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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.
  • VWEHX Vanguard Hi Yield corp bonds and income
    OK, let me put this another way. If the fund were to loose 20%, would I also loose 20% of the income that I had been receiving prior to the loss, or would I receive the same income per share (let's say each share received 1$ income per year, would that change if the fund were to loose money?). I am comparing this to stock dividends, which end up going up when the market goes up, since the amount paid per share doesn't change.
  • Need muni ETF recommendations
    @msf Thanks for the comments and link to the Uniform Principal and Income Act. I will check with my attorney but I do remember him indicating I should leave the principal intact and take distributions of income. Note that I should not have mentioned “capital gains” but “leave principal intact”.
    I use Vanguard ETFs and try to maintain a 60/40 stock to bond ratio asset allocation, so believe that should qualify as “prudent”. I’m not sure what to make of the Uniform Principal and Income Act. It appears I will need to discuss it with my trust attorney and tax preparation CPA.
  • Diversifiying within healthcare
    @Ted: I had originally purchased PRHSX back in early 2013, but when they had a change in managers, I decided to sell it. Probably should have kept it, as it is now closed, but took PHSZX instead, which has done well, but its a bit more volatile. As I have stated before, I also have FBTIX (advisor equivalent of FBIOX) and PJP for pure large pharma. Adding IHI was a momentum play, and we will see how it turns out. I am still overweight healthcare, as all of my equities are in iras, with 5+ years until i have to start rmd. This is balanced by largest positions in VIG, VDIGX, PKW and SMGIX all diversified funds.
  • Freddie & fannie
    @Derf & MFO Members:
    Regards,
    Ted
    Must Government Remain A Backstop For Fannie And Freddie? Video & Text:
    http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/160523_the_future_of_fanniemae_and_freddiemac-andrew-davidson/
  • Freddie & fannie
    This is a fascinating battle, as internal treasury officials in concert with outside financial players have conspired to undermine F&F in order to drive their function to the banks....the same guys which created the recent disaster in the first place.
    This is now in the courts, with the government attempting to shield incriminating documents under executive privilege claims. The judges are getting tired of being lied to, and this may become much more interesting very quickly as this scheme is being uncovered.
    Gretchen Morgenson from the NYTs is sniffing around the story here:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/business/how-freddie-and-fannie-are-held-captive.html?_r=0
    The ex-CFO of FNMA has as interesting ongoing blog on this as well, focused on the legal actions.
    https://timhoward717.com/
  • Need muni ETF recommendations
    I've always been fond of BCHYX (yet another misclassified fund, as it is generally grouped with long term Calif. munis, not HY).
    Perhaps something to investigate is what constitutes "dividend and interest" for distribution purposes. A first question is whether the trust (from your description I assume that's what we're talking about) says "dividend and interest" or "income".
    While mutual fund cap gains dividends are generally not considered income, it doesn't seem as clear they wouldn't fall under the "dividend and interest" guideline - if that's the actual wording that was used. I'm not a lawyer or accountant, so take these comments as random mullings, certainly not advice.
    Here's a brief primer on what seems to be current Calif. law:
    The Uniform Principal and Income Act
    This is the first I've read of this - so not only am I not a professional, I'm barely an amateur on this subject.
    It appears that the law is catching up with investment practices and recognizing that prudent investing often calls for focusing on total return - even for income beneficiaries. That might broaden your investment options.
    To enable investing for total returns, the law now seems to allow some capital gains (part of those returns) to be treated as income for distribution purposes.
    Of course there are prohibitions against self-dealing. It sounds like you're both the beneficiary and trustee, which would make such treatment (called "reallocation") illegal. The article discusses what one can do in this situation (designate an independent trustee).
  • Diversifiying within healthcare
    @slick: PRHSX PRHSX PRHSX PRHSX, if and when it reopens to new investors, get my drift ! The Fund is ranked #1 By U.S. News & World Report. I've owned this fund for over ten years.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://money.usnews.com/funds/mutual-funds/health/t.-rowe-price-health-sciences-fund/prhsx
    M*: PRHSX Performance:
    http://performance.morningstar.com/fund/performance-return.action?t=PRHSX&region=usa&culture=en_US
  • Freddie & fannie
    Bruce B and FAIRX (1 star, Silver M* rated fund) has its hands full at the moment with SHLD, JOE, LE, III, SCC..., but everyone could use a quick haircut, right?
  • Pacific Global Fund Inc to liquidate Government Securities Fund
    @MFO Members: At least this fund had a consistent poor performance record. YTD-15 Years 98 or 99 percentile. Therefore, there will be no wake or funeral service, the fund remains will be simply dumped into a land fill.
    Reegards,
    Ted
  • Pacific Global Fund Inc to liquidate Government Securities Fund
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/890206/000110465916122596/a16-11831_1497.htm
    497 1 a16-11831_1497.htm 497
    PACIFIC GLOBAL FUND, INC.
    D/B/A/ PACIFIC ADVISORS FUND INC.
