US
To compare a pure tech fund to Berkshire or the broad market is absurd to begin with but especially misleading if you don't include the fund's previous history before 2009 as we've been in a super bull market for tech ever since. Since 1999, this fund even lags the average tech fund, which is an apter comparison.

FYI: 6 investing lessons you can learn from tech investor Kevin Landis.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/forget-warren-buffett-this-fund-manager-has-walloped-the-stock-market-over-the-past-decade-2019-05-23/print
M* Snapshot TEFQX:
https://www.morningstar.com/funds/XNAS/TEFQX/quote.html
Lipper Snapshot TEFQX:
https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/fund/tefqx
TEFQX Is Ranked #9 In The (T) Sector By U.S. News & World Report:
https://money.usnews.com/funds/mutual-funds/technology/firsthand-technology-opportunities-fund/tefqx

https://money.usnews.com/investing/buy-and-hold-strategy/slideshows/7-best-vanguard-funds-to-buy-and-hold
...
7 Best Vanguard Funds to Buy and Hold
...
Picking low-fee index funds.
... Here are seven of the best Vanguard index funds to buy and hold.

With all the text references to index funds, you might think that the headline writer was simply sloppy.
But this is the list of seven funds from the article (all on one page, here):

• Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund (VTWAX)
  
• Vanguard Growth Index Fund (VIGAX)
  
• Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund (VIMAX)
  
• Vanguard Total Bond Index Admiral (VBTLX)
  
• Vanguard Emerging Markets Bond Fund Investor Shares (VEMBX)
  
• Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR)
  
• Vanguard GNMA Fund (VFIIX)

Aside from being a crazy quilt of share classes (with some listed funds shown without their share class identified), VEMBX and VFIIX are actively managed.
She writes: "As would be expected, VIGAX tops the list of Vanguard's best performing mutual funds – excluding two that are closed to new investors." Ignoring the fact that past performance is no guarantee of future returns, and the question of why a fund that has had a long hot run would be a good prospect to buy and hold going forward, there's the simple matter of numbers.
Looking at Vanguard's mutual fund page (click on 10 year returns to sort on column), one sees the following funds with better 10 year returns:
VCDAX (VCR), VITAX (VGT), VGSIX (VNQ), VSGAX (VBK), VHCOX (open to Flagship customers), VINAX (VIS), VFTAX, VEXPX, VPMCX (open to Flagship customers), VSEQX, VSMAX, VHCIX (VHT), VTMSX, VWUAX
If she's so enamored by growth (from her writing about VIGAX), then why go for tic-tac-toe along the diagonal: LCG, MC blend, SCV? Why not go all growth?
I had thought a little better of US News. With this article it looks like they may be going the route of churning out column inches with click bait headlines.

https://money.usnews.com/investing/buy-and-hold-strategy/slideshows/7-best-vanguard-funds-to-buy-and-hold
Couple of funds mentioned
Vti
Vt
Vanguard Growth Index Fund (VIGAX)
Vanguard mid cap fund
Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund (VIMAX)
Vanguard total bond funds
VMBEX
Anyone has vmbex? in portfolio
7 Best Vanguard Funds to Buy and Hold
Investors seeking a one-stop investment broker will find a choice of low-fee funds ideal for a balanced and diversified portfolio.
By Barbara Friedberg, Contributor May 29, 2019
U.S. News & World Report
More
Young businessman multitasking using laptop
Credit
Picking low-fee index funds.
Index fund investing is the practice of buying low-fee funds that own the same investments as those in popular unmanaged market indices such as the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average. Innovator Vanguard offers no-load, low-fee mutual and exchange-traded funds for investors along with actively managed funds. Known as a champion of the small investor, Vanguard launched the first index mutual fund in 1976; this fund is now known as the Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund (ticker: VFINX). With an asset allocation in mind, an investor can begin crafting a suitable investment portfolio. Here are seven of the best Vanguard index funds to buy and hold.
Next:Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund (
Office buildings, car park, transport hub.
Credit
Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund (VTWAX)
This comprehensive Vanguard index fund offers shareholders exposure to the world investment markets spanning the U.S., developed and emerging foreign markets for a low fee. David Dietze, founder and president of Point View Management in Summit, New Jersey, recommends VTWAX due to the fund's broad diversification and low cost. The expense ratio is 0.1% of assets under management and requires a $3,000 minimum investment. For investors who prefer ETFs, this fund is also available as Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) with a 0.09% fee. VTWAX's 10-year and five-year average returns are 12.27% and 6.65%, respectively. For investors seeking to complete their stock market allocation with one fund, this global offering is difficult to beat.
Next:
1 of 10
Barbara Friedberg, Contributor
BrandFuse

