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Bogle likes the Total Bond Market Index and maybe an extra dose of corporate bonds. Does he like TIPS? A lot of you have a 50/50 split of Total Bond Market (or intermediate Treasuries) & TIPS. I don't recall Bogle ever advising that investors add TIPS. Am I mistaken? Thanks in advance.

Would you make a cheap emerging markets bond fund/etf part of your portfolio?

Thoughts? ...it seems that this asset class has performed well over an extended period of time. Fidelity's FNMIX has a great record, despite its costs.

25% total stock index
25% total international
25% small cap value (VBR)
25% small cap international (VSS)

...according to morningstar's "instant x-ray," this allocation has 8% in real estate.

Many thanks for the thoughtful advice!

Thanks. Very helpful!

http://seekingalpha.com/article/720931-need-safe-bond-yields-consider-australian-bond-etfs

Safety w/higher yield?

http://www.pimcoetfs.com/Funds/Pages/AUD.aspx

Would you consider adding this ETF to your bond allocation, if you live and work in the US?

(edited as suggested below) Roth IRA 15%. Total Stock Market Index (7.5% of Total) 15%. Small Cap Index (7.5% of Total) 15%. Total International Stock Index (7.5% of Total) 15%. Small Cap International Index (VSS) (7.5% of Total) 20%. Total Bond Index (10% of Total) 20%. Short Term Corporate Bonds (...

Excellent! Thanks!

YDNAL/sscritic, Mega-thanks! When I input the cost data into Vanguard, I would list the following: Date Acquired/Quantity/Total Cost/(Cost per Share) 3/21/2011/200.116/$10,500/$52.47 3/21/2011/3.414/$274.59/$80.43 3/21/2011/5.947/$572.91/$96.34 Correct? I assume that I would list the conversion date...

To input cost data, Vanguard lists only 3 entries: date acquired, quantity and total cost. 3 separate mutual fund purchases means 3 separate lots? Do I need a CPA for this?

On 21 March 2011, I converted VFSVX to VSS, and my cost basis information disappeared. On 23 March 2009, I purchased 525.000 shares of VFSVX at $20.00 per share for a total of $10,500. With reinvested dividends and capital gains on 23 Dec 2009, I added 8.956 shares at a cost of $30.66 per share. Tot...

If so, what is your trigger? Set time during year? 1% off your target allocation? 5% off? Suggestions? ...ready to be brave, but scared to be foolish. Thanks.

VFIDX/VFICX ...or Inter-Term Corp Bond ETF (VCIT) That seems to be the strategy at Wellington: https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0021&FundIntExt=INT#hist=tab%3A2 https://personal.vanguard.com/us/FundsStrategyAndPolicy?FundId=0521&FundIntExt=INT The fund invests 60% to 7...

VFIDX/VFICX ...or Inter-Term Corp Bond ETF (VCIT) That seems to be the strategy at Wellington: https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0021&FundIntExt=INT#hist=tab%3A2 https://personal.vanguard.com/us/FundsStrategyAndPolicy?FundId=0521&FundIntExt=INT The fund invests 60% to 70...

Australia is awesome. Barring anything unusual on the family side, you would be foolish not to go. ...but even if it were Afghanistan for 4 months, it would be worthy of consideration.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0914&FundIntExt=INT#hist=tab%3A0 "Rooted in asset allocation theory, Vanguard LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund seeks capital appreciation and a reasonable level of current income by investing in four other Vanguard funds: 30% Total St...

Stocks 15% Total Stock 15% Small Value 15% Total Int'l 15% Small Blend Int'l Bonds 20% Short-term Investment Grade or TIPS 20% Total Bond or Intermediate Treasuries Buy/Hold/Rebalance until retirement. Thoughts? You are inching closer to mainstream. :wink: http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic....

Stocks
15% Total Stock
15% Small Value
15% Total Int'l
15% Small Blend Int'l

Bonds
20% Short-term Investment Grade or TIPS
20% Total Bond or Intermediate Treasuries

Buy/Hold/Rebalance until retirement. Thoughts?

Multiple gurus have recommended bond ladders instead of funds. Is there general consensus that a bond ladder is the best, safest route? If so, how do you do easily construct a bond ladder within an IRA brokerage account, Fidelity or Vanguard? Thanks in advance.

You're concerned only about overall portfolio risk. But careful how you choose your time periods. 1972 to present was a period of falling interest rates, in general, so of course the return/risk profile of a portfolio looks better with longer bonds. The dominant events risk wise of that period were...

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insights/article/bdc-expense-ratios-04292011 Vanguard: "The expense ratios of some Vanguard funds appear to have increased recently, but appearances can be deceiving. Fund expense ratios now reflect guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) abo...

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insights/article/bdc-expense-ratios-04292011 Vanguard: "The expense ratios of some Vanguard funds appear to have increased recently, but appearances can be deceiving. Fund expense ratios now reflect guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) abo...

At first this bothered me, but now it looks like a good thing. The SEC is requiring funds to acknowledge that some of their underlying holdings may be charging ERs of their own, and that's what I'd think everyone would want. Vanguard is right that the fees haven't changed, but now we're getting dis...

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insights/article/bdc-expense-ratios-04292011 Vanguard: "The expense ratios of some Vanguard funds appear to have increased recently, but appearances can be deceiving. Fund expense ratios now reflect guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) abo...

ER was .14 on VBR, and now it is .23

ER on VISVX is now .37

ER on Small Cap ETF and Admiral Shares was .14 and now is .18.

