Search found 191 matches

by PB
Thu Mar 31, 2016 6:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?
Replies: 107
Views: 19380

Re: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?

To be fair, you're right. It's not compulsory right now. But my understanding is that all new accounts are required to be in the brokerage accounts, so it's likely just a matter of time.
by PB
Thu Mar 31, 2016 5:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?
Replies: 107
Views: 19380

Re: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?

niven wrote:... The brokerage changes being better or worse are a matter of opinion.
Agreed. Better for average day traders. Worse for average investors. What does that say about Vanguard's priorities?
by PB
Thu Mar 31, 2016 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?
Replies: 107
Views: 19380

Re: leaving vanguard due to math errors / poor customer service?

1. I'm an unhappy customer, too. 2. I've written in the past about systems problems large and small. The problems are real, persistent and IMHO, inexcusable. 3. Even worse is Vanguard's CS response. It is slow and, often it seems, arrogant. 4. As for keeping it simple? Why are they forcing people to move to brokerage accounts? You know what now stares me in the face when I look at my Balances and Holdings? FUNDS AVAILABLE TO TRADE. TOTAL CREDITS AND DEBITS. Can I hide my $0.00 Settlement Fund? No. They took that option away. How is that keeping it simple? http://dezigns.com/VGB.png 5. This forum is the best place to complain. They clearly don't listen otherwise, because you know what, their systems are regressing, not progressing. I don't k...
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

I don't mean to stray off topic, but according to Vanguard's website, by the end of 2014 they had about $3 trillion under management ($3,000,000,000,000).

I am terrible with large numbers, so is it right to say that 0.001 percent of $3 trillion is $30 million?

If correct, this means that if Vanguard raised their expense ratios across the board by 0.001 percent -- not 0.01 percent, but 0.001 percent -- they would have an additional $30,000,000 to spend on their accounting, website and customer service systems? $30,000,000 a year?

Is this correct?
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

sawhorse wrote:
I'll remind new members that this is not a Vanguard-specific forum. You can invest according to Vanguard's founding principles without a Vanguard account as long as you're informed and don't fall for sales pitches.
Thanks for the reminder, sawhorse. I couldn't agree more as long as you're informed and don't fall for sales pitches.
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Let me say this again to people considering a new Vanguard account: Do not let these customer service issues deter you from opening an account. The CS issues can be frustrating, but they do not outweigh the value of Vanguard's investing principles and processes. I sincerely believe that over your investing lifespan, Vanguard can earn you tens if not hundreds of thousands dollars -- additional dollars -- depending on how much you have to invest. To Vanguard: Please get your act together. Do not take your success for granted. Do not stray from your principles and put your customers second. History is filled with great companies falling by the wayside due to complacency and arrogance. I am a fan, but you're testing my patience. And from the lo...
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Clearwater: Your point is well-taken that investors should be wary, regardless of their brokerage or mutual fund company (Vanguard included). Investors must educate themselves before investing or they will get taken. It's that simple. The financial regulations allow it, and Wall Street's only mission is to exploit the regulations at our expense. Buyer beware is good advice, indeed. Nor can I argue with your specific advice to "start with Taylor's page on the Three Fund portfolio, then read the whole Wiki, then read the books on the list, then take (time) to think about it all." Excellent advice, indeed. But in important ways, Vanguard is not the same as Fidelity. Or Schwab. Or Wells Fargo, or many of the large investment firms. To...
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Agreed, dbr. The trick is to never enter into a "free" advisory relationship. Nothing is free.

1. Vanguard is upfront about their (low) advisory fee. All good advisors are upfront about how they make their money -- they don't hide it in the fine print.

