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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.
  • Alpha Female
    Hi Guys,
    Comparing women’s skills and contributions against men’s skills and contributions in any competitive industry is always entering controversial and dangerous waters.
    Simple explanations are easy, but are often wrong. Complex explanations likely improve the odds of a meaningful answer. On the top of that decision pyramid, informed simple solutions are most likely to provide the best odds and the why insights. Here is my attempt at an informed simple explanation.
    Women are an underrepresented population in the financial advisory industry because of 3 interactive reasons: (1) they lacked motivation and opportunity in the past, (2) they lacked the requisite education, and (3) industry adjustment time lags.
    This is an informed simple explanation based on a single set of curves that summarized women’s education participation and levels over the last 5 decades. Here is the Link to the data sets that I referenced:
    http://www.russellsage.org/blog/rise-women-seven-charts-showing-womens-rapid-gains-educational-achievement
    These data sets are quite revealing. Young women have historically done better in High School than young men. Yet, those with advanced degrees, that would make them attractive to the finance advisory industries, have only arrived in sufficient numbers in the last several decades.
    The financial industries are tradition bound. They make tons of money with little capital investment, and are reluctant to change this profitable equation. But it is changing slowly, ever so slowly, as more and more women are entering the business, are demonstrating their dedication and skill sets, and are moving up the corporate ladders. Inertia is a powerful drag. It just takes time.
    Today, women only compose roughly 10% of the financial wizards in the USA; in some European countries, that percentage approaches 20%. In 2 decades, I predict those percentages will increase to 50% worldwide. I don’t fear long range predictions because nobody worries, nobody cares, and nobody remembers anyway.
    As an aside, I was not surprised that girls outscore boys at the High School level. That’s been a truism forever. But I was surprised by the increase in overall grades over the last 50 years. Are we getting smarter? My answer to that question is a sharp “No”. The timeframe is too short. My answer is that the grading system has become softer. That’s not an especially good motivator; a more demanding score keeper will provide stronger incentives.
    What do you think? Your comments are encouraged.
    Best Wishes.
  • Reorganization of some LKCM Aquinas Funds
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/918942/000119312516610671/d205847d497.htm
    497 1 d205847d497.htm 497
    LKCM FUNDS
    LKCM Aquinas Small Cap Fund
    LKCM Aquinas Growth Fund
    LKCM Aquinas Value Fund
    (the “Funds”)
    Supplement dated June 1, 2016
    To the Summary Prospectuses, Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information
    dated May 1, 2016
    The Board of Trustees of LKCM Funds (the “Trust”), upon the recommendation of Luther King Capital Management Corporation (“LKCM”), the investment adviser to each Fund, has approved a Plan of Reorganization and Dissolution (the “Plan”) pursuant to which the LKCM Aquinas Small Cap Fund and the LKCM Aquinas Growth Fund (each, an “Acquired Fund” and collectively, the “Acquired Funds”), each a series of the Trust, would be reorganized into the LKCM Aquinas Value Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), also a series of the Trust (the “Reorganizations”). Consummation of the Reorganizations will be subject to a number of conditions, including approval of the Plan by shareholders of each Acquired Fund.
    If the Plan is approved by shareholders of each Acquired Fund, at the time the Reorganizations are completed, it is anticipated that: (1) the Acquiring Fund will change its name to the “LKCM Aquinas Catholic Equity Fund,” (2) the cap on the net expense ratio of the Acquiring Fund (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, indirect fees and expenses related to investments in other investment companies, and extraordinary expenses) under an expense limitation agreement with LKCM will be reduced from 1.50% per annum to 1.00% per annum, through at least December 31, 2017, (3) the Rule 12b-1 distribution fee rate payable by the Acquiring Fund will be reduced from 0.25% per annum to 0.10% per annum, and (4) certain investment strategies of the Acquiring Fund would be modified.
