Only fortunate because I know it would drive me crazy obsessing over every detail all the time. So I'm not as crazy as I could be. :-D
I bought SMH for the taxable in February 2024 when some poster here was talking about chips. So I put a few bucks down. And zowie! I already had TDIV, FSCSX, and CSGZX.
So it keeps me comfortable owning my old fogies like DODGX, SEQUX, VEIRX, FSMEX, and POSKX; plus the fliers on FMIMX, GLFOX, RWJ, VSMIX, etc.
There are some duds mixed in there too. I'll be rearranging those deck chairs overboard in the near future.
If you already have tech, why buy the rest of the S&P 500 willy nilly when you could focus on SPHQ or SPGP?

I don't mind lower prices either, but, well, never mind.
Anyway, I'm holding on to FSMEX in the taxable. I got a nice price for it in June of 2018, so I don't feel bad about it.

Hi guys,
Did some selling yesterday. Got rid of two (2) dogs: CIPMX and FSMEX. Both have done poorly for quite some time. Also sold IEO. I think I buy it back cheaper later on, so took the profit. Also sold FSELX I bought on August 7th for a nice 20% profit.
Raising cash for September and October.
God bless
the Pudd

If one were "back testing a portfolio to forward implement" a retirement Withdrawal Strategy using PV as @yogibullbear has outlined above, what funds would you choose?
We can't count on the same results going forward but the hope is past performance at least rhymes with future performance and we adjust as we go.
Criteria:
ER under 1%
3 Fund Portfolio
4% WD Yearly
Minimum 7% total return on a 3,5,10 and 15 yr basis
No COLA - I prefer the portfolio's yearly balance and 4% WD be the determinant of the dollar amount of the WD
Here are some funds for consideration and comment:
90% + Equity Portfolio (VFINX, FBGRX, PRMTX, FSMEX, PRNHX)
Other Choices:
- I often see these choices as being index funds that capture the market as well as sector funds that attempt to capture the outsized gains of a sector.
aggressive-allocation
70/30 or 80/20 Allocation Funds (PRWCX, TSAIX, looking for more choices )
Other Choices:
- Manager risk can be a larger dynamic with these investments. When these funds get it right they often captures more of the upside while reducing some of the downside risk.
moderately-aggressive-allocation
60/40 or 50/50 Balanced Funds (FBALX, VBINX, VWELX, FPURX, VGSTX, GAOZX, DODBX, RBAIX, RGPAX, VGWAX)
Other Balanced Funds:
- Not all balance fund are created the same. This article separate balance funds into three categories - US-centric, Global, and Diversified
balanced-funds
Other considerations:
Low Draw Down / Low Volatility Funds
- Funds that focus on Bonds, Utilities, Preferred stock might fit in this category.
12-battle-tested-low-volatility-funds
and with ETFs:
7-yield-solution-4-etf-portfolio
(JEPI, NUSI, HNDL, HIPS)
These funds should consistently produce a minimum 7% total return that I'll call The 7% Solution - where a retiree "spends down" (WD 4% yearly) while allowing the remaining 3% to grows the portfolio for future inflation adjusted 4% WDs.

@WABAC,
You have been busy!
FWIW, when I learned about XMHQ from you, I sold my FSMEX and bought XMHQ but I know you already own a lot of XMHQ.
Do you mind sharing your thoughts on why you chose SYLD at this time? Thanks

I already had a position in SYLD. So I'm just adding to it. Here are some links that make the strategy easy for me to understand.
https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/compelling-shareholder-yield-etf
https://www.cambriafunds.com/assets/docs/SYLD_Investment_Case.pdf
If I heard of another fund that executed the strategy better and/or cheaper, I would look into it.
I also have SYLD in the taxable.
They also have EYLD for emerging, and FYLD for foreign markets.

