Bogleheads.org

New to Bogleheads. I am 66 yrs old, do have emergency fund, use Charles Schwab for all my accounts including my rollover IRA which has a $3 mil total. In a later post, I will ask for guidance on how to rebalance my heavily growth equity rated Acct. I do not plan to use funds from IRA until RMD time. I have (14%) $440,000 in SNAXX (Schwab value advantage mm fund) & wish to keep using something like this (safe) until I convert this position to a bond of some kind. I now understand that it is not FDIC protected. I am willing to sell, keep at Schwab, or move funds to Vanguard & buy a bond fund or CD Or treasury fund? Yes, I’m unsure which route to go but I know I don’t want to think about the bond side of my portfolio for years. Thank ...

Obligatory wiki reference: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/ETFs_vs_mutual_funds

There's also WCPE (as in C.P.E. Bach) in the Raleigh Durham area.

https://theclassicalstation.org/listen/

8301 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:11 am Seeking help. I am trying to buy T-bills through auction at Vanguard, but I am frustrated not being able to navigate Vanguard online tree. Participating through Fidelity was a breeze.

Harry Sit (fellow Boglehead) has a blog post covering how to do this at various brokerages.

https://thefinancebuff.com/treasury-bil ... arket.html

I read https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/SIPC_protection_for_mutual_funds which concludes that SIPC protection does not add any protection to an account that is not a brokerage account. But I don't understand the reasoning. I have three accounts with Vanguard: a taxable brokerage account for purpose A; a taxable mutual funds account for purpose B; and a Roth IRA (mutual funds account, not a brokerage account). I am concerned about the lack of SIPC protection for my mutual funds accounts. But the Wiki is saying that I shouldn't, but I don't understand why; what does SIPC protection do then? I like having the two separate accounts for the two separate purposes. Thank you in advance for your help. I think the key point from the wiki article is:...

Vanguard has a web page that gives their current estimate of qualified dividends percentage: browse to https://advisors.vanguard.com/tax-cente ... end-income and enter your fund name or ticker to narrow the list.

Appears to be updated monthly. Latest is as of 2/28/2023.

placeholder wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:45 pm I'm confused about what mutual funds have to do with it and why you think they are not insured.

Yes. It's good to ask just what is being insured.

OP, what events are you wanting to insure against?

Avantis just continues to get better and better. They are going to seriously give Vanguard and DFA a run for their money. Although so many options is a little intimidating. It also makes me understand even more why someone would prefer one simple automatic re-balancing fund. That Avantis® Moderate Allocation ETF looks REALLY appealing as a one-fund-for-life. The all markets value fund also looks great as a one fund for the equity portion of a portfolio. The Moderate one may be a little too light on international for some. 47% U.S., 18% international, 33% fixed, 2% REIT. But if you're someone who thinks Vanguard has gone a little too heavy on international in their Target funds, this one might hit the spot. +1. Based on the target %, it's ~...

gavinsiu wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:31 am ...
If you use Mac or iOS, all browser uses WebKit and are the same as safari.

Not exactly!

Chrome on iOS uses WebKit.

Chrome on macOS uses Blink.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome

Browsers on macOS are not forced to use WebKit.

Assume you're talking about Vanguard?

It probably worked i.e. got cancelled. What does the order status say now?

Pizza1945 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 5:02 am …Any pros or cons I need to be aware before I switch over?

Check out this other Bogleheads discussion: Vanguard Brokerage versus Mutual Fund Account Decision thread. Lots of useful info there to help you decide.

...After reading...https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Tax-efficient_fund_placement. I'm I correct in stating where the following funds be placed for maximum tax efficiency? I had a little hard time understanding the article. Here are a few general things that may help you understand the article: - our federal tax system has special tax preferences. Regular income and income-like distributions are taxed at higher rates whereas qualified dividends and long-term capital gains get preferential treatment with lower rates. - for stock funds, index ETFs and Vanguard's index mutual funds have the same distributions. They don't distribute capital gains distributions. Their dividends are generally qualified dividends. Large cap stock funds (like VTI or...

