Search found 333 matches

by Winthorpe
Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home phone (copper) solution for parents
Replies: 26
Views: 2492

Re: Home phone (copper) solution for parents

I began researching services like Ooma for them - does anyone have feedback on this and how well it works? We needed to keep a house phone. About a year ago, in a cost-cutting move, we switched away from our venerable Plain Old Telephone Service to Ooma. So far, completely satisfactory. We have been using ooma for home “landline” for at least 10 years, ever since I first heard about it on the Clark Howard show. At the time I really wanted to be rid of our expensive ATT landline. The Ooma has been flawless the entire time. In fact, I’m still using the original, old Ooma box. It’s also almost free after that initial purchase. I HIGHLY recommend it. Edit: By the way, I’m hard wired, not WiFi. So, I can’t comment on the WiFi phone performance.
by Winthorpe
Sun Feb 18, 2024 1:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?
Replies: 168
Views: 18030

Re: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?

There was a NYTs article on this not too long ago (and a "Daily" podcast on it). The attitude you discovered is prevalent in schools now too, unfortunately. Basically the article talked about how school kids now are getting peer-pressured into buying iPhones. They are considered lessor or poorer if their friends text them and it's blue versus green. And Apple's response to this is, of course, "everyone should get an iPhone". They, of course, will not create an Android based version of iMessage but also will take anyone to court who tries to create a compatible App. Me - I refuse to be assimilated. It's not even just the kids doing this. The coach in charge of my daughter's main extracurricular activity in high school re...
by Winthorpe
Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: AVUV surges past 2021 high
Replies: 42
Views: 7828

Re: AVUV surges past 2021 high

cacophony wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:27 pm Is the explanation that the higher interest rates hurt small companies more than large companies? So now that there's more confidence that interest rates are coming down, small caps are doing better because they stand to benefit more?
Exactly right. And especially since small value companies are inherently risky, they can’t get the best rates like an Apple, for instance. So lack of further rates hikes is great for small, deep value
by Winthorpe
Mon Dec 11, 2023 9:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New to Costco
Replies: 239
Views: 58340

Re: New to Costco

Dregob wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:21 pm
ThankYouJack wrote: Sat Dec 09, 2023 1:26 pm Costco has a cult like following but I hate shopping there - or any crowded bulk grocery store. Online is an option but they charge quite a bit more (about 20%) so there's not much savings if any going that route.

Good luck! Stay patient and don't go hungry :)
I agree. I've tried Costco twice with yearly memberships.
I'd rather pay a little more and avoid the lines at the zoo.
And…Sam’s Club is better anyway.
by Winthorpe
Sat Sep 23, 2023 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly bloated chicken broth carton (tetra pak) - safe to consume?
Replies: 14
Views: 1653

Re: Slightly bloated chicken broth carton (tetra pak) - safe to consume?

jebmke wrote: Sat Sep 23, 2023 1:38 pm why risk it - its only chicken broth
But then they will be out the $1.47 which is tough for a frugal person to swallow (pun intended).

PS if you do decide to consume the chicken broth, please post your story later after your recovery in the thread titled “what frugal thing did you do today? “

PSS Of course the above is all joking around. I know you will skip the broth. Have a great weekend! :sharebeer
by Winthorpe
Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SCHD and DGRW & Tax Loss Harvest
Replies: 3
Views: 742

Re: SCHD and DGRW & Tax Loss Harvest

Also, iShares DGRO is very similar to VIG and SCHD.
by Winthorpe
Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SCHD and DGRW & Tax Loss Harvest
Replies: 3
Views: 742

Re: SCHD and DGRW & Tax Loss Harvest

VIG, SCHD, and DGRW are all good partners.

QDIV, VTV, and AVLV are "close enough" and pretty inexpensive, too, if you need more options.
by Winthorpe
Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Las Vegas--recommended activities?
Replies: 40
Views: 3847

Re: Las Vegas--recommended activities?

Vegas is always fun to visit, and great exercise (LOTS of walking on the strip).

