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.
If we were talking about the current Fed policy of raising interest rates, could we disregard the report that the President over the weekend once again questioned Mr. Powell's actions?
@BenWP - Absolutely - You just need to think outside the box. …
I think it’s generally a good idea to parrot an article title when posting. But sometimes the poster may exercise editorial discretion in labeling the thread (for a variety of reasons). In this case the reason would have been to steer the discussion…
I thought the site might be punning on arithmetic + mathematical reasoning, but it's just a spelling error repeated in the URL. On the home page, it's spelled correctly as: (5) Arithmetical.
https://sites.google.com/view/penpaperexam/home
The "Rs"…
Back to basics. Apologies for any diversions.
First, JohnN seems to come up with some unusual reads. Love the title - “Paradise Post” at the top of page. :)
I don’t know who the author is - and she cites some unknown / unnamed “experts” for her…
correction: Also ar·ith·met·i·cal. of or relating to arithmetic.
Thanks @Crash - I did get around to catching their error. Was editing while you posted. Geez - Not too certain I’d want one of those guys prepping my kid for an exam. :)
@msf,
Your use of the word “arithmetic” (while I had referenced mathematical) caused my otherwise idle brain to wonder whether, perhaps, there was an adjective: “arithmetical”. Indeed there is.
For your reading pleasure I’m linking an article on…
Catch said: “As to @msf and his calculations; I have full faith in his work. Thank you.”
Ditto: The guy’s a mathematical wiz. (And, unlike some here, when he makes a mistake readily admits it.)
This is such a great thread ... It would be nice if someone would start hosting it again. I did it for a couple of years and felt ... Well, it was time to pass it on to another ... Wonder what happened to @pudnhead?
@Old_Skeet,
Re The Pudd - Don’t…
@Ted, Since we’re talking about “the enemy“ here ... of course journalists are not our enemies. But it doesn’t stop there. Neither are retired civilian officials who have served their nation honorably - but whose opinions may run contrary to the cu…
TRP had a 90 day holding period with a 2% 'early trade' penalty and TDA has a 180-day holding period for a $50 'early sale' penalty. I just dumped a TRP at Day 90 to avoid the 2% ... .
T. Rowe began imposing early redemption fees on select funds ar…
Just me. But I don’t think this is a good time to be buying anything you don’t already own (unless you’re still working and contributing regularily).
Admittedly, this comes from someone who’s on the conservative side. But there’s just too many “b…
@Crash: The "case resolved" message is likely generated automatically or semi-automatically. Just continue the email convo.
While I don’t use M* often enough to encounter a problem (or even identify one), the message sounds very much like the way Am…
All good.
I overlooked saying in my earlier comment that with a zero-coupon bond you receive no interest payments. That’s why they’re also called stripped bonds. The interest has been stripped out of them ahead of time and factored into that pre-de…
I agree with you, @hank, that going into (or back into for me) EM is risky. M* recently made Tencent (TCEHY) a 5 star stock, one that a lot of EM and Asia funds hold, and which continues its descent. A classic falling knife, but enticing in the way …
An interesting thread. Agree we should try to get it back on track (as @Catch is attempting). Story dominates the news. The Pres. over there is now calling on all Turks to bring all their gold, silver, gems, artwork (anything of value) to the govern…
"Zeroes," of course, you buy at a discount to face value.
And the reason they’re priced below face value is that you have to hold them until maturity to get that face value out of them. Until than, they’re generally worth less (although interest ra…
Recognize the bridge in the photo? I assume the person on the beach is Mr. Lee, yes?
Thanks @Catch for pointing out the magnificent Mighty Mac.
No - I was too engrossed in the feathery creatures alluded to in the mixed metaphors than to notice th…
@Old_Joe, This book should help unconfuse you. https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/8187138750/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534117656&sr=8-3&keywords=animal+farm+by+george+orwell
Your homework, in addition to reading this boo…
“Turkey is the canary in the coal mine,” Mr. Lee said on Friday. “We are going have another crash that will be worse than 2008 in certain ways.”