    At the time the Reorganizations are completed, the Acquiring Fund would adopt the following principal investment strategies:
    The Acquiring Fund would invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. This policy would be non-fundamental, which means that it could be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust without shareholder approval, but the Acquiring Fund would notify its shareholders at least 60 days before it changes the policy.
    The Acquiring Fund would primarily invest in companies that LKCM believes are likely to have above-average growth in revenues or earnings, above-average returns on shareholders’ equity, potential for above-average capital appreciation, and/or companies that LKCM believes have attractive relative valuations. The Acquiring Fund would invest in equity securities of small, mid and large capitalization companies.
    The Acquiring Fund would seek to invest in equity securities of high quality companies that typically exhibit certain characteristics, including high profitability levels, strong balance sheet quality, competitive advantages, ability to generate excess cash flows, meaningful management ownership stakes, attractive reinvestment opportunities, and/or strong market share positions. These equity securities would include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into common stock, American Depositary Receipts, real estate investment trusts, rights and warrants.
    The Acquiring Fund would continue to practice socially responsible investing within the framework provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines.
    If shareholders of each Acquired Fund approve the Plan, at the time the Reorganizations are completed, shares of each Acquired Fund would be exchanged for shares of the Acquiring Fund with an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the shares of each Acquired Fund as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the closing date of the Reorganizations. The Reorganizations are expected to be tax-free to each Acquired Fund and its shareholders. No sales loads, commissions or other transaction fees will be imposed on shareholders of an Acquired Fund in connection with the Reorganizations.
    Shareholders of each Acquired Fund will be asked to consider and approve the Plan at a special meeting of shareholders scheduled to be held on July 20, 2016. Detailed information about the Plan and the Reorganizations, including the similarities and differences between each Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund, will be discussed in a combined proxy statement/prospectus to be distributed to shareholders of record of the Acquired Funds as of the close of business on May 20, 2016.
    In the “Potential Changes to the Funds” sections of the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information, the fifth word of the seventh paragraph is deleted and replaced with “Acquired.”
    * * * * *
    Please retain this supplement for future reference.
  • Informed Simplicity from Charles’ Balcony
    MJG, thanks for pointing out Charles's excellent contribution this month. I definitely have come to the same conclusion that managed funds in most investment areas are not worth the effort.
    I also believe that investors and professional advisers exasperate the under performance of using managed funds by multiplying the same investment style in a portfolio. Using 2 or 3 or more funds in the same category increases the chance to under perform the representative index in every study I've read. There is no way owning 3 domestic large cap funds for example is going to out perform the S&P500. If the argument is to do it for manager diversification, it's a whole lot easier to accomplish that with an index fund.
    Anyway, Charles has been saying this for a long time now, and now he is giving examples with actual fund portfolio comparisons. Great job.
  • David's June 1, 2016 Commentary is Posted.
    Sorry Ted.
    I tend to read only the first 4 or 5 words when scanning the many listings. Apparently I thought yours was about boating. :)
  • Informed Simplicity from Charles’ Balcony
    Hi Guys,
    I want to direct your attention to the June edition of Charles’ Balcony. It’s yet another fine example of Charles’ research orientation and depth. Good work Charlie. It illustrates how an informed simplistic investment approach can eviscerate complex, costly alternatives in the portfolio construction arena. Please give it a thoughtful read.
    American Funds is famous for its in-depth research, independent bottom-up decision making, and heavy-weight cost structure. In much earlier days, their process appears to have delivered a performance edge, that more lately seems to have suffered significant erosion. A more professional investment cohort looks like they are neutralizing one another and battling to near zero positive Alphas.
    Active fund management is struggling to demonstrate its superiority over Indexing.
    That’s particularly difficult for the American group because of its fees. But that’s also the case when those fees are reduced. Cost leader Vanguard offers a rather complete array of both actively and passively managed funds in almost all fund categories. That offers a superior, natural opportunity for a real world test. How have the Vanguard products performed lately in a direct competition?
