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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.
  • The counterintuitive truth about stock market valuations
    Thanks! I rebalance in early January, always. Not always with the same goal in mind, now, in retirement. 80 high, 71 low temp in Kaneohe today. I was at the beach in Kailua yesterday. Nice, though quite breezy. But you don't feel any breeze in the water! Water temp was 80, too.
    https://www.best-of-oahu.com/kailua-beach-park.html
  • VANGUARD
    There are lots of what in most situations are minor differences between 401(k)s and IRAs. This includes at least a couple I don't think I saw in any of the links: Roth 401(k)s have RMDs, and so long as one is working, RMDs don't apply to a 401(k) with one's current employer.
    https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-required-minimum-distributions-rmds
    IMHO the key consideration is investment options; for most people the rest is noise. (If any of the many enumerated differences matter to you, I suggest going to authoritative sources for precise details as there are many nits to pick with popular press pieces.)
    If the Fidelity 401(k) plan in question has investment options that would be used and that are cheaper than comparable options in an IRA, then (minor differences aside) go with the 401(k), at least with part of the money. Otherwise go with the IRA. For example, if the 401(k) has a stable value fund that would be used, or offers cheaper pooled investments in lieu of mutual funds, the 401(k) might be preferable. (A downside of pooled investments is less disclosure about the investments and performance.)
    Note that no 401(k) plan is required to accept transfers. I suspect that nearly all do accept transfers from other qualified plans. Plans are less likely to accept transfers from IRAs, but some do. It's worth checking. That would facilitate transferring first to the IRA and later to the 401(k) if desired.
    https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/rollover_chart.pdf
  • VANGUARD
    @davidmoran, My understanding is a 401K has many attributes that a rollover IRA does not have. That said, a 401K that resides with an old employer can be transferred to a new employer's 401K plan. This may be advantageous if the new employer's plan has great investment choices (tax deductible at any income, employer match, higher contribution amounts, low fees, high rated investment choices, loan provisions). Also, if she were to separate service from the new employer (401K employer) anytime after 55 she could withdraw from her 401K plan penalty free (normally a -10% penalty). 401K plans may have important protections as well (from lawsuits, debtors, etc.)
    A 401K can always be rollover over into rollover IRA, but it might worth boning up on the differences before she does.
    401(k) vs. IRA: Reading the Difference
    difference-between-401k-ira
    rollovers-of-retirement-plan-and-ira-distributions
    ira-vs-401k/
    12-reasons-not-to-roll-your-401k-into-an-ira
    legal-protection-401k-vs-ira
  • VANGUARD
    somewhat OT, but can anyone find a link for closing a vanguard 403B and rolling the money out in-kin to another firm? I am having trouble assisting one of my kids in this ...
    The firms where I've had employer-sponsored plans have generally performed distributions in kind only to IRAs held at the same firm. Note that unlike IRA transfers, rollovers from employer-sponsored plans must be initiated on the sending side, not on the receiving end.
    You can do an in-kind distribution from a Vanguard 403(b) to a Vanguard IRA, followed by an in-kind trustee-to-trustee IRA transfer to the other firm. See the Vanguard 403(b)(7) Single Distribution Kit:
    http://www.bsgi401k.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/V-Minimum-Distribution.pdf
    At the top of p. 3 (pdf p. 5):
    "If you selected A, B, or C [direct rollovers to Vanguard IRAs], your assets will be invested in the same funds and proportions as in your existing Vanguard 403(b)(7) account, unless you indicate otherwise below ...
    "D. [rollover to a] Retirement account held at another institution ... Rollover check will be made payable to the custodian/plan"
  • Perpetual Buy/Sell/Why Thread
    Winter will be grim but the pandemic's end is in sight, and all sorts of economic data is looking promising (housing starts, car sales, plus lots of money in savings accounts). I've been steadily buying and am now up to 80% equities. I mostly bought VDIGX and GPRIX, but that has to do with gaps in my portfolio than with any bets on what part of the market will do best.