If you like concerts, you can typically see someone you like while you're there. It's probably best to buy tickets in advance.

In the past year during two visits, my wife and I saw the Eagles, Billy Joel, and Metallica.
by Winthorpe
Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why not 100% PSLDX? [PIMCO StocksPLUS Long Duration Fund]
Replies: 2106
Views: 391591

Re: Why not 100% PSLDX?

that's a great question, and unfortunately, I bought it a few years ago when it was simply available and you were allowed to buy it. I was looking for mutual funds and there they all were, in brokeragelink, in a 401k, the whole PIMCO range. I bought 3 of the stocksplus products at that time, but only PSLDX seems to have genuinely outsize returns to me. In just a little while, they cut off the link back to PIMCO and I can't even pull up a mutual fund page within Fidelity. So "the rules changed" after I bought it. I'm allowed to buy more. I don't think anybody can do now what I did then. You might be able to do it with a minimum $1 million purchase, but I don't know. I just spoke with a Fidelity Brokeragelink representative. After ...
by Winthorpe
Tue Dec 14, 2021 11:53 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why not 100% PSLDX? [PIMCO StocksPLUS Long Duration Fund]
Replies: 2106
Views: 391591

Re: Why not 100% PSLDX?

firebirdparts wrote: Sat Dec 11, 2021 10:53 am I hold it at Fidelity...
firebirdparts,

I'm curious how you came to hold this at Fidelity. Did you transfer shares in or were you able to make the purchase directly with Fidelity? Thanks!
by Winthorpe
Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New Avantis ETFs
Replies: 279
Views: 54247

Re: New Avantis ETFs

YRT70 wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:05 am Apparently the India position is still building. Source: HML_Compounder got an email from Avantis.
Thanks for this update. I suppose it will be a 2 or 3 months before the holdings settle.
by Winthorpe
Fri Oct 15, 2021 6:29 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Searching for Lost Contributors
Replies: 537
Views: 138170

Re: Searching for Lost Contributors

Bogleheads, I was about to start a new thread to ask about Vineviz. Then I found this one. It's a real shame that he is not here anymore, along with Hedgefundie. I didn't always agree with them, but they sure forced my brain to look at seemingly old concepts from a new and interesting angle. Same with Grabiner, who is fortunately still here. Anybody know if the thoughts of Vineviz can be found at other investing forums? Thanks, Winthorpe Have you tried a web search with search term vineviz? Did you try: https://twitter.com/vineviz Looks like he's been quiet on Twitter, too. No. I have not begun to stalk search for him yet :happy . Yesterday, I joined the rational reminder forum. It seems like a likely place for vineviz to show up. Otherwis...
by Winthorpe
Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:12 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Searching for Lost Contributors
Replies: 537
Views: 138170

Re: Searching for Lost Contributors

Bogleheads,

I was about to start a new thread to ask about Vineviz. Then I found this one.

It's a real shame that he is not here anymore, along with Hedgefundie. I didn't always agree with them, but they sure forced my brain to look at seemingly old concepts from a new and interesting angle. Same with Grabiner, who is fortunately still here.


Anybody know if the thoughts of Vineviz can be found at other investing forums?

Thanks,
Winthorpe
by Winthorpe
Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New Avantis ETFs
Replies: 279
Views: 54247

Re: New Avantis ETFs

Any word on why AVES seems to be excluding or severely underweighting India? As mentioned before, cash amounts to 14.30% of the fund. The holdings are still in the process of being worked out, I would not pay attention to them for at least a month. Morningstar is now reporting 0.4% cash. India is still at 1.6%. https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/arcx/aves/portfolio I agree with HippoSir. If I remember right, I think the holdings listed an India-only ETF when the fund first opened, but I don't currently see that. (Sorry, the previous sentence was confused with the NTSE ETF.) I feel certain that the country allocations will eventually look similar to the benchmark. I really don't think low allocation to India is any sort of active management s...
by Winthorpe
Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New Avantis ETFs
Replies: 279
Views: 54247

Re: New Avantis ETFs

Whakamole wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:46 am Has anyone dipped their does into AVRE yet?
Yes.