    A 2015 article from the AssetBuilder website has addressed that issue and provides a partial answer. Here is a Link to that excellent study:
    https://assetbuilder.com/knowledge-center/articles/do-vanguards-indexes-beat-their-own-actively-managed-funds
    Some active Vanguard funds do and some do not deliver as advertised. I’m sure conclusions are timeframe sensitive.
    Even with Vanguard’s low cost structure, the hurdle is a severe challenge for active fund managers. Over the 10-year timeframe of the referenced study, please note how similar the cumulative returns were. Advantages were minor in terms of that meaningful measurement.
    Are the incremental and uncertain payoffs worth the risk of choosing a deadbeat manager? Everyone has their own answer to that question. My answer is a portfolio split that includes both active and Index holdings.
    Thank you Charles.
    Best Regards.
  • Gold Down Nine Days In A Row
    "Didn't gold basically go down about 75% from roughly 1980 to 2001?"
    Peaked at $850 in 1980. Slid to around $350 in 1993. In dollar terms (non-inflation adjusted) that's a loss of around 60%. As rjb says, the inflation adjusted loss was much greater.
    I bought a little just before the 80s peak and attempted to buy down on the frequent dips for three or four years after. A terrific first lesson in investing. One I won't forget.
  • Fidelity Sued By Delta 401(k) Participants Over Alleged Fiduciary Breach
    Here's another article, this one with a paragraph explaining the argument behind the brokerage window complaint. That is, by selecting available funds, Fidelity is allegedly exercising discretionary authority which makes it a fiduciary and not merely an order taker (brokerage gofer).
    It also contains a link to the actual filing (hosted by Bloomberg).
    http://www.bna.com/fidelity-faces-erisa-n57982072865/
    I'm more interested in the brokerage window complaint. What Fidelity is doing is providing access to a retail brokerage account to 401(k) participants.
    Since Fidelity is using its own brokerage (and benefiting from that), it has to be careful about self-dealing. But since it's providing access to an off-the-shelf brokerage account competitive with those of Schwab, TDA, etc. that doesn't seem to be a problem.
    The complaint also, um, complains about Fidelity not selling the cheapest share classes for some funds. That's a retail account for you. It is true (as stated in the complaint) that Fidelity aggregates the shares of a fund owned by all its customers (an omnibus account). That's what gives it access to institutional share classes (with TF).
    I suspect that this part of the complaint will be dismissed. Alternatively, if the ruling is for the participants, then would it also affect non-window retail accounts? After all, there's no fundamental difference in the way these retail accounts function depending on whether they are retirement plan windows or taxable accounts.
    Finally, the complaint is worth reading for Table 1 on p. 15. (Just look for something in color). It shows (for 2009) the fees that funds paid to be sold by Fidelity. The median and mode was 35 basis points; some funds paid as much as 55 basis points. I didn't know the fees went that high.
  • Muni-Bond Yield Curve Flattest Since 2008 Credit Crisis: Chart
    FYI: The difference between short- and long-term yields in the $3.7 trillion municipal-bond market is the smallest in more than eight years.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-31/muni-bond-yield-curve-flattest-since-2008-credit-crisis-chart
  • Fidelity Sued By Delta 401(k) Participants Over Alleged Fiduciary Breach
    FYI: Claim alleges Fidelity 'wanted a piece of the action' when Financial Engines was hired to provide plan advice.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20160531/FREE/160539996?template=printart
  • Some really big YTD gains in bond funds of all stripes and colors
    @SL, you should start a bond fund of your own; way to go!
    DSEEX up (only) 5.5%.
  • Gold Down Nine Days In A Row
    Nine days? LOL.
    I watched it go down for nine years one time.
    Didn't gold basically go down about 75% from roughly 1980 to 2001?
    On an after inflation basis, I think it went down roughly 90% during that time.