2. Vanguard does not send you to an independent advisor who has essentially paid for the referral.

3. Vanguard's BIG PRINT encourages investors to keep their trades to a minimum, and their overall costs as low as possible. Because Vanguard gets paid directly by their clients (and because of their corporate structure), they have less incentive to gouge clients with less-than-upfront brokerage services and fees.
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Clearwater: The problem with firms like Fidelity is that they have an incentive to suck investors -- including newbie investors -- into so-called "free" advisory services. But the services are not free, and they appear to be ridden with conflicts. Here is a link to Fidelity's Wealth Advisor Solutions: https://www.fidelity.com/wealth-management/wealth-advisor-solutions The "Big Print" sounds great, of course… "Your Fidelity financial consultant will work with you each step of the way," and they provide details regarding their "Specialized Services," "Personalized Advice" and "Trusted Advisors." Then there's the fine print at the bottom of the page: * The Fidelity Wealth Advisor Solu...
by PB
Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Investing Newbie: My complaints started this most recent discussion, and regardless, I encourage you to open a Vanguard account. I'm in my late 50's, and have a lot of experience with different brokerages and mutual fund companies. Bottom line: you won't find a better selection of well-run, low-cost mutual funds & ETF's anywhere. In addition, Vanguard's corporate structure is uniquely aligned with its fund investors (as opposed to its corporate owners), which cannot be underestimated. It is essential that you get the conflict-free assistance Vanguard offers. So, it's never easy to complain, but sometimes their problems seem more a result of arrogance than growth. They must not get complacent. They must not take their enormous success fo...
by PB
Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

UPDATE: it's now been 75 minutes, but the 3rd rep is helping me.

The people are solid, but the process is broken.
by PB
Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Customer Service
Replies: 301
Views: 46665

Re: Vanguard Customer Service

Unfortunately, I need to add my disappointment with Vanguard's Customer Service. For years I've been a relatively vocal critic of Vanguard's technical services -- they are second rate, and the recent account "upgrade" is just the latest example. But their customer service has been OK. At least until the last few times I called. Right now I'm on hold AFTER I elected to have them call me back. That is, I elected the callback, and waited 30 minutes for the rep to return my call. But he couldn't answer my question. So he referred me to another rep. I was placed on hold, and the recording said there would be a wait time of 2 minutes. But I waited another 27 minutes, and then the next rep couldn't help me. So now I'm waiting for the 3rd...
by PB
Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Were These Investment Advisors Lying or Incompetent?
Replies: 100
Views: 12761

Re: Were These Investment Advisors Lying or Incompetent?

My apologies if someone already addressed this, but per SMA's:

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mu ... ccount.asp
by PB
Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Risk Tolerance vs Asset Allocation
Replies: 8
Views: 1087

Re: Risk Tolerance vs Asset Allocation

With the important caveat that historical performance is no guarantee of future performance, I have found the allocation models to be a useful starting place as well: https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insights/saving-investing/model-portfolio-allocations If you have real-world experience withstanding a major bear market without selling off, great; use that as your baseline. If you don't, my best advice is to really soul-search about withstanding the peak loss associated with each model without selling off, then err a touch on the conservative side of what you think you can tolerate. Because (1), the real world can often surprise people; and (2), the risk of losing a percent or three because you were a bit more conservative is better than err...
by PB
Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help me talk my friend into an index portfolio
Replies: 17
Views: 2473

Re: Help me talk my friend into an index portfolio

Maybe focus on 3 things, using LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund (LS) as a comparison. I chose this because it's matches your basic 60/40 allocation, including Intl, and would automatically rebalance for him, as I presume Kroeker does. There are links to data below, and: First, the X-ray's show better all-around diversification with LS. This could pay off in small ways, as the YTD returns suggest. Second, the fees are much lower with LS: 0.16% vs 1.02% for Kroeker. This would be an enormous factor over the years. In addition, the yield is better too: 1.92% for LS vs. 0.88% for Kroeker. The yield also would compound in his favor over the years. Finally, a 5 year backtest shows that the two funds will likely track pretty closely, which makes ...
by PB
Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Which of these 2 portfolios would you choose?
Replies: 24
Views: 2161

Re: Which of these 2 portfolios would you choose?