Whitecap wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:34 am Is there a way to get around the pay wall? Can’t read it.

My county library offers online access to WSJ and many other newspapers and periodicals. Maybe yours does too?

CletusCaddy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:20 pm

DaveTH wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 11:08 am

jmk wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 am The ishare "ibond" funds have fixed maturity dates, so they do "lock in the rate".

I'm not sure the rate is "locked", but yes the final maturity date of the portfolio is known.

The rate on those is locked, defaults notwithstanding

For investors considering an iBond ETF, worth pointing out that as bonds mature throughout the final year of the ETF, the bond proceeds are invested in cash-like instruments. The future yield on that cash is unknown. In that way the final return (if not rate) of the iBond ETF is not quite "locked."

I'm listening to a different Bob: Seven by Bob Seger, circa 1974.

This album is out of print. Released on vinyl and briefly on CD. Not sure why it's unavailable, not even streaming from Apple Music/Amazon/Spotify. Licensing issues I guess.

I never heard this album but it has good studio versions of some tracks performed live on Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band's well-known Live Bullet.

cvsvm2007 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:42 pm Friends,

I went through some threads from this forum and still not clear on terms like "Yield to worst bid". This is first time I am trying to buy TBills. Can some of you please point resources to get started?

Thanks
CVS

Harry Sit is a blogger and fellow Boglehead. He wrote an article that may help:
How to Buy Treasury Bills & Notes On the Secondary Market

I imagine the reporter is not limiting herself to only Bogleheads. The story may not even mention Bogleheads. Her request probably goes out via other media.

GaryA505 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:57 am Does any one have any thoughts on Vanguard's new VTES short-term tax-exempt fund?

It's good competition for SUB.

It was discussed in an earlier thread: viewtopic.php?t=399580

exodusNH wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 11:03 am

HenryPorter wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:38 am Noticed this morning that the dollar denominated ( fractional share) feature was missing from the ETF trading page for a Vanguard ETF when I was on my laptop. The smartphone app allowed me to trade the fractional share. Could be a glitch or maybe Vanguard is trying to limit fractional share trading?

...
More issues with their A++ programmers.

You know things are bad when we don't even bother adding a "sarcasm" tag for such statements. Sigh, Vanguard

Anyway I have no idea what's up with the missing feature. But I don't have it at Merrill Edge either!

[merged into existing topic - moderator prudent] Just within the past couple of weeks, Vanguard's Portfolio Watch tool begin alerting me to a substantial overweighting in mid cap stocks in my portfolio despite no recent change in my holdings. After some investigation and calculations on my part, I found that the analysis tool was categorizing 15.7% of my S&P 500 Index fund holdings (e.g., VFIAX and VOO) as being mid cap, while mid caps comprise only 13.43% of the US stock market according to the tool. Thus, according to the Portfolio Watch tool, Vanguard's S&P 500 Index funds are suddenly over-weighted toward mid cap. It's highly unlikely that the large cap S&P 500 Index suddenly became skewed toward mid caps. I sent a secure m...

d. other. Go online to the irs.gov site https://www.irs.gov/refunds and check the status of your refund.

That web page says "When to Call Us

Call us about your refund status only if Where's My Refund directs you to contact us."

I don't believe people can distinguish psychologically between the risk of total international including emerging markets, and developed markets only. It would be nice if someone could apply psychophysical methods and tell us the "just noticeable difference" in risk. Many of us (including me if I don't do the math) have difficulty keeping things in proportion when they look at a portfolio that has something in it that they don't like. We weight it by the strength of our dislike. Human psychology seems to feel that any amount of contamination, no matter how small, is thought to ruin the whole. (Think of the California town that drained a 674-million-gallon reservoir because a security camera caught a man urinating in it). As a sid...

