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: DSEEX routinely, monthly in fact, delivers almost 3% in distributions. Unless you buy a leveraged CEF, it's hard to find more yield than that. I don't mind reinvesting the distributions on my positions in DSENX; sometimes I'm buying che…
I agree with @Crash; I have let Grandeur Peak go and used some of the dough in WAGOX. As it stands now, from my quick review of their international and global funds, there's only one (Emerging Markets Select) that seems to invest in anything but sma…
M* seems infatuated with value funds. They have given a fair amount of coverage to the LSV family of funds, more coverage than the results warrant IMO. LSVEX (large), HIMVX (mid) and LSVQX (small) are all run my the same group of academic value quan…
Without researching the NYTimes archive, I still recall an editorial shortly before the 2016 election calling DT something like a "carnival barker" and a "con man." The behavior alluded to in @hank's post would seem to reinforce the accusation.
I use Dashlane to manage my passwords for desktop iMac and laptop MacBook. It's not free if you use it on more than one device. On my iPhone and iPad, Schwab access is via my fingerprint. Dashlane can also be set up for fingerprint recognition rathe…
Milk consumption has been declining steadily as more and more Americans and Europeans come to realize that animal fats can be harmful to our health and the raising of cattle harmful to the environment. For my part, I would not see conversions of Wis…
Thanks @lewis and @msf for confirming my correct decision some years ago to stay clear of Wintergreen. The smell of the tobacco was enough to deter me, but you have pointed out other good reasons.
Not that this is the only example, but the credibility gap between the administration and the public is so great that I have little faith in what our side says about the other.
The mutual fund marketplaces negotiate fees with the MF companies in return for marketing. Some of the fund companies don't want to play ball with the big enchiladas. BTW, I think ORNAX is a great holding; I happen to have it at Schwab.
It's an advantage plan, called BC/BS Medicare PPO. The annual deductible for a member is $1000, reduced to $900 if you answer a questionnaire satisfactorily. After paying the deductible, there is generally a 10% co-pay for almost all services. To th…
One thing to be prepared for once you begin Medicare and whatever options you choose: you will get reams of paper in the mail, especially the 8-page monthly summaries of your Rx usage related to Part D. Because Medicare and associated coverages are …
I am aware of other healthcare CEFs that provide a similar stream of dividends, not unlike equity-income funds. BME is the most successful while HQL and THQ (both Tekla) have steady distributions but lousy price appreciation. The CEF structure seems…
We're ghouls, I think. We like to pick over the skeletal remains of a fund. The cynic in me wonders how a fund with "strategic" and "value" in the name could possibly fail.
Michael Lewis's "The Fifth Risk" is a compilation of previous articles and some new material on the consequences of Trump's appointees to key government departments, as Lewis B alluded to. Truly frightening.
As to Herman Cain's candidacy for the Fe…
@Graust: Thanks from me also. When I entered DSENX in the M* chart an then compared to MOAT, results are different from doing the obverse. Long-term holders of DSENX should rejoice.
I don't know your appetite for risk or what place a SC fund would have in your holdings, so my suggestions might not fit for you. Here are the domestic SC's I currently hold and which are open to new investors: CCSMX, DVSMX, and FTHNX. Of the three,…
As the TV commercial for the PGA said, "These guys are good!" I refer to the really helpful comments of @davidmoran, @catch 22, and @Old_Joe, whose priceless instructions on linking include the word "paramecium." Now that's a species we haven't seen…
We have AKREX in three different family accounts. Latest shareholder letter points out that cash is building up because of new purchases. Now that AUM are north of $10B, it's no longer under the radar. For our money, the ER charged is well worth it.…
Here's an ungodly long link from a M* chart, showing that MOAT's cumulative performance over DSENX is about 20% for last 3 years. The 5 year period, not shown here, is similarly favorable for MOAT. I wish I could be as cool as @catch22 with my chart…
@catch22: that’s a great chart! In addition to demonstrating the CAPE strategy’s long term dominance, it also shows how much DSENX declined when the market went south. Several members wondered aloud here about the prospects of the fund in a down mar…
@MikeM and @davidmoran: I did overstate the performance figures for MOAT vs. DSENX. I relied on the "chart" function on M* which has cumulative performance. 3 years +22.76% for DSENX and +41.98% for MOAT, but the 5-year difference is not huge. MOAT …
I failed to link the Times article. However, the rule change the NCAA may enforce is to require the school receiving the transfer to lose a scholarship. As basketball scholarships are limited to 13 per year, the impact on the program is significant.…
Two of TT stars, Owens and Mooney, are graduate transfers. They play at TT even though they've graduated elsewhere but have "eligibility" remaining. As today's (failing) NYTimes points out, the NCAA may actually change this ludicrous rule. Are any o…
@rono: It is practically axiomatic in higher education that upper level administrators should not come from within the university. Take a look at Simon’s career and you’ll see she never worked anywhere but MSU, including during grad school. She does…
The write-up on Brown Advisory Sustainable Growth is very revealing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 33 stocks held by the fund are practically household names, ones that I feel very comfortable owning: Microsoft, Danahaer, American Towe…
I am with @MikeM in continuing my hefty allocation to healthcare. I used to own GLFOX, but I think it's too Europe-centric, even though I have nothing against global funds. I made a few bucks on CVS, but I'm out now. UNH is the top holding of my mai…
Just looked at YAFFX. How can a large blend fund, with turnover of 16%, manage to ding shareholders with massive distributions every year since 2014? Check the M* Quote page for distributions.
I use TT and have filed my taxes on a Mac since the MacInTax days of the 80’s. If you want to file electronically, you must enter drivers licence info in order to prevent fraud. You have to enter number, date of issue and date of expiration. I have …
Today's "On Point" included a segment with Jim Hall, former head of NTSB. He claims that the foxes are guarding the hen house in that the FAA has allowed Boeing to self-regulate and control all the data flow in the certification process for new airc…
I don't think anyone is making any money in frontier markets. The category ought to experience benign neglect and disappear. Driehaus does have some good SC funds, however.
@rforno: I have found the WSJ aviation coverage to be pretty well-informed. They also run "The Middle Seat" column which treats flying from the passenger's POV most of the time.
It is possible to delay RMDs if one is still working, but the issue is so complex that most of us would be unable to read the IRS rules. I spent some time reviewing the discussions of the issue online and came away more confused than when I started.…
Tesla owners, according to an article I read, can't get replacement parts and repairs can take a long time. The example of a body part was cited; if you have a minor accident requiring a new bumper or fender, you may be out of luck. A network of dea…
