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 fundamentally disagree with a lot of Charles's viewpoints (for example he believes the economy is in the "latter stages of an expansion" whereas I think the exact opposite is true) but his articles are some of the finest on the web and I always …
@hank: I'm sorry to hear of you're problem, so to speak. Did you stand pat or move on ? You've caught my ear & I would like to hear more .
Have a good week, Derf
Thanks Derf! (I wasn’t asking …
Agree with Ol’Skeet. And thanks for the reflection.
My earliest introduction to investing came from jabbering among fellow 16 year-old caddys on the area links back when the fee for going 9 holes was $1.50 and for 18 holes $2.50. Despite receiving…
“Benz: And one thing that we're continuing to see is just these massive inflows into very low-cost products” ....
“Kinnel: Yeah, that story has continued. It's really been running since the bear market of '08-'09 when a lot of people gave up on a…
When I submit IRA transfers to TRP from other fund houses, the time required varies considerably. I can never figure it out. (Virtually all transfers at this point in life are to Price.) One time I submitted one online at Price’s website. It worked…
Many nearing retirement seem unaware of the IRS “Catch-up“ provisions. Appears current law allows persons over 50 who were unable to fully fund their retirement plan in prior years to make generous catch-up contributions later on in addition to the …
NYTimes news analysis: ‘I Honestly Don’t Trust Many People at Boeing’: A Broken Culture Exposed
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/business/boeing-737-employees-messages.html
In an exchange with Mr. Forkner [the Max's chief technical pilot] in 2014,…
Linked chart might shed some light. Compares returns (both stocks and bonds) among different countries since 1900 (but ends with 2014). Clearly, U.S. stands out as leader when it comes to equities.
https://monevator.com/world-stock-markets-data/
…
@MikeM - Thanks for the injecture. While I didn’t necessarily intend sarcasm with my “I don’t get it” reference, I agree that U.S. manufactures were lazy and inept at responding to the Japanese manufacturing challenge - particularly the quality is…
Emails show - Boeing employees derided FAA and worried about 737 Max simulators https://www.rollcall.com/news/emails-show-boeing-employees-derided-faa-worried-about-737-max-simulators
“Designed by clowns” - Boeing releases flood of troubling in…
@Old_Skeet - Re: “As US Election Heats Up Investors Brace for Volatility”
Maybe I’m being “picky”, but the missing comma makes a substantial difference in meaning here.
1) As U.S. election heats up, investors brace for volatility.
2) As U.S. e…
Looking at that graph, I must wonder who amongst us here would have the patience to sit on our stocks (or funds) for 30 years patiently waiting for them to regain their 1989 high? Before someone jumps on me, I’d better acknowledge that the graph do…
@Rossby - The clip was posted only to represent an artistic endeavor by a talented Broadway cast. Hadestown received the 2019 Tony Award for “best musical.” I recently attended a live performance. Generally, critics have not viewed the play, b…
Thanks for the heads-up OJ. So much depends on where you live. In rural settings in MI I’m not aware of any problems. But I can see where in large cities or in apartment buildings theft could be a major headache for both the occupants and Amazon. …
Actually, a pretty thoughtful article - the exception to the rule nowadays. The annuity “quagmire” he alludes to (my phraseology) is real. Low rates translate into low “guaranteed” payouts.
On another point (excerpt): “Japan is the obvious recent…
In today’s commentary, Bill Fleckenstein may have coined a new term: “Repo Madness”:)
(Subscription required) https://www.fleckensteincapital.com/home.aspx
(Apparently the fund’s 2019 results). Seems to me the markets today are outsmarting even the smartest investors. Call that an oxymoron if you like. But nobody ever claimed that the markets are always rational.
“Watchers argue Dalio has been over…
Try this: https://www.morningstar.com/articles/959057/how-to-pick-a-first-bond-fund
(Generally, all one needs to do is copy / paste a portion of the text and than run a Google search.)
Agree, John should include & back-test his links. I glanc…
@Hank -- Yeah, my oil/"energy" stocks have been up as of late -- EPD in particular, plus some of the utes.