@WABAC,
You have been busy!
FWIW, when I learned about XMHQ from you, I sold my FSMEX and bought XMHQ but I know you already own a lot of XMHQ.
Do you mind sharing your thoughts on why you chose SYLD at this time? Thanks

Cleaning house in the IRA.
Sold VWINX. Had it for a long, long, time. Oh well. Proceeds will go into PRWCX and FBALX. I still have VWELX until it benefits from those falling rates we keep hearing about.
Sold PARWX. It's just not the fund it used to be. Proceeds went into bond funds THOPX, FATRX, and FCFAX. I'm trying to get to 30% bonds.
Sold RWJ. I still have it in the taxable. It's a little too bumpy for me in the IRA. Proceeds went into FMIMX, XMHQ, and SYLD. I still have enough funds in the IRA to make M* Christine weep.
Started stakes in FMILX, AUSF, and DIVO. And boy howdy, did I have to jump through some hoops at Fido to buy DIVO. I had to convince the machine that I take full responsibility for my insane behavior fooling around with a fund whose top ten holding are a MMF, Walmart, Microsloth, Home Despot, Procter & Gamble, Visa, McDonalds, United Health, Goldman Sachs, and Chevron. At the present time they have options written on four of the stocks out of 31 in their portfolio. What shall I tell the children?
To feed those new funds I sold VDIGX, DODGX, and DGRW. Sometime soon I will be selling FSMEX, which I still have in the taxable.
Sold DODWX. The proceeds will go into IHDG for my only dedicated foreign holding.
More cuts to come, especially if this rally continues.

I have not sold any health care, yet. Would love to sell XBI and PTH, which make up a minuscule portion of the IRA. Still a ways to go before that happens. Bought high on those.
Still having fun with FSMEX. Bought low in the IRA, and lower in the taxable.

Hi guys!
Hope all is well with you and yours.
So, what a run since 23, no?
Finally, healthcare rises this year. Fido numbers say FSMEX 6.39%, FSPHX 5.49%. These funds I wanted to sell but they were so bad. So now they rise in a bad time....the election.....but this time, I hope it's different....lol. Bigger things to worry about.
All I hear about is AI. So tired of it, really. Have we nothing else but the 7? Really, I guess not since we're back to the 2020 election. Have we no one else??? Anyway, back to topic...have any of you kept your holdings in healthcare??? I know some sold. I understand that. I stand at 11% in the space, so I hope for a turn. It's something that I thought was core to hold to the end with the aging boomers and all. Saying that, does anyone know any retirement home REITs?
The Brown One on our walks is very pro health, saying, "You people will spend what it takes to stay alive." Yes, I said, it would stand to reason. No one wants someone to die. At that point, money is not important.
What the Dukester said next stunned me. "Would you spend money on me to save me to live longer, Pudd?" Being out in the cold and having 2 cups of coffee, I said, "Yes" right away. With a smile looking back at me, he said, "Now, tell me why healthcare is not core forever?"
I hate long cold walks in the morning with Brown. It tends to not end well. Drats! Drats! and double Drats!!!!
God bless
the Pudd

Hi @stillers Have at it with tech. related. I'm with you in this area of investing. We have remained U.S. centered with our investments for many years and have whatever foreign pieces make a good fit in the tech. area; as with BOTZ (robotics), IHI and FSMEX both being (medical tech), genomics, FTEC (Fidelity tech.), FHLC (Fidelity Health ETF) and the broad based growth of FBCG (Fidelity blue chip companies). We've not been inclined towards value, small cap, international or EM. We held junk bond funds for a period near the bottom of the market melt in 2008 and for several months afterward, and have held IG bond funds and still do; as well as money market now at about 5% yield. We're about 40% equity. Although we've done dollar cost averaging now into funds; not unlike our early days with IRA's and 401k's. Good enough for now, at this house.

FBCG Top holdings
Top 10 holdings AS OF Dec-31-2023
59.72%
of 159 total
MSFT Microsoft Corp 10.15%
NVDA NVIDIA Corp 9.81%
AAPL Apple Inc 9.63%
AMZN Amazon.com Inc 9.10%
GOOGL Alphabet Inc Class A 6.64%
META Meta Platforms Inc Class A 4.99%
UBER Uber Technologies Inc 2.62%
LLY Eli Lilly and Co 2.34%
NFLX Netflix Inc 2.22%
SNAP Snap Inc Class A 2.21%

(I finally sold out of FBIOX and FSMEX in early ‘23…after holding for a year plus. And don’t follow PRHSX, TRP’s healthcare fund, anymore)
Not sure WHERE to go for active management, so maybe steer clear and buy the pharma companies who buy the promising biotech stocks for their pipelines?

hi @catch22. It's a change of pace out of the gate for Mr. Market. But we haven't even finished the first furlong.
I was not aware of FZDXX, and I'm at Fido| I'll have to look into that.
When I rearrange the deck chairs in my floating fate bond funds I'll post in the buy sell why thread. Still not tempted to venture too far out on duration. I'm not smart enough to consider enhanced Pimco funds.
Thinking about selling FSMEX from the IRA if there's enough of a run up. Been looking to reduce the field. We shall see. It's no mudder, but it's a lot of fun when it goes.