    Lots can go wrong, and the market can always drop 10-15% for no particular reason, but I think a bad winter is the base assumption now, already priced in.
    Then again, I'm also at least hopefully 15 years from retirement and just got a raise, so I can sock away about a third of my salary going forward. If I were retired, as many posters here are, I would be more conservative.
  • Did you go to school in 2020 ?!
    I'd been mostly in stocks and some funds since a kid in the '80s. I wanted to get into futures to learn about them as a potential second income stream (active trading). It was an interesting time to be in the markets, as I both 'won' a lot, and lost a lot .... I should add that was just as algos were really taking off and I decided it wasn't worth playing against them regularly or spending the time to develop & code my own trading systems. Not to mention, in 2010 I left consulting & landed my (current) faculty position and priorities shifted. :) But I still monitor the equity index futures and will dabble with them now and then, since they trade 24x5 compared to stocks.
    Back during the GFC I was sitting on a huge pile of cash that I was managing for an aging parent's immediate needs and was wishing we'd see 6, 8, 10% rates on CDs and bonds at some point ... I saw what that did for my grandparents decades ago and it made for a very comfortable retirement for them. If that ever happened again, I'd probably sell down 50% of my portfolios and throw it into government fixed income. :)
    @rforno, you are way ahead of me with investing at that time period. I managed to invest few dollars in CDs that paid over 6% in the 80's.
  • AQR Emerging Defensive Style Fund to be liquidated
    I had the good fortune to buy AUENX for my 2 Fidelity retirement accounts, when the IRA minimum was $2500, while a 1 million minimum for taxable accounts. Needless to say, AQR a short time later increased the retirement minimum to 1 million also!
  • Seeking Yield With Safety

    MWTRX is a good fund but GIBLX has a better record for 1-3-5 years.
    Both are not funds I use since I'm mainly a bond investor in the last several years and their past performance (6% average for 3 years) will not happen in the future.
    I'm also not impressed by LT record, DODGX had a great record years ago but now it trails the "stupid" index SPY for 10 years already
    BTW, I used to be at 80-90% equities until several years prior to retirement where I change gradually to more bonds.

    Can you please explain your comment? Are you saying that you won't buy a fund with good performance because it can't keep up? Not sure how you can be confident that a newer fund will outperform established winners. I have substantial positions in both MWTRX and GIBLX, a very big fan of the latter.

    For the average Joe investor: KISS investing
    1) I believe in using up to 5 (maybe 7) funds
    2) The core portion should be about 70% and use very cheap indexes, the rest may be in managed funds that have something special.
    3) Hardly trade which means looking at your portfolio 1-2 times annually and make small adjustments of 1-2 funds.
    With that in mind:
    1) Core: I would use SPY/VTI for most of my stocks. BIV as my generic bond fund.
    Explore: PRWCX, VWIAX, PIMIX.
    2) Let's check MWTRX and GIBLX in the last 5 years. I don't see MWTRX as anything more/special beyond BIV but GIBLX is different enough which is why I may use it in my explore portion. See 5 year
    chart.
    1) I'm a flexible investor with specific goals. Making over 6% annually using mainly bond funds, be positive every year, SD < 3, never lose 3% from any last top.
    2) I mainly hold very concentrated portfolio of 2-3 funds. I may own a fund, weeks or years. I held PIMIX for 6-7 years, PHMIX for 3 years, IOFIX easily over 50% in the last 3 years.
    3) Even if I own a fund for years, I may sell it for days to several weeks when market conditions are extreme which is one of my goals. This is not your usual trader as someone who buys 10 stocks and keep changing them.