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/926678/000089418919003288/brandes05292019497e.htm
497 1 brandes05292019497e.htm BRANDES NEXTSHARES VALUE FUND 497E
BRANDES VALUE NEXTSHARES
(The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC - BVNSC)
__________________________________________________________
Supplement dated May 29, 2019 to
Prospectus dated January 31, 2019
______________________________________________________________________
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P., the Advisor to the Brandes Value NextShares (the “NextShares Fund”), has recommended, and the Board of Trustees of Brandes Investment Trust has approved, the liquidation and termination of the NextShares Fund. The Advisor’s recommendation was primarily based on the fact that the Advisor does not anticipate that the NextShares Fund will experience meaningful growth in the foreseeable future. The liquidation is expected to occur on June 28, 2019. As a result, the Advisor and the Board believe that the Liquidation of the Fund is in the best interests of shareholders.
Effective June 3, 2019, the NextShares Fund will no longer accept orders for new creation units. Shares of the NextShares Fund are listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC. Trading in shares of the NextShares Fund will be halted prior to market open on June 21, 2019. In addition, effective immediately, the Advisor will begin an orderly transition of the NextShares Fund’s portfolio securities to cash and cash equivalents and the NextShares Fund will cease investing in assets in accordance with its stated investment objective and policies. Prior to June 21, 2019, shareholders may only be able to sell their shares to certain broker-dealers, and there is no assurance that there will be a market for the NextShares Fund’s shares during that time period. Customary brokerage charges may apply to such transactions.
On or about June 28, 2019, the NextShares Fund will liquidate its assets and distribute cash pro rata to all remaining shareholders. These distributions are taxable events. Shareholders should contact their tax adviser to discuss the income tax consequences of the liquidation. In addition, these payments to shareholders will include accrued capital gains and dividends, if any. As calculated on June 28, 2019, the NextShares Fund’s net asset value will reflect the costs of closing the Fund. Once the distributions are complete, the NextShares Fund will terminate.
Please contact the Fund at (800) 395-3807 if you have questions.
Please retain this Supplement with the Prospectus.

@MFO Members: From Royce Website
Regards,
Ted
https://www.roycefunds.com/news/2019/2Q19/shareholders-approve-royce-fund-reorganizations

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/709364/000094937719000144/trf-497.htm
Royce Small-Cap Leaders Fund
Royce Small/Mid-Cap Premier Fund
Royce Micro-Cap Opportunity Fund

FYI: Heading into 2019, one of the biggest fears among investors was the idea of an “earnings recession,” a situation where corporate profits decline for two quarters or more in a row. A few months later, those concerns are starting to fade.
The latest figures from FactSet suggest that first quarter earnings for S&P 500 firms will be down 0.5% from a year ago, much less than the 3.9% decline analysts were expecting at the end of March.
Moreover, with 76% of companies beating estimates by an average of 5.5%, there is a good chance that when the earnings reporting season is officially over, first quarter profit growth will end up in positive territory. About 10% of S&P 500 companies have yet to report.
Flat earnings for the first quarter is a much better situation than investors had feared only weeks ago, and raises hopes that full-year 2019 earnings can grow by 3.3% or more, as analysts currently expect.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/consumer-financial-sector-etfs-lead-way

With the historical ratio of muni yields to (10 year) treasury yields of 80%, munis can be attractive to upper middle class earners, even with the currently reduced tax rate of 22% -24% for these families. Of course I'm comparing munis with other bonds, not with equities.
The Municipal/Treasury Ratio: How Investors Should Use It
That's not to say now is a good time to buy munis. Baird reports that "The 10yr AAA GO Ratio, now at 72.1, is the lowest level since at least 2001."
R.W. Baird, Muni Fortnightly, May 13, 2019.
Even if the after-tax returns are merely comparable to taxable bonds, the lower pre-tax return of munis can help seniors to reduce their MAGI. This affects taxation of SS benefits and surcharges on Medicare (IRMAA).