    SUPPLEMENT DATED MAY 23, 2016
    TO THE PROSPECTUS AND STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
    DATED MAY 1, 2016
    This Supplement updates information contained in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for Pacific Global Fund Inc. d/b/a Pacific Advisors Fund Inc. (the “Company”), dated May 1, 2016. Please keep this Supplement together with your Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for future reference.
    The Board of Directors of the Company has approved a Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan”) that, pending shareholder approval, provides for the liquidation of the Government Securities Fund (the “Fund”). It is anticipated that, if approved, the liquidation will be completed on or about June 24, 2016, subject to any necessary approval of the Fund’s shareholders and the satisfactory winding up of the Fund’s operations. The Plan is subject to approval by shareholders of the Fund at a Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 20, 2016 or at any adjournments thereof.
    In connection with the anticipated liquidation, the Board approved, effective May 23, 2016, the closure of each class of the Fund to new investments, including new investors, additional purchases from existing investors and purchases for exchange from other funds. The Board also approved, effective May 23, 2016, the closure of each class of the Fund to reinvestments of dividends and distributions. Therefore, the Fund will no longer offer shares for purchase. The Fund reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Of course, shareholders will continue to be able to exchange or redeem their shares in accordance with the policies in the Prospectus.
    If shareholders of the Fund approve the Plan, the Fund will promptly begin liquidating its portfolio assets and will hold or reinvest the proceeds thereof in cash and such short-term securities as the Fund may lawfully hold or invest. As a result, the Fund will not be pursuing its investment objective.
    The Fund anticipates that it will complete the liquidation on or around the close of business on June 24, 2016 (the “Liquidation Date”). On or before the Liquidation Date, the Fund will make liquidating distributions to each remaining shareholder, equal to the shareholder’s proportionate interest in the net assets of the Fund, in complete redemption and cancellation of the Fund’s shares held by the shareholder, and thereafter the Fund will be terminated and dissolved.
    Fund shareholders as of the close of business on the record date, May 31, 2016, will receive a Proxy Statement providing notice of the Special Meeting of Shareholders and details regarding the Plan. The Proxy Statement will also be available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov or by contacting the Fund at 800-282-6693.
    For those shareholders with taxable accounts, the exchange, redemption or liquidation of their shares of the Fund will be considered a taxable transaction, and such shareholders may recognize a gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the effect of the exchange, redemption or liquidation of their shares of the Fund in light of their individual circumstances...
  • Art Cashin: "Market Hasn't Absorbed A June Hike Yet"
    Thanks Ted.
    I'm a week or so behind in reading Barron's, which I recently subscribed to. This is good in a way because you begin to realize how much the week-to-week market commentary is really just noise.
    However, in reading Randall Forsyth's "Up and Down Wall Street" column from May 16th (today) I'll note Forsyth suggests that the equity markets are reacting to the likely election outcome as predicted by the IEM (Iowa Electronic Markets), a form of online gambling. In particular, Forsyth suggests that as Trump's odds of becoming President rise, the equity markets fall - and vice-versa.
    Don't know whether such a direct link is plausible. But I do think the markets are unnerved by the coming election. Recent utterances by the FOMC (Federal Open Mouth Committee) are having their effect. But I also think our political silly season is having an impact - if not as clearly defined as Forsyth believes. Problem is: both of these influences are near impossible to accurately predict unless you're omniscient. I'm not - so the only action I can take in the face of these uncertainties is to do nothing.
  • Want Income? Closed-End Funds Offer Yield, But Beware Of The Risks
    I personally like bond CEF's. They recover quicker than the S&P in hard market selloffs and they provide great yields if timed correctly. I own DSL bought during the oil scare in 1Q16. I do not buy new CEF's. Most trade down over the first 2-3 years. See much heralded PCI. I also like CEF's that show a tendency to move to premiums from time to time. Buy good management and you don't get hit as hard with defaults. I believe in averaging down on CEF's when purchasing them. Many believe junk bond CEF's trade on interest rates but they are more closely related to the stock market. Historical relative valuation analysis is necessary when buying them IMHO. I only buy them with wide discounts in sell offs.
  • Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund accepts limited purchases
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1047712/000119312516598592/d191660d497.htm
    Revised filing as of 5/23/16:
    497 1 d191660d497.htm UNDISCOVERED MANAGERS FUNDS
    UNDISCOVERED MANAGERS FUNDS
    Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund
    (All Shares Classes)
    Supplement dated May 23, 2016
    to the Prospectuses dated December 29, 2015, as supplemented
    Effective as of the close of business on June 17, 2016, the limited offering provisions for the Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund will be revised. As of the Revised Closing Date, the current limited offering provisions in the section titled “How to Do Business with the Funds — Purchasing Fund Shares — What does it mean that the Behavioral Value Fund is publicly offered on a limited basis?” will be removed and replaced with the following disclosure:
    Effective as of the close of business on June 17, 2016, (the “Revised Closing Date”) the Behavioral Value Fund will be offered on a limited basis and investors are not eligible to purchase shares of the Behavioral Value Fund, except as described below. In addition, both before and after the Revised Closing Date, the Behavioral Value Fund may from time to time, in its sole discretion based on the Behavioral Value Fund’s net asset levels and other factors, limit new purchases into the Behavioral Value Fund or otherwise modify the closure policy at any time on a case-by-case basis.