    Well, BIV and MWTRX will get you to the same place over time...but MWTRX has an SD of 3.53 (Sharpe 1.29) versus 5.19/.89 for BIV (still a big fan of BIV when I don't want to get locked into a mutual fund). I must say FD you are quite impressive in your trading skill, no doubt about that but I do question whether you might also get to the same place just holding quality bond funds like these two and say PIMIX. You say you've had very large positions in IOFAX and I recall you jumping out before it cratered, but had you guessed wrong you would have lost significant life savings in a matter of days. I could not live with that possibility...so I'd rather make my 5% to 6% by combining PIMIX with MWTRX, which is what PV say I would have made on average since 2008.
  • Seeking Yield With Safety

    MWTRX is a good fund but GIBLX has a better record for 1-3-5 years.
    Both are not funds I use since I'm mainly a bond investor in the last several years and their past performance (6% average for 3 years) will not happen in the future.
    I'm also not impressed by LT record, DODGX had a great record years ago but now it trails the "stupid" index SPY for 10 years already
    BTW, I used to be at 80-90% equities until several years prior to retirement where I change gradually to more bonds.

    Can you please explain your comment? Are you saying that you won't buy a fund with good performance because it can't keep up? Not sure how you can be confident that a newer fund will outperform established winners. I have substantial positions in both MWTRX and GIBLX, a very big fan of the latter.
    For the average Joe investor: KISS investing
    1) I believe in using up to 5 (maybe 7) funds
    2) The core portion should be about 70% and use very cheap indexes, the rest may be in managed funds that have something special.
    3) Hardly trade which means looking at your portfolio 1-2 times annually and make small adjustments of 1-2 funds.
    With that in mind:
    1) Core: I would use SPY/VTI for most of my stocks. BIV as my generic bond fund.
    Explore: PRWCX, VWIAX, PIMIX.
    2) Let's check MWTRX and GIBLX in the last 5 years. I don't see MWTRX as anything more/special beyond BIV but GIBLX is different enough which is why I may use it in my explore portion. See 5 year chart.
    My style isn't recommended to anybody.
    1) I'm a flexible investor with specific goals. Making over 6% annually using mainly bond funds, be positive every year, SD < 3, never lose 3% from any last top.
    2) I mainly hold very concentrated portfolio of 2-3 funds. I may own a fund, weeks or years. I held PIMIX for 6-7 years, PHMIX for 3 years, IOFIX easily over 50% in the last 3 years.
    3) Even if I own a fund for years, I may sell it for days to several weeks when market conditions are extreme which is one of my goals. This is not your usual trader as someone who buys 10 stocks and keep changing them.
  • Seeking Yield With Safety

    MWTRX is a good fund but GIBLX has a better record for 1-3-5 years.
    Both are not funds I use since I'm mainly a bond investor in the last several years and their past performance (6% average for 3 years) will not happen in the future.
    I'm also not impressed by LT record, DODGX had a great record years ago but now it trails the "stupid" index SPY for 10 years already
    BTW, I used to be at 80-90% equities until several years prior to retirement where I change gradually to more bonds.

    Can you please explain your comment? Are you saying that you won't buy a fund with good performance because it can't keep up? Not sure how you can be confident that a newer fund will outperform established winners. I have substantial positions in both MWTRX and GIBLX, a very big fan of the latter.
  • Seeking Yield With Safety
    I never promote must have of anything. Each investor should do whatever they feel comfortable about. I'm a trader for 20 years with a great track record. I'm not your typical trader, I'm trading mutual funds based on momentum and good risk/reward. My trading habits are a lot faster now than 10-15 years ago.
    MWTRX is a good fund but GIBLX has a better record for 1-3-5 years.
    Both are not funds I use since I'm mainly a bond investor in the last several years and their past performance (6% average for 3 years) will not happen in the future.
    I'm also not impressed by LT record, DODGX had a great record years ago but now it trails the "stupid" index SPY for 10 years already
    BTW, I used to be at 80-90% equities until several years prior to retirement where I change gradually to more bonds.
