Search found 245 matches

by foxfirev5
Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I go all in with Vanguard or "diversify" with Fidelity?
Replies: 48
Views: 7626

Re: Should I go all in with Vanguard or "diversify" with Fidelity?

After a couple of snags with Vanguard regarding IRA rollovers and estate issues I am firmly committed to the two brokerage approach. Overall Fidelity is better in the areas of customer service and equal regarding costs. The only advantage I see with Vanguard are a couple of managed funds and the yield of Prime MM.

As far as being treated better if you're a loyal customer, forget it. Try that approach at your local bank. There's an old saying that (I'll paraphrase in the interest of good manners) you've got to take advantage of your good customers because the bad one's won't let you. Also simplicity for the sake of simplicity is not an adequate justification.
by foxfirev5
Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Reporter doing story on delaying SS until age 70
Replies: 6
Views: 2125

Re: Reporter doing story on delaying SS until age 70

Qualification #2 - Find part time work to delay SS ? I think this forum is the wrong audience to find a test subject.
by foxfirev5
Fri Aug 17, 2018 4:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard predicts 10 year equity returns
Replies: 91
Views: 12555

Re: Vanguard predicts 10 year equity returns

I'm hoping Grandma would have an IRA rather than a 401k.
by foxfirev5
Sun May 20, 2018 4:38 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Millionaire Next Door and civil servants
Replies: 99
Views: 17839

Re: The Millionaire Next Door and civil servants

I would ask myself, why do you care?
by foxfirev5
Sun May 20, 2018 4:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why is Vanguard switching all accounts to brokerage accounts?
Replies: 91
Views: 35482

Re: Why is Vanguard switching all accounts to brokerage accounts?

...and Jack Bogle doesn't work here anymore. Thank-you
by foxfirev5
Sun May 20, 2018 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Buying an etf (bid ask spread)
Replies: 5
Views: 856

Re: Buying an etf (bid ask spread)

Never place a market order. Use a limit order for the price you're willing to pay. Either fill or kill (20 min), end of day, or good til cancel. If I can do it anybody can.
by foxfirev5
Thu May 17, 2018 5:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: YTD: VBTLX down 2.28%; VBILX down 2.99%; VTSAX down 0.23%
Replies: 106
Views: 17768

Re: YTD: VBTLX down 2.28%; VBILX down 2.99%; VTSAX down 0.23%

+1. My first post in a number of years. It's not that tough. For example , I sold my TBM and bought a CD ladder, the end result will probably be the same. Or not. Who care's.
by foxfirev5
Fri Aug 30, 2013 5:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is it this easy: Stocks are safe, bonds are risky?
Replies: 59
Views: 5378

Re: Is it this easy: Stocks are safe, bonds are risky?

At 4PM today I'm sure that a large number of buyers and sellers either purchased or sold something at what they consider a fair value. I can't begin to figure out who got the better deal. That's why I have to stick to my AA and look long term. Just shooting to be average. :D
by foxfirev5
Thu Aug 29, 2013 6:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Can A Boglehead join a club?
Replies: 19
Views: 2991

Re: Can A Boglehead join a club?

Sounds like this is something you can afford and is desired. Keep a steady balance and you will always meet your needs. Personally the CC route is not my style. My DW and I years ago looked into a local yacht club and decided it was not for us. Instead we bought a waterfront lot and built our own double dock lakehouse. Not sure if that was the best choice but...
by foxfirev5
Fri Aug 23, 2013 5:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Passive Index Investing Feels Wrong"
Replies: 8
Views: 2520

Re: "Passive Index Investing Feels Wrong"

Taylor, your posts have been a steady influence over the last 5 years for me. I've been a Steady Eddy investing in index funds for 30 years now. Nothing fancy. Maybe that's why I only have a couple hundred posts, most of them hubris.
by foxfirev5
Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: India Crisis
Replies: 49
Views: 8750

Re: India Crisis

Just another BRIC in the wall
by foxfirev5
Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Eggs All in One Basket?
Replies: 16
Views: 2745

Re: Eggs All in One Basket?