IMHO, the most important thing is this: do you want to manage the 8-fund Portfolio B? And are you able to manage it without the potential behavioral mistakes that come along with it? I ask because if you keep your AA 65/35, the volatility of the two portfolios will likely be roughly similar. But the volatility of the individual funds in Portfolio B will likely be pretty intense. And of course, you have to rebalance Portfolio B with discipline, while Wellington would handle this for you. And handle it quite well (pun intended). Otherwise (because I'm bored ;-), I ran the instant x-rays, and from my POV your biggest choice regards international equity: Wellington is 10% of TP, while Portfolio B is 25%. Nothing to sneeze at. Wellington's ER is...
by PB
Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Recommended Reading
Replies: 8
Views: 858

Re: Recommended Reading

+1 for Elements of Investing. Haven't read the updated version, but an excellent, concise first read IMHO.
by PB
Fri Jun 21, 2013 9:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Discrepancies in Today's Vanguard Pricing
Replies: 2
Views: 570

Re: Discrepancies in Today's Vanguard Pricing

Pretty sure it has to do with quarterly distributions. For example, here's a link to the 500 index fund:

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/ ... =INT#tab=4

And here's all the funds with quarterly distributions in June:

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insigh ... nds-062013

If I'm correct, you should see the transactions tomorrow, or Tues at the absolute latest, and the payouts by Tues too.

Bottom line: it's all OK, as the distributions will make-up for today's loss, and in the long term they should pay off even more.

Regards -
by PB
Tue May 28, 2013 7:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: A RBD ...for Bonds?
Replies: 12
Views: 1788

Re: A RBD ...for Bonds?

You're right livesoft, my apologies:

Total Bond: -.64%
Intermediate-Term Investment Grade: -.69%
Inflation Protected Securities: -.94%
Long-Term Investment Grade: -2.07%
by PB
Tue May 28, 2013 6:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: A RBD ...for Bonds?
Replies: 12
Views: 1788

A RBD ...for Bonds?

After months of speculation & discussion, today's returns:

Total Bond: -.64%
Intermediate-Term Investment Grade: -.69%
Inflation Protected Securities: -.94%
Long-Term Investment Grade: -2.07%

Ouch.

(Edit: decimal points corrected)
by PB
Fri May 17, 2013 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What were the little things that led you to index investing?
Replies: 60
Views: 6092

Re: What were the little things that led you to index invest

A typical (sad) story... I was with Wells Fargo Investments and my 'Advisor' recommended I purchase a basket-linked CD, a Wells Fargo one at that. Then he recommended a corporate bond, without telling me it was secondary market and there was a $450 purchase fee. Eventually, he tried to sell me a variable annuity, another relatively complex and not always transparent asset. I started reading about those, and it finally dawned on me... I was the sucker at the table. So I became determined to educate myself, found my way to Bogleheads.org, the Boglehead's Guide to Retirement, Bernstein, Ferri and Swedroe... and the rest is history 8-)
by PB
Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1828

Re: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?

Agreed... time will tell.

Thanks.
by PB
Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1828

Re: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?

Sam I Am,

You're perspective is legitimate, of course. The problem is that the website is symptomatic of a larger arrogance that I see too often with Vanguard -- that any problem or shortcoming is written off as "service to low fees."

That's a risky proposition, no matter how big Vanguard has become... just ask MCI, Pam AM, Woolworth and Kodak.
by PB
Sat Apr 27, 2013 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1828

Re: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?

Interesting link, Momar, because for Employer-based plans, Vanguard doesn't even keep 5 years online -- they only keep two.

See screenshot below... the moment I enter 4/25/11 (as opposed to 4/26/11), it states in red:

"You may view only up to 24 months online..."

http://dezigns.com/VGHistory.png

For all you VG defenders out there, is this justifiable?
by PB
Sat Apr 27, 2013 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?
Replies: 20
Views: 1828

Re: is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?

