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.
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Sven
Lynn,
Thank you so much. I am planning on a 3-year ladder since I am a year away from retirement. Lots of spreadsheet work to calculate the income replacement needed. This ladder will create a steady income stream. So thank you for all your help.
I moved back to high quality bond funds this year. Some of which you covered in the SA article. For now, I will stay with agency bonds to the bond ladder. I will pick active managers for corporate bonds.
Sven
I recommend European index funds/ETFs to be tax efficient. Vanguard and BlackRock would be a good starting point. I would use active managed funds/ETFs in IRA account. ETF.com and MFO Premium are good resources to search your funds.
VG has sever…
It is never too late to shift part of your US stocks to European stocks. One can dollar cost average to a target % over the next 6 -12 months.
My goal is to double the international exposure at the expense of US stocks. For full disclosure, I use…
@Observant1, good move! Moving from QLTY to MRFOX certainly reduces the Mag 5 stock exposure (no Tesla and NVIDA). MRFOX is the opposite of QLTY where the largest sector is consumer discretionary, and not technology. Tho fund managers are doing a…
Thanks to @bee. Both WealthTrack shows with Mary Ellen Stanek and Nick Sargen are excellent in light of today tariffs environment.
Stanek is the PM of Baird core-Plus bond fund. She provided a summary on Baird’s bond strategy to explore opportun…
Agree. We must not let this turmoil consume our personal life. Remember that we all have fulfilling life before this administration came along. Lately, I have been calling old friends by calling (not texting) and it is such a hoot. The other is s…
This article is for Apple News subscribers. Russell Vought, the quiet one, is the mastermind behind Project 2025’s immigration policy. Quite chilling!
https://apple.news/AHl_LbsizRZqF-dpkFv-nsQ
Exactly. Many of this is a cover to the public so he works on getting a large tax cut through quietly. Where are those GOP who cry about the ballooning deficit in Biden administration ? They all know it but are keeping quiet.
@Crash is spot on. There is NO discussion with China. They have made it clear that the negotiations will be on their terms, not Trump. China has been preparing for this trade conflict. Nicholas Boris of Seafarer fund provides an in-depth discussio…
Sorry. It is a typo. SFGIX is the correct one. Both the investor and institutional shares are closed to new investors for some time. However, Andrew Foster and his team also run the smaller value-oriented fund, and it is open. However, only the i…
Well done. You have picked solid funds for sure.
For awhile US stock funds out-performed international funds due to strong earning and US dollar. But the situation is changing quickly as investors are shifting away from US. Dollar fell over 9% o…
@Observant1, we also left Vanguard last year to Fidelity after many years of disappointment. For now we only have ARTKX and SFIGX as our main international stock exposure. I like to increase oversea exposure in both bonds and stocks in light of the…
Several weeks ago there were data indicating strong housing demand despite high mortgage rates and low house supply. Guess the higher furniture costs from tariffs is changing the situation, and that is not encouraging going forward. The full impac…
That is a "bull trap", and they usually do not end well. Investors are hoping things will return to normal, but that is unrealistic as long as the trade war continues with everyone, except Russia.
Few quotes from Chauncey Gardiner (Peter Sellers…
@Observant1, if you are Vanguard customers, VZICX, Vanguard International Core Stock Fund Admiral Shares is also managed by Wellington. F. Halsey Morris and Anna Lunden are the fund managers.
Whatever they do, please keep Vance away from this matter. Clearly, this man has NO diplomatic skills and respect for other cultures. His nose is getting browner every day.
https://cnn.com/2025/04/08/china/china-slams-vance-peasants-remarks-intl-h…
I don't think our economy is strong enough to ditch China and the Chinese know it. Currently, container bookings from China to the West Coast are down 60%. How will the American consumer react to the empty shelves in the big box stores this summer?…
Tornado touchdown today in Arkansas and Trump refused to send FEMA aid.
The Trump administration denied Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request for individual and public assistance following an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes that a…
schooled the prez Monday on the impacts of his tariff madness.
Does he understand how tariffs works? Thought Navarro received his doctorate in economics from Harvard.
There is nothing unique about Tesla. EV world has evolved, and there are better players out there. The extreme high valuation and Musk personality are real turn-off.
There is nothing unique about Tesla. EV world has evolved, and there are better players out there. The extreme high valuation and Musk personality are real turn-off.
Beyond the tariffs, the next part with sticky inflation and slower growth spells stagflation. If you are foreign investors, do you want to invest in US ?
There are many articles have been written about the Trump’s art of deal making. Here is one…
Trump blinked again. See CNN below:
https://cnn.com/2025/04/22/business/trump-china-trade-war-reduction-hnk-intl/index.html
Depending who is the point person to negotiate with China, the outcome may vary considerably. Certain individuals such as V…
@hank, there was a closed-door meeting between Bessant and investors. He seems to be one who can persuade Trump to de-escalate the China trade war. The dollar went up, so did the stock and bond market.
https://msn.com/en-us/money/markets/stock-m…
Remember that he was confirmed by the thinnest margin, and Vance broke the tie vote.
Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 50. Record Vote Number: 15.
https://congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/11/7
Take a look at the bond and stock market from last week. Investors are moving out of US. And the trade war has yet all plays out. Thus, we are far from the bottom.
https://reuters.com/business/finance/us-bond-funds-suffer-fifth-weekly-outflow-tari…
China is a big customer for Boeing, and this will hurt. China aerospace industry is maturing, but they should able to export their own passenger aircrafts in coming years.
Lost of investor’s confidence could have dire consequences.
There is a new candidate for FED chair position once Powell term expires in 2026.
https://msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-wants-powell-out-of-the-fed-waiting-in-the-wings-is-kevin-wars…
Yes they are. In a choppy market, they may be used to buy on dip IF the market will eventually move upward. The question is when and how? Last week’s flip flopping policy only increased large selling of treasury.
What @Junkster stated that the l…
Post from Joerg Wuttke, a partner of Partner at DGA Albright Stonebridge Group
Worrisome possibility:
„.. Foreigners own $8.5trn of government debt, a bit under a third of the total; more than half of that is held by private investors, who cannot…
We are in uncharted territory like sailing in fogging conditions near the rocks. There is no bottom fishing or more likely you will sleep with them instead.
That is not an accurate comparison. VWINX focuses on income (bonds) as the primary objective, and capital appreciation (stocks) as the secondary objective. Holding more long bonds is Wellington choice. FPACX is the other way around, and cash is tr…