  • Some really big YTD gains in bond funds of all stripes and colors
    Yes, that is correct - my portfolio return YTD is 7.5% and I only trade bonds. I learned from the master @Junkster.
    I was in corp junk in Feb and March, but I went into bank loan funds since they were performing as well as corp junk funds. I want to see a few more days of corp junk outperformance before I start moving that direction.
  • Some really big YTD gains in bond funds of all stripes and colors
    Slowlane You are doing great and beating my 6%+ YTD. You should clarify that your 7.5% is your portfolio return YTD as you only trade bonds. I am still real wary of corp junk. It is still about oil in that sector. If we head back down will roll over my JYIIX into JFIIX. IVHIX has a high % in bank loans and why I like it in the corp junk category. Bank loans have been as smooth a ride as you and I have had the past many years. Bring on the higher rates!
  • Some really big YTD gains in bond funds of all stripes and colors
    @Junkster - I'm no Bill Gross, but I'm up 7.5% YTD in my bond only portfolio, which has been almost all in bank loan funds for the past 2 months. I have 80% in bank loans funds, LSFYX, JFIIX and SAMBX and 20% in DVHIX, a municipal high yield fund. The bank loan funds have been less volatile than corp HY, but corp junk may be catching its second wind here. IVHIX looks good and it is finally coming back after Bryan Krug's departure a couple of years ago.
  • Some really big YTD gains in bond funds of all stripes and colors
    Junk corp continue to defy the experts - the H0A0 is up 8.07% YTD. Since this is a universe of over 2000 companies (no cash) it will outperform during bull runs. Still, the average mutual fund in this category is up 5.60% YTD with many of the better ones up over 6% and 7% ala IVHIX and JYIIX to name just a few. Bank/senior/leveraged loan funds ala SAMBX and JFIIX are up over 5% YTD. Going into today was 40% junk corp spread over three funds and 55% bank loan spread over two funds. I should be higher in junk corp but.........
  • Gold Down Nine Days In A Row
    FYI: Ever since those FOMC minutes from the April meeting came out back on 5/18, gold has been in an absolute tailspin. As shown in the chart below, prices have now declined in every session since the release of the minutes. They’re now testing their March lows and are on pace for their lowest close since early February.
    Regards,
    Ted
    https://www.bespokepremium.com/think-big-blog/gold-down-nine-days-in-a-row/
    Barron's: The Big Boys Are Dumping Gold Futures As Rally Pauses:
    http://blogs.barrons.com/focusonfunds/2016/05/31/the-big-boys-are-dumping-gold-futures-as-rally-pauses/tab/print/
  • Seafarer Overseas Value Fund now available
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/915802/000091580216000161/fitseafareroverseasvaluefund.htm
    497 1 fitseafareroverseasvaluefund.htm
    FINANCIAL INVESTORS TRUST
    Seafarer Overseas Value Fund
    (the “Value Fund”)
    SUPPLEMENT DATED MAY 31, 2016 TO THE VALUE FUND’S PROSPECTUS AND STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DATED APRIL 15, 2016
    As of the date of this Supplement, shares of the Value Fund are now being offered for sale.
    PLEASE RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
    13931427.1 (9/8/2015 9:21 AM)
  • Asset Managers: The Tide Turns
    Hi Heezsafe,
    I completely agree: “it's what you know for sure that just ain't so” that could do you major league harm.
    In the 1950s I decided to invest in the stock market. Given my rookie status, I was absolutely sure that everyone knew more than I did. I put my trust and my money on investment tips that I received from false prophets like radio personalities and stock brokers. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
    Do you remember the Walter Winchell Sunday night radio broadcasts? Do you even remember radio? Well, Winchell gave hot stock tips that eventually proved to be front-running, especially by his friends in Florida. I fell victim to that trap as well as many other hot tip disasters from brokers, who had incentives that did not include profits for me.
    But I did slowly learn. The problem was that I learned all too slooooowly.
    Best Wishes.