It's all about clown cars and arranging deck chairs. Plus lots of investor pessimism. My ETF limit orders are getting filled. Added some FSMEX. Good times! Cheers to even better times ahead.
Investors have become skittish. The stage seems set, but we've seen too many market headfakes. When was the last time you heard anybody mention "blood in the streets"? Maybe next year.

First, apologies as I am not an 'active' investor. I tend to set it and forget it, so I'm usually late to the party.
I have been noticing over the last few years that investing in healthcare (for example PRHSX T Rowe Price Health Sciences, which we are in) has really sucked (relative to the market as a whole). From 2000 to mid-2015 it consistently outperformed the s&p500. That all turned around in mid-2015 and it has been underperforming ever since. I've been patiently waiting for the worm to turn. (Did some seismic event happen in mid-2015 to damage this whole sector?)
Lately I've noticed FSMEX Fidelity Select Med Tech & Devices, a real world-beater from 2000 to late-2021 has gotten hit. Flat in 2022 relative to the market, and in a real nosedive in 2023.
What is going on in this sector, and is it something that will eventually reverse?
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

That was an interesting day. FINALLY some volatility.
Started small positions in FSMEX (an oldie but goody) and DIVO.
Added to SCHD, JEPI, FUTY (ended +1%), FMIL, FNILX, FMSDX, FPHAX, etc.
Inverted yield curves pointing to a recession? meh. Perhaps "this time will be different".

Other than Utilities, Real Estate equities are the only other down sector in the 1 year. Medical devices sector (IHI, FSMEX) is near 52-week low.

"Charts are fun".

Hi @BenWP. With the healthcare area, of which you are aware, one has many ways to play this area these days. IMHO, these areas have been out of favor mostly for reasons of money traveling to other sectors, until 'too hot to touch'. Long term, at least for this house; finds returns in healthcare of 10 years or more to still remain favorable. One's temperament to hold on, being a possible factor, of course. Not unlike other equity market areas, one finds the ebb and flow. However, active funds such as FSPHX and FSMEX have decent long term returns. Two other etf's we hold, that have a shorter life span is FHLC (Fido health) and IHI (Invesco med. tech). They've not done much recently, but we remain inclined to hold as we believe in this area, not unlike technology, too.
My inflation adjusted 2 cents worth.

Anybody doing anything on it? Buying, selling, waiting, watching........buy it on a pullback? Or is it dead in the water? I own FSMEX and FSPHX. Any thoughts on them?
God bless
the Pudd