"..the average return of the S&P with dividends is 11.45% while municipal bonds averaged 6.03% during the same time period."
And so yes, munis will have lower volatility due to lower expected returns.
If you are in the very top Income tax brackets, muni's become a lot more interesting. But most of us don't hit those levels.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ THIS POST IS IN VIOLATION OF MFO POSTING STANDARDS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
⇒ This post had very few views and no comments. It was artificially "bumped" into Discussions + by the poster himself, without legitimate qualifying comments.
Ted has deliberately added a spurious "." comment in order to force it to your attention. In so doing he is choosing to ignore a request by by David Snowball to "stop gaming the system by bumping himself". He obviously believes himself to be exempt from the MFO rules which everyone else observes.
Ted's continued violation of MFO standard practices demonstrates just how little concern he actually has for the ongoing health of this site.

(The Closing Bell will be updated sometime after 4:00 PM CDST to include the latest updates from IBD and Bloomberg Evening Briefing.)
FYI: The S&P 500 fell Tuesday, as the dimming likelihood of an imminent trade deal upended earlier gains and sent investors seeking less risky assets like U.S. government bonds.
The broad index was recently down 0.4%, giving up an earlier advance of as much as half a percentage point to put the S&P 500 on pace for another tough week. Losses widened among shares of consumer staples, utilities and energy companies throughout the session, more than offsetting gains from communication stocks.
The S&P 500 fell 0.84%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 237 points, or 0.93%, to 255347. The Nasdaq Composite also reversed an earlier lead, falling 0.39% in recent trading.
Investors, meanwhile, appeared to be taking on less-risky assets, such as U.S. government bonds, pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury down to a fresh 19-month low.
Consumer staples shed 1.2% to lead the S&P 500 lower. Food companies notched some of the biggest losses, with Kraft Heinz sliding 6.3%. Kraft, which said last week it wasn’t in compliance with Nasdaq’s financial disclosure rules, has fallen 32% this year due to a regulatory probe into its procurement practices.
Utilities also struggled, shedding 0.9% in recent trading, while energy companies fell 0.7%.
Meanwhile, communication stocks were the only S&P 500 sector to still be in the green in late-afternoon trading. Shares of some media companies were helping to support the sector, along with videogame makers after a Goldman Sachs analyst said Activision is on the cusp of an earnings inflection, upgrading the stock to a buy.
Shares of Activision were up 2.6% in recent trading.
Overseas, the Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.2, snapping a two-session winning streak, while stocks in Asia mostly gained. The Shanghai Composite added 0.6%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.4%.
Regards,
Ted
Bloomberg Evening Briefing:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-28/your-evening-briefing
MarketWatch:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-index-futures-edge-lower-as-trade-worries-hang-over-market-2019-05-28/print
WSJ:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-grow-jittery-over-italy-11559053435
Bloomberg:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-27/asia-stocks-set-for-muted-open-dollar-edges-up-markets-wrap?srnd=premium
IBD:
https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/stocks-fade-sp-500-today-ends-lower/
CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/28/stock-markets-wall-street-in-focus-amid-lingering-trade-worries.html
Reuters:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks/tech-gains-keep-wall-street-afloat-idUSKCN1SY15F
U.K:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-stocks/ftse-100-miners-capitalise-on-iron-ore-surge-galliford-jumps-idUKKCN1SY0L2
Europe:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-stocks/european-shares-retreat-led-by-banks-on-italian-budget-woes-idUSKCN1SY0SE
Asia:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-shares-up-in-muted-trading-after-trump-visit-to-japan-2019-05-28/print
Bonds:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/28/us-bonds-wall-street-set-to-monitor-economic-data-treasury-auctions.html
Currencies:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/28/forex-market-eu-elections-trumps-japan-visit-in-focus.html
Oil:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/28/oil-market-chinese-economy-opec-supply-cuts-in-focus.html
Gold
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/28/gold-market-dollar-moves-eu-elections-in-focus.html
WSJ: Markets At A Glance:
https://markets.wsj.com/us
Major ETFs % Change:
https://www.barchart.com/etfs-funds/etf-monitor
SPDR's Sector Tracker:
http://www.sectorspdr.com/sectorspdr/tools/sector-tracker
SPDR's Bloomberg Sector Performance Pie Chart:
https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/sectors
Current Futures:
https://finviz.com/futures.ashx