Is vanguard's 5yr web data cliff justifiable?

No.

Vanguard is an outstanding company in many ways, but their online system falls short, and this issue is just one of its many shortcomings. I've written on the subject before, and will just have to smile at how many people will defend them on this issue.
by PB
Wed Apr 10, 2013 7:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]

I agree, LadyGeek - it's to VG's credit that they're providing feedback, and I will indeed allow them time to troubleshoot. With that said, however, providing feedback re a process , as opposed to a solution, has limited utility to say the least. In addition, I am honestly worried... I've had problems in the past with my account and ultimately learned that the problems were tied to their legacy brokerage system - the fact that they integrated their 'old' brokerage system with their newer Mutual Fund system -- and it does create a lot of headaches. Indeed, why do you think I have SIX accounts? Well, because their system requires that I have a separate brokerage account tied to each of my separate mutual fund accounts (taxable, traditional IR...
by PB
Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]

Today's update, from the same Supervisor:

"This issue is not affecting all Vanguard clients, only some; however, we don't know what's triggering it to affect those clients. At this point, our technical specialists are researching the issue to obtain more information about why it's happening, and affecting those clients involved. Once we learn more, I will be certain that you are provided an update."

Only fair to give them some time... will keep you posted.
by PB
Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Update re Problems adding a Grantee Online [with Vanguar

Update: I received an email response from the supervisor of Vanguard's Executive Action Response Team. He not only confirmed the technical issue, but alas, stated that he "researched my situation completely, and tried to find other ways to accomplish (adding) an agent to my brother's account, and I'm sorry to say that I was unable to find any other alternatives to work around this technical issue." He continued by saying that while he knows it's a "great inconvenience" to not be able to complete this process online, in order to grant an agent authorization to my brother's account(s), the hardcopy Agent Authorization form would need to be completed. To be fair, he offered to pay for the costs of having the form sent via F...
by PB
Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Anyone Successful Adding a Grantee Online? [with Vanguar

Thanks, jaxxmjd - provides a little hope that it will be fixed sooner than later. Will keep everyone posted.
by PB
Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Anyone Successful Adding a Grantee Online? [with Vanguar

Thanks, DSKMD. I'm sorry to hear you're having the same problems, but it's validating, too. Appreciate it.
by PB
Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Anyone Successful Adding a Grantee Online? [with Vanguar

Thanks, LadyGeek - it's good to hear that people can modify an existing authorization, at least. Now if they will just fix the system to work for new authorizations.

As you can tell, I'm still pretty upset with Vanguard's incompetence and arrogance. Yes, arrogance. System problems are one thing, but refusing to look at their own system for two weeks, while making my brother and me feel stupid in the process, is arrogant. They were certain we weren't following directions, and all the while the problem was with their system.

I'll let everyone know when they notify us of the fix.
by PB
Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Anyone Successful Adding a Grantee Online? [with Vanguar

Hi LadyGeek, The Agent Authorization Form is indeed the same thing as the Grantee authorization... if you click the link you provided, there's immediately an option to "Complete Online," and if you click that, it takes you to the online function that isn't working! (The Grantee function.) With that said, Vanguard did finally say that my brother could do it all via snail mail. But it's quite inconvenient and relatively insecure. Specifically, not only does he have to have his signature notarized (!), but the Grantee has to have his/her signature notarized too. And if the Grantee isn't in the same household, as in this case, then you have to have your Social Security number traveling multiple times via snail mail. Neither easy or se...
by PB
Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Re: Anyone Successful Adding a Grantee Online? [with Vanguar

Thank you for your responses. My brother sent me screenshots to illustrate. You can see via the first link below, that a Grantee is "someone authorized to obtain information about or transact on your accounts." I would guess this is most often a spouse, domestic partner or perhaps a very trusted advisor. Perhaps the parent of a young person, I'm not sure: http://dezigns.com/1.png As one proceeds with the process, here's the next screen, and you can see it can all be done electronically: http://dezigns.com/2.png But, he would try repeatedly, and always get this error message -- and we know for a fact that his grantee has several Vanguard accounts: http://dezigns.com/3.png The most frustrating part is they made him try for weeks -- ...
by PB
Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]
Replies: 19
Views: 2737

