Search found 599 matches

by jbranx
Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Derogatory remark on Credit report
Replies: 37
Views: 5683

Re: Derogatory remark on Credit report

{Topic is now in Personal Finance (Not Investing).}
by jbranx
Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Home Refinance help
Replies: 4
Views: 639

Re: Home Refinance help

{Topic is now in Personal Finance (Not Investing).}
by jbranx
Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Aggressive loan paydown on sub-2.5% fixed debt?
Replies: 18
Views: 1676

Re: Aggressive loan paydown on sub-2.5% fixed debt?

{Topic is now in Personal Finance (Not Investing).} viewforum.php?f=2
by jbranx
Mon Jul 29, 2019 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Handling Emergency to Emergency Fund
Replies: 54
Views: 4856

Re: Handling Emergency to Emergency Fund

{The discussion is veering off topic which is about refunding an emergency fund. Please stay on topic} Moderator Jbranx
by jbranx
Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is there a High Tech Bubble in S&P 500 & Total Market?
Replies: 152
Views: 13688

Re: Is there a High Tech Bubble in S&P 500 & Total Market?

{I merged this similar topic into here}
by jbranx
Sun Jul 28, 2019 9:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medical insurance reimbursement for hernia surgery abroad
Replies: 9
Views: 1419

Re: Medical insurance reimbursement for hernia surgery abroad

{I deleted an off-topic comment. Rule 4 (b) rules#rule-4b discussions of the crimes, shortcomings or stupidity of other people, whether they be political figures, celebrities, CEOs, Fed chairmen, subprime mortgage borrowers, lottery winners, federal "bailout" recipients, poor people, rich people, etc. Of course, you are welcome to talk about the stupid financial things you have done.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: RESOLVED: Non-lethal alternatives to firearms to defend against home invasions in Florida
Replies: 113
Views: 8481

Re: RESOLVED: Non-lethal alternatives to firearms to defend against home invasions in Florida

This thread has run its course and is locked (topic exhausted). See: Locked Topics
Moderators or site admins may lock a topic (set it so no more replies may be added) when a violation of posting policy has occurred. Occasionally, even if there are no overt violations of posting policy, a topic (or thread) will reach a point where the information content of the discussion has been essentially exhausted and further replies are much more likely to cause distress to the community than add anything of value.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 27, 2019 2:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: De-Risking and Diversification aren't the same thing.
Replies: 107
Views: 16492

Re: De-Risking and Diversification aren't the same thing.

LadyGeek, Nisiprius, jbranx, Vineviz, my fellow Americans, friends, Romans, countrymen, ladies and gentlemen, feel free to take my essential framework and build upon it. Again, it could go something like this: 1) The elements of diversification. 2) Methods Used to achieve diversification. 3) Risks that investors protect against with diversification. A discussion of John Bogle vs. Academic approaches to these issues. A We Report, You Decide Discussion. Okay to say that Boglehead philosophy favors simplicity, daily liquidity, and skepticism regarding models that promise better than market performance. A further discussion that there are at least three schools of thought here: 1) Straight market cap weighted indexing using Total Stock and Bon...
by jbranx
Sat Jul 27, 2019 1:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: De-Risking and Diversification aren't the same thing.
Replies: 107
Views: 16492

Re: De-Risking and Diversification aren't the same thing.

Here is a framework I would recommend to discuss diversification:... I like that a lot . I would probably add "sector diversification" since I think that is sort of what was meant by "diversification" in ye olde days, when an advisor might put a widow into 100% utilities. I don't have cable and wouldn't watch Jim Cramer anyway, but apparently a regular segment is called "Are You Diversified?" in which viewers phone in with a five-stock portfolio and he opines as to whether it is "diversified." I imagine that is basically sector diversification, does anyone know? It's interesting that two dictionary definitions actually call out the meaning of diversification in terms of "securities," i.e. s...
by jbranx
Fri Jul 26, 2019 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: WiFi speed, is this normal?
Replies: 39
Views: 4491

Re: WiFi speed, is this normal?

I've experienced the same issues with various routers over the years. Upgraded to Eero mesh gen 1 and now gen 2 and have never experienced the problem. Direct connection on Cox with recommended Arris Surfboard gets me more than my speed of 300 MB sometimes; Wifi generally well over 250 MB or so anywhere in the house with 3 additional "beacons." Mesh is superb.
by jbranx
Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Equifax settlement: how to file claim?
Replies: 156
Views: 18100

Re: Equifax settlement: how to file claim?

