The first thing I look for is what is wrong with the article. This one is pretty easy.
mmm...since div investing hasn't worked for so long let's mention the top tech companies with Divs.
Well, the top 10 tech in QQQ are about 47%. QQQ pays under 1%...no need to look further.
The tech giant's great performance had nothing to do with Divs. Did GOOG, NFLX, AMZN ever paid divs?

@FD1000...ya I see your point but you are leaving the risk equation out of the picture...the ole sequence of return risk.
Most will crap their shorts when the market draws down 30 to 40%
They'll never stay with and will bail out likely at the bottom

I can always discuss bad behavior. Why a Div investor would hold and the SP500 would not? High Div isn't a guarantee for better performance or a lower risk.
It's all a mindset until the 70s when healthy blue chips paid Div. Then came the tech revolution and these companies don't use it anymore while some believe it's still going on.

Just posted all ratings to MFO Premium site through April, which includes month to date performance through Friday, 10 May.

Whoa ! My car insurance jumped 60% from April 2023 to October 2023 ! From $50.18 to $94.32. For six months on a 1998 BMW M Roadster. It went up another $2 this April. I'm not going to complain. OK, I don't carry collision or comprehensive, but still.
Over the years, State Farm has done right by me on several occasions. I don't think about switching. (The Volvo only went up 13%, mainly due to Property Protection.)

"a better, more inclusive, homeowners policy"
Having used a fair number of different insurance companies throughout our times it seems to me that all of the homeowners policies are virtually identical, with specification labels such as "HO-1", "HO-2", or "HO-3". All of our policies have been of the "HO-3" type.
Of course the various limits of each policy differ, but the policy "form" is pretty standard. From internet sources, here is an overview of those three forms-

HO-1 policies can help pay to repair your home and replace your belongings if they’re damaged by a covered loss. HO-1 homeowners insurance policies are named peril policies, meaning you’re only protected against the 10 named perils listed in your policy:
Fire and lightning | Windstorm and hail | Explosions | Riot and civil commotion
Damage caused by an aircraft | Damage caused by a vehicle that’s not your own
Smoke damage | Vandalism and malicious mischief | Theft | Volcanic eruption
HO-1 homeowners insurance policies are actual cash value policies, which means that depreciation is factored into your claim payout.
HO-2 policies, or broad form policies, offer more coverage than HO-1. HO-2 policies are also named peril policies, but they include coverage for more types of loss, including falling objects and some types of water damage.
An HO-3 policy, or special form policies, is the most common type of homeowners insurance. HO-3s are all-risk policies, meaning you’re protected against all types of loss except for the ones specifically excluded in your policy, like floods and earthquakes.

I'm guessing that for those with really exceptional insurance needs there are high-end companies such as Chubb who may also write special policies unique to a specific situation.

The graphic is set for the 5 days ending May 10, Friday; for the best to worst % returns in select etf categories. One may then also select the one month column to align the one month return best to worst; or for the other listed time frame columns.
ADD an etf performance of your choosing, if you desire. ***
*** Requested ADD: For the week and YTD
--- MINT = +.09% / +2.3% Pimco Ultra Short Term Enhanced Bonds
--- EWW = +2.5% / +.91% (I Shares, Mexico)
MMKT note: Fidelity core mmkt's yields remain basically unchanged this week, having .01% yields downward, with core acct's yields at 4.95% (SPAXX) and 4.98% (FDRXX).
NOTE: The broad U.S. equity and bond sectors finished the week with generally positive performance in many sectors through a very erratic market week. China large cap (FXI etf) , had another week of 'performance+', with a +15.6 YTD; as well as DXJ etf(Japan large cap), which is now +23.9 YTD. Bonds in many sectors ended the total week performance with mixed gains. Bond funds ranged from +.09% to a +.73%, with the ultra short term being the lowest positive (as expected) and the very long term being the best sectors. See the 'graphic' link at the beginning of this write for details of weekly returns.
NEW: 1 week 'heat map' by sectors. This is an interactive graphic. You may hover the computer pointer over the various blocks to view portions of sectors and/or stocks within those sectors. NOTE: to the left of the graphic, one may change the 1 week performance drop down menu to another time frame. Another example: at the left edge of the graphic, select exchange traded funds and then 1 week or a time period of your choice.
Remain curious,
Catch

May 5 & 11 Episodes:

Teresa Ghilarducci argues that working longer is not the solution to the retirement crisis. She explains why not and what is.

