What are your favorite foreign funds? I'm really looking for something middle of the road and boring. It's purpose is simply to represent exposure to non-US markets -- as diversification within an IRA. I would be building the position towards 10%.
I currently own DODFX, which I believe is a keeper, and MSILX, which I am looking to replace. I am thinking about something from American Funds, assuming I could buy it without a load -- or possibly an index fund or ETF.
So what would you recommend, and why?

Here's M*'s latest story on HSAs: How to Escape a Lousy Health Savings Account It talks not only about a once a year rollover, but about more frequent periodic direct (custodian to custodian) transfers which may unfortunately be subject to fees.
And @bee 's blast from the past: Best HSA Provider for Investing HSA Money
https://mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/36141/best-hsa-provider-for-investing-hsa-money
M* hasn't updated its report from 2017. It still omits Saturna and Lively, two inexpensive alternatives.

Still have 12-15 yrs ahead before retirement probably can afford another recession or Two... Full speed ahead I guess .. buy equities bonds and stocks like previously

I invest directly with Bruce Funds (BRUFX) for my HSA. My only fees are the funds ER (0.71%) and a $15/yr account maintenance fee. Returns have average 6% since I started. Other HSA providers offer a host of investment choices. If your employer's HSA plan has limited investment choices or high fees you can complete a once a year rollover or a trustee to trustee transfer to another HSA providers (of your choosing).
how-to-rollover-an-hsa-on-your-own-and-avoid-trustee-transfer-fee
Here's a M* report:

Health savings accounts are a very under-researched corner of the market. Investors have few resources available to help them navigate the hundreds of plan providers that exist. Health savings accounts have recently grown in popularity, but the lack of resources has likely contributed to their under utilization as a savings vehicle despite their valuable tax benefits. To provide a comprehensive resource for investors and employers selecting a plan, we assessed 10 of the largest HSA plan providers in this report. We evaluated the plans through two separate lenses: using them as a spending vehicle to cover current medical costs, and using them as an investment vehicle to save for future medical expenses.

Link for full Report:
2017_Health_Savings_Account_Landscape

FYI: ( The Linkster believes there is some merit to this.)
President Donald Trump on Friday advocated for a possible end to the long-held quarterly earnings reports for publicly traded companies, saying it would boost business and in turn help create jobs.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/17/trump-pushes-for-an-end-to-quarterly-earnings-reports.html?curator=thereformedbroker&utm_source=thereformedbroker

FYI: This chart shows historical performance of the S&P 500 Index
throughout the U.S. Bull and Bear Markets from 1926 through
June 2018. Although past performance is no guarantee of future
results, we believe looking at the history of the market’s
expansions and recessions helps to gain a fresh perspective on
the benefits of investing for the long-term
Regards,
Ted
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Common/ContentFileLoader.aspx?ContentGUID=4ecfa978-d0bb-4924-92c8-628ff9bfe12d

FYI: (This is a follow-up article.)
Recently, Fidelity made a splash by launching two index mutual funds that charge no fees. In some ways, this is huge news, as the zero percent price tag confirms that the price war in asset management fees is truly a race to zero. [ETF Prime Podcast: Fidelity Goes To Zero]
Vanguard, Schwab, and BlackRock now have to decide whether to give up their remaining minuscule fees in the face of direct no-fee competition.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/are-fidelitys-free-funds-really-free?nopaging=1

Something I don't understand is why any investment (aside from cash equivalents) should be considered acceptable for short term needs:
"If you're selling out of an active MF within 6 months, then you have no business investing in it. Just buy a bunch of index ETFs or a target date fund"
Active bad, passive good?
"These are long term investment products unlike individual securities or ETFs."
It's okay to use any investment so long as it has low/no commissions?
We can dismiss the impact to the fund itself - that's taken care of by the fund's own redemption fee (which goes back into the fund to compensate it for trading costs/market movement). Here we're talking about brokerage fees, not fund redemption fees.
So the question is, from the investor (as opposed to fund) perspective, does it ever make sense to count on index ETFs or target date funds, or individual securities or any (active or index) ETFs, as a place to keep short term (under 6 month) money?
IMHO, the answer is no, with the possible exception of individual securities, if you're buying them because you (think you) see an obvious mispricing that you want to take advantage of and flip quickly.
Actively managed funds (whether open end or ETF) may be more unpredictable in the short term than indexes, but that doesn't mean one can count on an index fund not taking a dive in the next few months.
Target date funds, especially in the short run, are basically just hybrid funds (glide path significantly affects allocations only over years). With roughly zero correlation between stocks and bonds, sometimes the components will move in opposite directions, sometimes not. You don't know if this time, this month, they're both going to drop.
https://www.ft.com/content/7914a096-48a9-11e8-8ee8-cae73aab7ccb
"in case something comes up and you need to sell"
I read that as an unexpected, large expense (roof blew off, car suddenly died, etc.). If one's six month plus emergency fund isn't enough to handle the rare, unexpected expense, then sure, one will need to sell some longer term investment.
I wouldn't expect a need like that to occur more than once every several years. It's not worth picking a brokerage on the possibility of incurring a $50 fee every few years. It seems better to focus on routine costs/fees, service, accessibility, etc.