I apologize if this has already been answered, but do you HAVE to open a BoA checking account to have Preferred Rewards with ME? I’d ideally like to move 105k of VTI over to ME just to get the extra credit card rewards, but I don’t want another checking account if I can help it. Yes. Scroll down https://promotions.bankofamerica.com/preferredrewards/en and you'll see it mentioned - look for "To become a member, you'll need:" Thanks! Is there a number you can call to speak with someone at BoA about opening these accounts? I can’t reach anyone at the local branch, and I can’t find a number online to call to ask questions. (Not a good first impression for BoA :oops: ) I don't know -- I opened my accounts online and didn't have any qu...

I've not used a SEP IRA before so take all of this with a grain of salt. You can make both employEE and employER contributions to a SEP IRA. Contributions made as an employEE are subject to a $6500 limit ($7,500 if age 50 or older) across all IRAs (trad, Roth, SEP). But you could make employER contributions (limited by the 25% rule) and also make a $6,500 contribution to a trad or Roth IRA. In that way you could increase your tax-advantaged contributions each year. Side note: the choice between trad versus Roth comes down to whether your tax bracket will be less when you withdraw compared to when you contribute. A total income of $175k puts you in the 22% bracket. If you could look into the future and see your tax bracket is less than 22%, ...

On youtube, Ghost Riders by The Outlaws

Hi, is there any research or backtest on the return of holding treasury bills/bonds vs buying efts like $IEF, $TLT ? The assumption is that I'd hold treasury until maturity. It seems one can definitely lose money on bond ETFs. Thanks! Please say what kind of scenarios you're interested in. It really matters what you're trying to compare. Do you mean a "rolling ladder" where no money is ever withdrawn from the portfolio? The backtest would be somewhat complicated by the fact that an individual holding individual bonds has to do something with the interest coupons - invest it in a money market fund? Hold the interest until you have enough to buy another $1,000 worth of bonds, etc. A fund on the other hand presumably would just buy ...

I agree with KenKat's comment about sticking with your strategy. With bond investments, it's important to have your bonds' "average duration" roughly match your spending horizon. For a typical retired investor, you don't need to spend all of your bonds in just the next year, nor to spend all of your bonds 10 years from now. Rather you'll (typically) need to spend roughly the same amount each year for the rest of your life. If you knew your spending will end (yikes!) in exactly 10 years, your average duration should be about 5 years. Some people like to set up a "bond ladder" so they have one bond maturing for each year over the next 10 (or 15 or whatever) years. They like it because they know how much each bond will be w...

1.Does this mean looking at the tracking difference instead of the TER is the most accurate way of accessing the true cost of an ETF? At least for US Boglehead investors, when the expense ratio is very low, it's commonly suggested to look beyond the expense ratio / TER. Tracking difference is one good way to do that. Actual performance incorporates not just expense ratio but also transaction costs borne by the fund, as well as any expense-reducing mechanisms the fund managers might have (see next question). 2.Why is the tracking difference 0% when its expense ratio is 0.22%? How does that work? One explanation is "securities lending" -- Morningstar has an article that explains it in detail. Basically the fund manager lends some o...

1rl9DS5gl2 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:02 am How do I convert vsiax to vbr shares or vtsax to vti shares on the vanguard website?

I believe it's best to make sure you have established your desired cost basis method on the mutual fund before you convert it. E.g., if you never changed it from the default Average Cost Basis to SpecID, and want it to be SpecID, do so before converting.

Edited to add: this is important if you hold the mutual funds in a taxable account.

Here's are some "dividend growth" funds. Equivalent to VDIGX? No. Similar? Yes. Certainly not substantially-identical. - DGRO: iShares Dividend Growth ETF . "DGRO offers a straightforward execution of a dividend growth strategy. The fund aims to find stocks that pay steadily increasing dividends by requiring a 5-year track record of increasing dividends while ensuring that the firms pay out no more than 75% of earnings." - NOBL: ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF . "NOBL only selects companies from the S&P 500 that have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years." - TDVG: T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth ETF . "TDVG is an actively-managed, non-transparent fund of global, large...

NYCaviator wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:47 am I apologize if this has already been answered, but do you HAVE to open a BoA checking account to have Preferred Rewards with ME? I’d ideally like to move 105k of VTI over to ME just to get the extra credit card rewards, but I don’t want another checking account if I can help it.