In my Fidelity 401(k) brokerage link, I just finished making a transition from a combo of VNQ/VNQI ----> AVRE (4375 shares/$225k). I did this incrementally since AVRE opened by doing trades on a daily basis ($10k to $30k), to avoid very large trades, especially early on. I'm not sure that was necessary, but that's what I did.

I also did a transition from FNDE ----> AVES (4438 shares, $225k) in exactly the same manner.

All purchases were done with limit orders set at the ask price. Usually the spreads were $0.01 to $0.10. I think they have tightened a bit recently. All trades executed immediately.

Winthorpe
by Winthorpe
Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New Avantis ETFs
Replies: 279
Views: 54247

Re: New Avantis ETFs

Somebody mentioned September above, but does anyone know when these new funds are expected to go live?

Thanks,
Winthorpe

P.S. Anybody know if the real estate fund will be US-only or global?
by Winthorpe
Thu May 20, 2021 12:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: WisdomTree NTSX now has siblings NTSI and NTSE launched today
Replies: 110
Views: 17856

WisdomTree NTSX now has siblings NTSI and NTSE launched today

I purchased 62 shares of NTSE at Fidelity today, just as a test run. Who plans to substitute their developed international and emerging markets with these new funds? Why or why not?

https://www.wisdomtree.com/strategies/e ... -core-etfs

Winthorpe
by Winthorpe
Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changes to LastPass free
Replies: 215
Views: 20119

Re: Changes to LastPass free

I imported all passwords from LastPass to Bitwarden a few weeks ago. As other Bogleheads said above, my experience with the import process was quick and easy. Bitwarden has been working beautifully across all my devices.

Thank you fellow Bogleheads for the suggestion to switch to free Bitwarden!!

Regards,
Winthorpe
by Winthorpe
Sat Feb 13, 2021 10:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why not 100% PSLDX? [PIMCO StocksPLUS Long Duration Fund]
Replies: 2106
Views: 391591

Re: Why not 100% PSLDX?

$8 for me to buy/sell PSLDX in my vanguard roth ira.
by Winthorpe
Sat Dec 12, 2020 1:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Laid off at 34, another degree/career thread and financial advice.
Replies: 71
Views: 10480

Re: Laid off at 34, another degree/career thread and financial advice.

I am a pharmacist and so is my wife.

We are near the end of our pharmacy careers and have essentially reached FI after aggressive saving and investing since the beginning. We were fortunate enough to experience the sweet spot for pharmacy, but those days are officially gone. Please heed the warnings in the posts above. In a decade from now I predict that most pharmacists who are lucky enough to find a job will have horrible working conditions at a pay rate of only $30-50 per hour. So, no, don't even think about it. Lots of better options going forward.
by Winthorpe
Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Case for NOT having paid off mortgage by retirement?
Replies: 27
Views: 2726

Re: Case for NOT having paid off mortgage by retirement?

It's difficult to answer without knowing your whole financial picture. How much in 401Ks? How much in IRAs? How much in taxable, HSA, 529s? Spending per year? Annual income?

My answer would be different if you are 45 yo and have a $3M portfolio than if you are 52 yo and have a $300K portfolio.
by Winthorpe
Fri Sep 25, 2020 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VXUS - Why? [Vanguard Total International Stock ETF]
Replies: 109
Views: 12508

Re: VXUS - Why? [Vanguard Total International Stock ETF]

My household has about a 25% international exposure. International has been a real stinker over the past decade or so. Like others, I have considered tilting more toward US in recent years.

BUT, I do know that Vineviz is correct above. We don' know the future, and I don't want the worst of outcomes. I'm happy with being in the middle of outcomes.