My wife and I use both Fidelity and Vanguard. Our 401k/403b's are with Fidelity and our Roth's and IRA rollovers with Vanguard. In addition a retiree medical acct and several bank accts along with treasury direct. No matter what we would have a number of accts if we combined the two. The Fidelity site has a good evaluator for keeping track but I don't input any acct numbers or passwords. The Vanguard portfolio manager set up is simple and I just manually input the number of shares once a month, Since we keep the number of holdings pretty simple ,with mostly low ER index funds ,it only takes a couple of minutes.
by foxfirev5
Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone have VG's Managed Payout funds in their INV Portfolio
Replies: 19
Views: 2055

Re: Anyone have VG's Managed Payout funds in their INV Portf

Awhile back I looked at these and realized if I invested my entire retirement portfolio I would be a pretty significant holder of the fund. Not comfortable at all. I agree with other posters that there are many other alternatives. Simply taking a fixed withdrawal from a lifestrategy fund or a three/four fund portfolio also works. I am a little different in that the bulk of my future w/d plans involve taking a % of my VG three index fund 401k, total return approach. With this my wife and I are planning to w/d only distributions from our Roth accts. The third leg of this stool is our after tax savings which we plan to use to manage our tax bracket. Hardly any expenses, and it gives us added flexibility and control on our part. Sounds more com...
by foxfirev5
Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: POLL: Your Salary vs Inflation
Replies: 24
Views: 3255

Re: POLL: Your Salary vs Inflation

Started in 1980 up 25% over inflation - however nothing in the last 5years.
by foxfirev5
Fri May 17, 2013 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit score hurt because I don't borrow enough
Replies: 23
Views: 2730

Re: Credit score hurt because I don't borrow enough

I asked my agent how much my auto / boat/ homeowners insrance would increase if I fell from the top tier credit score. A couple of percent or $15 -20 per year was the answer. While I get credit reports I don't pay for the largely worthless score. No credit card balance, no installment loans, no mortgage, and no plans to ever again get any of them.
by foxfirev5
Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dave Ramsey and 7%
Replies: 46
Views: 10847

Re: Dave Ramsey and 7%

stemikger wrote:Like others have said Dave gives good debt reduction advice, but I don't necessarily like his investing advice. It's not for the squeamish and definitely not for a Boglehead.

A pet peeve of mine is that Dave tells all his callers that you need a budget and you can't do it without one. Well I must be a freak of nature because I completed all of Dave's baby steps and I'm currently on the last one where I have to build up wealth. Guess what, I never did a budget in my life.
A budget would allow me to spend far more than I ever did throughout my life. Any time I've projected expenses I've always came in way below. So why bother.
by foxfirev5
Sat Apr 13, 2013 5:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Five Really Dumb Money Moves You've Got to Avoid
Replies: 24
Views: 5386

Re: Five Really Dumb Money Moves You've Got to Avoid

NYBoglehead wrote:I have a small issue with #4. There are strategies that will ensure a larger SS benefit, but nobody can say for certain if they took it too early. Nobody knows when their time will be up. And depending on other factors taking SS earlier might allow a larger portfolio more time to grow. The payoff from that might be more than the increased SS benefit. No guarantees of course, but what in life is?
Agreed. Ihave lived with my investment decisions over the last 30+ years and don't plan to sacrifice a chunk of my portfolio for the questionable ss bonus. Change is in the wind. :wink:
by foxfirev5
Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is today a RBD [Really Bad Day]
Replies: 83
Views: 10444

Re: Is today a RBD [Really Bad Day]

Wow. This stuff makes me wonder what will happen when we return to real volatility.
by foxfirev5
Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:38 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 30 year bond prices up 2-3% today!!
Replies: 39
Views: 5207

Re: 30 year bond prices up 2-3% today!!

tacster wrote:
Falco wrote:All the more reason to pick your diversified portfolio and stick to it, regardless. We can look at all sorts of timeframes and scenarios, policy, what happens when rates rise or drop etc. and think we know, but we dont.