Yes. Scroll down https://promotions.bankofamerica.com/pr ... rewards/en and you'll see it mentioned - look for "To become a member, you'll need:"

1. I have a side business (side hustle) that I would like to start contributing income to an IRA. Can I do this if I already have a 401k with my main job (currently contributing 10% to)? 2. If I can start an IRA from my side job, what kind of IRA do I need to open (thorough Fidelity ideally) and how much can I contribute annually? 1. Yes but there may be a limit on how much of your contribution can be deductible. 2. You could open a regular individual IRA, or you could also open a SEP IRA -- see https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-for-self-employed-people. They have different contribution limits so check into the details before choosing. Lots of info in this Bogleheads wiki article https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/IRA

illinoisguy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:26 am 3. I have a regular brokerage account with Fidelity. Is there any way to roll the stock I already own in the brokerage account (less than $1k) over into the IRA?

No, alas. Contributions are in cash.

I've not done it but I've seen other Bogleheads mention their RMD of mutual funds was done in-kind from IRA to taxable account. Pretty sure it was at Vanguard. I don't imagine some brokerages allow for this, and some don't.

I wonder what size of bond can be transferred, e.g. only in $1,000 increments?

Assuming you can do it, one question is: what's the basis and holding period of the TIPS bonds that were transferred? Do they retain the original characteristics of when you bought them?

I'm not sure what we can reliably conclude about PAS based on just the OP's portfolio -- it contains not only what PAS suggested but also the OPs own choices. Not trying to defend PAS, just that it's not clear what control/responsibility they have over the whole portfolio.

But anyway I agree the portfolio is too complicated as is. The 3 fund or 4 fund portfolios are great choices.

Even better for someone who prefers simplicity, I'd go with:
1) only stock funds in the taxable account 2) in the IRS accounts, a combination of Target Date or LifeStrategy funds to reach the OP's desired asset allocation.

Could you share the numbers involved?

Only net income has to be distributed to shareholders, so perhaps most/some of the dividends paid by POAGX holdings goes to cover the fund's 0.65% expense ratio.

And I'd guess the fund's growth tilt means they don't get all that much in dividend income in the first place.

Presumably you could look up gross/net income and expense info in the fund's documentation. Prospectus or some other SEC document I'd guess.

^ right.

The relevant rule is that you need $X in compensation/earned income to contribute $X to the SEP IRA. That doesn't mean that $X must literally/virtually come out of your paycheck or bank account where your paycheck was deposited to. It's not like the IRS or your IRA custodian is tracking where the money "came from."

I am adding on to my ME account an individual taxable brokerage account. I am trying to fund it now. I want to fund it from a Trust account I have at Vanguard that holds VUSXX. I want to move $10k. Do I have to liquidate the $10k of VUSXX so it can be in my settlement fund and transfer from there, or can ME hold $10k of VUSXX? I don't want trading costs at ME. My intention was to hold $10k of TTTXX, but if I could hold VUSXX and not be dinged $$$ trading costs, then I'd prefer that. From an ME brokerage account, one can initiate an account/asset transfer out of a Vanguard brokerage account. The asset (VUSXX for example) would be transferred in-kind via ACATS. But in your particular case, you're transferring from a Trust account to an indiv...

rkhusky wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:18 am ...
The national fund will also have NY bonds. Vanguard has a document/page that shows the percentage for each state.

And sometimes the state by state breakdown is included in the 1099 document. OP, look in your consolidated 1099, probably somewhere toward the end.

ccf wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:17 pm I have a lot of those same annoyances every year.

I make a step by step list of what I need to do and then I follow it every year and update it with new situations as needed. Most years are the same as the one before.

+1
A checklist is very helpful.

OverseasBH wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:56 am I guess I am focused on whether it is rational to pursue an dividend-focused strategy. Countless posts on the forum make the case that it is not. Is there a scenario where a dividend focused strategy is rational?

Perhaps your focus is not focused enough.

Are you looking for a scenario where it's rational for a single person. Or rational for all people? Or rational specifically for you?