Update re Problems adding Grantee Online [with Vanguard]

I've been a Boglehead fan for years, and a Vanguard client for years as well. I believe in their philosophy, value their corporate structure and value their low fees too, of course. But I've had more problems than I can count with their online system, and with their customer service too. The most recent problems concern my brother, who is a new Vanguard client. I recommended Vanguard to him of course ;-( and it's distressing to say the least that he's had nothing but problems with his rollover and new account. Perhaps I'll delineate all the problems in another post, but tonight I write regarding the Grantee function. After weeks of working with Customer Service to add a Grantee, the Vanguard system is still not working. Today, at least, the...
by PB
Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Tax Managed VS Index Funds
Replies: 14
Views: 2766

Re: Tax Managed VS Index Funds

My guess (and it's truly a guess), is that the number of people investing in tax-advantaged accounts -- ie, 401k's, IRAs, SEPs etc -- dwarfs the number of people who have additional income to invest in taxable accounts, too.

So while TSM is indeed tax efficient compared to a lot of equity funds, if the laws were changed and retirement accounts were no longer tax-deductible, it would be interesting to see how the money flowed then.

With this said, I look forward to hearing others people's thoughts.
by PB
Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

As the OP, I just want to say thanks for the substantive discussion. I have nothing to add, though lots to learn, and it's helpful and appreciated.
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

Thanks, Archie. Except for the muni's, they're all tax-advantaged.

Right now I'm leaning towards staying with the shorter-term bond funds. But appreciate your vote for the CD's as I learn my way through... it's helpful to hear the different points of view.
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

Hey Nedsaid, thank you. I appreciate your encouragement and advice. Like you, I'm doing it myself too, since the crash, like a lot of people. I've read all the recommended books, lurk in the forum, etc, and it remains that some days I just don't know, especially with TIPS. But I think Mr. Bogle himself said that this is the most challenging environment he's ever seen. Bottom line: I'm taking zero risk with increased equities. I'm taking a little extra risk with the intermediate term investment grade fund, and the Wellesley bond portfolio. I may even take some risk with High-Yield, though I doubt it. And so far I've held onto my TIPS, and my major decision right now is whether to increase TIPS going forward. I still don't know, but either wa...
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

First, I understand that brokered CD's can fluctuate in NAV, but if you hold them to maturity, then your principle is protected. So I understand this key difference. Second, Nedsaid et al: I am currently on the lower duration side, so I understand this aspect too. Overall (for better or for worse - that's what I'm trying to figure out!), my fixed income is spread across one brokered CD at 3.35%; then some in Total Bond; some in Intermediate Investment grade; a small slice of Muni's; then some managed bonds as part of my Wellesley holding (I know, I know, it's not indexed but that's for another post 8-) .) And finally, some in TIPS. They're all Vanguard funds, so all low fee. It's interesting because some posters suggest that diversifying ac...
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Nedsaid. I am indeed nearing retirement, in that I'm in my mid-50's, not mid-20's. And I am very conservative, so my allocation to fixed income is much higher than most. That's why I'm paying attention and trying to learn.

I do think I'm getting it, at least for nominal bonds if not TIPS. (TIPS are still somewhat confusing, and I do hold some, which is a little unnerving. But so far I'm holding on to them.)

Anyway, thanks again - appreciate it.
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Re: Bond funds: am I getting it?

Thanks, Livesoft - your point is well taken. Short-Term Investment Grade has the lowest total returns, but still roughly 4% YTD, 1 year, 5 year and 10 year. Very consistent, and certainly better than CD's right now. Thank you.
by PB
Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bond funds: am I getting it?
Replies: 23
Views: 2867

Bond funds: am I getting it?