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Oil’s been in a “stealth” rally for most of 2019. Everybody’s so engrossed by equities (and maybe bonds) that many failed to notice oil’s…
While markets pretty much reverted to their previous “blindly we stroll along” pattern, last night’s action was still insightful. Around 8 PM gold had shot up $35 to over $1600 - a significant advance. It retraced all that overnight and was again u…
@rforno - Agree. With Kangas and Gharub it was a “must-watch”. Thanks for the memories ...
After posting (above) I started thinking about Lou’s last PBS appearance - which I happened to view live. He’d been unceremoniously “axed” earlier that wee…
I’m still searching for a replacement for Louis Rukeyser! :) Nothing the past 20 years even comes close to matching that weekly serving of wit wisdom and humor (sometimes sacrilege) along with a focus on long-term investing, all interspersed with …
Headline: 4 Brilliant Ways To Survive a Stock Market Market Crash
Unless the author has a known penchant for satire (unlikely) the 4 suggestions don’t match the title:
1. Buy some bond ETFs
2. Put money in money market accounts
3. Open a high-y…
@msf makes good sense. I can’t improve on that. I’m about to go through something like that moving a bit from a Roth IRA at Invesco to a Roth at TRP. Rather than try to explain it (gets complicated), let’s just say that it helps to have some “dupl…
Thanks again. Sounds to me like a fund group in chaos. Hope they get it right. I have little there and it will be even less in a couple weeks. :)
In October I received a letter saying their Infrastructure fund OQGAX was dropping Australian based M…
“At meetings held December 9-11, 2019, the Board of Trustees of Invesco Gold & Precious Metals Fund (the “Target Fund”), a series portfolio of AIM Sector Funds (Invesco Sector Funds), unanimously approved an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization…
@JohnN, Allow me to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year and say thanks for the many articles you link. Many are quite good. I’ve recently started subscribing to Kipplinger’s, which you sometimes link. Not bad at all for the very low …
I oversimplified. EMs today are much different than 30 years ago when I was first immersed in the vocabulary of investing. Some, like China, are highly industrialized economies, global leaders in technology, and growing military powers. Much diff…
“anything negative occurring” strikes me as supreme understatement when running down that list of possibilities Lewis tossed out - some quite dire.
But I agree with Lewis’ posture here in general. I don’t have the depth of knowledge to explain why …
I started to answer the above questions. But tossing in a term like forever really makes them undebatable. Infinity is a very long time. I’m told by scientists that given enough time, virtually anything can and will occur.
I am deeply concerned abo…
YES. (But you need to first read Peter Lynch’s books): “... Gov. Romney’s IRA account success was a result of him investing in what he knew.”
https://sdirahandbook.com/self-directed-ira-news/how-to-have-a-20-million-ira-like-mitt-romney-self-direct…
Anyone seeking to play this?
Love the terminology. I do enjoy combining gaming with investing on those rare occasions where the deck is clearly stacked in my favor. Get in. Get out. Pocket what you can over a few months
(or possibly years) befor…
@Catch22,
Thanks for the added info. Appears the courts have weighed in on Michigan’s pension tax recently - particularly on which providers (in our case IRA custodians) are required to withhold the tax. Thus far, all my distributions have come out…
Thanks @Catch22 - Apparently T Rowe is interpreting Michigan’s law more conservatively. However, one wonders than what the purpose of the Michigan W-4P opt-out form is if funds and their shareholders aren’t required to observe the mandatory withho…
“ undesired withholding done by the custodian, without them communicating with us?”
Depends on the definition of “communicate.” With T. Rowe when withdrawing tax-sheltered funds online a pop-up appears stating that Michigan requires “mandatory with…
@Crash, Could the current custodian of that 403(b) perform the initial rollover to an IRA? Whatever it’s now invested in would remain the same for that purpose. Once you’ve moved that money into a traditional IRA you should be able to perform IRA …
IMHO the Roth is the greatest thing since sliced bread (or cheese). For me, financially speaking, it’s “the gift that keeps on giving.” Great tips from @bee regarding tax-wise planning (an area I’m deficient in). Don’t overlook the benefit that, un…