    The following groups will be permitted to continue to purchase Behavioral Value Fund shares. Except as otherwise described below, shareholders of record are permitted to continue to purchase shares; if the shareholder of record is an omnibus account, beneficial owners in that account as of the applicable closing date are permitted to continue to purchase:
    •Shareholders of the Behavioral Value Fund as of the Revised Closing Date are able to continue to purchase additional shares in their existing Behavioral Value Fund accounts either through J.P. Morgan Funds Services or a Financial Intermediary and may continue to reinvest dividends or capital gains distributions from shares owned in the Behavioral Value Fund;
    •Shareholders of the Behavioral Value Fund as of the Revised Closing Date are able to add to their existing Behavioral Value Fund accounts through exchanges from other J.P. Morgan Funds;
    •Approved fully discretionary fee-based advisory programs, where investment discretion (fund and investment allocations) solely reside with the firm’s home office and where the firm’s home office has full authority to make investment changes without approval from the shareholder, may continue to utilize the Behavioral Value Fund for new and existing program accounts. These programs must be accepted for continued investment by the Behavioral Value Fund and its distributor by the Revised Closing Date. Additionally, after the Revised Closing Date, new fully discretionary fee-based advisory programs may utilize the Behavioral Value Fund for program accounts only with the approval by the Behavioral Value Fund and its distributor;
    •Other fee-based advisory programs (including Rep as Advisor and Portfolio Manager programs) may continue to utilize the Behavioral Value Fund for existing program accounts, but will not be able to open new program accounts after the Revised Closing Date;
    •Group employer benefit plans, including 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans and health savings account programs (and their successor plans), utilizing the Behavioral Value Fund on or before the Revised Closing Date can continue to invest in the Behavioral Value Fund. Additionally, after the Revised Closing Date, new group employer benefit plans may utilize the Behavioral Value Fund for their accounts only with the approval of the Behavioral Value Fund and its distributor; and
    • Current and future J.P. Morgan Funds which are permitted to invest in other J.P. Morgan Funds may purchase shares of the Behavioral Value Fund;
    If all shares of the Fund in an existing shareholder’s account are voluntarily redeemed or involuntarily redeemed (due to instances when a shareholder does not meet aggregate account balance minimums or when participants in Systematic Investment Plans do not meet minimum investment requirements), then the shareholder’s account will be closed. Such former Fund shareholders will not be able to buy additional Fund shares or reopen their accounts in the Fund unless a former shareholder makes his or her repurchase within 90 days of the redemption. Repurchases during this 90 day period will not be subject to any applicable sales charges if such sales charges are normally waived for repurchases within 90 days of the redemption as described in the “Waiver of the Class A Sales Charge” or “Waiver Applicable Only to Class C Shares” sections below. These repurchase restrictions, however, do not apply to participants in groups listed above as eligible to continue to purchase even if the plan, program or fund would liquidate its entire position. If shares are purchased through a Financial Intermediary, contact your investment representative for their requirements and procedures.
    If the Behavioral Value Fund receives a purchase order directly from an investor who is not eligible to purchase shares of the Fund, J.P. Morgan Funds Services will attempt to contact the investor to determine whether he or she would like to purchase shares of another J.P. Morgan Fund or would prefer that the investment be refunded. If J.P. Morgan Funds Services cannot contact the investor within 30 days, the entire investment will be refunded.
    The Behavioral Value Fund reserves the right to change these policies at any time.
    INVESTORS SHOULD RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT
    WITH THE PROSPECTUSES FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
  • Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund accepts limited purchases
    I don't find these questions so black and white, so I don't consider #1 to be nonsense. I'd like to believe each of us has some threshold beyond which we won't invest, though that may be different for each of us.
    For me, it takes a lot to cross that line. I don't seek out SRI funds. I'll take investment gains and donate to charities. But I still find that I have my limits.
    While it doesn't surprise me to see tobacco stocks in a lot of funds, I found I couldn't stomach funds that bragged about how well they were doing because of their overweighting of companies making a killing (pun intended) in Asian sales. Or companies like Valeant that price gouge on suffering.
    Each of us has different personal standards and issues they care about. I applaud anyone who puts his money (or doesn't put it) where his mouth is.
  • Undiscovered Managers Behavioral Value Fund accepts limited purchases
    @heezsafe: I can buy reason #2, but #1 institution/cultture is nonsense, support yourself by increasing the chances of making money with this excellent fund. You need to learn never allow your emotions guide your investment decisions !
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Chart of the Day: Smallcaps Enter New Bull Market
    FYI: After falling 26% from its high last June through February 11th, the Russell 2,000 index of smallcap stocks is now up 20.5%. That 20.5% gain means the index has entered a new bull market.
    Regards,
    Ted
    https://www.bespokepremium.com/chart-of-the-day/chart-of-the-day-smallcaps-enter-new-bull-market/