Search found 6595 matches
- Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Opportunity zone fund investing - opinions?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1399
Re: Opportunity zone fund investing - opinions?
It's a new thing and is attracting a lot of people trying to exploit the opportunity on both sides. Do due diligence before investing in an OZ fund. As of today, I think I'll just realize capital gains and pay the tax. I might change my mind later. Can't argue with that--it not like any fund in thi...
- Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:06 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Opportunity zone fund investing - opinions?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1399
Re: Opportunity zone fund investing - opinions?
My accountant recently suggested this is something I might wish to consider to defer some capital gains. I'm quite skeptical, but thought I'd search the board. So are such funds something a Boglehead who is qualified and would benefit from the capital gains deferral (e.g. they might have realized a ...
- Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:03 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: STIP (Short Term TIP) yield vs TIP
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2578
Re: STIP (Short Term TIP) yield vs TIP
Remember also the real yield of a TIPS is a guess. The market sets the prices and yields of *nominal* instruments (where the nominal yield is exactly known) and then guesses as to the right real rate. The difference is the breakeven inflation rate. I think you meant to say "the nominal yield o...
- Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:50 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: STIP (Short Term TIP) yield vs TIP
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2578
Re: TIPS yield curve and fund choice
But since the entire yield curve is under 1%, how much can rates go down?
- Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:34 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: STIP (Short Term TIP) yield vs TIP
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2578
TIPS yield curve and fund choice
[Thread merged into here, see below. --admin LadyGeek] So as of today, per Bloomberg , the interest rate on a 5 year TIPS is 0.85%, while for a 30 year TIPS it's 0.97%. That's right--12 bp of difference for extending duration by 25 years. I would argue that in this circumstance, it makes no sense f...
- Wed Jul 04, 2018 6:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2073
Re: Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails
Cheers, Victoria! I think I'll enjoy an Anchor Steam (ok, I know, not technically a cocktail!) while I contemplate which holdings I refuse to sell until I can do so at a profit! I believe that the behavioral scientists call that “Anchoring” :beer Yes they do...and I think it deserves the accompanim...
- Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:19 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Thoughts on Healthcare Sharing?
- Replies: 51
- Views: 6009
Re: Thoughts on Healthcare Sharing?
Healthcare sharing is how the Amish community has always approached medical care. By and large, it's worked pretty well for centuries.
But here's where it hits the wall:
https://www.statnews.com/2018/05/08/lux ... ice-amish/
But here's where it hits the wall:
https://www.statnews.com/2018/05/08/lux ... ice-amish/
- Tue Jul 03, 2018 7:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2073
Re: Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails
Cheers, Victoria!
I think I'll enjoy an Anchor Steam (ok, I know, not technically a cocktail!) while I contemplate which holdings I refuse to sell until I can do so at a profit!
I think I'll enjoy an Anchor Steam (ok, I know, not technically a cocktail!) while I contemplate which holdings I refuse to sell until I can do so at a profit!
- Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:51 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Why Edward Jones?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 21642
- Tue May 15, 2018 10:53 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: John C. Bogle explains his interpretation of RTM (reversion to mean)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 3459
Re: John C. Bogle explains his interpretation of RTM (reversion to mean)
This makes sense. In gambling, assuming a non-biased coin/dice/roulette table/etc. each event has no time correlation with past or future events. So if you flip a coin heads 5 times in a row, the expectation value of the next flip remains 50% heads. But if a certain category of equities has a price ...
- Sun May 06, 2018 6:12 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Warren Buffet Empire in One Giant Chart
- Replies: 11
- Views: 3852
Re: Warren Buffet Empire in One Giant Chart
...reinsurance doesn’t sell its product to retail customers and it doesn’t employee many, so it is overlooked by popular press stories that can choose instead to mention GEICO and Dairy Queen. I am looking forward to going to the annual meeting again this weekend. I’ve been going regularly since 20...
- Sun May 06, 2018 6:02 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: E-Trade ETF equivalent for VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares)?
- Replies: 10
- Views: 4327
Re: E-Trade ETF equivalent for VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares)?