Winthorpe
by Winthorpe
Tue Jun 23, 2020 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IJS vs. SLYV for small value?
Replies: 12
Views: 1403

Re: IJS vs. SLYV for small value?

breezy33 wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 12:10 pm Awesome, looks like SLYV it is! the Roth IRA is at Schwab - would I have to pay a commission on SLYV?
I would pick VIOV. If anyone is going to lower ER on the fund going forward, my money is on Vanguard.
by Winthorpe
Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Can't log on [to Vanguard website]
Replies: 242
Views: 21769

Re: can't log on [to Vanguard website]

Firefox worked fine for me.

After some trouble with Chrome, I fixed it by doing the following:
    Click on the 3 vertical dots at the upper right part of the Chrome window.
    Choose "more tools"
    Choose "clear browsing data"
    I picked for "the last 7 days"
    by Winthorpe
    Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:32 pm
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: Vanguard Website not working right ??
    Replies: 18
    Views: 1953

    Re: Vanguard Website not working right ??

    Winthorpe wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:10 pm For me, Vanguard is not working when I use Chrome.

    It is working when I try Firefox.
    Update: In Chrome, I cleared all browsing data for the last 7 days and then I could get on Vanguard using Chrome.

    Just go to the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of the Chrome window. Choose "more tools". Then choose "clear browsing data"
    by Winthorpe
    Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:10 pm
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: Vanguard Website not working right ??
    Replies: 18
    Views: 1953

    Re: Vanguard Website not working right ??

    For me, Vanguard is not working when I use Chrome.

    It is working when I try Firefox.
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:16 pm
    Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
    Topic: Wife's expectations of subsidizing her friends' lives
    Replies: 82
    Views: 5920

    Re: Wife's expectations of subsidizing her friends' lives

    Over the years I've learned not to get mad at my wife when she stops at the "expensive" grocery store to waste money on buy brand-name Heinz ketchup.

    When she starts to fund her friends' retirement accounts and buying their vacations, I'll miss her, but I'm out!
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:07 pm
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: Does every one here only have 3 funds in their portfolios?
    Replies: 131
    Views: 10380

    Re: Does every one here only have 3 funds in their portfolios?

    White Coat Investor wrote: Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:42 pmThere is a group of very vocal people here who only invest in a 3 fund portfolio, but I suspect they're a minority of those on this board.
    I agree. I think few members of the forum hold 3 or fewer funds. There is a fair amount of browbeating that happens when people choose to factor tilt or use leverage or whatever.
    by Winthorpe
    Fri May 29, 2020 9:37 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: WisdomTree 90/60 US Efficient Core Fund [NTSX] (formerly US Balanced Fund)
    Replies: 857
    Views: 156871

    Re: WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund [NTSX]

    Big inflows into NTSX. AUM is now over $225M.
    by Winthorpe
    Tue May 12, 2020 5:09 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Why not 100% PSLDX? [PIMCO StocksPLUS Long Duration Fund]
    Replies: 2106
    Views: 391591

    Re: Why not 100% PSLDX?

    There are several plausible reasons that I can think of offhand. 1. They are new funds. By comparison, VTSMX, which was the precursor to VTSAX, has been around since 1992. VFINX, Vanguard's first S&P 500 fund, has been around since 1976. 2. There are many leveraged funds available now, with none achieving clear dominance in terms of market presence. 3. Many investors are scared of any use of leverage. 4. Many investors don't understand how these funds operate. I agree with 3 and 4. The use of this much leverage with these two risky asset classes (SP500 equities and long duration bonds) is definitely aggressive, high-risk investing, and it's not as clear-cut as the average balanced funs, e.g Wellington. I would also add: 5. It's not eas...
    by Winthorpe
    Sun May 10, 2020 6:15 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?
    Replies: 72
    Views: 19788

    Re: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?

