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 find the Blog (The Financial Buff) by Harry Sit a worth while weekly read. Here are two recent articles on Estate Planning that many of us neglect or forget to get around to doing. Also I often get as much out of reading the comment section of the…
as SFGIX and PONAX. Thats as far as I got. Morningstar is terrible lately. I'm still waiting for BCSIX to update.
My bad...fake news...corrections:
SFGIX - down 0.74%
PONAX - down 0.08%
The rest seem correct:
PTIAX - up 0.04%
MINDX - down 0.…
A few funds I own that held there own today:
SFGIX - down 0.74% (corrected)
PONAX - down 0.08% (corrected)
PTIAX - up 0.04%
MINDX - down 0.12%
Others I follow:
USAGX - up 0.88%
PRPFX - down 0.22%
Also @Sven, if and when you separate service from your employer(s) you can roll over your 403(b) to a traditional IRA. I did this midway through my career because I change school systems. I also did this when I retired. Both qualified as separation …
I may need to go on a fund diet, but here is a snapshot of my funds and how they collectively "added to" or "subtracted from" the portfolio for the quarter on a percentage basis.
@bee, what if you has no option in your pension plan other than an annuity? Taking a lump sum is often calculated a reduced value. I still has 10-15 years to go.
If you are participating in a 403(b) plan, ask your plan sponsor if there are 403(b)…
Sounds like insurers are pushing their agenda in Washington as they attempt to buy votes for this bill's passage.
I never understood why 403(b) plans were offered to non-profits when 401(k) plans were the preferred offering in the private sector. …
Getting back to @Crash and his original post...obviously utilities have "sucked' lately, but PRWCX is "positive on Utes over the next decade"...@Ted long standing call for "QQQ" (which exists) may be replaced with "UUU" (which doesn't exist).
If yo…
Move to Credit Unions for local banking
Move to your favorite internet bank...mine is USAA.
Need Loans? Try PenFed or Navy Federal or your local CU.
"Too Big To Fail Banks" do not need your support, nor your patience.
How to Extract Income from a Retirement Portfolio
news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=855700
You Are Not a Monte-Carlo Simulation
https://blog.thinknewfound.com/2018/03/you-are-not-a-monte-carlo-simulation/
@Mark, from your article I quoted this:
Roth IRA conversion amounts may not be recharacterized back to a Traditional IRA after December 31 of the conversion year, beginning with conversions made in 2018.
The quote above makes it sound like a Roth co…
Thanks @Ted,
Is there a link to the LifePath Spending Tool?
The tool is initially being shared with retirement plan sponsors, but over time will be made available to the general public via BlackRock’s website.
...OK
@msf,
As a matter of instruction to beneficiaries of an inherited Roth IRA, and so long as the beneficiaries have earned income in the year of RMDs... could you imagine (Jay-dreaming here) a strategy where the Inherited Roth IRA withdrawal is used t…
@MikeM, That's interesting.
I have a 65 year old friend working and participating in a "mandatory 401K plan" through his employer.
Related IRS Reg change:
corporate.findlaw.com/corporate-governance/irs-approves-mandatory-401-k-contributions-if-ap…
I will add this... for those invested in TDF and within 15 years of retirement:
Do some homework. Figure out your retirement income sources and your likely retirement budget.
Any shortfall will need to be made up by withdrawing from other investme…
Keep in mind that next to our kids (then wife...then dog)...our cell phone and autonomous car come in a close 4th or 5th.
All of the Tech that will be necessary to get the autonomous car as ubiquitous as the cell phone needs to be evaluated for th…
@JohnN what is your "buying strategy"?
Are you a DCA investor?
What are you presently invested in?
What are your allocations?
What are your goals for these investments?
Where are you, age-wise, in your investment horizon...30,40,50,60,70,etc.
…
Thanks @Old_Skeet for the suggestion. Franklin is also well known for its Income Fund FKINX (FRIAX...low ER, High minimum option). M* star is quoting performance YTD for FISCX closer to 5% (4.93%).
A no load version of FISCX is FCSZX. ER of .59, th…
@JohnN, From your linked article was this quote:
Ron Surz, president of Target Date Solutions, a company that designs "smart" TDFs, has been sharply critical of conventional TDFs for years. “These funds with high concentrations in stocks are a time …
I'm gonna disagree...mostly.
Problem 1- Roth IRAs have income limits: If your income is too high to contribute to a Roth IRA (a good problem) you have the financial ability to contribute to a taxable retirement account and then orchestrate a "back …
Here one a way of looking at Valuation Globally.
https://starcapital.de/en/research/stock-market-valuation/
Once on the site, scroll to this interactive chart ( I captured an image of it below) which does a nice job of uncovering undervalued area i…
Interesting Articles on Safe Withdrawal Rates in retirement.
CAPE and Safe Withdrawal Rates
link to article:
https://finpage.blog/2018/02/28/cape-and-safe-withdrawal-rates/
Kitces 2008 Paper:Resolving the Paradox – Is the Safe Withdrawal Rate
S…
In other news:
United States hits Canadian forestry industry with more duties
The United States Department of Commerce said in a statement that a preliminary investigation found Canadian exporters underpriced uncoated groundwood paper by between 0 a…
On the contribution side of things.
Employees are required to contribute to their pension. In 13 states these pension plans replace SS as a retirement benefit (Windfall Elimination Provision).
Employers (often state politicians) commonly under-f…
From Report:
But active management consistently added value in two categories,
a screened list (1,3,5 yr - top 25% in category, No load/NTF) Developed Non-US Equities:
and,
a screened list (1,3,5 yr - top 25% in category, No load/NTF) Rea…
Appears to be one of the first areas of the finance sector (broker / dealers) who will implement blockchain technology (FinTech) to improve settlement efficiencies and profitability. What's not to like?
Is the new normal dis-inflation?
The "Amazon effect" appears to be very dis-inflationary along with other new efficiencies and here comes the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The old business model (promoted by the Fed) is a 2% inflation target…
Sounds like the greatest transfer of wealth since I got divorced.
My ex-wife got half my pension and I had a hunch my kids were not going to move out and go away quietly, but now the state is implementing new ways to fund my pension?
Next article…
Added @Ted thread on Retirement readiness. From Ted's linked article (HumbleDollar):
WANT TO DOUBLE-CHECK your retirement readiness? There’s a slew of online calculators available, but one of the best is NewRetirement.com. The site strives to delive…
USAUX is out performing the S&P 500 TR Index as well as the Large Growth Category Average over the last year...good job. That said, this managed approach to Large Growth stills struggles to outperform other in house Large Growth funds like NASDA…
AMZN and NFLX are two out performers for VCR YTD. Results seem bifurcated with 12 of the top 25 holding with negative returns YTD.
VCR covers this space with 371 holding (Top 10 holdings = 41% of fund), with a mere 6% turnover.
FSRPX covers this s…
@MikeM, Seems World Bond category is holding up (of which your MAINX is one).
Anothers I screened (performance YTD & good risk profile):
PRSNX - TRPrice Multisector International (Tracks MAINX with a longer history),
Wonder if more of their wealth was accumulated base on fees (AUM fees) verses investment returns? Me thinks collecting fees to run the funds they offer. Less risk....more reward.
Interesting no one from Vanguard shows up on the list.
I think of commodities as the the raw materials of manufacturing and production. As these commodity prices dropped and stayed low many users of these raw materials have seen improvements to their operating expenses (transporter, manufacturers, and c…