Hey everyone, I'm relatively new to the Forum, which BTW, is truly an amazing resource - thank you. I'm posting because even with recent threads on bond funds and TIPS, I'm not sure I'm getting it. So I appreciate a reality check. I'll try to be brief, and also hope not to nitpick the numbers (e.g., if they're off 1/10th of 1%; it's the basic concepts that are important). First, my understanding is that, according to the reference included below, the current CPI is 1.9%. That's year-to-year per the Oct report. Second, here are the SEC yields for several Vanguard bond funds, as noted today on their website: TIPS Adm: -0.91% Short-Term Investment Grade: 1.12% Total Bond: 1.60% Intermediate Investment Grade: 2.04% Hi-Yield Tax Exempt: 2.42% So...
by PB
Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Personal rate of return
Replies: 9
Views: 1794

Re: Personal rate of return

I have complained about Vanguard's web-based system often and loudly -- it's very poorly designed and buggy in many ways. However, I think their Performance Performance tab is spot-on. I track my performance in a separate Mac application, Investoscope, and Vanguard's results match it to the penny. Investoscope tracks IRR (Internal Rate of Return) as defined below, so I can only presume that Vanguard does too. I find IRR very useful in terms of tracking Distributions separately from NAV gains, and also in terms of not counting distributions as costs (as all Cost Basis formulas seem to do). For what it's worth... ------------------------------------------ Internal Rate of Return (IRR) The Internal rate of return (IRR) is a measure commonly us...
by PB
Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website new look
Replies: 56
Views: 8391

Re: Vanguard website new look

Sam I Am, thanks for taking the time to post... to confirm that I'm not the only one having problems with actual data -- that the issue here is not simply the look and feel of the site, it's the functionality.

Of course, there are whole other threads on the Board with a large number of posters saying they're having data problems too, but I'll tell you, it's spooky, because sometimes people can be cult-like... blindly defending, when it fact, the "authority" here has botched it. And they simply need to admit it, and correct it. That's all, no more, no less.
by PB
Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website new look
Replies: 56
Views: 8391

Re: Vanguard website new look

SSCritic, it's fine if you want to make jokes, but Vanguard puts the pie chart right in your face every time you log in. The pie chart that is wrong; on the page they don't allow users to customize.

The data is flat-out wrong; why do you persist in defending them?
by PB
Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website new look
Replies: 56
Views: 8391

Re: Vanguard website new look

I have spoken with Vanguard and get the impression that they really don't care. To start, no acknowledgment that there are any problems, which does not bode well.

I will continue to say this, too: it does matter that the Portfolio Watch doesn't work. How can Vanguard pay tribute to the importance of asset allocation, and then allow shareholders' portfolio breakdown's to be off by more than 5%? See my earlier postings -- my pie charts includes a whole asset class that I don't even own. Stop defending them. Great business/legal structure? Yes. Competitive pricing? Absolutely. Minimally decent website? Nope. They should be embarassed.
by PB
Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website new look
Replies: 56
Views: 8391

Re: Vanguard website new look

The problem is that several functions don't work. Period. I don't care that the site looks bland; I don't care that it's poorly designed and that information is harder to find; I don't even care about the take-aways, like no 'YTD' option on the Performance page. I do care that the Portfolio Watch is WRONG, and that the output of the Performance page is WRONG. The site is broken. I care about that, and IMHO, you should too.
by PB
Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website new look
Replies: 56
Views: 8391

Re: Vanguard website new look

To prove my point:

Link to Pie Chart 1, taken as I log-in to my account. Note the 3 slices:
http://dezigns.com/chart1.png

Link to Pie Chart 2, taken seconds later after I refresh the page. Note only 2 slices:
http://dezigns.com/chart2.png

I actually have better things to do; they should fix it. And this is just ONE of many problems with the site.

Thanks -