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.
@ Crash: I was a bit surprised to learn the other day that an investment in the French market (le CAC 40) in 2007 would have earned just about zilch in the last 10 years. Not surprising a European fund would have done poorly.
I was going to pass on Rondure, but I decided to take a position in the Overseas fund. The fund symbol ROSOX was the clincher (wry smile). I did very well investing early with the boys at Grandeur Peak, but trimmed my positions eventually. I did no…
I also like AKREX and own it. Understand your attraction to the Buffalo and Scout funds; unfortunately they did not perform as I expected when I owned them.
@msf: Thanks for reminding me why I am no longer a BoA credit card customer. Never have we had a card that was compromised more often, requiring issuance of a new card. Worst experience was the day we arrived in Vienna to find the card refused; beli…
I wish Schwab had been able to keep offering the 2% cash-back on all transactions VISA card. The proceeds went right into my brokerage account. Can't remember when it was dropped.
We have an account at Schwab and 5 accounts at TD Ameritrade. Both companies are good and I would not reject the idea of being moved to TDA, especially if you don't have to initiate transfers. The latter can be a hassle, so I'd avoid them. Service, …
@Ted: was also looking at FAX (and FEO and LGI) and found that discounts have really shrunk in recent months. Do you pay much heed to premium/discount in your CEF trades?
Let's be pedantic for a minute: "congress" also means the "act of coming together," and "sexual intercourse." What could possible be wrong with that? It sure sounds better than "Rondure."
You would think this manager was a genius, the portfolio looks nice, but lift up a corner of the tarp covering it and find weak performance. Sold quite some time ago.
@DavidV: I wonder about the differences among MFs that mix up assets. Every fund is a hybrid by at least one of the definitions offered in above links because every fund I know of holds cash and either stocks or bonds, and many "equity" funds have "…
I seem to remember an article from back when J. Clements was writing for the WSJ. It said in essence that buying a home should not be considered an investment and that all things considered, housing costs way more than one should reasonably expect t…
With respect to Seeking Alpha, it pays to know that some participants (as on other boards, but not MFO) are short sellers. I have a couple of stocks owned with "play money," that I follow there. There's a wide divergence of opinions and motivations,…
FWIIW, neither Schwab nor TDA correctly compute loss/gain for mutual funds. Distributions are added to the cost basis, but you have to figure out total return by adding purchase price and distributions, then dividing by market value. Maybe someone e…
@hank: Yesterday I flew from Richmond to Atlanta. My wife was in row behind me and the guy next to her moved. She suggested I move back to join her and I did. Within a couple of minutes the attendant made me move back saying "seats are assigned," an…
@TED: This comment could be in reference to any link you've recently posted to a "Bespoke" article. A check of their main site reveals an array of "products" that would all devour a lot of your valuable money. Maybe others could make a smell test an…
Don't want to toot my horn, but MFOers heard it from me a while back that the NEA and its affiliates have done a horrible job of representing the retirement interests of teachers beyond the defined benefit pension. This article shows that conflicts …
My Capital One account paid a balance transfer of 5K+ and no one but I noticed. Generally, if I buy a coffee out of town with the card I get texted. The "fraud" rep said alerts for transfers don't happen. Worse, she said the transaction was done by …
You could make the morally reprehensible argument that WWII was good for America. If there was ever a time when we were "great," it was post-war. Unfortunately, vast swaths of the earth were in ruins. War ain't great.
Not to make too fine a point of it, but…we are talking about buying a portfolio or a basket of securities. To replicate the holdings myself, I'd pay a fortune in commissions. The convenience of having the OEF or ETF buy and sell the securities is su…
I see @Charles's points. Other recent threads or at least posts speak of ETFs that "change stripes" or purport to follow an index no one has ever heard of. The same could be said of DSENX and DLEUX. Are these funds the equivalent of what in my field…
Here three other funds I like:
ARTRX, IWIRX, and MGGPX
These funds are small, ARTRX is the biggest at 2.1B, a quality that matters a lot to me. MGGPX is NTF, load-waived at Schwab and TDA. These are global, not purely international. For the latter,…
Other wealthy countries manage to provide help for laid-off workers in the form of concerted re-training and benefits. The US solution always seems to be to embrace our federalism and leave it to the states. How did that work with civil rights? or v…
Really enjoyed "Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot," by Mark Vanhoenacker. My father was an aviation nut and one of my first memories is flying with him when I was 4 or 5.
Comments from Mr. Munoz, after he came to his senses and stopped issuing meal…
It's always fun to get lots of ideas and to be amazed at the level of commitment and the shared expertise of MFO members. The devil may be in the details, such as the choice of platform. If I were the parent, I would not want to receive a gift of a …
Unfortunately, polls show that a majority of Americans approve use of force and that they "enjoy" seeing our military use the big hardware. If you are a leader polling 37% approval, does it not make perverse sense to drop a couple of MOABs to "encou…
@Old_Skeet: I watched parts of the press conference with Dr. Dao's lawyer. One of his adult daughters also spoke. I think the lawyer is sharp and he gave a good performance. Dr. Dao has a concussion, a broken nose that may require surgery, and two f…
Here's an interesting take on the airline industry and its lack of technical innovation as a possible cause for Sunday's massive screw-up:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/technology/how-technology-has-failed-to-improve-your-airline-experience.htm…
I know a therapist who treats, as part of his practice, substance abusers. He told me recently that the marijuana currently available is so much more potent than what the Boomers may remember from their college days that he is implacably opposed to …
Those are good points @msf, delivered considerately. I think you are right about moving assets into TIAA for them to manage. It could be a good idea for the day when I'm not able to manage my accounts well, especially since I'm the only investor in …
I'm grateful for the insightful and complimentary comments. I try to remember that this is truly a high class problem and that many of our compatriots deserve better than what our economic system provides them. My forebears and those of my wife took…
Pie-in-the-sky solution: All the horrified passengers should have stood in protest and blocked the aisle to prevent the cops from removing the man. An act of peaceful civil disobedience, carried out in solidarity by passengers who were all adversely…
I am confused @LLJB. Are we talking about the same fund? GLFOX has an ER of 1.22% and a turnover ratio of 35% and throws off modest amounts of dividends and capital gains. I don't see anything there to criticize.
Here's a recent M* article:
http://…