  • Roth IRA- Preferred buying and holdings-Owners in their 80's
    Roth money is often mentioned as the last pool of money that one should draw from.

    If you often spend more money in your early days of retirement, would you not want to draw on Roth vs traditional to not realize the income for tax purposes?
    I personally agree that taxes matter. I presently try to manage my taxable withdrawal verses tax free withdrawals to stay below (or at) the 12% tax bracket. Roth withdrawals have the advantage of being a tax free withdrawal.
    Even if one does not need income (equivalent to the 12% threshold) it seems to me that Roth conversions (up to the 12% threshold) make good sense as well. They my be the lowest rates we ever experience going forward.
    For 2020 the 12% threshold:
    Single = $40,125
    Joint = $80,250
    H of H = $53,700
  • Roth IRA- Preferred buying and holdings-Owners in their 80's
    Roth money is often mentioned as the last pool of money that one should draw from.
    If you often spend more money in your early days of retirement, would you not want to draw on roth vs traditional to not realize the income for tax purposes?
  • Roth IRA- Preferred buying and holdings-Owners in their 80's
    Roth money is often mentioned as the last pool of money that one should draw from.
    I agree , but I tend to also see Roth money as a pool of money that one can pull from at anytime in retirement. Spending these Roth withdrawals as income has the advantage of making your spending go further since it can be spent tax free.
    Early on in my savings career my Roth dollars were positioned in my most aggressive investments. As I have entered retirement, I have re-positioned 3-5 years of income needs using Roth dollars. I place these Roth dollars into less aggressive investments while the rest attempts to grow aggressively (long term).
  • HECM Reverse Mortgage Thread
    I am 61 years old and I am gathering information regarding reverse mortgages. Reverse mortgages become available to individuals after age 62. I plan on considering a reverse mortgage not for income (think annuity), but instead as a source for a growing line of credit (think HELOC). In a low interest rate environment, establishing reverse mortgage early (age 62), paying closing costs (much like a conventional mortgage), then maintaining a low balance (zero balance is better) creates a very interesting growth of line of credit for retirees who want to stay in their home.
    This is an excerpt from Wade Pfau's book, Reverse Mortgages: How to Use Reverse Mortgages to Secure Your Retirement
    Forbes Review of his book:
    reverse-mortgage-calculator
    HUD offers information on the topic:
    https://hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/hecm/hecmhome
    https://hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/hecm
    This Calculator help you understand how much can be borrowed (think of this as a line of credit):
    https://reversemortgagevalue.com/calculator/
    Why not just take out a HELOC?
    Benefits of a HELOC:
    Lower interest rates in most cases
    Lower upfront costs
    May be more suitable for short term-needs
    Benefits of a HECM:
    Loan does not become due as long as all the loan obligations are met*
    Line of credit cannot be frozen due to changing market values*
    No monthly mortgage payments*
    Source:
    compare-hecm-to-heloc
    Another one of the reverse mortgage advantages over the HELOC is the reliability that the HECM line of credit will stay open and available when needed. HELOCs are notorious for suddenly being decreased or being closed altogether, especially if the borrower has not been actively drawing from the loan. This is difficult because many borrowers prefer to have a line of credit available and open to withdraw from only if the time comes when a need arises. To be forced to stay actively borrowing on the credit line in order to keep an open status or finding out the line of credit has been decreased or closed suddenly would be frustratingly inconvenient for anyone.
    The HECM LOC also has an advantage of significant line of credit growth potential. Taking out a HECM early in retirement and keeping the credit line open for use in the future proves to be a popular strategic plan. The unused line of credit grows at current expected interest rates; therefore, taking a HECM at 62 gives your line of credit time to grow as opposed to waiting until 82, especially if the expected reverse mortgage interest rates increase over time.
    differences-reverse-mortgage-hecm-line-credit-home-equity-line-credit-heloc
    An 8 Point Comparison of HECMs vs HELOCs:
    https://mlsreversemortgage.com/title-bout-hecm-vs-heloc/
  • $2.50 a Year in Interest? That’s What $5,000 in Savings Gets
    The nice thing about cash is that it's there to buy assets that have taken a beating.
