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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.
  • Mark Hulbert: The Single Best Investment For The Next Decade
    @johnN said:
    so what is the best plans? buy all these vehicles?
    There is a saying a carpenter told me about 15 years ago when he was helping my wife and I build our first retirement home. It goes "Its kind of hard saying without really knowing." A decade is a long time. So, that saying pretty well answers Mark Hulbert's question about the single best investment for that period of time. Having said that, I would pick my largest portfolio holding, RPGAX, to answer the question. It has a broad multi-asset mandate, a fair amount of investment flexibility, and a top notch management team. That seems like a good mix for facing all the unknowns a decade's worth of crystal ball gazing brings to mind. Thinking more short term and small scale with a "Its A Low Interest Rate World" frame of reference, I just took a small, speculative nibble at MNR a few days ago.
  • Fidelity Dogged Again By 401(k) Quid-Pro-Quo Allegations
    FYI: Fidelity Investments has again been accused of engaging in a quid-pro-quo type relationship with a 401(k) plan sponsor, which allegedly cost employee retirement savers millions of dollars in return for bigger profits.
    The latest episode involves the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has been accused of retaining Fidelity's 401(k) record-keeping services and investment funds, despite counsel to do otherwise from attorneys and consultants, with the expectation that Fidelity and co-owner Abigail Johnson would make a large donation to the university.
    Regards,
    Ted
    https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=V_FLXdqSAs3VtAbs_qCQAw&q=Fidelity+Dogged+Again+By+401(k)+Quid-Pro-Quo+Allegations&oq=Fidelity+Dogged+Again+By+401(k)+Quid-Pro-Quo+Allegations&gs_l=psy-ab.3...3348.3348..4459...0.0..0.375.531.0j1j0j1......0....2j1..gws-wiz.....0.X31mYZ_KEgo&ved=0ahUKEwiamrnagPPjAhXNKs0KHWw_CDIQ4dUDCAc&uact=5
  • When is the Right Time to Invest?
    unless you are retired then place everything in bonds
    The problem with putting 100% into “bonds” at retirement is that some of us may spend 30 or 40 years in retirement. Do you really want to settle for relatively low bond-like returns over all those years? The other problem with the statement is that “bond” can mean anything from “safe” U.S. Treasury bonds (yielding very little) to speculative C rated junk bonds having very high yields, high risk, and capital appreciation potential similar to that of equities.
    Ol’Skeet is correct. I see inflation near everywhere I look. Don’t forget that higher taxes, government imposed fees, and tariffs on imports constitute a form of inflation - as well as the aggregate CPI items. For the life of me I don’t understand the low inflation figures the govt. reports. Just replaced the top boards on my deck with new treated 2x6s. Couldn’t believe the cost of materials alone. The original deck went on the house the first year I was retired. Grateful I wasn’t invested 100% in bonds over those 20 years as the price of lumber was doubling or tripling.
    Best answer to those low govt. inflation figures is that technology has gotten cheaper. You can buy a 50”-60” color TV today for no more than a good 27” color set would have cost you 20-30 years ago. (But try munching on a TV for supper).
  • Retirement strategies
    Derf, I do not see a link to the article or its name. Could you try again, please?
    Until @Derf gets back from lunch, these links might help. The February / March 2919 AARP Magazine references a 5-year retirement planner/check-list. By Googling different years (1-5) it may be possible to bring each year up separately (or all together).
    - Here’s an overview of the full AARP edition for February/MAR 2019: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/inside-the-februarymarch-issue-of-aarp-the-magazine-2019-02-07
    - Here’s their one-year check-list: https://www.aarp.org/retirement/planning-for-retirement/info-2019/1-year-countdown.html
    While the AARP materials leave me wanting, their suggestion to “test drive” the retirement budget a year ahead is invaluable - like testing the waters (and checking for crocodiles) before diving in.
  • When is the Right Time to Invest?
    Hi sir catch22,, - It's just me but my retirement portfolio or someone else I help manage probably mixtures of bonds, individuals Corp bonds, tips, munis, etf and funds. Probably spread across the board semi-evenly
    Moms-has MUNI, FBND, PTTSX, several private corps bonds, lsbrx,
    She still hold 40s%equities, she enjoyed these companies so I did sell them.
  • Retirement strategies
    Although the request is for books on the subject of retirement funding; I thought I'd post on how I managed my parents money after they retired and now what I'm doing that I'm retired. I'm by no means saying this is right for everyone ... It is what I'm doing and I thought it might provide some ideas for others to think on.
    I made an adjustment to my asset allocation back in the 4th quarter of 2018 as I felt that equity valuations were becoming streached plus the yield curve inverted. For now, I'm rocking along at about 20% cash, 40% income and 40% equity which I call my all weather asset allocation.