    PSLDX is a much more aggressive fund. Frankly, I don't consider PSLDX and NTSX to be comparable. It's preferable *if* your goal is to hold a more aggressive allocation. It's also significantly more expensive. I would definitely agree with this. I think NTSX is a reasonable substitute for large cap US equities. PSLDX is not and is sort of something else on steroids with greater risk. I don't want to contribute to derailing this thread with PSLDX talk, but here is an excellent post summarizing PSLDX: 100% PSLDX may be suitable for you if: (1) You want your US-International split to be 100% US and 0% international. (2) You want exposure to US stock through derivatives equivalent to investing 100% of net assets in the S&P 500. (3) You want...
    by Winthorpe
    Sat May 09, 2020 8:49 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?
    Replies: 72
    Views: 19788

    Re: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?

    muffins14 wrote: Sat May 09, 2020 8:42 pm
    Blue456 wrote: Sat May 09, 2020 8:17 pm
    klaus14 wrote: Sat May 09, 2020 6:16 pm Due to 6x leverage, you can think 10% of NTSX as a 40y duration bond.
    So 1% increase in interest rates would result in 40% loss of value of the 10% of the fund. Ouch.
    But of course by the same mechanism, a 1% decrease in rates would result in a 40% gain :)

    Given that I'll be holding this fund potentially forever, I'm agnostic as to the interest rate movements for now, and quite like that the gains are taxed as futures (60% as long-term gains) )rather than as ordinary income.
    I agree. Likewise, I will be holding this fund for a long, long time, so yield changes aren't a huge concern for me. Frankly, I think bond yields will be low for the remainder of my life.
    by Winthorpe
    Sat May 09, 2020 10:27 am
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?
    Replies: 72
    Views: 19788

    Re: Why doesn't everybody replace SP500 with NTSX?

    I still think it is clear that WisdomTree expect this fund to be used only as 2/3rds of a portfolio. The extra risk of the 1.5X leverage is supposed to be watered down by that other 1/3rd. Hi Nisi, That was a good rundown on one of the niche uses of NTSX. However, WisdomTree does advocate an additional, much more general way to employ this fund. That is to simply use it essentially as a substitute for SP500 or TSM for the US allocation in an all equity portfolio. At least historically, the NTSX allocation has been able to produce better returns than SP500 with less volatility and a higher Sharpe ratio (Yes - past returns do not predict future returns, especially since bond rates are now so low.) See NTSX product literature: https://www.wis...
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:52 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: The Bottom Line on Factor Investing
    Replies: 328
    Views: 29256

    Re: "The Ultimate Strategy For Winners"

    Bogleheads: It is very difficult for the financial industry to make money selling low cost total market index funds. In my opinion, this is the primary reason "factors" are promoted by the financial industry to sell us more and higher-cost funds. This is what independent Nobel Laureates recommend [/i] : Harry Markowitz "A foolish attempt to beat the market and get rich quickly will make one's broker rich and oneself much less so." Best wishes. Taylor Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: "In my view, owning the market and holding it forever is the ultimate strategy for winners." Thanks Taylor! Excellent advice from investment experts. I think that on this specific topic, at least one of these Nobel Laureates actually ...
    by Winthorpe
    Thu Feb 27, 2020 1:56 pm
    Forum: US Chapters
    Topic: Where is Livesoft!?
    Replies: 147
    Views: 32920

    Re: Where is Livesoft!?

    Probably sipping a pina colado somewhere on a Pacific island paradise along with Vineviz.
    by Winthorpe
    Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:18 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Is Buying Fractional Shares a Great Thing??
    Replies: 31
    Views: 3805

    Is Buying Fractional Shares a Great Thing??

