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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.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    Are you using MFO premium to screen for the =< 20% for the Mag 7?
    Just brute force, I'm afraid. Sorted funds by 3 year returns and looked at their portfolios. Time consuming, but it had the benefit of getting me to glance at many funds I'd never heard of. (I've found that playing with numbers though tedious usually offers some enlightenment.)
    Also, some of the funds hold over 20% in Mag 7 but under 20% in their top 10 holdings.
    For example, M* reports that AICFX had 18.8% of assets in Mag 7 in its top 10 holdings (Microsoft 6.4%, Meta 4.5%, Amazon 3.6%, Nvidia 2.3%, Alphabet C 2.1%). Apple (1.89%) and Alphabet A (1.83%) are among its next ten holdings.
    While I'm not much of a fan of American Funds since they became so large and FD came around, I do appreciate their management style and the ability to hover around their indexes while reducing risk in many instances (usually by including 8-15% international stocks)
    I used to think of American Funds as Vanguard plus a load, i.e. relatively cheap, well managed, nothing extreme. Perhaps due to growth, American Funds offerings have become more homogenous as you've observed, though now more accessible (e.g. F1 shares). Vanguard has gone in other directions, with various less-than-successful launches such as alternative investments (VASFX closed April 19, 2023) and managed payout funds (three different offerings merged into one in 2014 and payouts terminated in 2020).
    The R-1 class his no 12-b-1 fee.
    R-5 or higher?
    image
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    The iron dome has its limits. Waves of drones cannot be all shot down simultaneously. Three potential targets:
    1. Israel.
    2. Strait of Hormuz. It’s only 6 miles wide, and thus susceptible to attack. Tsp tankers made U-turn a way form this area. Oil prices rose to $75 barrel.
    3. US bases in Middle East.
    add:
    4. random American and Israeli targets worldwide. Asymmetrical warfare. Congress does indeed need to reassert its own control over the War Powers Act. But of course the Repugnant Majority at the moment is content to go along for the ride. Free Pass for the Orange Abomination. Maintaining control and power trumps the Constitution.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    The iron dome has its limits. Waves of drones cannot be all shot down simultaneously. Three potential targets:
    1. Israel.
    2. Strait of Hormuz. It’s only 6 miles wide, and thus susceptible to attack. Tsp tankers made U-turn a way form this area. Oil prices rose to $75 barrel.
    3. US bases in Middle East.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    I use AF New World in my previous employer’s 401(k). The R-1 R-5 class has no 12-b-1 fee. Nothing fancy I in portfolio construction - 40% EM, developed market, and some bonds. Very steady returns with out the volatility of dedicated EM funds.
  • Zero coupon CDs
    If you include short term (1 year or less) zero coupon CDs, I used these when CD rates were better than T-bills (after tax).
    Assuming that you hold the CD to maturity, conceptually a zero coupon CD is no different from a CD that accrues interest but pays it all at maturity.
    For example, consider a 1 year CD with an APY of 4.0%. If you invest $1000, then at the end of the 12 months you get $1,040 including interest. The coupon (interest) frequency doesn't matter assuming you don't withdraw the interest. All that matters is that 4.0% APY. It's just as if you purchased a 1 year zero coupon CD with a face value of $1,040 at the discounted price of $1,000.
    ---
    For tax purposes, if a CD matures in 12 months or less, it does matter whether it pays interest periodically or just at maturity. You owe taxes on interest as it is paid, even if you reinvest. So it is preferable that the CD not pay accrued interest until maturity. It doesn't matter whether you call this a discounted zero coupon CD or simply a CD that pays interest at maturity.
    However, if a CD maturity is longer than a year (and it doesn't pay accrued interest more frequently than annually), then it is taxed as if it paid accrued interest yearly. Even if it doesn't pay out accrued interest until maturity.
    Short-Term: Interest earned on CDs with terms of one year or less is considered taxable income in the year that the CD interest is paid out.
    Long-Term: CDs with terms over a year are taxed as interest is earned over the CD term. Interest is considered taxable income in the year that you are legally entitled to it. For example, if you have a CD with a term of five years, you will owe tax on the interest paid in each of the years that you hold the CD before maturity.
    https://www.seattlebank.com/about/updates/updates-detail.html?cId=84542&title=understanding-tax-implications-of-certificates-of-deposit
    Zero coupon CDs, like zero coupon bonds, are taxed on their annual accrued interest (imputed interest, aka phantom income).
  • July MFO Ratings & Flows Posted
    Just posted all ratings to MFO Premium site, using Refinitiv data drop from Friday, 20 June 2025. Flows too updated through 20 June.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    While I'm not much of a fan of American Funds since they became so large and FD came around, I do appreciate their management style and the ability to hover around their indexes while reducing risk in many instances (usually by including 8-15% international stocks)
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    I've been looking through LC Bl funds that have done well over the past three years without having gorged on the Mag 7, while also having turned in good performances YTD. Ideally I'd also like them to have more than a smattering of foreign stocks (indicating more flexibility).
