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 also think sector funds like Chemicals (FSCHX) serve investors well as petrochemicals are the feed stock (material) for many more products than merely fuel (Energy).
The chemicals industry, which directly touches more than 96 percent of all manufa…
Maybe I missed it, but does John Bogle discuss what impact stock buybacks have had on equities returns and dividend yields? This is especially important when a company finances these stock buybacks with a bond offering. Do we as investors own the bo…
Not a bad time to understand another retirement maneuver employed mainly by the wealthy, but might be even more strategic for lower wage earners if the 401K gets capped.
Funding a backdoor Roth and Avoiding Six Common Mistakes
news.morningstar.com/…
@Ted, I actually watched your embedded video and found the full episode at the end of your video and then just copied the embedded URL into my post. Hope that helps. I run Firefox.
Interesting Article on how each state may approach the CSR issue differently and thus impact 2018 ACA plan offerings:
who-will-do-silver-switcharoo-how-states-are-dealing-2018-csr-uncertainty
A state by state list as to how they are handling it:
CS…
@MikeM, In the article the author mentioned that the "newness" of TRLAX will rely upon the rolling average of TRRBX to determine its 5% payout. At least that is how I read it.
Quote:
Since the fund is new, it initially will base payouts on the fiv…
This website will help you "get a human" at a variety of different companies when you call:
gethuman.com/phone-number
As an example, I typed in Eversource (my Electric Utility Company) and got this:
Thanks @Ted and @TheShadow for bringing these funds and this article to the board.
I came across another article (I linked below) back in May, but in light of these funds introduction I thought it was worthy of re-posting. The article looks at usi…
@PRESSmUp, Thanks for mentioning the need to differentiate taxable and tax sheltered funds.
As far as "coughing up" goes... my sense is it often will have at least two triggers.
1. The 1-3 year bucket balance is low and in need of replenishing or…
@Old_Skeet...lots to ponder...longer response coming.
@Ted, yes. They have been and should be good investments for growth going forward.
@Derf, yes. I looked at these retirement funds as glide path funds for the 5 year increment / spending needs i…
You might also look to harvest tax losses that would off set gains. Locking in a loss might sound counter intuitive , but it can help offset gains.
These losses rollover from on tax year to the next if they are not used to offset gains in the year …
@Gary,
You would complete an (Traditional, 401K, 403b, etc.) IRA to Roth IRA Conversion if the future Rate of Return (ROR) will be higher for the Roth IRA comparef to a tax deferred IRA. Article below discusses this in detail using this calculator …
Some RMD Math for first RMD:
70 in April 2018
70.5 in October 2018
(2) choices for first RMD:
1. By end of December 2018 (based on 2017 FMV (Fair Market Value divided by 26.5)
2. By April 1, 2019 (based on 2018 FMV divided by 26.5)
Also, If you wa…
How Block Chain Technology May Help Individuals Secure their Digital Identity:
Forbes Article:
Ideally the only risk you should have when it comes to managing your digital identity is whether or not your personal systems have been compromised, inst…
This give me a new idea to pitch to the show "Naked and Afraid".
Instead of offering contestants a fire starter, rope or map we see how long it takes for them to lose the credit worthiness (identity) by merely buying a latte, posting an update to …
@catch22,
Using portfolio visualizer I was able to create a third scenario, a 50/50 portfolio of LT treasuries (I used BTTRX since data wasn't available on EDV back far enough) and your EFT choice, SDY.
Compare the data in yellow. Since 2006, 50/5…
Thanks for linking this article @Ted,
Well worth the read:
The second, specifically in the fintech world, is the blockchain. Many technologists tell me the block chain is the most important innovations in human history. They equate it in terms of i…
@msf,
Thanks for your comments. I see your point.
I have also read that the best time to convert to a Roth would have been at a market low. "Convert to Roth low when potentially more under priced shares can be sold "cheaply". Ultimately it is the…
Thanks for starting the thread @slick...it helps me think.
Presently my portfolio consists of 62% equities and 36% (Bonds and other...Preferred, Convertibles) and 2% cash.
My allocation funds make up 21.2% of my portfolio (VWINX, PRWCX, BRUFX) an…
Some others descriptor differences between,
M* category names and Fund Family names:
"Bank Loans" are described as "Floating Rate"
"Consumer Defense" as "Consumer Staple"
"Market Neutral" as "Event Driven", or "Arbitrage" or "Long/Short"
"Non-Tradi…
To add to @Maurice comment,
M* uses category descriptors like "World" (World Allocation, World Bond, World Large Cap, World Small Cap) while fund companies more often than not use "Global" in their fund name these very funds.
When M* categorizes…
Anything that sits idle could be considered "zombie-ish". Cash in bank, an antique car in a garage, a painting on a wall. Ownership entails risk whatever the investment, especially real estate. Maintaining the value of a RE investments also comes at…
Here's another take on asset allocating across market risk and time.
Ray Dalio's All Weather Portfolio:
Equities = 30%
LT treasuries = 40%
IT Treasuries = 15%
Gold = 7.5%
Commodities = 7.5%
-Rebalanced once a year.
Reminds me of PRPFX, which few …