    I never had cash long term and hope not to have in the future. I'm only in cash short term, usually days to 2-3 weeks when markets are risky which I determine according to several indicators (VIX and others). Since 2009, which is 11 years, I have been in 30-100% cash about 12 weeks which is about 2%. This means I was invested at 99+% at about 98%.
    Why I don't have cash?
    1) because I have made a lot more money in bond funds.
    2) If I want to trade risky stuff, I buy it and sell my bond funds on the same day. You can do it at Schwab but not Fidelity.
    3) At retirement and for decades I only have several thousands in my bank. There are no emergencies or other incidents where I needed the money within hours unless its illegal drugs or ransom. I can always use my credit cards and pay weeks later. For a larger amount I can sell my mutual funds and get the money within 1-2 days.
    At retirement: if you need cash for expenses and as part of asset allocation you can sell just some share only when you need more money. When stocks are up, sell from stocks, when stocks go down sell some bonds and you better have a portion in ballast bonds. Sure, having 2-3 months in cash isn't a big problem but not 1-2 years.
  • DeForest R. Hinman named portfolio manager of Walthausen Small Cap Value Fund
    I used to own WSVIX, after having been referred to Walthausen by Kevin O'Boyle who had had a fine stint at Meridian Value before founding his own fund, the Presidio Fund. This SCV fund was also a fine performer. When O'Boyle decided to close the fund, I asked where he'd put his own money. With John Walthausen, he said. When Rick Aster at Meridian died suddenly, O'Boyle helped out by managing temporarily again. WSVIX had a couple of very good years before small cap value lost any sort of mojo at all. John Walthausen may have realized the wait for good returns could eat up his retirement. It's been reported elsewhere that the number of stocks available has been declining steadily; I think it may be all the harder these to discover good companies in the SCV arena.
  • T. Rowe Price Spectrum Income Fund change in expense fee
    Another one posting here characterized RPSIX to me as "a good place to hold money when you haven't decided yet what to do with it." I think that person has proven to be correct. I wish that TRP offered some other bond funds, more that they currently do--- which have a better record than I'm already seeing. I'm in the 10% bracket. I don't need MUNIS. With an eye on the future, I'll be wanting YIELD. And I want to keep my equity stake rather limited now, in retirement. I just may have to go off the reservation and open a bond account with a different fund house.
  • Your Home is Not an Investment
    A home isn’t part of your net worth?
    I was taught years ago that it is. Of course, one must exclude any mortgage amount owed against the home. Mass Mutual seems to agree. “Net worth“ is an interesting concept. I found it quite meaningful when it was first explained to me about 30 years ago by a guy who really understood finance. Helped set me on the right path back than.
    In a nutshell: It’s better to be positively netted rather than negatively netted - as some unfortunate souls find themselves. Overall, however, it’s not something I pay a whole lot of attention to. Quality of life can be measured against many markers. The Mass Mutual link above is current (2020) and cites some interesting net-worth averages for those of us in the retirement years.
  • Your Home is Not an Investment
    Your home may not be a great investment but it is certainly a decent investment, comparable to safer investments in returns. Some people get lucky and buy homes at a great price or in neighborhoods that spike in value, but that’s often not the case.
    We bought our home with a 15-year mortgage and paid it off about five years before retirement. Having our mortgage paid off made a huge difference in being able to retire when we did because our living expenses were so much lower. It also enabled us to ramp up our retirement savings the last few years of working.
    Owning a home has many intangible values, if your neighborhood is desirable and you enjoy working in the yard or doing home improvements. For example, we live next a large city nature preserve where we can hike and walk the dog. On the downside, you never really pay off a home because of ongoing maintenance and repairs.