Is there a reason not to just buy VTI, the ETF share class of Vanguard Total Stock Market? It has the same E/R as the VSTAX Admiral share class. For what it's worth I own it in my E-Trade account, and yes, you can set up automatic dividend reinvestment.
- Tue May 01, 2018 10:08 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
Re: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
After being more volatile than I would have expected the past couple weeks, the price of the company being acquired jumped substantially this morning (to >99% of the takeover price) and my sell order executed. In reading the new items, this coincided with the ending of the Hart Scott Rodino waiting ...
- Tue May 01, 2018 9:54 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Warren Buffet Empire in One Giant Chart
- Replies: 11
- Views: 3852
Re: Warren Buffet Empire in One Giant Chart
Where did reinsurance go?
- Thu Apr 12, 2018 8:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
Re: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
A couple clarifications. 1) I regarded the investment in the company that's getting taken over as a semi-unique opportunity (a rare case where I have good reason to believe I "know more than the market"). That's not true of the acquiring company--there's no reason to thing I have any more ...
- Thu Apr 12, 2018 5:54 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Stock market investors on higher floors take more risks
- Replies: 13
- Views: 2265
Re: Stock market investors on higher floors take more risks
Hopefully, they're taking advantage of the TSP, with a generous helping of the G Fund.Rick Ferri wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:27 am What about those who serve in our Navy’s submarine fleet?

- Thu Apr 12, 2018 11:50 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
Re: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
Thanks everyone for the replies! What's kind of interesting is the market price of the stock has actually fluctuated more than I might have expected this week (a couple %). Since there's no actual news regarding the merger and as Grt2bOutdoors observes, it seems pretty likely to happen, my guess is ...
- Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:03 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
Re: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
If it's Verifone, you should consider holding on until May 24th in case someone else makes a better offer, although the slight discount indicates that the market thinks that unlikely. It's actually not that one, it's a biotech being acquired by a Big Pharma company. It doesn't appear the merger wou...
- Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:51 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
Re: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
Good podcast from the White Coat Investor on this topic. https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/merger-arbitrage-with-peter-steinberg-md-podcast-43/ Thanks for posting the link! Although I'm more the counterparty from whom Dr. Steinberg (the guest featured in the podcast) might buy stock following the m...
- Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2245
When to sell individual stock following merger announcement?
So several months ago I made a small investment in an individual stock (note: <1% of my portfolio, which is 95+% index funds). Recently, the company announced an agreement for a cash takeover by another company for roughly double the recent trading range. No, I'm not eschewing index funds! My questi...
- Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:59 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: The "American companies I invest in already have international exposure" argument --- valid or not?
- Replies: 139
- Views: 15750
Re: The "American companies I invest in already have international exposure" argument --- valid or not?
So, does your wife think Jack Bogle is wrong?DanMahowny wrote: ↑Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:31 pm I don't buy that argument.
Jack Bogle is wrong.
Of course, I could be wrong. I'm wrong often- just ask my wife.
- Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:46 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Seven-Year Investor Old Beats Harvard’s Endowment Fund
- Replies: 21
- Views: 3523
Re: Seven-Year Investor Old Beats Harvard’s Endowment Fund
There will always be some number of seven-year olds who outperform by luck. 

- Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: SE Washington DC job - where to live?
- Replies: 55
- Views: 4614
Re: SE Washington DC job - where to live?
I worked for many years just south of Anacostia-Bolling (until about 2 years ago). I lived in Alexandria, and my commute was about 30 minutes--you can shorten it considerably by living closer. 1) The dominant traffic flow on the Wilson Bridge in the morning is into Virginia, and out of Virginia in t...
- Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:47 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Question about transferring and SEC IRA to a Roth IRA
- Replies: 3
- Views: 395
Re: Question about transferring and SEC IRA to a Roth IRA
I assume you meant to say "SEP" IRA (SEP stands for Simplified Employee Pension--it's often used for retirement contributions from self employment income or from a very small company). The short answer is you can convert it to a Roth IRA--I've done exactly that. It is perfectly possible to...
- Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:11 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Mixing fuel octanes for cars
- Replies: 57
- Views: 5145
Re: Mixing fuel octanes for cars
1. Going beyond the octane requirements of your engine doesn't convey any additional benefit. Going below the requirements isn't recommended! 2. The way that the octane rating is defined means that the octane value of a mixture of fuels is just the weighted average (what an octane rating of X means ...
- Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Deciding Between Treasuries and Munis in Taxable
- Replies: 16
- Views: 3470
Re: Deciding Between Treasuries and Munis in Taxable
Are there any other reasons why having an increased AGI (due to the interest on the Treasuries) might be undesirable? For example, not being able to make a Roth contribution. That's one thing that isn't accounted for in the equivalent yields math.
- Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:41 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "The stock market is officially in a correction... here's what usually happens next"
- Replies: 83
- Views: 16259
Re: "The stock market is officially in a correction... here's what usually happens next"
What usually happens next is a lot of hyperventilating. Even on this board, though to a lesser extent.
- Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:17 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Thrift Savings Plan to Change I Fund Index
- Replies: 40
- Views: 7500
Re: Thrift Savings Plan to Change I Fund Index
I'd somehow missed this when it was first posted.
Great news! Good job, FRTIB.
Great news! Good job, FRTIB.

- Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:57 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Spread between taxable and tax-exempt bond yields returning to normal
- Replies: 1
- Views: 804
Spread between taxable and tax-exempt bond yields returning to normal
Something interesting is happening in bond yields: after about a decade, the relative yields between tax-exempt and taxable bonds are returning to normal. Normally, one would expect that tax-exempt bonds would have lower yields than taxable ones, all else being equal, due to the tax benefit. This is...
- Sat Jan 27, 2018 12:14 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Do Alpha Males Deliver Alpha? Testosterone and Hedge Funds
- Replies: 16
- Views: 2061
Re: Do Alpha Males Deliver Alpha? Testosterone and Hedge Funds
There hasn't been an equivalent of Bogle to offer indexing as a simpler and more profitable approach!triceratop wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:54 pm It seems patently crazy and absurd! But I've been lead to believe and heard many tales confirming that many humans do precisely this under a complex system known as "dating".
- Thu Jan 25, 2018 8:43 pm
- Forum: US Chapters
- Topic: Happy Birthday, Taylor!
- Replies: 84
- Views: 7598
Re: Happy Birthday, Taylor!
Happy Birthday Taylor!!
Thanks for teaching many people important lessons about successful investing.
Thanks for teaching many people important lessons about successful investing.
- Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:19 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Any logic to picking multiple target date funds?
- Replies: 27
- Views: 4392
Re: Any logic to picking multiple target date funds?
I actually am using two different "L Funds" in my TSP account (L funds = TSP version of target date funds). Technically only one actually has a date: L2030 (about when I'll be retirement age). Until recently, I had much of the rest of my TSP in the G fund (I distribute assets over several ...
- Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:32 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard opens special offices for $1 million clients
- Replies: 131
- Views: 38510
Re: anguard opens special offices for $1 million clients
Interesting... Although personally, I've never even called Vanguard on the phone. Everything has been accomplished online or in the mail. Unless they're going to offer a place where I can make cash deposits, medallion signature guarantees on securities, or free coffee/pastries while I chat with a r...
- Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:54 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "Why You Should Probably Just Give Up Trying To Beat The Stock Market"
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4003
- Sun Jan 21, 2018 3:20 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?"
- Replies: 33
- Views: 5126
Re: "The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?"
2008 was a financial panic, but not an unprecedented one, and putting things in perspective a little bit made things pretty easy to deal with. Better man then me. I found it extremely stressful, but since I was young (still think I am) I knew it didn't matter in the long run. I would say those that...
- Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:49 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "Why You Should Probably Just Give Up Trying To Beat The Stock Market"
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4003
Re: "Why You Should Probably Just Give Up Trying To Beat The Stock Market"
My problem with this article is it doesn't differentiate between active and passive strategies--it just says "mutual funds". I mean, Vanguard's TSM is a mutual fund. And, because it should closely mirror the performance of the market every year, while most funds will lag due to expenses, I...
