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And all of the funds we bought get horrible grades from the site recommended by msf. ... CSGZX ha[s] held up reasonably well from our purchase[] in July
CSGZX is 'A' rated on fossil fuels, is scored a 17 on carbon footprint and a 35 on carbon intensity, both low relative to benchmarks, and is 'A' rated in terms of deforestation.

@sma3. When I was doing the research, it was easy to find alt-energy ETF funds that excluded consumer durables. IIRC, that is the category that Tesla, and other EV makers, fall into. It's like looking for dividend funds that exclude REITS.
I'm also always irritated when I find Amazon in an ESG fund.
And all of the funds we bought get horrible grades from the site recommended by @msf.
In my experience, when I bought any fund is the single largest factor in how I feel about it years later.
Alt-energy and tech were at significant discounts this past year. TDV and CSGZX have held up reasonably well from our purchases in July. Purchases from 2021 don't leave us half so enthusiastic.
One question I ask myself is, "Are these things going to go away?" Another question I ask myself is whether I will be disappointed if tech, alt-energy, and health become as boring as consumer durables and utilities.

Nevermind, found it.
"(Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc's ( AMZN ) layoffs will now increase to more than 18,000 roles as part of a workforce reduction it previously disclosed, Chief Executive Andy Jassy said in a public staff note on Wednesday.
The layoff decisions, which Amazon ( AMZN ) will communicate starting Jan. 18, will largely impact the company's e-commerce and human-resources organizations, he said.
The cuts amount to 6% of Amazon's ( AMZN ) roughly 300,000-person corporate workforce and represent a swift turn for a retailer that recently doubled its base pay ceiling to compete more aggressively for talent."
Amazon CEO says job cuts to exceed 18,000 roles

So as unfortunate as that is for the affected individuals it amounts to a little over 1% of their workforce. It leaves me wondering just what all those folks in corporate were doing.

All of you mention valid arguments about the past performance of MMAs, but I am looking at this from today's perspective, the momentum shifted, at least for the next 3, 6, and 10 months in favor of treasuries and MMAs. CDs provide a way to lock in the rate now for the next 6 yrs. Historically, RPHIX had not returned 4% per year.
Another point to consider is taxation, US Treasuries are not taxed at the State level.

Cuts focused on the company’s corporate staff exceed earlier projection
Following are excerpts from a current report in The Wall Street Journal:

Amazon Inc.’s layoffs will affect more than 17,000 employees, according to people familiar with the matter, the highest reduction tally revealed in the past year at a major technology company as the industry pares back amid economic uncertainty.
The Seattle-based company in November said that it was beginning layoffs among its corporate workforce, with cuts concentrated on its devices business, recruiting and retail operations. At the time, The Wall Street Journal reported the cuts would total about 10,000 people. Thousands of those cuts began last year.
The rest of the cuts will bring the total number of layoffs to more than 17,000 and will be made over the coming weeks, some of the people said. As of September, Amazon employed 1.5 million people, with a large percentage of them in its warehouses. The layoffs are concentrated in the company’s corporate ranks, some of the people said.

Yes, I agree with you to this point about primary housing. We've not held individual U.S. gov't bonds in a taxable account; but I recall the ordinary dividends (paid two times a year?) are taxable at a Federal level annually, but not at the state and local levels; although one doesn't actually receive the dividend. I stand corrected, if I misunderstand this tax point.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing; exhibit 1 :-)
What you are describing are STRIPs - zero coupon government bonds (created by "stripping" the coupons from the bonds). And your description of their tax treatment (imputed interest) is correct.
What Lewis is talking about is your run of the mill, coupon-paying bond, whether Treasury note/bond or corporate. The idea is that the coupon payment you'd receive would cover the mortgage payments, or at least the interest portion. That seems like it might be possible if you have a mortgage obtained a while ago when mortgage rates were lower, and you buy a bond now paying a higher rate.
In any event, that coupon paying bond would be subject to income taxes. But if the coupon roughly matched the interest portion of the mortgage payment, you'd be taking a deduction (on the mortgage) equal to the amount of the coupon.
The suggestion is essentially a quick and dirty cash flow matching strategy - simple, elegant, and liquidity enhancing.

If a fund has a $100,000 minimum, is it OK if you invest with this amount and shortly afterwards, remove a large portion of the initial sum while maintaining the rest of the investment?
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what the fund requires for a maintenance balance, and then if you fail to maintain that balance, whether the fund company chooses to exercise its right to give you notice (if required) and close (or downgrade) your account.
For taxable accounts, FZDXX requires $100K to open, but only $10K to maintain. From its statutory prospectus:

If your fund balance falls below $10,000 worth of shares for any reason and you do not increase your balance, Fidelity may sell all of your shares and send the proceeds to you after providing you with at least 30 days' notice to reestablish the minimum balance.