Surely you can think of a scenario where it's rational for at least one person.

Surely it's not rational for all people.

Tell us more about your situation and maybe we'll find a scenario where it be rational for you.

rrabick, Welcome to the forum! Below is my tentative plan. My 401k: move FSSNX small cap balance into FXAIX 500 index (for simplification purposes) move VAIPX tips to Fidelity FIPDX (similar duration 6.71/yr) Her 401K: maintain FXAIX 500 index move VAIPX tips to Fidelity FIPDX maintain FXNAX Do my bond moves look ok or since I am in the withdrawing stage should I move some of the VAIPX (6.9/yr duration) to a shorter duration fund like FNSOX bond fund (2.54/yr) or FUMBX short term treasury bond index (2.54/yr)? Welcome all input here. One general idea is to match your spending horizon with your investment horizon. That's easier said than done as it means tweaking your bond investments each year to reflect that your remaining investing horizo...

Are you trying to use the comparison tool at https://www.morningstar.com/funds/screener-compare ? I am able to compare two mutual funds using that tool. I am logged in to Morningstar using a "free" account (although a 7 day trial account would probably work too). What fund symbols did you want to compare?

I notice the tool says "This tool will be retired in the coming months."

I would likely use Merrill Edge now and then -- like when they offer transfer bonuses. But with no BoA rewards and no Edge bonuses I would not use them.

bertilak wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:58 am Do you use a different starting page to get to the other download page?

No - I don't normally use the download page, I was just trying it to see how it works.

Thank you everyone for your input. I'm going to keep an eye on this fund, right now I need the monthly income from it. I've been with Vanguard since 1984 and one of these days I'm going to go transfer my Vanguard mutual funds to the three-fund portfolio recommended by so many of you. I am having a hard time giving up some of my favorites: Primecap Admiral and Extended Mkt Admiral. Here are my current allocations if anyone has any suggestions once I go to the three-fund portfolio: Investment Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Admiral 22% Vanguard Treasury Money Market Investor 12% Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Admiral 6% Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Admiral 11% Vanguard High Yield Corp Admiral 43% Vanguard Total Intl Stock Index Adm...

strummer6969 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:01 pm I've always been curious about SCV tilting but it seems like timing is everything for this asset class. Do you guys think now is a good time for a SCV tilt with the small bank failures plastered all over the news, or is there further down to go? I really can't tell how serious of a crisis it is.

If you have to ask, you're not fit to buy SCV.

Just kidding

Some people are "committed" to SCV. It's like a relationship

Others will time the market -- see livesoft's postings about this.

Personally, I wouldn't make a buying or selling decision based on Boglehead's opinions about this or that. Ultimately you need to decide for yourself, otherwise you'll be changing your portfolio every other week, day, hour...

Hi, does anyone have a tutorial on how to sell your T bills on vanguard? Its confusing and doesn't really tell me what my expected sale price would be. Is there anything to adjust on the sale order? Also, are they sold in real time, or at end of day like mutual funds? Thanks! [Edit: good grief, I thought you were asking about buying :oops:] Briefly... There are two main ways to buy: at a Treasury auction, or on the secondary market. Harry Sit (he's a Boglehead) has a blog post about How to Buy Treasury Bills & Notes On the Secondary Market . There's a section specifically about Vanguard . Treasuries are traded on the open market -- there's no "net asset value" pricing like with mutual funds. The main thing you specify is how ...

When preparing my US taxes, I need to indicate the sum of my dividends and distributions that were from a foreign country or U.S. possession in a given year. E.g., in TurboTax: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pw5Gl.png Where can I see on Merrill Edge the sum of the dividends and distributions that was from a foreign country or U.S. possession in a given year? Some brokers are better than others about providing the necessary info. Based on my consolidated 1099, Merrill Edge doesn't do it. E.g., I owned a Vanguard mutual fund that distributed both US and foreign dividends. The 1099-DIV itself didn't provide the info you're looking for, just the foreign tax paid (box 7). And the "2022 DIVIDENDS, QUALIFIED, 199A AND 897 DISTRIBUTIONS" sect...