:beer
+1 to that (especially the beer!)
Pick your AA and stick to it, by all means. It also allows for a few brews on Friday afternoon without fear of stupid investment moves. :sharebeer
by foxfirev5
Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Jack Bogle on CNBC warns about bumpy ride next decade
Replies: 35
Views: 7462

Re: Jack Bogle on CNBC warns about bumpy ride next decade

Isn't this kind of like saying there's going to be a major earthquake in the next ten years? What I find most disturbing today, is the effect the media has on public option and how they respond to situations. Something as stupid as one person making an off the cuff comment through Twitter, can change the course of history. Things that people never even knew about before, now paralyze them with fear and create massive paranoia. I'm watching the news last night for a few minutes (which I try to never do), and there's Brian Williams making one of the typical news show, inflammatory, hysterical comments... that they just love so much. (With dramatic tone): "The stock market has had growth... Some would say TOO much and TOO fast". Yes...
by foxfirev5
Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lowering bond duration
Replies: 6
Views: 1037

Re: Lowering bond duration

I have to agree the statement from Vanguard appears a bit self serving for my tastes.
by foxfirev5
Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Biggest Financial Asset in Your Portfolio
Replies: 53
Views: 6477

Re: The Biggest Financial Asset in Your Portfolio

Call it human capital, a career, compensation path or whatever, it's a job. I prefer to treat my occupation and my investments as separate worlds. Why create new categories of finances just to rationalize a position?
Do I include a pension and SS in my net worth? No - does it matter? How will this affect my long term finances and overall financial wellbeing?
Don't over analyze. Keep it simple.
by foxfirev5
Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retiree Medical Savings Account (RMSA)
Replies: 4
Views: 8722

Re: Retiree Medical Savings Account (RMSA)

I've had a RMSA acct for 7 years. The withdrawals can be taken tax free after retirement age ( 10 years of service after age 45) if used for medical insurance premiums or out of pocket medical expenses.
The only downside to my plan is that there are no low cost VG funds. High expenses but the 50% match and annual employer contribution make paticipating a no brainer.
by foxfirev5
Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thought I was Moderate but Actually Conservative?
Replies: 7
Views: 2395

Re: Thought I was Moderate but Actually Conservative?

At 57, I'm 45% equities / 40% bond and 15 % cash. However the bond portion is shorter duration and I really don't see much difference in yield between cash and bonds at this point. So I'm tempted to just say my AA is 45/55. I really don't feel this or your allocation are overly conservative.
by foxfirev5
Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bonds and Bond Funds are now considered Risky Investments?
Replies: 40
Views: 5004

Re: Bonds and Bond Funds are now considered Risky Investment

ResNullius wrote:OK, I'll confess: I'm in the "bonds for safety" group. Yes, I like the income component, but "safety" is my primary reason for investing in bond funds. So long as they can at least stay even with inflation, I can survive with that, although I would prefer some real gain. So, what is someone like me suppose to do with their fixed asset allocation?
I'm in the same camp until I can get a satisfactory answer to the question above.
by foxfirev5
Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retire earlier or wealthier?
Replies: 25
Views: 5219

Re: Retire earlier or wealthier?

I'm close anyway with only a year or two to go. It would only take about 10% for me to pull the plug now. :happy
by foxfirev5
Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett" -- A Gem
Replies: 41
Views: 9323

Re: "Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett" -- A Gem

Taylor Larimore wrote:
EternalOptimist wrote:Thanks Taylor, which one is your favorite :?:
I went back and read all the quotes. They are all so good that it is difficult to pick a "favorite." However, never one to knowingly avoid a question, I will pick this subtle "gem":

"Investing is simple, but not easy." -- Warren Buffett

Best wishes.
Taylor
Taylor,
I'm a little surprised at this quote. I agree that investing is simple, but wonder why it would not be easy. Of course this coming from a very fortunate investor who believes in diversification - ie someone who doesn't know what they are doing according to one of the above WB statements.
by foxfirev5
Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett" -- A Gem
Replies: 41
Views: 9323

Re: "Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett" -- A Gem

Beagler wrote:"Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they're doing."

