Bogleheads.org

Any thoughts on which would be the better short-term bond vehicle? The ETF VCSH has a slightly better yield (1.15% vs. 1.03%) and expense ratio (0.12% vs. 0.20%). The mutual fund VFSTX has a lower duration (2.3 vs. 2.9) and is more diversified beyond simply U.S. corporate bonds (some treasury/agency...

Just read on finance.yahoo.com that Vanguard will add Total International Bond Index to the target funds (it will comprise 20% of the bond allocation) for diversification. Second, it's dropping the money market fund from the target funds. Third, it's replacing its TIPS fund with a duration over 8 wi...

The TIPS are scary to me because the moniker "inflation-protected" sounds great, but they're difficult to understand and predict.

You could match the 30% eventual stock allocation in the target funds by putting 50% in VSCGX (Life Stategy Conservative Growth) and 50% in VASIX (Life Strategy Income) and re-balancing periodically.

With the general direction of interest rates no doubt headed up for the next few decades and the heavy emphasis in Target Retirement funds on VIPSX ( increasing to 20% of the portfolio 7 yrs. after the target date) with its duration over 8, do you think the Life Cycle Conservative Growth fund with i...

BTW, the Vanguard site can also link you to annuity quotes from insurance companies they work with and similarly, I found that the monthly pension pays more than the annuity quotes I got there. Furthermore, I read that taking the pension option is particularly beneficial for women because, whereas i...

Just took your advice and did it. The immediate annuity would pay $137 less than the pension each month. That certainly justifies the decision to take the pension. Thanks again.

I used Vanguard's RMD IRA tool to run four different scenarios comparing the lump sum approach against the pension with a 75% income for me if she pre-deceases me. One optimistic one I ran with an assumption of continuous 5% annual returns in VTXVX had my wife initially behind the pension by about $...

She wants to go with the lump sum because although the pension would pay out a few thousand more a year in the beginning, over time the distributions from the IRA would match and then exceed it. She also plans to work part-time for a few years. Additionally, assuming an actuarily normal lifespan wou...

My wife is retiring and will rollover her 401k and her cash balance pension (as a lump sum in lieu of taking a joint and survivor annuity pension from her employer) into her Vanguard Target Retirement 2015 IRA fund. I am quite sanguine about the 401k rollover since it is invested with a very similar...

I am 64. The target retirement fund is 2015 presently, but would morph into Retirement Income Fund by about 2022, when I will be 73. ( I always remember John Bogle's rough estimate of your fixed income allocation equalling your age).

I have always been a proponent of Vanguard's Target Retirement funds. However, about 7 years or so after the target date, the fund will morph into the Retirement Income Fund (VTINX). With 45 percent in Total Bond ( duration over 5 with almost half it's portfolio in Treasuries/Agencies) and 20 percen...

I have always been a proponent of Vanguard's Target Retirement funds. However, about 7 years or so after the target date, the fund will morph into the Retirement Income Fund (VTINX). With 45 percent in Total Bond ( duration over 5 with almost half it's portfolio in Treasuries/Agencies) and 20 percen...

Thanks to John, Dave, and SpringMan (6 posts from them so far). John and Dave offer good advice on both sides of the indexing vs. active management argument. I like SpringMan's advice to diversify by making my IRA a two-fund portfolio with both of them. Since Wellesley can get up to 40% stocks, wher...

For a one-fund IRA holding most of my assets, do you feel that a target retirement fund, which would become Vanguard's Retirement Income Fund (VTINX) after about 7 years would be better than The Wellesley Fund (VWINX)? VTINX has 30% stock exposure, some international stock allocation and mostly bond...