FYI: I’ve written extensively about the volatility exchange-traded products, like the iPath S&P VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX | A-47) and the C-Tracks Citi Volatility ETN (CVOL | D-49). I’ve written about how you have to have perfect timing for investments in these VIX futures products to work. I’ve written about the hows and whys of the triple-digit run in the VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short Term ETN (XIV).
Regards,
Ted
http://www.etf.com/sections/blog/23585-dont-bet-either-way-on-market-volatility.html?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=

The title says it all.
http://m.seekingalpha.com/article/2577225-investors-pile-into-small-cap-etfs?source=feed_tag_etf_portfolio_strategy

' I would love to find a bond fund that could be both a safe haven and could provide steady returns, but I just don’t think that exists anymore'
OK Ruth, Don't check out VWEHX,PRHYX.....they might fit the criteria +9% 5yr, +7%10yr

Howdy @00BY
Here ya go on the fee thing:
The Activity Assessment Fee is imposed by Fidelity Investments on behalf of The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for executed sell orders. It is administered in an effort to defray some of the costs associated with the regulation and surveillance of the securities industry and its professionals. This fee is deducted from the proceeds of most equity and option sell orders and will be reported on trade confirmations as the Activity Assessment Fee. Fidelity uses the average price of multiple executions when calculating the regulatory fee charged by the SEC to sellers of equity securities that are traded on exchanges.
Effective April 10, 2009, the fee is $25.70 per $1,000,000.00 of aggregate sale proceeds (principal amount of the sale X 0.0000257). The fee is rounded up to the nearest penny.
S.E.C. info page..................http://www.sec.gov/answers/sec31.htm
You may also consider TIP ,which is available with the others on Fido's etf list.
Take care,
Catch

I suggest, as I have previously; the book; The Power of Habit. Habits, of course; reach into almost every aspect of one's daily routines and decision making.
This link provides a nice overview of the subject matter. The book is readily avaialable at Amazon; with one's purchase helping to support MFO when using the Amazon link on these pages.

Screenshot of FAIRX holdings, showing the +8.7% figure, error by M*

I just called M* and let them know about the data error. I suspect they will have this corrected soon.
Regarding the big difference between the closing price of SHLD on 12/31/13 and 1/2/14, and the "adjusted closing price" shown in Yahoo Finance. I believe that may have had to do with spinning off Lands' End stock.

And with that action today, SHLD becomes the leader of the FAIRX portfolio YTD at +8.6%.

I believe you got this figure from M* and their "Holdings" tab.
However, I don't believe M* is correct when they list SHLD as being +8.6% YTD.
SHLD closed on 12/31/2013 at $49.04, and opened 1/2/14 at $49.05
Today it closed at $34.96
However, they must have had some dividend or split, as Yahoo Finance lists the "adjusted close" (adjusted for dividends and splits) on 12/31/13 as $39.31/share
So the "adjusted close" went from $39.31 to today's close of $34.96
Looks like an 11.07% loss YTD
Looking at it another way, based on what M* said about SHLD YTD data after Friday's close [down 28.5% YTD per M*], then factoring in today's change, it looks like a 12% loss YTD.
So either -11.07% YTD if you trust Yahoo Finance adjusted closing price data, or -12% YTD if you trust M*'s YTD data from Friday........but M* has this incorrect on their "holdings" tab of FAIRX regarding SHLD YTD performance

Hi Guys,
In selecting her aggressive retirement portfolio, Benz wisely chose 7 funds that all had positive Alphas for the past 5 years. Now comes the acid test. Will these funds retain their positive Alphas for the next 5years?
Who knows? Historically, that has not been the case with reversion to the mean exerting its influence.
Best Regards.

FYI:
Regards,
Ted
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102103235

Buckets, baskets, branches, roads, rivers, rainbows and ponds. Heard them all. Useful allocationl tools, but it's easy to get carried away and miss the forest for the trees.
In "Dead Poets Society", the teacher played by Robin Williams "charts" on a chalk-board how to properly understand a poem. It's a classic scene, and I've linked the 3:33 minute video here if interested. The discussion hits near home only because I've long relied on allocation models and appreciate their value. Unfortunately, I've found that they have a tendency to spiral out of control as more "sub-categories" (ie new fund types) get incorporated into the original plan. You go from something that can be explained clearly in a half-page or 25 words to a sprawling pattern similar to what you see on the board in this scene.

Worried about the concentrated focus the fund has in a few stocks? This news is very pertinent.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL3N0SF46520141020?irpc=932

@Ted Although I do miss the "old" Ted, I do appreciate the contributions you make to this forum. You present articles from which I can draw my own conclusions as opposed to unsubstantiated buy or sell fund recommendations (which tend to have a 50% chance of being correct)

@Ted I don't listen to anything Morningstar says. Wasted too much time and money performance chasing their 5 star funds. This is not a personal attack on your or your postings.

Any advice for using MINT, FLOT, or SHY as cash repositories. At Fidelity FLOT and SHY are available commission free. But there is some fine print that goes with it:

Free commission offer applies to online purchases of Fidelity ETFs and select iShares ETFs in a Fidelity brokerage account. Fidelity accounts may require minimum balances. The sale of ETFs is subject to an activity assessment fee (of between $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). iShares ETFs and Fidelity ETFs are subject to a short-term trading fee by Fidelity if held less than 30 days.

Anyone know what this activity assessment fee means?
I know these aren't money market accounts (buyer beware), but FDRXX doesn't yield anything nowadays.

FYI: We employ actively managed mutual funds and a stock-heavy portfolio mix.
Regards,
Ted
http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=668875&SR=Yahoo

Asia markets are solid green for Monday. Nikky is up over 3.5%. I would guess the right buttons were pushed.

Harding Loevner Funds
http://www.hardingloevnerfunds.com/fileadmin/pdf/HLF/distributions-093014.pdf
Davis Funds
http://davisfunds.com/estimated_capital_gains
American Century Funds
https://www.americancentury.com/content/americancentury/direct/en/investment-planning/tax-center/estimated-distributions.html
Scout Investments
http://scoutinv.com/resources/documents/literature/2014 Year-end Distribution Estimates.pdf
Transamerica Funds
https://www.transamerica.com/Images/Capital-Gain-Distributions-Actual_tcm73-37718.pdf
Henderson Global Funds
https://www.henderson.com/uspa/Document/15806/2014-hgf-annual-distribution-estimates
Lord Abbett Funds
https://www.lordabbett.com/content/lordabbett/en/resources/tax-center/capital-gain-distribution.html#la_Estimated_Capital_Gains

Simple but good read.
http://m.seekingalpha.com/article/2573345-a-smarter-way-of-reaching-for-yield?source=feed_all_articles

@scott
re. OAK. It's current price is o.k. but I'm thinking, sometime in the next 6 months, it's gonna be better, maybe at IPO price or even below. Nonetheless, many of their master funds are maturing and undergoing liquidation, contributing to currently elevated qtrly distributions; as you've noted to others, future distributions may be uneven and probably lower, as OAK just gathers new pots of cash and waits for the next round of distressed opportunities. In that regard, as a guesstimate for expected yield in the near-term, from continuing operations, I'm using circa 0.55-60 for the qtrly, Do you think that's about right, or too optimistic?