So by prospectus, you're allowed to drop the balance by 90% with no consequences. And even if you drop the balance lower, it's up to the discretion of the fund company (here, Fidelity) to close out the account after appropriate notice.
The reality is that for this particular fund, Fidelity is pretty lax. But don't push things too far. I did. For RMD purposes, I sold $10K of a fund in a Roth IRA and moved it to FZDXX ($10K min in IRAs). I announced to the Fidelity rep that my intent was that some of that be used for the RMD and the rest stay there to maintain open position in FZDXX. Even though this would drop the balance below the min; I would rely upon Fidelity's discretion not to close the account.
While the rep acknowledged that Fidelity doesn't really close these accounts, my explicit acknowledgement was a bit too much for him. He (rightly) felt compelled to check with his back office whether this was okay before he put the trade through. The back office said what I was planning was fine and the rep placed the trade. But I did, inadvertently, put him in an awkward position.
A few years ago, two Vanguard funds we held in admiral shares dropped below the admiral class min. Vanguard converted one of the funds back to investor class shares. The other fund Vanguard left alone. FWIW, the funds were submanaged by different money management firms.
The bottom line is that it depends. If the rules allow a lower maintenance balance, all is well and good. If not, it's up to the fund company. In my experience, most times the fund company won't care. But sometimes it does act.

@FD1000
>> You can make several % more in managed bond fund, this is where they shine.
go on, please (as always)
DODIX was down just under 10% for the year, a few percent better (yes) than FTBFX, FBND, AGG, BOND, and the others, not as good as PONAX (a bit better than -8%). STIP down a bit over 2%.

Apples and oranges. PONAX is a multi sector fund. TIPS is a tip fund. DODIX is a diversified higher rated bond funds.
PMORX made more than all the above.
TBX made even more, and I posted about it months ago on another site.

Yes, additional money was added to the 401(k), Roth IRA, and HSA accounts in 2022.

Thanks for your reply @Observant1 . Did you add addition money to these accounts during 2022 ? I'm guessing you did. I know I added to two separate accounts & will have to subtract those amounts from 2022 closing balance.
Have a good week, Derf

@yogibearbull
For example the YTM on TIPS maturing 1/2028 is 1.697 at Schwab. That is the YTM received after paying original price plus accumulated inflation adjustment, correct? (For this particular example, I can't see the actual accumulated adjustment, as it has a $75000 minimum and Schwab won't let me look at the final proposed trade)
In order for that to beat similar treasury YTM at 3.84, inflation has to run at greater than 2.143 ( 3.84-1.697), and the additional income will be in the form of accumulated inflation adjustment in principal?

I did that maybe 15-20 years ago with a Summit fund held directly at TRP when I believe the entry point was $25,000 - and it worked until I eventually sold the fund and moved on. Recall one of their (previously very capable) phone reps suggested the tactic to me. My guess would be that it would work until it doesn’t (ie for a number of months but not for years). If there are any “low balance” fees associated with fund, that should appear in the fund prospectus.

If a fund has a $100,000 minimum, is it OK if you invest with this amount and shortly afterwards, remove a large portion of the initial sum while maintaining the rest of the investment? Does each fund family have their rules, or is this a common practice?

@Derf,
The 2022 rates of return listed above were obtained directly from Vanguard/Fidelity for each account.
I calculated total portfolio values after the last trading days of 2021 and 2022.
My overall portfolio value decreased 8.18% when 401(k), Roth IRA, and HSA contributions were included.
If these contributions were excluded, the decrease in value would have been greater (didn't calculate this result).
The 401(k) account comprised 42.23% of the total portfolio.
I hope this answers your question...

@Observant1 : I find your return -8.18 % for the year 2022 to be puzzling or I'm missing the big picture.
"401k
-8.02%
Taxable account #1
-8.50%
Roth IRA
-17.10%
Taxable account #2
-13.11% "
It would appear you had 96% of assets in 401-k & 1% in the other 3 accounts.
What is it that I'm missing .

better
https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=116&emc=edit_pk_20230103&instance_id=81732&nl=paul-krugman&productCode=PK&regi_id=22268089&segment_id=121460&te=1&uri=nyt://newsletter/300cd397-72c7-5517-a368-6a1161feac62&user_id=83d45440ead1d14c2a89a1e7221337d1

I jumped in a couple of these discussions in times past:
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/58867/climate-change-funds
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/59881/clean-renewable-etf-s-are-you-there-now-or-considering-investing
QCLN has a large exposure to Tesla. And I specifically sorted out any ETF with a large exposure to that sort of consumer stock.
We are small-time investors. We throw nickels around like they were man-hole covers. M* Christine would be appalled at the number of investments we have in our multiple portfolios. But our small stake in alt-energy funds have mostly stemmed the tide since we bought them.
My wife has the most interest in alt-energy funds. And in mid-July I purchased TAN, ICLN, PBD, and GRID. Only PBD is down a little since then.
At the same time I suggested water. CGW and FIW have kept their heads above it.
ESG funds are a different kettle of fish. We have been having a rough ride with our Parnassus funds.

Hi @BenWP
'If there’s a PM out there who has crystal ball-like predictions into who will prosper from such changes, please let '''her''' step forward to be showered with investors’ ducats.'
SALURE !
TAN (solar) held decent in 2022 among the 'clean' group. A -6.1%.