{Same topic merged here}
by jbranx
Mon Jul 22, 2019 11:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: ETF "Tax Efficiency" Quantified
Replies: 57
Views: 5369

Re: ETF "Tax Efficiency" Quantified

{I deleted multiple off-topic comments. If you have issues with posts or members, please report them to the Moderators rather than posting them in the thread}
by jbranx
Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Preferred Stock ETFS
Replies: 3
Views: 760

Re: Preferred Stock ETFS

I tend to like PFFD over PFF; bit lower ER and 6.4% of the fund are in the "L" series of Wells and Bank America; both of those are not apt to be called for a very long time. See this discussion in Philosophical Economics: http://www.philosophicaleconomics.com/2017/03/a-value-opportunity-in-preferred-stocks/. Both, however, are now almost 40% above the call price. The problem with preferreds are discussed in many threads here, but the immediate problem is that a great many are currently selling above the call price. PFFD, for example, since inception has not returned as much as its dividend; 4.25% return since inception in 2017: https://www.globalxetfs.com/funds/pffd/. I own both PFF and PFFD and some individual issues that I buy o...
by jbranx
Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What do I need to know about becoming a teacher in California?
Replies: 32
Views: 4335

Re: What do I need to know about becoming a teacher in California?

If you want to teach in a public school in California there are plenty of registration/licensing/certification requirements. Teaching in a private school in California depends on the requirements of that school. Someone that wants to teach and is qualified to teach can sometimes find employments in private school that don't have all the licensing and certification requirements. Yup, I’ve looked up those requirements and think I can get them. I’m leaning towards a public position because of the pension. Do you have any thoughts on the questions in the first post? Jacob, you may want to evaluate the Calstrs pension vs. your current career options if the pension is a prime motivator. I see online that the fund is currently only 65.5% funded. ...
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone knows what happened to HedgeFundie's excellent adventure thread?
Replies: 3
Views: 1237

Re: Anyone knows what happened to HedgeFundie's excellent adventure thread?

{Topic is locked. OP's question has been answered. "Hedgefundie's Excellent Adventure" topic is here: viewtopic.php?t=272007
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 2:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Post Daycare Finances
Replies: 28
Views: 3762

Re: Post Daycare Finances

{Topic is now in Personal Finance (Not Investing)
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 1:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015
Replies: 193
Views: 42884

Re: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015

{Topic is now in Investing--Theory, News&General} viewforum.php?f=10
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Like in US, Small Group of Stocks Drive International Stock Returns
Replies: 4
Views: 11523

Re: Bessembinder Has New Study on International Stock Returns

Here's a concluding paragraph from the study: The result that the wealth created by stock market investing is largely attributable to positive outcomes to a relatively few stocks is relevant to the debate regarding active stock selection vs. the passive holding of broadly diversified stock indices. For those investors without a comparative advantage in identifying the few stocks that will create the most wealth (or in selecting a manager with the ability to do so) and without a substantial preference for positive skewness, the results reinforce the desirability of passive indexing. On the other hand, for the (presumably few) investors with the appropriate comparative advantage, the results highlight the degree to which successful stock sele...
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Like in US, Small Group of Stocks Drive International Stock Returns
Replies: 4
Views: 11523

Re: Bessembinder Has New Study on International Stock Returns

AlohaJoe wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:37 am The study: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm ... id=3415739
Thanks very much, Aloha Joe. I only saw the link to the older study.
by jbranx
Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Like in US, Small Group of Stocks Drive International Stock Returns
Replies: 4
Views: 11523

Like in US, Small Group of Stocks Drive International Stock Returns

Prof. Bessembinder at Arizona State U. is apparently out with a new study that extends his study of US stock returns to international, per the below paragraph on Bloomberg tonight: Hendrik Bessembinder, a 62-year-old researcher in financial market design, and his team sifted through about 62,000 stocks traded in more than 40 countries between 1990 and 2018. Their finding: about 60% were such duds they did worse than one-month U.S. Treasury notes. The proportion was even greater than in the initial study, which focused on the U.S. I did a quick look at his website and on SSRN but didn't see a link to the study. Anyone else have one? Here's the link to the discussion on this forum to his study on US stocks: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/vi...
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 11:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vancouver in October
Replies: 10
Views: 1222

Re: Vancouver in October

{Topic is now in Personal Consumer Issues}
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 10:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup
Replies: 70
Views: 13337

Re: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup

JD13 wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2019 10:18 pm Do you guys think it is ok to invest a large chunk 200k+ in FMBIX or should I wait and see how it performs?
Since it's an index they are matching, I don't see any reason to think they will not be able to do it well. Fidelity's expertise in both indexing and bond investing is state of the art as far as I can tell. I'm not as familiar with the Bloomberg/Barclay's muni index as I am the Barclay's Agg, but it should be just as robust as one from a ratings agency. Given how fast Fido has gathered assets for the zero index funds, i would think they will get enough money in the fund early on to do well.
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TLH & Auto Reinvestment selected??
Replies: 14
Views: 1016

Re: TLH & Auto Reinvestment selected??