...if I am off, please let me know. Otherwise, where were the trumpets?

...Blackrock ETFs are more competitive as a result.

Is the decline of the dollar just "noise" or cause for alarm? Thoughts?

This is what it actually holds:
https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0039&FundIntExt=INT#hist=tab%3A2

I held a decent amount (for me, anyways) in VFSTX - ST Corp. during the 2008 panic. It didn't do quite what I was hoping it would do, which is offset some of the risk of stocks. When it came time to rebalance into riskier asset classes, I had to sell some shares in VFSTX at a loss. I chose this fun...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703838004576274842818324796.html

Summary: investors lose out on the benefits when they use advisers.

I think the question was: "40% in Short-Term Corp Bonds: Smart or Dumb?" Yes, I was wondering more about additional context. Is 40% in bonds dumb? Is using short-term corp as entire bond allocation dumb? Is the use of this specific Vanguard fund dumb? - DDB This portfolio puts the entire ...

I think that would most likely reduce an investor's returns. It's better to have an overall AA and use the TSP as part of it, because that will give you maximum exposure to the G Fund for a given AA. My premise is that the G Fund is a uniquely good deal, so you should maximize its use. I think shor...

http://www.marketwatch.com/lazyportfolio/portfolio/bernsteins-smart-money - 40% in Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade (VFSTX) - 15% in Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTSMX) - 10% in Vanguard Small Cap Value (VISVX) - 10% in Vanguard Value Index (VIVAX) - 5% in Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock (VEIEX...

...by the way, if you disagree and really want to buy the total bond market, I recommend that you buy it within your IRA. The G fund is a unique diversifier (short term security with a medium/long rate) not available to the normal Joe. Take advantage of it! I think the OP wants to put 40% in bonds ...

...by the way, if you disagree and really want to buy the total bond market, I recommend that you buy it within your IRA. The G fund is a unique diversifier (short term security with a medium/long rate) not available to the normal Joe. Take advantage of it!

With interest rates at a bottom, I would put your entire 40% in the G Fund, which is currently yielding 3%: https://www.tsp.gov/whatsnew/rates/currentLimitsAndRates.shtml Considering the current state of bonds, it's a better deal than the F Fund, IMO: http://money.cnn.com/data/bonds/index.html . If ...

Thanks for the tip, but until I have a chance to read further arguments my rational preference remains in favor of the mutual fund structure or the dual structure used by Vanguard (which in many ways benefits from the best of both worlds). Are you saying that the dual structure at Vanguard provides...

http://jutiagroup.com/20110414-are-etfs-really-safe/ http://etfdb.com/2010/ten-shocking-etf-charts-from-the-flash-crash/ The paranoid were on Noah's Ark when the floods came. Just wondering if there is something to the ETF warnings, and if so, whether Vanguard offers more safety. Other than followi...

Does Vanguard have better processes than others (e.g., Blackrock)?

bertie wooster wrote:It's ok to do things that Jack Bogle does not advocate.

I agree:

15% Total stock index or value index
15% Small-cap index or small-cap value index
15% Total int'l stock index
15% Int'l small cap index
20% Total bond index
20% TIPS or short-term investment grade bonds.

You left out IJS, why? I will be interested in comments, as I own FSEMX in my 401(k), own VBR in my taxable (no purchases since spring 2009), bought IJS on a really bad day in my Roth (used my fixed income allocation for that) and sold a couple weeks later for a nice gain, and just day-traded IWM w...

Vanguard account: Small-Cap Index Admiral Shares (VSMAX) .14 ER 11.8% turnover rate v. Small-Cap Value Index (VISVX) .28 ER (or VBR at .14 ER) 24.7% turnover rate ------------------- Fidelity account: Russell 2000 (IWM) .28 ER v. Russell 2000 Value (IWN) .41 ER (secondary Q: for my ROTH IRA, when do...

The basis information provided by Vanguard on its website for mutual funds is average basis information. You cannot use average basis on a stock or ETF, so there is no reason for Vanguard to show you irrelevant information. If it were there, there is a chance you would try and use it even if you sh...

Feedback seems to be that portfolio would be more Hell than Rainbows. Smirk. Rainbows: US/Int'l diversification; large cap/small cap diversification; REITS/Metals as inflation hedge; long-term success per position and relatively low asset correlations; short-term corp and TIPS for safety/additional ...

(upfront confession: I am an idiot on taxes) After the conversion from fund to ETF, I noticed that my old cost-basis info disappeared when I clicked on the cost-basis link. If I sell VSS, will I get a nice cost-basis breakdown from Vanguard, or am I going to have to pull out old statements and a cal...

Thoughts?

15% REIT (VGSIX, VGSLX or VNQ)
15% Small Cap (NAESX, VSMAX, or VB; VISVX or VBR)
15% Total International (VGTSX, VTIAX, or VXUS)
15% Precious Metals and Mining (VGPMX)
20% Short Term Investment Grade (VFSTX or VCSH)
20% Inflation Protected Bonds (VIPSX or TIP)

Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA. At 7.3% ABV, the dividends are high.

Bernstein's Smart Money Portfolio puts the entire amount of the bond holdings in VFSTX (short-term investment grade). I thought VCSH might be a suitable alternative. VFSTX is reputed to be a safe, long-term bet; Vanguard lists both as a "1" on its risk scale. Treasuries seem unsafe in the ...

It will depend on what the purpose of bonds in their portfolio is.

Safety