    If I use 20% Mag 7 as a threshold (as of a couple of weeks ago), AFIFX comes in well under the wire at 17.5%. And it typically holds over 15% foreign (per M* analysis); currently 16.5%. In contrast, AICFX misses the cut at 22.5% Mag 7 (about 30% more), and it holds just half as much in foreign stocks (8.6%).
    Oooh, that's the kind of screening I like. :)
    I also like to look at returns from 2022 and 2020.
    Are you using MFO premium to screen for the =< 20% for the Mag 7?
    BTW, my interest in the old Washington Mutual eligibility list was mostly historical curiosity. It's always interesting to look back at what people believed would be prudent.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    Here's some info that I also posted over in the "OT thread"-
    This, from NPR:
    Satellites show damage to Iran's nuclear program, but experts say it's not destroyed
    U.S. officials say that strikes conducted on three key Iranian nuclear sites have devastated its nuclear program, but independent experts analyzing commercial satellite imagery say the nation's long-running nuclear enterprise is far from destroyed.
    "At the end of the day there are some really important things that haven't been hit," says Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who tracks Iran's nuclear facilities. "If this ends here, it's a really incomplete strike."
    In particular Lewis says the strike doesn't seem to have touched Iran's stocks of highly enriched uranium: "Today, it still has that material and we still don't know where it is," he says.
    "I think you have to assume that significant amounts of this enriched uranium still exist, so this is not over by any means," agrees David Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and International Security, which has closely tracked Iran's nuclear program for years.
    The independent assessments stand in stark contrast to congratulatory statements from the Trump Administration in the wake of the strikes: "Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during a Pentagon press conference on Sunday. "The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant."
    Both Lewis and Albright say that the strikes themselves may well have been effective, although it is difficult to say for sure. Satellite imagery shows six deep holes in the ground around Fordo, and ashy debris over much of the site. Albright believes that bunker-busters were used to try and strike at the enrichment facility's ventilation system, along with the main hall where uranium-enriching centrifuges were kept.
    "I think the purpose of the attack was to take out centrifuges and infrastructure and they feel they accomplished that," Albright says.
    But as evidence that the strikes may have missed the uranium stocks, both Albright and Lewis point to commercial satellite imagery from the days before the strike. The images show trucks at two key sites — Isfahan and Fordo. The trucks appear to be sealing tunnels that serve as entrances to underground facilities used to store uranium, possibly in anticipation of an American attack.
    image
    Both experts believe Iranians could have also moved their enriched uranium out of the sites in the run-up to the U.S. strikes: "There were trucks seen in imagery apparently hauling stuff away," Albright says. "One would assume that any enriched uranium stocks were hauled away."
    The International Atomic Energy Agency had assessed that Iran has more than 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium 235 — enough for around ten bombs, according to independent experts. That 60% enriched uranium is carried in relatively small containers that could fit easily into cars, says Albright.
    Although Albright believes the program has been substantially set back, he thinks it could still be reconstituted. He says Iran may also have thousands of uranium-enriching centrifuges that were never installed in Natanz and Fordo. It might be possible to move the uranium to another, covert facility, where it could be enriched to the required 90% for a nuclear weapon in a relatively short period of time. Even then, Iran would have to take further steps to fashion the uranium into a weapon.
    "The program has been seriously set back, but there's a lot of odds and ends," Albright says. Ultimately he thinks the only way to truly end Iran's nuclear program is through additional nuclear inspections by international monitors and cooperation from the Iranian regime, probably though some kind of diplomatic agreement.
    Lewis agrees: "Even the most brilliant bombing campaign probably is not going to get us where we want to be," he says.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual
    I've been looking through LC Bl funds that have done well over the past three years without having gorged on the Mag 7, while also having turned in good performances YTD. Ideally I'd also like them to have more than a smattering of foreign stocks (indicating more flexibility).
    If I use 20% Mag 7 as a threshold (as of a couple of weeks ago), AFIFX comes in well under the wire at 17.5%. And it typically holds over 15% foreign (per M* analysis); currently 16.5%. In contrast, AICFX misses the cut at 22.5% Mag 7 (about 30% more), and it holds just half as much in foreign stocks (8.6%).
    Viewed up close, comparing these as two LC Bl funds, they appear substantially different. Pull back the lens and likely they will be seen to have converged over time. I agree that it does seem hard to tell the funds apart without a microscope.
    Regarding eligible lists, M* observes that a few years ago AICFX reduced its target yield, and consequently could add some more growth companies to its eligible list.
    These days, ISTM that many funds still use eligible lists, though they don't call it that. Rather, they say simply that they invest in S&P 500 stocks, or in R2K stocks, or whatever. They're just outsourcing the maintenance of their eligible lists. (Well, AF creates its funds eligible lists based on their funds' objectives, so they're more tailored.)
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual

    The Legal List idea is kind of outdated now. It was replaced in most jurisdictions by the Prudent Investor Rule, especially after the Uniform Prudent Investor Act was adopted by most U.S. states starting in the 1990s. As Modern Portfolio Theory became more widely accepted, fund managers moved toward broader risk-adjusted return frameworks that include a wider variety of asset classes and sectors. Obviously, many funds still follow its the style, but most don’t really talk about it anymore in their marketing or official rules. One big exception is Washington Mutual Investors.
    as far as criteria the courts used, it was largely credit quality, dividend history, established blue chippiness, avoiding high risk (junk bonds, penny stocks), needed income focus and there were even industry and sector restrictions.

    Thank you for the detail. I now have some new search terms.
    In addition to a bazillion share classes, American Funds has a lot of strategies that seem very similar to each other.

    IMO it wasn't always this way. their size has almost created this predicament. There is very little you can do when you try and build a portfolio of a few hundred stocks and are over 100 billion in size.
    in the early 90's American Mutual was all Large Value stocks and about 15% bonds. Washington Mutual was 75/25 Large Value/Large Growth and Investment co of Am was a true Large blend. Meanwhile Growth Fund was largely a Midcap blend.
    They all still have mild differences and over long periods have slightly different outcomes but in the end its still hard to figure the difference.
    One thing I did find out was that Washington Mutual used to skip alcohol and tobacco stocks. They changed in 2022 because they didn't want to get crosswise with the anti-esg crowd.
    I'm looking for equity funds for the IRA for when I decide to get back into the market. The low r-square of 83 for AMFFX does catch my eye. The capture ratios are nothing to write home about, but it did better than a lot of funds in the 2022 interest-rate Osterizer.
    RMD's are still three years off. So I'm in no hurry.
  • Buy Sell Why: ad infinitum.
    Reporting from a very hot weather Michigan …
    Drove up to the island for a couple hours today. Nice there. But the car’s outside thermometer was recording 99 degrees at 6 PM driving home thru Indian River. Hottest I can ever remember seeing anywhere. Not even in FLA have I ever seen it above 95!
    Treasuries? I’m watching too. Some expert on Bloomberg said today they’d soar (big drop in yield) as a “safe haven”. I’m seeing a slight drop in yield, but nothing significant yet this evening.
  • Question about the "Eligible List" for American Funds Washington Mutual

    The Legal List idea is kind of outdated now. It was replaced in most jurisdictions by the Prudent Investor Rule, especially after the Uniform Prudent Investor Act was adopted by most U.S. states starting in the 1990s. As Modern Portfolio Theory became more widely accepted, fund managers moved toward broader risk-adjusted return frameworks that include a wider variety of asset classes and sectors. Obviously, many funds still follow its the style, but most don’t really talk about it anymore in their marketing or official rules. One big exception is Washington Mutual Investors.
    as far as criteria the courts used, it was largely credit quality, dividend history, established blue chippiness, avoiding high risk (junk bonds, penny stocks), needed income focus and there were even industry and sector restrictions.

    Thank you for the detail. I now have some new search terms.
    In addition to a bazillion share classes, American Funds has a lot of strategies that seem very similar to each other.
    IMO it wasn't always this way. their size has almost created this predicament. There is very little you can do when you try and build a portfolio of a few hundred stocks and are over 100 billion in size.
    in the early 90's American Mutual was all Large Value stocks and about 15% bonds. Washington Mutual was 75/25 Large Value/Large Growth and Investment co of Am was a true Large blend. Meanwhile Growth Fund was largely a Midcap blend.
    They all still have mild differences and over long periods have slightly different outcomes but in the end its still hard to figure the difference.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    "How will the Iran conflict affect the global balance of power?
    Answering this question may seem a fool’s errand given how fast events are moving now that U.S. President Donald Trump has joined the war on Israel’s side.
    A lot depends on whether Tehran retaliates or sues for peace.
    Still, it is possible to identify some factors that will help determine whether the United States, China, Russia and Europe emerge from the conflict with more or less power.
    Will Iran’s nuclear programme come to an end, will war topple its regime, will a new government be less hostile to the U.S., or will the country descend into anarchy?"

    https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/iran-conflict-could-tilt-global-balance-power-2025-06-22/
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    --- Iran's Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas flows.
    --- U.S, urges China dissuade Iran closing strait of Hormuz
    GEEZ, just when one would like to have an 'ALLIE' give a helping hand.
    There must be a super plan we citizens are without knowledge.
    ARTICLE
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    From DuckDuckGo-
    Bunker busters, such as the GBU-28 and GBU-57A/B, are primarily manufactured in the United States by companies like Raytheon and Boeing. These bombs are designed to penetrate deep underground targets, making them effective against fortified structures.
  • LatAm disruption. Might explain the minor nosedive this week. News item
    As for Global Trade, Brazil and China move closer together as trade partners.
    china/china-brazil-pledge-defend-free-trade-presidents-meet-beijing
    Oh, yes, underway, indeed. I'd bet that over time, Canada develops shipping capabilities and ports with host countries in the global South. At the moment, there's not much from down there which reaches Canada without first coming through the US.
  • Fears of a Wider Mid-East War are Growing ...
    The U.S. has bombed the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan sites.
    Trump's corresponding Truth Social posts are below.
    @realDonaldTrump . 1h
    We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
    @realDonaldTrump . 52m
    I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran. This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!
    Edit/Add: BBC Live Reporting provides additional info.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ckg3rzj8emjt