Welcome to the Forum! There are many threads on this topic that you can find in the search box at the top right. Yes, de-select auto investing to prevent a wash sale. Here's a link to a recent thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=283019&hilit=tax+loss. And here is the topic in the Wiki:

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Wash_sale
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 9:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup
Replies: 70
Views: 13337

Re: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup

Fidelity has launched these funds. I just put in an order for FMBIX, the Fido Municipal Bond Index Fund tonight. I saw a news report on Bloomberg that they were launched. I didn't check the other funds, but I presume like the muni fund that about all the info currently available is a link to the prospectus. It's cost is the promised .07 bp; A. Johnson was quoted in the news piece saying the other offerings were cheaper than the funds from you know who. Any way to find out the SEC yield on FMBIX? It's probably going to be very close to the current SEC yield of VTEB: 1.92%. Duration seems to match with the S&P Muni Index Vanguard and Ishares MUB use. If they allow in the AMT bonds, they might pick up a little more yield. They are also do...
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 2:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Counseling a Colleague About Their Financial Advisor
Replies: 30
Views: 2594

Re: Counseling a Colleague About Their Financial Advisor

This thread has run its course and is locked (topic exhausted). See: Locked Topics
Moderators or site admins may lock a topic (set it so no more replies may be added) when a violation of posting policy has occurred. Occasionally, even if there are no overt violations of posting policy, a topic (or thread) will reach a point where the information content of the discussion has been essentially exhausted and further replies are much more likely to cause distress to the community than add anything of value.
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 3:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity zero-fee index fund questions
Replies: 18
Views: 4900

Re: Fidelity zero-fee index fund questions

{I merged dru808's post into here}
by jbranx
Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup
Replies: 70
Views: 13337

Re: Fidelity Expands Their Index Fund Lineup

Fidelity has launched these funds. I just put in an order for FMBIX, the Fido Municipal Bond Index Fund tonight. I saw a news report on Bloomberg that they were launched. I didn't check the other funds, but I presume like the muni fund that about all the info currently available is a link to the prospectus. It's cost is the promised .07 bp; A. Johnson was quoted in the news piece saying the other offerings were cheaper than the funds from you know who.
by jbranx
Tue Jul 16, 2019 1:51 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Switching from passive to active management
Replies: 106
Views: 11406

Re: Switching from passive to active management

{I deleted an off-topic post}
by jbranx
Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I start indexing NOW in current Market?
Replies: 33
Views: 5612

Re: Should I start indexing NOW in current Market?

Welcome to the forum! If you haven't had a chance to check out the Wiki here, start with this link on the Boglehead's philosophy: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Bogleheads%C2%AE_investment_philosophy. One section there is on never trying to time the market. Just decide on your risk tolerance and allocation and control risk that way. It may be a good idea to buy only when the stock market is having a "sale" or correction, but that is when most investors tend to hide under the bed. Control your allocation and you won't have to worry too much about controlling your emotions. You have a lot more "human capital" in that teaching position than you will likely have in the stock/bond markets for quite some time, so you can affo...
by jbranx
Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:59 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: British Expat Tax Advice
Replies: 8
Views: 920

Re: British Expat Tax Advice

{Topic is now in Non-US Investing}
by jbranx
Mon Jul 15, 2019 9:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks continue to soar!
Replies: 22381
Views: 2119345

Re: U.S. stocks continue to soar!

{I deleted two off-topic posts on international stock performance}.
by jbranx
Mon Jul 15, 2019 2:27 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why factor investing isn't working
Replies: 484
Views: 36544

Re: Why factor investing isn't working

{The discussion is drifting away from the main topic: Why Factor Investing Isn't Working. Please stay on topic.}
by jbranx
Mon Jul 15, 2019 2:03 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Small Cap Value heads Rejoice !!!
Replies: 5577
Views: 618959

Re: Small Cap Value heads Rejoice !!!