    My all weather asset allocation of 20% cash, 40% income and 40% equity affords me everything necessary to meet my needs now being retired and in the distribution phase of investing. The benefit of this asset allocation is that it provides sufficient income, maximizes diversification, minimizes volatility, and provides long-term returns. For the week the S&P 500 Index pulled back 3.1% while my portfolio declined 1.3%. Year to date I have the equally weighted S&P 500 Index up 17.4% while I'm up a little better than 11%.
    The 20% held in cash area provides me ample cash should I need a cash draw over and above what my portfolio generates plus it can provide the capital necessary to fund a special investment position (spiff) should I choose to open one during a stock market pullback. In addition, cash helps stabelize a portfolio during stock market volatility. Example of investments held in this area are cash savings, money market mutual funds (AMAXX, GBAXX & PCOXX) and CD's.
    The 40% held in the income area provides me ample income generation to meet my income needs in retirement. It is a well diversified area that incorporates a good number of income generating type funds. Some examples of investments held in this area are ISFAX, PONAX & JGIAX. Currently, the portfolio has a yield of about 3.25% with a distribution yield, which includes capital gain distributions, north of 5%.
    The 40% held in the equity area provides me some dividend income along with some growth that equities generally provide which overtime offsets the effects of inflation. Some examples of investments held in this area are NEWFX, SVAAX, SPECX.
    Generally, for my income distributions, I take no more than a sum equal to what one half of my five year average total return has been leaving the residual for new investment opportunity. In this way principal grows over time. And, as principal grows so do the distributions.
    I wish all ... "Good Investing."
    Old_Skeet
  • When is the Right Time to Invest?
    Your statement: " unless you are retired then place everything in bonds"
    And why would one, in retirement; choose to do this? And what type of bonds? Active managed bond funds, or etf's or individual bonds?
  • Retirement strategies
    Hello,
    You did not mention if you are a self employed individual or are working for some organization. I am self employed and I just set up a defined benefit plan with guidance from this website and the people associated with it. They have very good material and online calculators which might be useful if you are self employed.
    Sharing this link here about an article they have on their site about some of the retirement options:
    http://www.pensiondeductions.com/ideal-retirement-plan/
    Here is a link about defined benefit plans, if you are targeting large contributions:
    http://www.pensiondeductions.com/comprehensive-guide-to-defined-benefit-plan/
    Good luck!
  • Retirement strategies
    Thank you all for the links and thoughts!!!
    Interesting article bee!!
    hank, you are right the TRP retirement calculator is interesting and of some value!!
    Any other suggestions are very welcome; a wide breathe of info is the only way to valuable and useful knowledge!!!
    great conversation all !!!!!
  • Retirement strategies
    @mcmarasco
    After some searching I found this article written by Bruce Miller that sheds a little light on using open ended mutual funds to fund retirement withdrawals.
    Back testing isn't full proof, but it helps shape the discussion in this article.
    https://seekingalpha.com/article/4050402-long-term-growing-income-open-end-mutual-fund-possible
  • Retirement strategies
    This retirement planner / calculator from T. Rowe Price looks like it might be a hoot to monkey around with. https://www3.troweprice.com/ric/ricweb/public/ric.do
    Than there’s Ben Franklin’s adage for those too busy to plan ahead: “Experience keeps a dear school, but a fool will learn in no other.”
  • Retirement strategies
    There are books by Bruce Miller and Lowell Miller (coincidence?) on dividend strategies that you might want to check out. I remember a lot of proponents of that strategy on M* yrs ago,
    Also, Jane Bryant Quinn wrote a somewhat fluffy book on general aspects of planning for retirement back in 2017. That might spark some thoughts.
  • Vanguard Market Neutral Fund & Vanguard Alternative Strategies Fund lowers initial minimums
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1409957/000093247119007247/supplementmarketneutral.htm
    497 1 supplementmarketneutral.htm MARKET NEUTRAL FUND INVESTOR SHARES SUPPLEMENT
    Vanguard Market Neutral Fund
    Supplement Dated August 1, 2019, to the Prospectus Dated
    April 26, 2019
    The minimum investment amount required to open and maintain a Fund account for
    Investor Shares will be reduced from $250,000 to $50,000. The account minimum
    change is expected to become effective on or about November 4, 2019.
    The Fund's investment objective, strategies, and policies will remain unchanged.