    Lately I have been reading about what a beneficial and great thing it is to be able to buy fractional shares of ETFs and stocks. For example, I recently read a piece by Alan Roth (for whom I have great respect) suggesting it may be a great advantage to Schwab to offer this service. See here: https://www.financial-planning.com/opinion/does-charles-schwabs-growth-threaten-vanguard-domination And then there is this active thread about Fidelity offering this: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=302147&newpost=4988713 So, I just don't get it. I've been buying and selling ETFs for a decade in whole shares. This never bothered me. Say I have $3000 to invest. I want to buy XYZ at $42.56 per share. I type into the little ca...
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:08 pm
    Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
    Topic: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth
    Replies: 130
    Views: 18898

    Re: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth

    H-Town wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 2:07 pm
    Winthorpe wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:07 pm
    H-Town wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:00 pm It's a big holdout for a Corvette fan to drive Camry and Prius...
    Dang it!! So true. It will be a performance enhancement to go to that from my Prius. Family first for me. With 4 kids I need to get through the colleges first. :twisted:
    Good for you! Once you get behind the wheel of a new Corvette, it'll be worth it. Hopefully by then, you'll get a mid-engine, plug-in hybrid (EV + V8 engine) for the initial torque plus the power of the pure V8 supercharged engine. It's sorta like the Porsche 918 Spyder, but with a $50-60k price tag. :mrgreen:
    Now you're talkin'....The cops will never catch me!
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:07 pm
    Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
    Topic: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth
    Replies: 130
    Views: 18898

    Re: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth

    2010 Toyota Camry 2012 Toyota Prius V Accounts for 0.8% of total net worth. I would consider it reasonable for us to go up to about 3% of total net worth if we needed to replace both cars around the same time with new vehicles. We would pay cash most likely. I would consider taking loans if there were some benefit to exploit in our favor. Both cars have been super reliable and low cost to own, so I figure we'll get 5-10 more years on both pretty easily before replacing. Clearly we're not car people. The only exception to this is that I will probably splurge on a like-new all electric Corvette someday. A love of Corvettes goes back to my childhood. :happy Winthorpe It's a big holdout for a Corvette fan to drive Camry and Prius... Dang it!! ...
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:03 pm
    Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
    Topic: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth
    Replies: 130
    Views: 18898

    Re: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth

    ^^ milestone... I just reached 300 posts :sharebeer
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:59 pm
    Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
    Topic: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth
    Replies: 130
    Views: 18898

    Re: Vehicles as a percentage of net worth

    2010 Toyota Camry
    2012 Toyota Prius V

    Accounts for 0.8% of total net worth. I would consider it reasonable for us to go up to about 3% of total net worth if we needed to replace both cars around the same time with new vehicles. We would pay cash most likely. I would consider taking loans if there were some benefit to exploit in our favor. Both cars have been super reliable and low cost to own, so I figure we'll get 5-10 more years on both pretty easily before replacing. Clearly we're not car people. The only exception to this is that I will probably splurge on a like-new all electric Corvette someday. A love of Corvettes goes back to my childhood. :happy

    Winthorpe
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:18 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?
    Replies: 21
    Views: 2030

    Re: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?

    Chrono Triggered wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:37 pm Any fund by PRIMECAP.
    Agreed that PRIMECAP funds have a solid track record. I should add to my OP that we also own PRIMECAP Odyssey Stock Fund (POSKX) in my wife's 401a plan. It is one of the better options, although the ER is 66bp which is a little rich for my liking. It's only 1.4% of our total invested assests, so a minor holding in the grand scheme.
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:48 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?
    Replies: 21
    Views: 2030

    Re: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?

    An approving nod to the currently active thread started by Willthrill81. Wellesley has done quite well for decades.

    Vanguard's Wellesley Income fund is incredible: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=209617
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:44 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?
    Replies: 21
    Views: 2030

    Re: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?

    Svensk Anga wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:24 pm Sorry, but worst case is you under-perform the benchmark for one, two, three.... years as that manager’s style runs out of favor. Then you have to decide if it will come back or if you should pull the plug. The decision will be worse if it is in a taxable account with some unrealized gains. (Active in taxable is a bad idea in any case since they can throw off unwanted capital gains
    Agreed. I did not word that well in my OP. I have a strong value tilt to my portfolio, so I have experienced the underperformance relative to blend/growth. Also, I agree it's a bad idea to hold any of these outside tax advantaged accounts.

    Regards,
    Winthorpe
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:14 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?
    Replies: 21
    Views: 2030

    Do you like CHEAP active funds? Which ones?

