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.
I guess it boils down to a simple question: should one invest in something they don’t understand,,,, never knowing what’s in the black box? Or should past performance and the reputation of the manager be enough reason to invest?
Retired guy here. I understand the real and emotional need to try to generate income. But at the end of the day the first rule is do not lose money. Check out the TOTAL RETURN numbers and decide if these three are the best way to go. It also ma…
Does this new policy apply to clients enrolled in a 401k at work? My daughter has a Vanguard retirement plan from her employer and she is being kicked out of Wellington and being automatically migrated to a JP Morgan age appropriate TDF unless she …
Thanks to all for sharing…… I am particularly interested in conflicting desires in portfolio design. Optimization vs simplification. Like many things in life one can make such changes too soon or too late. Hard to get the timing just right.
@stillers. Perhaps another universe is oddly phrased, but my financial life would be entirely different if I had a pension check roll in every month. Many decisions would be looked at differently.
Thanks for posting. I have always thought that retired folks with pensions lived in another universe compared to the rest of us. I wonder if most pension recipients pay much attention to what is going on behind the scenes at their fund?
Another current situation my agent told me about. I asked her to write a homeowner policy for my daughter who had a policy with a company leaving California. She was able to wire it with a top company but was only able to write one new business pol…
Former insurance agency owner here. Limited churn works both ways. We worked really hard at retention and caught business that left agents who didn’t take care of their clients. The independent agent who handles our insurance is not thrilled with …
Have you looked at the credit quality of the FI sleeve, the expense ratio, the minuscule amount of assets under management and how long the management has been running a fund?
@David. Since I started this thread. I will answer your question with why I had an interest. I find that the rule is often quoted so I wondered aloud why some fund company didn’t offer a 50/50 fund fitting Bengen model. Personally I think the r…
@Hondo. I get that. I try and try and try to get my dear wife interested or motivated to do exactly what you describe. Massive fail on my part. My fall back is just do Wellesley and do done with it but so far I refuse.
dt. I am sure you know this but others may not. I have learned that you can buy a CD and not pay for it till the settlement date. So if you have a CD maturing on the 4th and you spot one that you want and it doesn’t settle till the 7th you can pu…
dt. I am a happy retiree at 5.2%. Also worth mentioning are more choices from too big to fail banks as opposed to small no name banks. If one has no need to take risks this is a happy time.
@rforno. Morningstar’ed. A new verb. We all know what it means. Can you imagine if brother Crash had used PV? He would be going crazy. He would be using words that had never been used before.
@rforno. I think you have articulated something that resonates with me as a retired person…it’s not necessarily the dividend that I appreciate or even need but the boring ride. When I compare funds and ETF s I now pay more intention to the worst …
@Fred495. Yes I have looked at PRCFX. yes, VWIAX has had a disappointing most recent three year but lack of tech and longish duration FI explain that. Part of my search is for one fund my widow will be able to live with. Simplicity. But for me …
@ Fred495. Pondering the same question. I think you nailed the key differences. My research has shown that the Fidelity product has a broader mandate and may move into areas that might not be what you are looking for. Perhaps greater returns b…
@Crash. Are you second guessing your active fund manager for not being an index hugger? I read on this very board that guy is the GOAT. Perhaps you think differently.
“The Select List is built by identifying the best combination of factors such as performance,risk,and expense.” Sorry I am an old guy and don’t know how to cut and paste. But if you follow a link the word “eligibility “ is another criteria. Think a…
Crash. Are you just messing with us when you ask obvious questions? If you found the Select List it defines itself and explains how funds make the list. “Oh Goodie!”
The zip code has labor cost built into the rates. Here in Sacramento there are many zip codes that have very mixed demographics. So it’s not necessarily rich vs poor. My own zip code has some very exclusive areas and pretty crummy and rougher neig…
@ MikeM. Material might be similar cost in different regions but labor surely is higher here. So the cost of rebuilding a 2,000 square foot home will cost more in a high labor state.
What is work from home “subsidizing”? Both my daughter and son in law work from home. They use less gas, drive less miles, don’t use dry cleaners, don’t eat lunch out, buy less clothes,,,, not inflationary at all.
@BaluBalu. My experience was that rates were filed with the state and agents used the same carrier supplied software to provide a quote. The only way my quote would be different than another agent quoting the same carrier would be either failure …
Many many years ago I was a property and casualty insurance agent. In California we were required to notify the carrier of any accident the insured mentioned to us,,, even if their intention not to file a claim. When writing new business we were re…
Not a speculator in the EFF but curious. How rare is it that an ETF has such a life span and what does that say about the people behind it. Or: it had a shorter life than DJT.