    Prospectus Text Changes
    The following replaces similar text under the heading “Purchase and Sale of Fund
    Shares” in the Fund Summary section:
    You may purchase or redeem shares online through our website (vanguard.com), by
    mail (The Vanguard Group, P.O. Box 1110, Valley Forge, PA 19482-1110), or by
    telephone (800-662-2739). The minimum investment amount required to open and
    maintain a Fund account for Investor Shares is $50,000. The minimum investment
    amount required to add to an existing Fund account is generally $1. Financial
    intermediaries and institutional clients should contact Vanguard for information on
    special eligibility rules that may apply to them regarding Investor Shares. If you are
    investing through an intermediary, please contact that firm directly for more
    information regarding your eligibility. If you are investing through an employer-
    sponsored retirement or savings plan, your plan administrator or your benefits office
    can provide you with detailed information on how you can invest through your plan.
    The following replaces similar text under the heading “Account Minimums for
    Investor Shares” in the Investing With Vanguard section:
    To open and maintain an account. $50,000. Financial intermediaries and institutional
    clients should contact Vanguard for information on special eligibility rules that may
    apply to them regarding Investor Shares. If you are investing through an intermediary,
    please contact that firm directly for more information regarding your eligibility.
    To add to an existing account. Generally $1.
    © 2019 The Vanguard Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
    Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor. PS 634 082019
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313850/000093247119007246/alternativestrategies497.htm
    497 1 alternativestrategies497.htm ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES 497
    Vanguard Alternative Strategies Fund
    Supplement Dated August 1, 2019, to the Prospectus Dated
    February 27, 2019
    Important Changes to the Fund
    The Fund's Board of Trustees has approved changes to the investment
    objective and benchmark of the Fund. The Fund's investment objective will
    change to: “The Fund seeks to generate returns that have low correlation with
    the returns of the stock and bond markets and seeks capital appreciation.” The
    Fund's performance benchmark will change from the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill
    Index +4% to the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill Index.
    The Fund will also adopt a risk methodology that targets a fixed volatility range
    of 5-7% measured at the portfolio level. However, the Fund's volatility from time
    to time may move outside this targeted range.
    The account minimum required to open and maintain an account will be reduced
    from $250,000 to $50,000.
    The investment objective and benchmark changes for the Fund, together with
    the risk methodology adoption, are expected to become effective on or about
    November 1, 2019. The Fund's registration statement will be updated at that
    time to reflect these changes. The account minimum change is expected to
    become effective on or about November 4, 2019.
    Prospectus Text Changes
    The following replaces similar text under the heading “Investment Objective” in
    the Fund Summary section:
    The Fund seeks to generate returns that have low correlation with the returns of
    the stock and bond markets and seeks capital appreciation.
    The following paragraph is added after the third paragraph under the heading
    “Principal Investment Strategies” in the Fund Summary section:
    The Fund has adopted a risk methodology that targets a fixed volatility range of
    5-7% measured at the portfolio level. However, the Fund's volatility from time to
    time may move outside this targeted range.
    The following replaces similar text under the heading “Annual Total Returns”:
    The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of
    investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has
    varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table
    shows how the average annual total returns of the Fund compare with those of a
    relevant market index, which has investment characteristics similar to those of the
    Fund. Effective November 1, 2019, the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill Index +4% was
    replaced with the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill Index in order to align with the Fund's
    investment objective and risk methodology. The Spliced Alternative Strategies
    Index reflects the performance of the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill Index +4% through
    October 31, 2019, and the FTSE 3-month US T-Bill Index thereafter. Keep in mind
    that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how
    the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available
    on our website at vanguard.com/performance or by calling Vanguard toll-free at
    800-662-7447....
  • DLEUX as a replacement for VXUS?
    I never got into DLEUX, but I am a fan of DSENX and CAPE. It's hard to make a case for international stocks. CAPE has gained 96% over the past five years while VXUS has lost 1.27%. The highly touted FMIJX has a yearly return of about 5% for the same time period. I own some SMID global/international and some MIOPX, but the days when I owned a big chunk of international either in my TIAA retirement account or my actively managed portfolio are long gone. Foreign under performance is quite long standing as typified by the demise of Harbor International, a former kingpin. On the other hand, I am a fan of global funds (MGGPX, ADPFX, ARTRX).
  • Retirement strategies
    I am looking for any recommendation, insight or opinion on books, white papers or any other material that I can obtain to get up-to-speed on various, reasonable and implementable "Income Harvesting (borrowed phrase)" and variable/dynamic withdrawal strategies.
    My wife and I are about a decade away from retiring, but I thought it might be a good time to familiarize myself with the latest and greatest retirement strategies.
    Like everyone else, we do not want to run out of money during retirement!
    Any thoughts, recommendations or perspectives are greatly appreciated!
    Matt