{I deleted an off-topic comment about another member}.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:38 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015
Replies: 193
Views: 42884

Re: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015

{I merged No Simpler's topic into here that focused on the housing aspects of the same study}
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015
Replies: 193
Views: 42884

Re: New research on housing returns

Thanks. SimpleGifts's original post on this is over in the Non-US Forum; if no one objects, I'd like to merge this one over there.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 10:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Study: The Rate of Return on Everything, 1870-2015
Replies: 193
Views: 42884

Re: New research on housing returns

Hi nosimpler, check to see if this thread covers the same topic: viewtopic.php?t=277535
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare did not approve the charge
Replies: 31
Views: 2376

Re: Medicare did not approve the charge

{Topic is locked--contentious, argumentative} This thread has run its course and is locked (topic exhausted). See: Locked Topics
Moderators or site admins may lock a topic (set it so no more replies may be added) when a violation of posting policy has occurred. Occasionally, even if there are no overt violations of posting policy, a topic (or thread) will reach a point where the information content of the discussion has been essentially exhausted and further replies are much more likely to cause distress to the community than add anything of value.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 8:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "Objective" Importance of Keeping Your Physicians?
Replies: 63
Views: 6600

Re: "Objective" Importance of Keeping Your Physicians?

{I deleted an off-topic medical comment}.
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 6:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Rental in Europe--specifically Sicily
Replies: 27
Views: 2730

Re: Car Rental in Europe--specifically Sicily

{Topic is now in Personal Consumer Issues}
by jbranx
Sat Jul 13, 2019 5:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Safe DIY Spider Control
Replies: 16
Views: 1292

Re: Safe DIY Spider Control

{Topic is now in Personal Consumer Issues}
by jbranx
Fri Jul 12, 2019 8:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: my mom is a "financial advisor"
Replies: 66
Views: 8868

Re: my mom is a "financial advisor"

{Topic is now in Personal Investments Forum} viewforum.php?f=1
by jbranx
Fri Jul 12, 2019 7:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Index Fund Creator Jack Bogle Didn't Like ETFs Being Used For Speculation
Replies: 84
Views: 5876

Re: Index Fund Creator Jack Bogle Didn't Like ETFs Being Used For Speculation

{I merged another thread on Bogle's views on ETF's into here. The topic headline here has been changed to more fairly balance Bogle's statements on ETF's. Some of posts are contentious; to keep the thread open please remember forum guidelines on General Etiquette:} https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/rules#Moderation} Discussions should be conducted without fondness for dispute or desire for victory. - Benjamin Franklin This is a moderated forum. We expect this forum to be a place where people can feel comfortable asking questions and where debates and discussions are conducted in civil tones. Discussions are about issues, not people. If you disagree with an idea, go ahead and marshal all your forces against it. But do not confuse ideas with ...
by jbranx
Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retiring Early Correlates with Greater Longevity ?
Replies: 47
Views: 6199

Re: Retiring Early Correlates with Greater Longevity ?

{I deleted another off-topic health/medical comment} Note rules#rule-4c:

Medical Issues

Questions on medical issues are beyond the scope of the forum. If you are looking for medical information online, I suggest you start with the Medical Library Association's User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web which, in addition to providing guidance on evaluating health information, includes a list of their top recommended sites.
by jbranx
Thu Jul 11, 2019 1:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retiring Early Correlates with Greater Longevity ?
Replies: 47
Views: 6199

Re: Retiring Early Correlates with Greater Longevity ?

{I deleted three off-topic health/medical comments.} The discussion is deteriorating; stay on topic
by jbranx
Wed Jul 10, 2019 10:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Anyone here investing in Prison REITs?
Replies: 30
Views: 3658

Re: Anyone here investing in Prison REITs?

{Topic is locked. Discussion has veered to off-topic political comments in violation of Forum Policies.} https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/rules#rule-4a. Politics and Religion In order to avoid the inevitable frictions that arise from these topics, political or religious posts and comments are prohibited. The only exceptions to this rule are: Common religious expressions such as sending your prayers to an ailing member. Usage of factual and non-derogatory political labels when necessary to the discussion at hand. Discussions about enacted laws or regulations that affect the individual investor. Note that discussions of proposed laws or regulations are prohibited. Proposed regulations that are directly related to investing may be discussed i...
by jbranx
Wed Jul 10, 2019 10:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drive to Olympic National Park from Midwest
Replies: 26
Views: 2870

Re: Drive to Olympic National Park from Midwest

{Topic is now in Personal Consumer Issues--travel} viewforum.php?f=11
by jbranx
Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Comparing Pay with Benefits to without
Replies: 8
Views: 995

Re: Comparing Pay with Benefits to without

{Topic is now in Personal Finance (Not Investing)}