Warren Buffett
Interesting :?
by foxfirev5
Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Adjusting Strategy when you hit your # early
Replies: 38
Views: 3576

Re: Adjusting Strategy when you hit your # early

At my current age of nearly 57 I have hit my age 60 "number". I plan to stick fairly close to my current AA of 45/40/15 for the next few years. Since I am still accumulating my rebalancing is partially accomplished through new contributions. Currently these are all going into a stable value fund.
Eventually the equity portion will decline somewhat down to a minimum of 35%.
by foxfirev5
Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Market "melt up" and the Airplane Game
Replies: 71
Views: 8869

Re: Market "melt up" and the Airplane Game

My ISP and AA allow me to take some profits (rebalance) if things start to get crazy high. Keeps it simple
by foxfirev5
Sun Jan 27, 2013 2:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: John Bogle: “Invest, and don’t peek”
Replies: 24
Views: 5409

Re: John Bogle: “Invest, and don’t peek”

Yeah, at least if everyone followed that advice no body would have been misled by his advice in early 2009. "when you can't stand to lose another dollar...."
Fortunately for me I only follow anyone's advice from a critical perspective. While he's done great things for all of us investors he is not a god.
by foxfirev5
Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Breaking in engine on new car
Replies: 43
Views: 5484

Re: Breaking in engine on new car

I've had new cars every couple years for business purposes. Over the last 30 years I've put about 1.5 million miles on these vehicles with all going over 130k miles up to 170k. I never had any problem with any of them and certainly never gave them any special break in treatment.
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: A question on Target Date Funds
Replies: 11
Views: 1808

Re: A question on Target Date Funds

Since you didn't say specifically that you have Vanguard TDF's the answer is really it depends on which brand fund you have as each supplier of these funds has their own idea of what is the right glide path for you. In an Aug. 2012 article in Money magazine they compared the so called glide path (% stock allocation from 40 years before retirement to 30 years after) of 4 different fund families to what is called the "age in bonds rule." If you don't have access to this chart what it showed was essentially that TROWE gave pretty much a straight line from -25 years (before ret.) to +30, with stocks from 90% to 20% during that time frame. Vanguard was on a similar glide path but leveled out at about 10 years after retirement at 30% s...
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Wellington and Wellesley Interest Rate Risk
Replies: 37
Views: 10804

Re: Wellington and Wellesley Interest Rate Risk

I own Wellington and my wife Wellesley in our Roth IRA's. The Roths are the accts we plan to hold until passing to our children. We feel fairly secure with these funds. The other bigger accts are held in VG Index Funds which are rebalanced at 3% bands.
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:11 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How Bogleheads made me a worse Investor
Replies: 76
Views: 9705

Re: How Bogleheads made me a worse Investor

I believe that if everyone here is really a Boglehead there's not much to talk about. :D
by foxfirev5
Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:04 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Re: Maximum Expense Ratio in your portfolio ...
Replies: 51
Views: 4630

Re: Maximum Expense Ratio in your portfolio ...

Pimco Total Return Fund PTTRX .46% in 401k. Overall according to VG - .21%.
by foxfirev5
Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Percentage of "Net Worth" Invested in Stocks - Retired
Replies: 28
Views: 3832

Re: Percentage of "Net Worth" Invested in Stocks - Retired

Bustoff wrote:
Sheepdog wrote:I don't understand why stock investing percentage of total net worth, home and autos included . . .
My mistake. I forgot that "home and cars" are part of net worth. I guess I should have excluded physical assets.

Perhaps the better question is what percentage assets are held in cash equivalents.
Excluding physical assets- equity% = equity % in portfolio , 45%
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: My (horrible) experience with Vanguard
Replies: 82
Views: 14258

Re: My (horrible) experience with Vanguard

Index Fan wrote:I think it's fair to say that:

1) no institution out there is immune from mistakes (please let me know if there is one out there!)

and

2) Vanguard's best features are its fund offerings, low cost, and shareholder ownership.

I like #2 and luckily have not encountered #1 at Vanguard yet.

