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.
@linter. Definately multiple accounts. Currently have 5. Why. Reports of people getting locked out of accounts for multiple reasons. Possibility of technical issues at brokerage with no availability of account. Availability of securities and cost d…
@msf. Yes just entering the ticker without an amount also gives you the above info on that page. I just got in the habit of entering $1 but this is not necessary as you noted ,to get the availability/minimums info. I only "preview" with the correct …
@msf. To clarify. Hopefully this answers your question. On the MF trade page I put in the ticker and a dollar amt usually $1. This now tells me if the fund is available and minimums initially and subsequently. This is a quasi test trade to get the a…
@equalizer. I did check on MRFOX and it is available with a 10K minimum opening then $100 for subsequent trades. All MF trades at Firstrade are NTF. To check on other funds the only precise way is to open an account and put in a test trade which wil…
I moved my Vanguard 6 figure brokerage account to E-Trade last year after a 40 year Vanguard accounts run because of all the issues previously mentioned. What really bothered me was the new
yearly fee to get written mailed statements. Vanguard also …
Every fund in my portfolio fills a niche. I have owned the Wellington funds for more than 25 years but WBALX for example has a bond duration of 1.8 yrs vs the almost 7 years in the Wellington funds. Its bond ratings are also higher ,so again it fits…
I like and own WBALX for the more conservative part of the portfolio. 50/50 and quite conservative. Small 230K AUM. When the s--t hits the fan this should lose less. In retirement I hold the mantra, "Do not lose it " in high esteem.
@MSF. Thank you for your comments above. I did review your pros and cons before I made my decision last year. You have a wonderful ability to explain and tease out the issues with financial decisions for those who are not aware of them. My sister is…
For those of us that pay state income taxes, it would be a factor in deciding between RPHIX and T-Bills. I cut my RPHIX holding in half and also bought treasuries a year ago because of this reason.
We have excellent insurance and credit rating. 2 cars ,home and umbrella is what we have. Was with Metropolitan for 20 years with multiple discounts. For curiosity got multiple quotes 7 years ago. Erie came out on top and always cheaper than Amica,…
@Old Joe . One possible solution. Use a discount store such as Aldi or Walmart. Tally up the typical
necessity basket of goods for the average family (perhaps 20-30 items at regular price ) cost on day one and and then on day 365 buy the same item…
FWIW I just do not believe the numbers CMS spews out as noted in the yellow graph above. Except for the egg cost decreases which I have seen ,almost every other food item in our discount grocery stores has risen sharply in the past year. Along with …
Thanks for the CPI-W figures posted. My opinion. A fool would think these figures are true and correct. I do the food shopping for the home. One example. At our Aldi, a true discount food store, a box of saltines has gone from 0.95 to 1.49 in the p…
How can anyone be so gullible in quoting CMS press releases that are factually wrong. I am looking at a Cigna part D plan , called Cigna Extra which cost 67.60 per month in 2023 and will cost 79.30 per month in 2024 That is a 17% increase on the 11.…
Whatever method used to set the COLA is directed by some government entity. The problem is the method used now (CPI-W) in no way comes close to the true inflation rate seen and endured by your average citizen. Knowing how this is calculated @YBB doe…
My guess is that after the expected Medicare part B and D cost increases for next year this 3.2% will be a joke and more closer to 0%. 3.2% HUH! We all know how foolish this number is. Just renewed car and home insurance with an average 13% total …
Our local library card gives us full and free access to M* via a log on to the internet from anywhere, with no ads or any other issues to deal with. It is a great service I have used for years. Also Firstrade has full access as noted above, if you…
@rforno. As soon as the rates decrease I intend to sell USFR. Until then using this etf makes it easy to keep up with the rate increases with little effort. If the rates remain stable I see no reason not to buy at this time. I do not like auto roll…
@YBB. This is a personal issue where I have set up all my bills to be paid on the 1st of each month. USFR typically pays dividends around 5 days before the end of the month and I can use the dividends to pay bills on the 1st. TFLO pays dividends in …
If you live in a high tax state it makes more sense to go with the etf's vs the mmkt funds as the former is 100% state tax free, where the govt mmkt's are not usually, because of their repo holdings. I use both the etf USFR and also S/T bills becau…
The best way to get the % of US obligations for most funds is to go directly to the fund sponsor site for it .usually in late Feb for the last tax year. For example. For USFR google "Wisdom tree 2022 tax" and their funds with US obligations will be …
@finder. Consider USFR a Floating rate etf with a 7 day duration, 5.28% 30 day sec yield which I expect will increase in the next week. All US treasury bills. No state tax. Easy peasy. Can be bought and sold anytime. Pays monthly.
@ Balu. All share classes sold are NTF from my experience. However with A class shares you would have to pay a load as dictated by the fund company. Firstrade unlike other brokerages does not waive these loads. Also no money market funds are availa…
@Balu. You are correct about he STR fees you noted. If you are a.long term investor as I am ,this is unimportant. As we all know PRWCX/TRAIX is a gem and would be held long term in most cases.
@ MSF. Thank you for your suggestion. I have not as yet tried what you noted about an in kind transfer but I have thought about doing this. I have a gut suspicion Firstrade may not do this nontaxable conversion as they are usually not able to handle…
PRWCX is NOT closed. I purchased TRAIX which is the institutional form of prwcx last week at Firstrade which has a minimum of $ 100. to purchase. Sorry ,but not a myth! If you have an account with them you would have to look it up in your account. I…
Other brokerages may have these funds on their platform. I was pleasantly surprised to find FNSXX the highest paying prime fund available with a $0 minimum in my Wellstrade account.
Depending on the brokerage ,typically the transferred assets have to stay in the new home for 2 months but can be up to one year so that the bonus is not lost. As with investing, due diligence is necessary to get all the information needed prior to …
Another possibility for a "safe harbor" option, if someone is etf savvy is the treasury floating rate ETF, USFR paying 4.79% now. It is all treasury bills with a duration 0f 0.02. In addition it is state tax free with 100% t-bills. This has worked w…
