Bogleheads.org

Initially, my international was provided by FSIVX. I just (2 weeks ago) replaced it with FSGDX because FSIVX didn't have any EM and it was heavily centered on Europe and Japan. FSGDX is better at capturing ex-US. Whether or not a combination of funds is better than FSGDX I cannot say. I wanted to k...

SpringMan wrote:Looks okay but not sure I would classifyl VSS as international small value (ISV).
VSS Morningstar xray shows:
00 00 01
21 20 22
15 10 10
Predominately mid-cap growth

Yes, I realize this. I'm a small-value tilter, and while VSS isn't really ISV, it's a popular approximation.

You're pretty much there. In an ideal world you could swap SV with the 500 in your 401k (it's QDI runs in the 50-75% range each year whereas 500 tends to be 100%), although most likely not possible given most 401k plan offerings. That would be good for about 25-50 basis points depending on your tax...

Hi folks. Please provide feedback on this portfolio from a tax efficiency point of view; I'm still learning about this topic and I'm not sure I have the optimal setup. Please use "conventional" wisdom here; in other words, ignore the fact that we may be in a small window where it may actua...

The way forward seems pretty simple to me:
1) sell stock
2) estimate taxes that will be due
3) use portion of proceeds to make estimated tax payments the rest of the year
4) re-invest balance

I was 100% equities until age 44 (3 years ago). Currently 75/25.

.17

Little higher than average because half my bond holdings are PTTRX.

3) Fidelity Funds: I currently use FSTVX which is Fidelity's total market fund for the US market -- it's a great choice. I also use FSGUX Fidelity's international global ex-US index, which includes emerging markets (about 22% are EM), but you could also combine FSIVX (international with no EM) with...

Given your age and current savings, I'd sell the rental and apply the proceeds to retirement accounts. And refinance your primary residence.

hq38sq43 wrote:Buying a cheaper house seems the obvious answer. Why not do that and spend any excess on enjoying your "golden years?"

Ditto. Why such an expensive house?

I've never moved from management to the trenches, but I have avoided/refused stepping into a management position in the first place. The reasons are simple: I enjoy being a techie and I don't want to manage people. There's no law that says one has to move into management after X number of years. Cli...

Followup question for other LLC members - do you include LLC shares when analyzing your portfolio AA?

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:Yes - bigger pockets from which the barracudas feed from.

This was my initial though also. Potential Madoff victims.

prudent wrote:You can't sell them ever? Or just for a period of time?

I honestly don't know; I have no desire to sell them, but if I wanted/needed to, I don't know what the process would be.

They currently amount to about 10% of my portfolio value, and maybe 7% of net worth.

Hi folks.

When calculating net worth, should I include the value of my LLC membership? The company has been valuated, so I can assign a price to both A and B shares, however I'm not able to sell the shares.

Thanks.

Eight:

TSM
TISM
SV
ISV
SP500
TBM (2 funds)
REIT

I believe they now give the ATA (aka network to phone device) to new customers.

If it were me, I'd sell the rental If it were me, I'd sell the rental and the primary residence and downsize. Assuming you don't live in an extremely HCOL area, why do you have a $650K house? Get your spending under control. You're in position to retire early, if you choose to take the right path.

I tend to look at these things analytically. From that viewpoint, invest all of it, now.

If you're not emotionally comfortable with that, I like the idea of investing it geometrically. Half now, half of the remainder in 2 months, half of that 2 months later, etc.

sls239 wrote:I prefer to have the CC pull the payment from the bank account, so that it shows up as scheduled when I look at the CC webpage.

Same here.

I keep close tabs on all CC charges (through mint.com). The CC company tells me 4 weeks in advance how much they'll be pulling, so there aren't any surprises.

All the previous responses are true and you should listen to them, but if you want a real world answer of probably the most bang for the buck career that will get you a future so bright you have to wear shades..... software engineering, and be good at it. I've been writing software for 25 years now...

Another Priceline Rewards user here. Was searching for a rewards card 8 months ago, and it was the best I could find (note: I wanted X% back on all purchases; not interested in the "3% for this, 1% for that" type of programs). Getting 2% back; if they reduce it, I'll be looking elsewhere.

ally.com savings account: .8x%

Let' s see what others have to say................ "The Fours Pillars of Investing...." page 123 Bernstein says "...the maximum exposure you should allow for this asset class is 15% of your stock component" On page 379 of the 2012 copyright version of "A Random Walk Down Wa...

I own a REIT fund and also have a SV tilt. For those of you that believe in holding REITs - what percentage of your total portfolio is your goal (including not just REITs, but also the real estate component of other holdings)? I ask because I'm planning on increasing my SV holdings and don't want to...

Small-value is short for smallcap value stocks. That's exactly the way I've been writing about it for years and never giving it any other thought. If I wanted to say small cap stocks AND value stocks, I would have said small cap AND value stocks. Rick Ferri Thanks for chiming in Rick. Can I assume ...

I'm glad everybody is saying it generally means small and value, as that has been my definition also.