PIMCO’S Group Chief Investment Officer Dan Ivascyn also runs the world’s largest actively managed bond fund, PIMCO Income. He says bond returns are the most attractive they have been in years and even rival stocks.

The JEPI fund managers also run JHEQX which has an inception date of 12/13/2013.
These two funds are not clones.
JEPI is "designed to provide current income while maintaining prospects for capital appreciation."
JHEQX is "designed to provide capital appreciation through a diversified equity portfolio,
while hedging overall market exposure."
With that said, here's a Portfolio Visualizer Backtest for JHEQX, RLBGX, VWENX, and VFIAX.
https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=5276rWmbK9uD5mgRq56Fhw

“'While many investment strategies have lagged the tech-heavy S&P 500 and Mag 7 stocks over the past year,
high dividend growth and high free cash flow has kept up,' Chris Senyek, chief investment strategist
with Wolfe Research, wrote in the report."
“'Dividend investing is an attractive long-term structural investment strategy, it’s tried and true,' Ben Kirby,
co-head of investments of Thornburg, wrote in an email to Barron’s. 'It tends to generate attractive returns and,
in many cases, better returns to the overall market, usually with less volatility.'”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/it-s-a-good-time-to-look-at-apple-and-other-growth-stocks-that-pay-dividends/ar-BB1lUCXX

Barron's recently published an article about JEPI titled How a Niche Fund Became the Biggest Active ETF.
"All in all, J.P. Morgan Premium Equity Income provides an attractive take on the covered-call strategy.
But investors still need to think carefully about whether this have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too strategy really deserves a place in their portfolios."
"Covered-call funds’ yields may be comparable to those of bond funds, but they don’t necessarily offer the same downside protection. In a bear market, the options premium should provide some cushion against losses,
but beyond these, the funds have all the downsides of a stock portfolio."
MSN link to article for those without a Barron's subscription:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/how-a-niche-fund-became-the-biggest-active-etf/ar-BB1m0IxK

Charlie Bilello customarily posted The Week In Charts videos to his own YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@charlie_bilello/videos
The three most recent The Week In Charts videos were posted only to his employer's YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@creativeplanning/videos
Now with that out of the way, let's proceed...
The Week in Charts (05/10/24)
The most important charts and themes in markets, including...
00:00 Intro
01:03 Topics
02:19 "Don't Let Them Sell You a Bond Fund"
13:50 Saving Social Security
26:08 Is the Consumer Finally Pulling Back?
34:51 Falling Fertility Rates
43:08 Buy In May and Stay
45:53 Welcome to the Casino
49:01 Happy Workers
Video

I’ve had 12% of our portfolio in VWIAX for some time, but have paired it back by 1/3. With VWIAX invested in value stocks and intermediate bonds, its performance has lagged for several years.
When I first started investing, I had bought into the large and small value concept that they are the sweet spot of equity investing. This has not been my personal experience these last few years. This may still bare out over time, but my personal timeline is more limited than the market itself.
I’ve slowly been reallocating to more of a total stock market focus. There are so many interesting funds that are available, which I’ve dabbled in over the past few years. But once I’ve purchased a starter position, I ask myself if I’m willing to invest an amount that can make a difference in my total returns, and often the answer is no and I sell that fund. After being an investor in VWIAX for many years, the answer to that question has been shifting.

Utes today. Maybe it's just sector rotation after all.
I find it easier for me to already be there when things do rotate.