FYI: Larry Fink, like Winston Churchill and cockroaches, excels in turbulent times — and a memo he sent to employees in January showed that he thinks there will be plenty of turbulence in BlackRock’s future.
In the memo, sent after the fourth quarter’s market rout, Fink laid out the long-simmering pressures facing the industry, and predicted that they would become more acute. To Fink, the 66-year-old chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, January portended the end of the long bull market and the beginning of a different cycle. Active managers had their last chance to prove their worth to investors.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1flqxqfb9c3qx/The-Race-to-Replace-Larry-Fink

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4266599-write-munis-comparing-historical-municipal-bond-returns-stock-returns
Do Not Write Off Munis: Comparing Historical Municipal Bond Returns To Stock Returns
May. 27, 2019 7:39 AM ETAFB, BFK...9 Comments6 Likes
Summary
Municipal bonds.
S&P 500 stock market index.
S&P 500 versus municipal bonds Risk and volatility.
Average vs. annualized returns.
Do taxes really make a difference?
So ~7%vs 6% annual return for 25 yrs...

Bit of a misnomer in the article title - these aren't all (or any?) 'monthly' dividend payers. I think the article is talking about 'steady streams of dividends' during the year. You could roll the dice and pick 12 other stocks to do the same thing - find 12 companies that pay dividends so you have income each month. (The only one I own is J&J, btw) This guy probably just scanned for high-yielders but 6/12 of these holdings are REITS? Clueless about allocation, I think.
BTW I find Forbes investing advice/blogs have really gone downhill in recent years into mostly andom click-baity pablum. Several Seeking Alpha contributors and commenters offers more useful information (it really does!) than Forbes! To wit: A running gag in the tech world is how Forbes would always have headlines saying "IOS X.X Contains a Nasty Surprise....." like clockwork whenever a new version was released -- yet those posts were devoid of anything remotely 'nasty' in terms of IOS problems.

17 monthly dividend to buy hold forever
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettowens/2019/05/26/17-monthly-dividends-to-buy-and-hold-forever/#1d6c416a48c7
Investors in turn often build complicated dividend calendars that get knocked out of whack whenever they ever have to cut back on certain stocks. May’s dividend check might be enough, for instance but June won’t be, forcing the investor to withdraw from his retirement fund, shaving away future income-generating potential.

+1

Africa has a population of 1.2 billion, with median age 18.
Europe has pop of 740 million, with median age 42.
Where would you invest?

My choice would be European Senior Living, Pharmaceuticals and Health Care.

FYI: There were two recurring themes at the annual InvestmentNews​ Retirement Income Summit in Chicago earlier this month: the economic impact of increased longevity and the need for guaranteed income in retirement.
Retirement has traditionally been described as a long-term investment goal. That's true for the accumulation phase. But as clients near the retirement-distribution phase, financial planning needs to shift to risk management and capital preservation.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=OcrrXLLfOszGsAWW2om4Aw&q=How+to+battle+sequence-of-returns+risk&oq=How+to+battle+sequence-of-returns+risk&gs_l=psy-ab.12..33i22i29i30.3194.3194..8730...0.0..0.347.440.1j3-1......0....2j1..gws-wiz.....0.mCqDITIbkQ8

In doing a recent Instant Xray analysis of my portfolio I am currently holding, within my equity allocation, a little better than five percent in emerging markets. The two emerging market funds that I hold are NEWFX and DWGAX plus some global asset allocation funds along with some other funds that have some emerging market exposure. I'm thinking, for me now being in retirement, a seven percent position in emerging markets would be all that I'd want due to their volatility and performance over the past five year period. In doing a five year look back, NEWFX has gained an average of 3.2% per year while DWGAX has lost an average of -0.8% per year. However, for the past three year period they have both performed with average annual returns of 10.4% and 6.50% respectively. With this, they both have been underperforming funds when compaired to other funds held within the growth area my portfolio. It will be interesting to see what the next five year period brings. For me, they are both considered a contrarian investment play.
From Xray, within equities, I'm currently 1.27% Latin America, 0.42% Europe Emerging, 0.49% Africa/Middle East, and 3.18% Asia Emerging which brings my emerging market exposure to 5.36%. With this, I've got room for some more emerging market exposure before reaching my seven percent threshold. I'm also considering adding to my commodity strategy fund as many emerging market economies are also major commodity producers.