    Hi Bogleheads, Fortunately, I was turned on to low-cost index fund investing when I first started in a 403b plan 20 years ago. I have used ultra low-cost index funds and ETFs almost exclusively during my investing career. Back 15 or 20 years ago, it seemed that actively managed mutual ERs were in the 1.5% to 2.5% range. These days, some of the Admiral share class actively managed Vanguard funds are nearly as cheap as the index funds. As an opened-minded investor, I'm starting to take a closer look at some of these options, whereas in the past I would not have even considered them due to cost, especially now that the 50k minimum for many Admiral shares is not an issue for me. Some of the Vanguard active funds are still too expensive for me t...
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:51 am
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: Passive (3-fund) with an Active (Wellington) component
    Replies: 16
    Views: 2472

    Re: Passive (3-fund) with an Active (Wellington) component

    Only putting this out there for the sake of argument; I know most participants here advocate pure passive-indexing. Is there anything fundamentally "wrong" with holding 60% of your IRA in a classic 3-fund portfolio (Total Stock, Total Int., U.S. Bonds, 34/33/33) and making the other 40% Wellington (also in same IRA). If you run the numbers, it gets awfully near my desired AA (65/35), with the expected large cap/value tilt. You also end up with proportionately lower allocation to healthcare and infotech, which isn't so thrilling. Most here do like passive because it's cheap and it works well. Wellington admiral shares are very cheap too, and the fund has been one of the best balanced funds for decades. Why not make things super si...
    by Winthorpe
    Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:41 am
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: Passive (3-fund) with an Active (Wellington) component
    Replies: 16
    Views: 2472

    Re: Passive (3-fund) with an Active (Wellington) component

    RobLIC wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:44 am Here’s another question: How come some investors like to hold Wellington AND Wellesley. Is it to modify the allocation to something in between the two, such as 50/50? I’m sure there other interesting/good reasons — anyone like to share? Thanks.
    Most do it just to adjust the allocation down to 50:50. Nothing really more to it.
    by Winthorpe
    Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:36 pm
    Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
    Topic: What financial podcasts do you listen to?
    Replies: 52
    Views: 9044

    Re: What financial podcasts do you listen to?

    A little off topic but if you're interested in investing in good health and longevity so that you can enjoy the big portfolio you built, Stanford-trained surgeon Peter Attia MD has a great podcast.
    by Winthorpe
    Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:30 pm
    Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
    Topic: What financial podcasts do you listen to?
    Replies: 52
    Views: 9044

    Re: What financial podcasts do you listen to?

    Great thread thread for some new podcast suggestions. Thanks to those who have shared.

    Unless I've missed it, I can't believe nobody has mentioned The Money Guy with Brian Preston CPA and Bo Hanson CFP, CFA. This one is probably my longest running podcast subscription. I've listened to every episode for at least ten years.
    by Winthorpe
    Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:08 pm
    Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
    Topic: Vgd alt strategies fund (vasfx) open to retail investors?
    Replies: 73
    Views: 10589

    Re: Vgd alt strategies fund (vasfx) open to retail investors?

    Also, if anyone was still interested after the changes, it appears that it's only available to clients of their financial advisors by the sounds of the news release.

    Vanguard wrote:In order to give more clients the opportunity to invest in alternative investments at a low cost, financial advisor clients will become eligible to purchase shares of Vanguard Alternative Strategies Fund (VASFX) effective on or about Monday, November 4, 2019.
    Here is a link to the news if anyone wants to read it:
    https://advisors.vanguard.com/insights/ ... News110119
    by Winthorpe
    Fri Nov 08, 2019 1:38 pm
    Forum: Personal Investments
    Topic: How much is too much in an HSA?
    Replies: 58
    Views: 7449

    Re: How much is too much in an HSA?

    Rember that you can use it like a traditional IRA in retirement (age 65 I think?) for non-medical distributions, too.

    So, not too likely your HSA will get too large.