@Crash , you've not noted:
--- taxable account or Roth IRA ?
Taxable. We intend to put his name as primary, and my wife as the other joint-owner. (She's 19 years younger than me. Like my dear son, she does not "grok" investing at all. But eventually, some things will move beyond my control. Eventually, EVERYTHING will move beyond my control.) A taxable account means no worries about running afoul of the splendid and gorgeous and marvelous IRA rules brought to you by the glorious IRS.
--- If a taxable account, an ETF basically has no short/long taxable annual distributions; with the exception of possible dividends for tax reporting. While traditional mutual funds will have these taxable events every year. There are many very acceptable etf's that a 30 year old should be investing into, and the ER's are generally very low. 30 years old= growth, growth, growth.......ride out the machinations.
I have made an executive decision, myself: no ETFs. I don't like the way they behave, somehow. I've owned and already sold two. No more ETFs.
--- Roth IRA....course, no annual taxation, annual limit for 2023 is $6,500. ANYONE may provide the money to fund the account, as long as the owner 'HE' has taxable income that satisfies the funding limits for the year. We funded our daughter's ROTH when she had income for a given year, starting at age 14. She kept her income for her needs at the time.
My son does not possess an "investing bone" in his body, anywhere. Does not want to even deal with the necessary papers. He's about as organized as his mother. Has no desire to do any investing homework or come up with a plan, or learn the admittedly abstruse, esoteric jargon. I've had some conversations with him about it, trying to simplify and break it all down, avoiding the whacked, specialized terminology. He flatly told me: "All I need is a single fund that I can hold for a long time, and just let it ride."
--- Has your son viewed the Fido site? If so, what is his opinion? If he is comfortable with the site, will he not he be the one maintaining the investments/site when you can not longer perform this function?
No, surely he's not seen the Fido website. He doesn't even know where to begin. Previously, I sent him MAPOX IRA paperwork, and he got entangled in it all and wasn't even sure where to fill out the forms. (I have since told him simply: Just look for the pages with blank spaces that tell you to provide X, Y and Z.) He is NOT dumb, just is the type who prefers to fly by the seat of his pants and eschews sorting, organizing, arranging----- or CLEANING HIS ROOM. LOL.
He will surely not be active in monitoring his mutual fund. Truthfully, I suspect I will be contributing the lion's share of what goes into it. And after getting a dose of Fidelity's website, that mutual fund will not be a Fidelity fund. (I think I've all but decided on RPBAX. He's not even going to CARE which one we use.) He is cobbling together three jobs to make a living. Doing alright for himself, in that regard.
A full world of investment choices with Fidelity.
I provided a number of choices for a young niece and her mother.....
A theme, yes, for a young person in particular; but also suitable in part for an older person, when adjusting some of the holdings positions by percentages. Redundancies with some holdings, yes. But, not a problem.
The above 6 bar chart from Sept. 13, 2016 (inception date limitation)
Using standard charting.
Time frame of niece's investment period chart< (3 years)>
'Course, this time frame includes the 2022 period of 'face slapping' until near the end of October when the equity and bond markets rotated towards a positive direction for performance. Generally, equity and bonds ranged down between -13 and -16% in 2022, including gains that started in October.
Remain curious,
Catch

Your thorough and thoughtful response is a thing I'm grateful for, @catch22.

@Crash , you've not noted:
--- taxable account or Roth IRA ?
--- If a taxable account, an ETF basically has no short/long taxable annual distributions; with the exception of possible dividends for tax reporting. While traditional mutual funds will have these taxable events every year. There are many very acceptable etf's that a 30 year old should be investing into, and the ER's are generally very low. 30 years old= growth, growth, growth.......ride out the machinations.
--- Roth IRA....course, no annual taxation, annual limit for 2023 is $6,500. ANYONE may provide the money to fund the account, as long as the owner 'HE' has taxable income that satisfies the funding limits for the year. We funded our daughter's ROTH when she had income for a given year, starting at age 14. She kept her income for her needs at the time.
--- Has your son viewed the Fido site? If so, what is his opinion? If he is comfortable with the site, will he not he be the one maintaining the investments/site when you can not longer perform this function?
A full world of investment choices with Fidelity.
I provided a number of choices for a young niece and her mother using past performance numbers and what each investment was able to provide based upon their exposure in the investment world. The niece has many years in front of her for investing .
They decided (the niece) to fund a Fido ROTH among six choices, mostly equally funded of:
---QQQ, etf
--- BOTZ, etf (robotics +)
--- FSMEX, medical tech. OR IHI etf, which about a twin for performance
--- FHLC, etf, broad healthcare (some downside market protection)
--- FTEC, etf, technology
--- FBALX, a hard to beat for performance balanced fund, generally 70/30
A theme, yes, for a young person in particular; but also suitable in part for an older person, when adjusting some of the holdings positions by percentages. Redundancies with some holdings, yes. But, not a problem.
The above 6 bar chart from Sept. 13, 2016 (inception date limitation)
Using standard charting.
Time frame of niece's investment period chart< (3 years)>
'Course, this time frame includes the 2022 period of 'face slapping' until near the end of October when the equity and bond markets rotated towards a positive direction for performance. Generally, equity and bonds ranged down between -13 and -16% in 2022, including gains that started in October.
Remain curious,
Catch