Sorry you had a very bad experience.
It's what they do when there is a mistake that makes the difference. I found VG to fumble and make up answers rather than address the issue at hand. That's the REAL problem. Everyone can make mistakes. It's what they do to correct them that counts.
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: LifeStrategy Funds for income
Replies: 13
Views: 1806

Re: LifeStrategy Funds for income

I would suggest taking a look at all the VG funds. There is very little difference in yield between the stock and bond funds on the whole. Assess your risk tolerance, set your allocation and stay the course.
by foxfirev5
Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: My (horrible) experience with Vanguard
Replies: 82
Views: 14258

Re: My (horrible) experience with Vanguard

I found during a rollover of my wife's 403b that Vanguard has some room for improvement. During the transition the phone reps literally made up the status of the transaction during the process. At one point I was told the other company had not released the funds while I was looking at the funds recently deposited with VG. Just checking on them. However it's a big reason while I invest w/ VG the bulk of my retirement stays put at Fidelity. When questioned the answers have been accurate and professional.
by foxfirev5
Wed Jan 09, 2013 2:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can we afford it? (International trip)
Replies: 92
Views: 9646

Re: Can we afford it?

I flown plenty over the last 35 years. Many times I gotten free upgrades but have always flown coach overseas. My take on it is that combined you'll be flying 36 hours for $9000 or $250 per hour each in savings if you go coach. I can find a lot of ways to have fun with that cash. It's all about priorities 8-)
by foxfirev5
Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Marriage & Finances - Joint vs. Separate Checking/Savings?
Replies: 62
Views: 5846

Re: Marriage & Finances - Joint vs. Separate Checking/Saving

Joint everything for the last 35 years. Teamwork in this case really paid off.
by foxfirev5
Tue Dec 25, 2012 6:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you have a written Investment Policy Statement?
Replies: 61
Views: 7302

Re: Do you have a written Investment Policy Statement?

Yes, it's on an index card posted on the fridge. If I tried real hard I could probably memorize it and take it down. :happy
by foxfirev5
Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Where can I get the best immediate annuity?
Replies: 9
Views: 2330

Re: Where can I get the best immediate annuity?

Sounds like an incentive to buy a SPIA and just live forever. I love simplicity
by foxfirev5
Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tooth Crown
Replies: 48
Views: 4599

Re: Tooth Crown

Sounds about right. Have a Merry Christmas
by foxfirev5
Mon Dec 24, 2012 6:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Becoming a Landlord Experiences
Replies: 77
Views: 11787

Re: Becoming a Landlord Experiences

Having a little experience in this area it amuses me when people want to retire to manage rental properties. All I can think is that they must have had really lousy jobs. My suggestion is to find your passion while your working and the rest will follow.
From the investment standpoint I prefer the 3:45 PM buy/sell option to having one more illiquid asset
by foxfirev5
Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:18 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Anyone using a Stable Value Fund for their ballast?
Replies: 38
Views: 3365

Re: Anyone using a Stable Value Fund for their ballast?

ResNullius wrote:I'm not putting down Stable Value Funds, but I simply don't understand why a person would want to be in one. You can create your own stable value portfolio by simply putting a few index funds together, all with much lower expense ratios, and you can adjust your risk tolerance to your exact needs, as opposed to the fixed choice of the stable value fund. Anyway, I just don't get it. I'm more than willing to be convinced if anyone has a good explanation.
Where are the low cost funds that can provide about a 2% yield ? VG ST Bond Index is currently .52% and even ST Corp is only 1.14%. Also, they would not qualify for what I would call a stable value fund, the index funds NAV fluctuates.
by foxfirev5
Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What Is The Correct AA For a 107 Year Old Investor?
Replies: 27
Views: 3212

Re: What Is The Correct AA For a 107 Year Old Investor?

Or as my DW has said, put it all on Red
by foxfirev5
Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What Is The Correct AA For a 107 Year Old Investor?
Replies: 27
Views: 3212

Re: What Is The Correct AA For a 107 Year Old Investor?

rmelvey wrote:I think Irving Kahn knows exactly what he wants and takes great satisfaction from his stock picking. When you are 107 you can do whatever the hell you want!
Exactly