Ha! Love the cliche. But my sense is we need more coal mines to house all the canaries. Bill Fleckenst…
@Old_Skeet,
Nice of you to respond. No intent to demean the fund. If anything, I’m damn jealous!
Just suggesting that “The early bird catches the worm” and, possibly, most of the worm here has already been eaten. We’ll see. Guess my point was th…
@Old_Skeet - Congrats to you and others for the great call. I don’t know how AOFAX has done since May, but probably very well. For the year it’s up 33%. - which ain’t shabby.
I’ll make a prediction:
I predict that from now (and going forward), …
... I personally have decided to use the S&P 500 and stop further in depth allocations such as much discussed finer granular reits, mlp's, utilities etc. S&P500 contains all of the aforementioned within the index. ... The argument can be ma…
Agree with the sentiment. But I’ll prefer the (often intelligent) conversation here over all that bird chatter. Maybe watch the birds bath while at the same time reading MFO?
@JohnN - Yah ... Same where I worked. ‘Tis the nature of things I’m afra…
... do you consider REIT funds as part of your equity allocation?
Good question. I can’t recall its being batted around much before. Agree with others who say that it depends a lot on the particular REIT fund and perhaps more importantly the indiv…
Thanks for all the great comments. Some of us enjoy looking under the hood from time to time to see how the belts, fluids and strut bushings are holding up. To others, this minutia is sure to drive them nuts. :)
My very conservative portfolio had a…
Sometimes it seems like those in office (elected or appointed) who are supposedly serving our interests are actually serving theirs. Of course we’re all innocent until proven guilty. But sometimes just the appearance stinks badly.
“After a public a…
Growing up in the 50s and 60s - and for at least a decade after that - planned obsolescence was in vogue - particularly for the U.S. auto industry. Believe it or not, it was accepted by most consumers as a fact of life and even viewed as a respecta…
@MJG - Thanks,
Yep - My original post mentioned not being able to identify the author. Later I did learn his name and position with IAG and so corrected that. There were some redundancies I weeded out as well. Apologize for throwing you a knuckle …
“Individuals make decisions every day with their emotions assisting their judgment. It is part of who we are as human beings. Unfortunately making emotional decisions can be a detriment in the investing world. Individual investors who let their emot…
@Old_Joe: Are you sure you're not full of hot air?! Just kidding. Cleaning of refrigerator will help with the cooling & electric consumption. That reminds me , past time for a good vacuuming of the frig.
…
Most stuff is pretty decent nowadays. Stopped using Microsoft-based computers about 15 years back because every one of them became infected with malware after only a year or two. (And I did try to prevent it with anti-virus software.). Have owned 6…
“My, how the tables turn.”
Round and round she goes. Don’t know what ever became of Commodore. The 64 was by all accounts a pretty slick machine. But couldn’t afford one.
Re Ted - No one really knows. And he’s not talking. About as obscure as th…
LLJB hit it on the head. Since today’s investors mostly have the attention span and patience of a fruit fly, it’s probably never a good idea. Yep, I’ve done it. Some winners. Some losers. Sometimes a draw.
Once you start “buying down” there’s no …
Hi guys, thaks for making comment. I can see that your answers center around the science found in investing; but, what about the element of art?
Art I suspect may have a variety of definitions. However, as your question suggests, it is most ofte…
Agree with BenWP - But he said it better than I could.
I was thinking this post would draw a fire storm of comments.
Old Skeet,
Perhaps in earlier times it would have. But it appears now that the markets have finally attained Irving Fisher’s …
Hasn't someone said this each year for at least the past 5 years?
Yes. His name is John Hussman. He’s been saying this every year since July 24, 2000. He’s backed up the claim with a +0.50 annualized return since than. (HSGFX).
I don’t mind peopl…
Hi Hank,
You claim that their study is flawed, but don't directly identify the flaws.
@MJG - You’re somewhat correct. I posed five caveats re the Betterment study. Since the third addressed their business model, I’ll omit it here. Here are the o…