Funny that TRP had a 90 day holding period with a 2% 'early trade' penalty and TDA has a 180-day holding period for a $50 'early sale' penalty.
I just dumped a TRP at Day 90 to avoid the 2% (which would've been a few hundred bucks) but still got hit with the $50 TD penalty. 180 days is asinine, imho.

I believe that there is still no short term trading fee at WellsTrade. This assumes (a) that you consider WellsTrade a major brokerage, and (b) that you want to have anything to do with Wells Fargo.
Elsewhere, the minimum seems to be 60 days, e.g. at Fidelity and Vanguard. Note that both of these brokerages impose restrictions on the frequency of short term round trips you can make, e.g. Vanguard's policy. If you're just worried about the occasional short term trade, these won't affect you.
Note that TDAmeritrade has lots of different fee schedules for various types of accounts. For example, I had a TDA account attached to my HSA account. There, the TF commissions were about half what it costs in their "standard" account, and the short term trading period was either 60 or 90 days. This doesn't help you, but could help others who might be looking at these special accounts and just assume the 180 day restriction applied there as well.

I am reducing my mutual fund holdings at TD Ameritrade because there is a $49.99 fee if you sell within 180 days of purchase. I am not a short term trader, but still, 6 months are too long, in case something comes up and you need to sell. What is the minimum holding period for mutual funds without early redemption penalty at other major brokerages?

Tiny bites, adding monthly to PRIDX. I did well to buy-in when I did, though it's down just a bit right now, for 2018 so far. Uncle Donald!!! :(

I purchased into it at its inception, and have been pleased. It's my only allocation into Microcap. I put my $6K contribution at the beginning of every year, and while it's been down recently, I've had an unrealized gain of 14%. I'd invest more if they allowed.

I believe the amount is tied to what is equal to an deductible/non-deductible retirement account. I believe it was $6K initially. Maximum investment amount initially advertised was $100K, but due to overwhelming interest, maximum investment was lowered to $50K to appease investors.
From the 2015 Allocation email:
"Thank you for your interest in our new Global Micro Cap Fund (GPMCX). As anticipated, requests from current Grandeur Peak Fund shareholders far exceeded our $25 million target. During the Indication of Interest window we received requests totaling over $85 million. We have allocated the available $25M across all parties who expressed interest. Our allocation objective was to be fair and consistent across shareholders and to allow all interested shareholders an opportunity to purchase the Fund. We capped larger requests at a consistent level in order to keep our total allocation to around $25M. Keeping the Fund at this very small size will allow us to be fairly unconstrained as we look for interesting micro-cap investments across the globe.
,,,We will hold your allocation through October 30, 2015, so please ensure all trades are placed by that date. If you wish to set up an automatic investment plan, you may do so, but the maximum purchase size is $500/month (this amount can be in addition to your stated allocation). Unlike our other hard closures, retirement accounts will not have unlimited access to make future purchases in this Fund. Retirement accounts will be capped at $6000/year for future purchases."
From the most recent prospectus:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/915802/000139834417011117/fp0027624_485bpos.htm
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
As of the close of business on December 31, 2016, the Fund is closed to both new and existing investors seeking to purchase shares of the Fund either directly or through third party intermediaries, subject to certain exceptions for participants in certain qualified retirement plans with an existing position in the Fund and direct shareholders with existing accounts who may purchase up to the amount of the current IRA catch up limit per year in additional shares, regardless of account type. The Fund’s investment adviser retains the ability, subject to the oversight of the Board, to make exceptions to any action taken to close the Fund or limit inflows into the Fund.

@Derf: I can't recall how I found out, but after opening my account in 2015, I made purchases in 2016 and 2017 for $6K each year. I'm pretty sure GP announced it and $6K is the yearly limit. Someone may remember what the maximum opening purchase limit was; $25K sticks in my mind. I put in less than that.

@LewisBraham,
That was the point I was trying to convey. Tiny funds (i.e. less than $100 million) with low expenses are nearly non-existent.

One more aside on K-1s....preferred stocks of K-1 issuing companies, could sometimes have higher amounts of UBTI (only need to worry if held in a tax-advantaged account) than its common share cousin. This is just a generality, and therefore not always the case. So just something to be aware of.
And I just learned this, this year.....anywho, back to adding/buying.
Added to the growth sleeve (even though growth has outperformed for a ridiculously long time)...such things as FINX (financial tech), SKYY (the “cloud”), ARKK (tech, high tech products, and life science tech), PSCH (small cap health), and some of the healthcare service and equipment ETFs. Would love to buy more AMZN but there’s no stopping it’s upward march.

@Ted - yeah I ran across them (k-1's on preferred's) a year or so ago and they surprised me a bit. TurboTax handles mine with just a minute or 2 of my time.

@Mark: I guess your never to old to learn new tricks. Thanks for the info on Ares Management, L.P., 7.00% Series A Non-Cumulative Preferred Units. That' a new one on me. As you might know I own KKR, BX, APO limited partnerships that generate K-1's but I let my tax man worry about the forms.
Regards,
Ted :)

@Ted - just one example:
"The new preferred from ARES is non-cumulative and redeemable in 5 years which is typical for preferred issues. What is not typical is that these shares will generate a K-1 at tax time instead of the more typical 1099. This is because ARES is a limited partnership. We are aware that many investors shy away from issues that generate K-1’s and if you are one of those people this is not the issue for you."
From:
https://www.dividendinvestor.com/limited-partnership-ares-management-sells-a-preferred-issue/