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.
FWIIW, the Ringling Museum of Circus History in Sarasota FL is worth a visit. The Ringling mansion and art museum are also on site as monuments to American capitalism in search of legitimacy through imitation of European civilization.
Almost bought some DLEUX last week; still on my radar. Added to MOAT on dip, and a "nutty" small cap I've owned for quite a while. Those who check out JBSS may appreciate my attempt at humor. Sold GFMRX at beginning of month. Happy with current 8% y…
Both TDA and Schwab report gain as if all distributions were part of cost. This causes severe under reporting of gain, especially for funds that make monthly or quarterly distributions. I compute my total return by breaking out original cost of purc…
When this fund opened in 2015, I said I didn't see how Brown Capital could succeed with an international small cap fund, especially given the same managers' tepid performance in the Brown large cap international (BCIIX) fund. However, BCSVX has real…
GISOX is small/mid cap international. I think you might look at it because the excellent Grandeur Peak sm cap int'l (GPIOX) is closed, but you get some of the same managers with the Stalwarts fund. ISMRX is a good choice also. Its record as a MF is …
The difference between the two versions of the Overseas fund is 0.25%, or $12.50 per year on a $5000 position. I own WSVIX directly with Walthausen where the savings is 0.25%, so I'm not consistent. Own GPMCX directly because that's the only option.…
@ 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 …