I was just taken aback in the other thread when people were including LV funds as part of their SV tilt.

I noticed that in this thread: http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=114985&view=viewpoll there doesn't seem to be a consistent definition of "SV". For some folks, it means small and value, and for others, it means small or value. Does the specific lettering/punctuat...

NamedAfterThoreau wrote:

feh wrote:Anybody know if we can expect a similar decline in the ER of VBR?

Yes, it's also down to 0.1%.

Interesting. On M*, VSIAX shows an ER of .1, but VBR still shows .2.

brainstem wrote:I agree that a good credit card is a better deal than conversion to cash.

Ditto. Assuming you aren't charged foreign transaction fees, use a CC as much as possible. That will be your best exchange rate.

Anybody know if we can expect a similar decline in the ER of VBR?

You can't approach this question from a point of view that something is ok or not ok. The whole subject of tilting at all is neither absolutely ok nor not ok. Let me rephrase - would the advantage of SV tilting commonly espoused here still be observed if the SV component was US only, even though th...

Plus, there may be a wide discrepancy on how people tilt domestically versus internationally. RM You've raised a followup question I have. I was trying to decide if it should be a different thread or to bring it up here. To be clear, this poll is all equities, both US and international. For those o...

For those of you that believe a small-value tilt is advantageous, how have you implemented it? For the purpose of the poll, this is the percentage of your equity holdings, not total portfolio.

More or less, although some people go with dividend-weighted funds. However, this still doesn't make sense. Emerging-market funds aren't small or value. Trev H's four-fund approach uses large value and small blend for international. That way you capture the small and value factors, just in differen...

??? It seems like a non sequitur. Following "the goal was a small value tilt, however, VSS isn't really small value. It's a small/medium blend. I'm considering replacing that 5% with...." the words I would have expected to see would be "...a fund that really is small value." It'...

mx711yam wrote:Feh, what do you think of the fund? I'm thinking of making this my core holding in the 401k. No other good options in there.

I have no problems with it. My 401K is 100% in this fund (only 10% of my portfolio).

Why do some funds not have a ticker? For instance bny mellon s&p 500 index? I'm trying to compare it to the vanguard 500 index fund but don't know how. I also have the BNY 500 fund in my 401K, and this has been a source of frustration for me also. I think the answer is that it simply isn't trad...

Hi folks.

Five percent of my portfolio is currently in VSS. The goal was a small value tilt, however, VSS isn't really small value. It's a small/medium blend.

I'm considering replacing that 5% with EM. Thoughts?

Thanks.

TT wrote:Since late last summer I thought why not hold both so since then I own approximately 1/2 active 1/2 index bond funds.
Why does it have to be either or?

It doesn't. My bond allocation is half FSITX and half PTTRX.

There really isn't a lot of objective information. The question a parent wants to answer is not "How does the average student in this district fare?" its "How will my child fare in this district?" It's possible that these questions have different answers but the "objective ...

We've been following the target date plan since we opened our Utah 529 for our son. He's 13, and from 13-15, the AA is 65% TSM, 15% TBM, 10% Short-Term Investment Grade Bonds and 10% cash. However, the value of the fund is above our goal. There's a good chance we'll dial back risk manually, but not ...

dickenjb wrote:Likewise you might want to pay the first $4000 of your son's tuition each year out of pocket and use the 529 withdrawals for the rest of the college costs.

Could you explain the rationale behind doing this? Thanks.

Just wondering if it makes sense to do this, or if it's even possible...my son is 5 years away from college. The balance of his 529 plan is already more than we had hoped to provide. Okay, it's more than you thought it would be. Is it enough to pay for his college? There's no way to know. Depends o...

Hi folks. Just wondering if it makes sense to do this, or if it's even possible...my son is 5 years away from college. The balance of his 529 plan is already more than we had hoped to provide. My wife is returning to school for 1 year. Her tuition amount is roughly 4% of the 529 balance. Should/coul...

Not applicable, as I really didn't have any expectations. I've simply found good jobs, lived frugally, saved and invested.

Quite happy with our current status.

Confused wrote:
$25 million? I'd put it in FDIC-insured savings accounts and CDs. Once I've won the game, I'm taking my cards off the table.

That's what I'd do too. Assuming the OP doesn't need/want to live like a rock star, the game has been won. No need to risk anything.

BlueEars wrote:Nobody's mentioned BOND, Pimco Total Return ETF (ER=0.55). Only out about a year:

One note - BOND should not be considered the ETF version of Pimco Total Return. There are differences that aren't insignificant. Search the forum for more info.

Carpe wrote:

nisiprius wrote:I'm not actually sure what I'd do if I had access to both Total Bond and to PTTRX institutional class. Past performance does not indicate future results. But the past performance is what it is--it's very impressive.

Go 50/50?

Exactly what I did (see above).

PTTRX is my only holding for intermediate term bonds. I have short term corporate, short term muni, and IBonds as well. It is also the only actively managed fund I own. The long track-record and the agility to react to artificially low interest rates is reason enough for me to "gamble" PT...