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.
Reply to @AndyJ: Thanks for your follow-up, Andy. The Vfinx worked fine - but looks pretty dismal if I am reading moving averages correctly. I looked at the performance for VDC - and was really surprised that it went down so much in 2008. I thou…
Reply to @Flack: Here's hoping..... I tried to check M* for moving averages lines. I tried SPY for S&P500, but M*'s usual option next to Chart feature didn't show moving average option. Do you know how I can get M* to give me moving averages…
Reply to @scott: You're a braver "man" than I, Scott. I wouldn't dare try to time the market during this mess. But I'm really sorry this one didn't work out for you... I'm sure you have lots of others than have done well.
Reply to @Flack: Thanks, Flack. That's my problem. I didn't start tracking daily returns until the end of 2009. So I have no idea if there has been this kind of daily volatility during more "normal" markets where it all "smooths out" in the long…
Thanks for the continuing links, JohnN. It was especially comforting to see so many of MFO members' favorite funds in the "20 Funds That Can Weather Downturns" link - along with several I don't recognize that could be worth checking out.
Reply to @catch22: Hi Catch. Thanks for your input. Your portfolios have certainly held their own in these volatile times, and I think many of us have very negative outlooks for the next few years. But, most important right now, is to get your c…
Reply to @BobC: Thanks for your input, Bob. But I find it almost impossible to believe that even Republicans could pass a bill with such drastic cuts to Medicare that would alienate such a large proportion of the elderly population right before an …
Reply to @Investor: I have just been re-reading the two articles. One area that confuses me in "Ultimate Buy and Hold" (and also indicated in many other articles) is what they all keep saying about the good diversification of int'l stocks to U.S.…
Reply to @Investor: Thanks, Investor. I did read the original articles that were linked in FA and found them very helpful, so I appreciate your linking me to the updates. It's really interesting how much more I am able to grasp the theory and spec…
Reply to @Investor: YEA! THAT's THE CHART I WAS LOOKING FOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, INVESTOR! Unless these hypothetical returns are completely wrong, I don't understand why someone wouldn't be happy with the 8.2% annualized return that the 20% equity…
Reply to @johnN: Thanks, John, your specific link helped by giving me some statistics similar to what I was looking for. When I saw the main Merriman site Investor linked, it looked so familiar I was hoping that was the site. But that site has bee…
Reply to @Investor: Thanks so much, Investor, for the reminder of Merriman's site. I remember getting a lot out of this, but had forgotten to check the site since then.
However, I couldn't find the chart I was looking for. There is similar inform…
Reply to @Accipiter: My adding fund names with commas worked just fine. Only thing missing for the ones I quickly checked were the MFO links - all listings N/A and I know some of these funds have been referenced here. I know we can search directly…
Reply to @Accipiter: Thanks so much for helping to create Falcon's Eye - I love it! I also really like ALL your suggestions listed above and hope they can be approved and implemented.
Reply to @jafink63: Thanks for letting me know that you have also gained some knowledge by reading responses to my questions. I feel like I've been hogging so much of so many great members' time lately, so it helps that others are benefiting also.…
Reply to @BobC: Actually, I've already replied to Bob, but I wanted the others here to know that he did very kindly take the time to respond to me regarding this.
Reply to @GregFromBoston: Thanks so much for your follow-up, Greg. The Standard Deviation USB gave me was just one of the "positives" they mentioned in their evaluation of this Portfolio. Since the 3 year avg SD of this Portfolio Morningstar shows…
Reply to @MikeM: Thanks so much, Mike, for your explanation and examples. Very interesting - and not dry at all to me. Did you calculate the SD in your samples yourself? I am able to find M*'s SD's for 3, 5, 10 and 15 years on the mutual funds, …
Reply to @Investor: Thanks, Investor, I missed your response in reviewing my personal feedback entries so am glad I checked the general discussions. I'll see if I can find the prospectus on these notes. But, since I am still very early in my learn…
Reply to @Accipiter: Thanks for your follow-up, Accipiter. I have had Windows show hidden files, and file extensions, which I agree is important - especially if you're looking for something. I'm sure there will be no problem locating the discrepan…
Reply to @Maurice: Thanks so much for your input, Maurice. You've hit upon what I've recently realized is one of my main problems - which is thinking I understand something based entirely upon my review of the market over the current, to last 10 ye…
Reply to @johnN: Thanks so much for your input and links, John. What I am concentrating on now, however, involves my Mom's trusts, almost all which are non-transferable to another firm. Even when I will be concentrating more on my husband and my i…
Reply to @Investor: Thanks, Investor. I'm checking the report on my Advisor now - showed no previous criminal or disciplinary status. The guy I chose (Carl Carpenter of Beacon Financial Partners LLC) is a fee-only advisor who I plan on contracting…
Reply to @MikeM: Thanks, Mike. I had noted Napfa in responses I received last year - just forgot to mention including that in my check. The guy I found is shown in NAPFA and seems to have good credentials - and it turns out he is located less than…
Reply to @catch22: Thanks, Catch. I guess that was my point. If I contacted BobC directly to ask for his professional advice, that could put him in an uncomfortable position even if I tried to send him a check for his services. I value all the i…
Reply to @catch22: Thanks for your input, Catch. I thought of contacting Bob directly, but was afraid it would be too imposing upon him to ask. I guess I felt that, if he read this, he would respond if that was something he felt comfortable with.
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Reply to @Accipiter: THANK YOU SO MUCH, Accipiter! The interesting thing I found out about learning is that I realized I have to learn in small, incremental steps. When I first started reading FA and other investment information, I had no idea wha…
Reply to @msf: Thanks so much for your detailed response, msf! I did try to find out more about this at JPMorgan site, but didn't get any response to the search entries I tried. I tried your links, but seems to need password to enter site so I co…
Reply to @Accipiter: Thank you so much, Accipiter, for taking so much of your time to break down the differences for me! Your specific examples really help! I am so grateful to you, and all the others in this Forum who have also taken a lot of tim…
Reply to @Maurice: Thanks so much, Maurice, for taking the time to respond with nice specifics - that really helps. I will review the figures more carefully to make sure I understand.
Re JPMorgan. The listing in my statement just lists this unde…
Reply to @scott: Thanks so much, Scott, for all the time you've taken on this for me! I will definitely check out all your links.
Couple things. I misspoke on the response re IDR CORE. I double-checked my notes which show they project a 5% typ…
Reply to @scott: I had a 1-1/2 hour conference call with USB management early Friday. Very disturbing. They did verify that "IDR Core EQ RE 2010 LP Net Ca; Bal" is the "Investors Diversified Realty" you found. They said it is a private fund tha…
Reply to @msf: Thanks for your details, msf. Your example is the idea I was looking for - I just didn't put it very well. In the case I was asking about, the dividends are paid out as cash - and spent by the investment recipient. So those distri…
I also hope that those of you living on the East Coast are ok - and still have electricity. I can't imagine going without electricity for weeks - this kind of disruption would have to change your whole way of living during this time.