Indeed. A month or so ago I sold UTG and went into HTD…a John Hancock CEF holding both utilities plus preferred shares. I also hold a similar John Hancock fund, PTD. Both utilities and preferreds will benefit with moderation of rates. I consider it as fixed income with a kicker.

Catch - I haven’t seen the paperwork yet. They’re mailing it to me to look over. I’m thinking I might not have heard right on the phone. Could be a 6-month term. That’s how often the car insurance renews, Or perhaps the amount quoted is based on the remaining months until the homeowner’s policy renews. They did say I needed to increase the liability limit on the homeowner’s policy, but not sure how much that will add to the total cost. Yes, it’s supposed to be an umbrella policy. Yes, the agent did say $1 Mil coverage. I can understand where southern Michigan might have higher rates.
Yogi says “It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.”

@hank Your're writing about an 'umbrella' policy, yes?
I'm sure these vary by your home/auto policy liability amounts and perhaps area.
Our cost is $368/year for $1 million, as a reference. South/central Michigan.

Utes today. Maybe it's just sector rotation after all.
I find it easier for me to already be there when things do rotate.

Right there with ya guys!. Agent called today. App is in the mail. About $80 a year . I’d never heard of one either. But the world was a much different place back when I first took out homeowners insurance in 1977.
Geez, you learn a lot here!
Edit 5/13/24 / I received the written application. I must not have understood the agent over the phone. Here’s the ditty:
- 1 Mil Umbrella
- Annual cost $138
- Cost to increase homeowner liability coverage: $60 per year
- Total additional annual cost to me: $198 annually
- Likely I’m receiving a discount for having home and 2 vehicles with same insurer
- There were 18 “yes / no” questions on the app - Things like “Do you have any pets?” and “Have you ever been party to a lawsuit?” They seemed especially interested in any powered recreational vehicles. I have none. (We pedal)

I have lost al hope that most organizations can keep up with hackers. The only hacks we probably hear about seem to be health care institutions that are probably legally mandated to report.
Unless one lives in California ...

California law requires a business or state agency to notify any California resident whose unencrypted personal information, as defined, was acquired, or reasonably believed to have been acquired, by an unauthorized person. (California Civil Code s. 1798.29(a) [agency] and California Civ. Code s. 1798.82(a) [person or business].)

https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/reporting

Looking at the portfolio data, a couple of top line figures stand out. (Yogi also commented on much of this; he posted as I was composing.)
M* reports that FMSDX has 45% of its assets in its top ten holdings, but that's misleading. Its top 4 holdings, at 11%, 8.5%, 8.5%, and 8% are Treasuries. Disregarding that, its portfolio doesn't look nearly so concentrated (i.e. closer to VWIAX's 12% of assets in top 10 holding).
Portfolio composition is a different story. While both funds are classified as moderately conservative (meaning similar stock/bond ratios), the Fidelity fund is noticeably more aggressive - as one might infer from its volatility.
Fidelity says that its fund is 41.5% in equities with the rest (excluding 1.35% cash/other) in bonds. Vanguard says its fund is 37.12% in equities with the rest (excluding 1.12% short term reserves) in bonds. Superficially similar, but ...
https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/composition/31638R717
https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/mutual-funds/profile/vwiax#portfolio-composition
Vanguard says that all of its bonds are investment grade (albeit 17% Baa), while Fidelity reports that nearly a third of its bonds are junk bonds. Those typically behave more like equities. In this sense, the Fidelity fund begins to look more like a moderate allocation fund. In fact, M* classified the fund this way in 2021 and 2022.
Wellesley is a traditional hybrid fund, with a large cap value-leaning equity portfolio. FMSDX currently has more of a large blend orientation, though it tends to skew more toward mid caps (even now it is right on the mid/large boundary).
All of these differences help to understand the overall performance differences you're seeing. They're both fine funds and which one you pick would seem to depend on the type of fund you want.

I manuvered in the direction of cash. Sold / submitted sell orders pretty much across the board. Should raise my cash level from around 10% to near 12%. Some of this due to caution - and some related to anticipated infrastructure spending.