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.
@davidmoran suggests, rightly, that the terms "socialism" and "communism" are red herrings and have been used incorrectly in the current political environment. No candidate for the Democratic nomination has spoken of nationalization of any means of …
I like @LewisBraham's point. AKREX, for example opened for business in 2009 and has always had among its top ten holdings American Tower and Markel, not exactly household names, but great stocks to own. Chuck Akre has earned his ER many times over b…
@Old_Skeet: Thank heavens! I thought I was the only nut who checked Asian markets early in the AM (despite thinking of myself as a long-term investor). Our dog sometimes wakes me way too early in my case.
It may be worth noting that concentration and low turnover characterize FAMEX and TGUSX, the latter holding 51% of AUM in its top 10 positions. AKREX has also been very successful with this strategy. 2019 is the first year since the fund opened that…
I think the above discussion highlights the folly of making a major decision based solely on the criterion of taxes. I, for one, could never live in a place that didn't have a full-line super market close by and open late at night. Or a really good …
@David_Snowball: Thanks for your comments, which do help clarify the situation at Homestead. I did not realize what an important advance rural electrification represented to our country until I read Robert Caro's biography, "The Years of Lyndon John…
Hi, @MikeW. MGGPX current EM exposure is 19+%, whereas Heugh's MIOPX is nearly 33%. The fact that he works from Hong Kong must slant his choices towards the region. He has nothing in emerging Europe and only 1.63% in South America, for example. I wo…
I was interested to see David endorse Homestead Value, or more specifically the firm behind the fund. HOLVX seems to be doing fine at this point, having survived a total management changeover in 2017. At that time, Mark Ashton and his team all stepp…
@hank: It's true an El Camino vehicle is in the film, but it's not the hiding place. According to today's NYTimes, old Japanese cars are beginning to appreciate in value. I am hanging in to my Nissan 300ZX convertible, whose use in MI weather is rea…
Fracking is such a messy, wasteful process anyway. I wouldn't be shocked to hear of irresponsible disposal of unneeded equipment, to say nothing of the natural resources already mined or extracted for the industry.
Check out the beginning of "El Camino," the so-called sequel to "Breaking Bad" for a place to hide some big bucks. Of course, the dough was discovered, thereby diminishing the future value of the hiding place for others.
As a member of the class of '42, I dare say quite a few of us who bemoan the loss of M* as we knew it represent a diminishing market. Many of us on MFO are retirees or close to it; I doubt my kids and grandchildren will pay much attention to mutual …
Thanks, @msf! With the sad demise of Tom and Ray, the Tappet Brothers, it may be time to reprise one of their signatures. They always said the Ray Suarez of PBS "knows everything." I'm not sure about Mr. Suarez, but I am confident in anointing @msf …
I shouldn't be surprised at what the current administration's policies or impulsive actions are in any domain. However, I can't help commenting on this article and its reference to tariffs. The latter are so discredited as a means to promote growth …
Switched 2/3 of my stake in BCSVX to ARTJX. Still seeing FBT pay off, after I rolled a couple of dice on a biotech revival. BIIB’s surprise news on its Altzheimer’s drug the other day has helped the entire sector. Luck plays a role in investing; the…
Didn’t know about TAIFX, @Tarwheel. Has it always been a fund of funds? I was surprised to learn that it is NTF at Schwab. My balanced fund is Bruce, and it’s not tax-advantaged at all.
@hank: Thanks for this topic and the link to Max Funds. I spent a few minutes on their site trying to figure out what they have to offer. I was a bit confused by their rating system. By entering a fund family name (although not a big one like TRP) w…
@Tarwheel: WAB is a company I have owned, but just follow now. The narrative about the company suggests it ought to succeed. OTOH, it could well be a value trap.
@hank reminded me that in our case as well, it has been the state of MI that sends the letter you don't want to receive. I agree that it's usually chump change, also. For some time I had computed my buys and sells myself, often because I had sold sp…
Just yesterday I heard an interview on Here and Now (WBUR) of Aaron Glantz, author of “Homewreckers.” I found Glantz’s findings on the ill-gotten wealth of Mnuchin, Ross, Barrack, and Schwartzman and how they benefitted from the financial crisis ent…
@gmarceau: You are right to miss the Obama years. They were eight years of a scandal-free presidency. Obama's people got thoroughly vetted and didn't end up having to resign or be fired for conflicts of interest, fraud, and incompetence. You may be …
Thanks, @Old_Joe. My comment was a little opaque for a person who well remembers having to wait for an attendant to fill the tank. @davidmoran's reminiscence reminds me that my VW barely took $2 worth. Maybe I'm the dinosaur. FWIIW, my father was a …
@hank and I, and maybe other MI residents receiving retirement benefits from our state, will now have about $600M of the pension fund administered in house. I have no idea if Fisher's company did well for us or not (see Lewis' comment above about pe…
You could be living in the country that leads them all in bureaucratic quagmires. Our daughter is working in France now and is entitled to health insurance as a bene. However, to have health coverage, you must have a bank account. When she went to t…
I am happy reading the NYT online, but my wife wants the physical paper, so it is delivered daily. The academic version of the WSJ, paper and digital, is so cheap I keep re-upping, sometimes against my better judgement. (Kind of like looking in on F…
@Derf: After getting out of GP last year, I too sent in a check for the Contrarian Fund. I think it hasn't hit $4M in assets yet. Biotech seems to be widely despised, so I made a bet on FBT in hopes of a comeback. These could well be falling knives
Really ugly crash. The Yankee Air Force Museum near me in Willow Run, MI has a restored B-17 that takes up customers on weekends. It flys near my house and it’s four engines are heard long before it lumbers into view.
PTIAX, ORNAX, and two individual stocks (a nut processor and a medical software provider). These latter are SC, small float, issues. The big machers on this board might pile in and short my babies if I give their trading symbols. LOL!
@Derf: when I trade in and out of CAPE, I think that might be what Old_Skeet does. We're both using either an S&P 500 fund or, in my case, one that tracks the overall US market but has done so with some out performance. Like @Mike, my stock play…
I agree, @MikeM, with your method for finding a buy point. I traded in and out of CVS, buying first when M* rated it 5 stars and selling after a decent profit. These value plays (it is a game with money I can afford to lose) test my nerves and I, to…