- Sat Jan 20, 2018 8:34 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?"
- Replies: 33
- Views: 5126
Re: "The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?"
Sometimes I wonder if these people are living on a different planet. 2008-09, 2011, and 15-16 weren't that emotionally stressful. Bogleheads and EMH provided me with a framework for putting things in context. 2008 was a financial panic, but not an unprecedented one, and putting things in perspective...
- Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:33 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Portfolio advice: Total market vs Larry Portfolio
- Replies: 44
- Views: 5484
Re: Oldest Multi-Factor Fund
The oldest multi-factor fund of which I am aware is PNC Multi-Factor Small-Cap Value C (PSVCX). According to Morningstar, its annualized 15-year return was 7.32%. During the same period, The S&P 500 Index return was 9.72% (with lower Standard Deviation). Taylor, I really don't think that's a fa...
- Sat Dec 02, 2017 7:38 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: What did you do right?
- Replies: 96
- Views: 12327
Re: What did you do right?
I never bought a $5000 watch, in spite of the extreme peer pressure. 

- Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:27 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Jack Bogle Says ‘Avoid Bitcoin Like the Plague’
- Replies: 324
- Views: 43769
- Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:15 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: What did you do right?
- Replies: 96
- Views: 12327
Re: What did you do right?
It seems that on this thread, something like half of the replies make reference to "marry the right person". So how is this actually implemented? Is there an equivalent of John Bogle to make everything simple, or is it just dumb luck? Seems a lot more complicated than just calling up Vangu...
- Wed Nov 22, 2017 1:08 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
Re: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
You could quickly complete your non-FIFO tax loss harvesting now, before you have to make that "assumption". Folks should complete their tax-loss harvesting each year anyways. Indeed, with prices where they are today, there should be no tax-loss harvesting opportunities at the present tim...
- Wed Nov 22, 2017 12:57 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
Re: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
Thanks for the link Doc. And thanks to everyone for the thoughts given so far.
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:48 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
Re: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
For DCA during an investors accumulation phase, what would be your fund rotation strategy? I could envision things like the following: Option #1: rotate between different similar funds for each scheduled purchase Option #2: stick to one fund for a period if time (e.g for a year), then start using t...
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:26 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
Re: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
One is using FIFO, not average cost. :) To me First-In, First-out identifies the shares sold and NOT the Cost Basis Method. For mutual fund (but not stocks and not ETFs), the First-In shares could have a cost basis method of Average Cost or Actual Cost. Stocks and ETFs must use Actual Cost no matte...
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:42 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:35 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Help DW gets fired, but then next day her boss offers her job back
- Replies: 156
- Views: 17724
Re: Help DW gets fired, but then next day her boss offers her job back
I'd say offer to come back but no reduction in pay.
If they can't accommodate that, too bad!
Look for another job in any event.
If they can't accommodate that, too bad!

Look for another job in any event.
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:22 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
- Replies: 26
- Views: 3050
Minimizing capital gains assuming FIFO basis
If one is using FIFO cost basis, what is the best way to minimize capital gains in taxable accounts (e.g. if rebalancing)? Please don't ask why the question assumes FIFO. Just assume it does. It seems to me that one would want to own several similar funds (e.g. Vanguard 500 index, Vanguard Large Cap...
- Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:10 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: "Got $1 million to retire? Here’s how long it will last, by U.S. state"
- Replies: 54
- Views: 16090
- Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:42 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Larry Swedroe: Managing Risk With Factors
- Replies: 121
- Views: 13525
Re: Larry Swedroe: Managing Risk With Factors
I think the statement that factor investing is expensive is a red herring. Like everything, it depends how it's implemented. TSM has an expense ratio of 0.04% Small Value index has an ER of 0.07% Total International has an ER of 0.11%. FTSE Smallcap has an ER of 0.13% So the difference is all of 2-3...