MFO Ratings Updated Through January 2017 Gotham now has 16 funds. Half just a few months old. Oldest just over four years. Average ER 2%. But 15 of 16 have beaten their peers since inception by an average of 5%. Through January, the funds have $2.9B in AUM ... most in their oldest three funds: Gotham Enhanced Return Fund (GENIX), Gotham Absolute Return Fund (GARIX), and Gotham Neutral Fund (GONIX). Gotham is top rated on the MFO Fund Family Scorecard.
Other top-rated families this month include American Beacon, American Funds, Artisan, Boston Parnters, Buffalo, Cambiar, DFA, Dodge & Cox, First Eagle, FMI, Grandeur Peak, Guinness Atkinson, Hotchkis & Wiley, JOHCM, Leuthold Weeden, Longleaf, Mairs and Powers, Metropolitan West, Oakmark, Oberweis, Osterweis, Parnassus, PRIMECAP, Rainier, RiverNorth, Scout, TIAA-CREF, Tweedy Browne, Vanguard and Wasatch.
the WSJ is closing its Google loophole Good one Ben.
Other than that not much to add. I read news and finance for leisure (or maybe for intellectual stimulation). So most anything above a high school reading level interests me. Got a year of Barron's print for $52 about a year ago. Now they want 3X that to renew. I'd gladly meet them half way in between.
I feel for all the "slime" newspapers. Tough making a go in today's environment. When those few that still have decent organizations left disappear, where will we get our news?
American Funds - first timer Let me try to harmonize the info that people have provided.
"
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."
Class F (later relabeled F-1) does have a fee structure designed for wrap accounts. It is different from Class A's structure (aside from loads). For example, Class F charges 0.0
5% for
administrative services (e.g. account bookkeeping), while Class A charges only 0.01%. These charges are buried in "other expenses".
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1584433/000005193117000279/exhn.htmHowever, "designed for wrap accounts" doesn't preclude being offered for sale through different sales channels (e.g. retail sales through third party brokerages). So F-1 shares
can be offered for retail sale, regardless of what the designed was optimized for.
"
TIAA clearly says minimum is $250 and additional is $50 for F-1 shares. It has NTF logo displayed prominently as well."
VF has noted (if I'm reading correctly) that TIAA does not flag funds as available for retail sale vs. available only through advisors. So if BALFX is available at TIAA only through advisors, then TIAA could be reporting correctly that it is NTF and its min is $2
50.
In fact, since TIAA says that it requires at least $
500 for a position sold through its retail brokerage, that $2
50 min suggests that it doesn't sell BALFX to self-directed customers. TIAA writes:
"Minimum initial investment for mutual funds [in retail brokerage account]: The greater of either the listed amount in the fund’s prospectus or $
500. Different minimums may apply for managed accounts."
https://www.tiaa.org/public/brokerage-account-feesClick on mutual funds; the NTF section contains this info.
For completeness, here's the full info page I could find on TIAA retail brokerage accounts:
https://www.tiaa.org/public/offer/products/brokerage
the WSJ is closing its Google loophole 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
American Funds - first timer 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.
American Funds - first timer 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.htmlIt 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
American Funds - first timer Many of AF's retirement dated funds are M* (5*) funds with ER close to (.7).
American Funds - first timer 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 $2
50 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
American Funds - first timer 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?
FAIRX holders, SHLD is up 28% today as of 1:50 pm EST Now only 7% of Bruce's FAIRX portfolio, but still...it's something. While it lasts.
American Funds - first timer Try Schwab.

What Was BCSIX Smoking Yesterday? Thanks, David, for doing the fact-digging. M* reports fund assets at 3.5B, so those are some conviction buys.
What Was BCSIX Smoking Yesterday? @David_SnowballIt'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.
the February 2017 issue is live (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.
What Was BCSIX Smoking Yesterday? 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
M*: 5 More Under-The-Radar And Up-And-Coming Funds
American Funds - first timer 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.
T. Rowe Price Overweights Bonds for First Time Since 2000 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.
DSENX/ DLEUX Shiller Enhanced CAPE® and Shiller Enhanced International CAPE® Webcast Tuesday,Feb 7th Thanks; same thing w DSENX; took 2+ mos for it to pass SP500. Hope it is available at Fido soon, ntf.