Search found 108 matches

by bzargarcia
Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Betterment removes value from Core Portfolio
Replies: 7
Views: 1896

Betterment removes value from Core Portfolio

Looks like Betterment has decided to remove their value tilts in their Core Portfolio. You can still have a value tilted portfolio, it's just a separate portfolio and not the default. They state their reason is to get more in line with the MSCI All Country World Index and to become more "benchmark aware".

https://www.betterment.com/resources/20 ... e_planPart
by bzargarcia
Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Morgan Housel's 30 principals of money
Replies: 8
Views: 2103

Re: Morgan Housel's 30 principals of money

Carol88888 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:05 pm I absolutely loved this. It's Morgan Housel illustrating 30 important principles https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ELrw8BuYVfEh3xHAZof0q
I loved it too.
by bzargarcia
Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buzz ETF
Replies: 7
Views: 1053

Re: Buzz ETF

bzargarcia wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:33 am I believe Barstool is just promoting the ETF. They have nothing to do with the creation of the index or management of the fund. I was going to post links, but the site is being hammered.

https://investwithbuzz.com

I need to correct myself....

https://www.sportico.com/personalities/ ... 234623909/

"It appears he is part owner and director of Buzz Holding ULC, that licenses the strategy to VanEck."

Bart
by bzargarcia
Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:33 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buzz ETF
Replies: 7
Views: 1053

Re: Buzz ETF

I believe Barstool is just promoting the ETF. They have nothing to do with the creation of the index or management of the fund. I was going to post links, but the site is being hammered.

https://investwithbuzz.com
by bzargarcia
Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [William Bernstein: The Delusions Of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups]
Replies: 45
Views: 14735

[William Bernstein: The Delusions Of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups]

[Title was "New William Bernstein book". The book is out, see below --admin LadyGeek]

It looks like William Bernstein has a new book coming out February 23, 2021.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08 ... r_ea_title

This one looks very interesting.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Tue Aug 11, 2020 7:02 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: SigFig wins 2020 Q2 Robo Report ranking
Replies: 5
Views: 1039

Re: SigFig wins 2020 Q2 Robo Report ranking

Comparing robo-advisors performance over the short-term is no different than saying the QQQ is better than VOO this year so QQQ is a better ETF.
by bzargarcia
Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Access to e-bills in joint checking: separate logins
Replies: 24
Views: 1675

Re: Access to e-bills in joint checking: separate logins

jebmke wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:55 pm This happened with our USAA account and I simply had to go in under my log in and authorize the other log in to access the data.
This! USAA has an option to provide access to the bills of the joint account holder. Mine is turned on, so when my wife logs in she can toggle a switch that allows her to see my bills. The interesting question would be if I passed away would USAA turn off my profile and thus delete my bills anyway.
by bzargarcia
Tue Jun 16, 2020 9:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New "Money In Excel"
Replies: 50
Views: 12865

Re: New "Money In Excel"

If you have a subscription through work, enter your work email address to see if you are eligible for a 30% discount through the Home Use Program: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/home-use-program I really wanted to kick the tires on this! Unfortunately my "home" subscription is the "enterprise" version, because there were a few features I wanted so chose to purchase a one-seat "work" account. So Money doesn't work for me at home. :) I don't think I want to pay $50/year for another personal licence. Although, that's cheaper than quicken, which I currently use. :? This was exactly my case. I was excited to give it a try and realized my work 365 account is a business account. I don’t think I need this enough to a...
by bzargarcia
Mon Jun 15, 2020 4:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New "Money In Excel"
Replies: 50
Views: 12865

Re: New "Money In Excel"

I just received an email from MSFT saying it is available. I haven’t tried it myself yet.
by bzargarcia
Sun Apr 12, 2020 11:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bob Brinkers Marketimer Alert
Replies: 25
Views: 7100

Re: Bob Brinkers Marketimer Alert

Market timing is hard. And Brinker has proven that he doesn’t do it very well - no matter what the title of his newsletter is. I’m surprised no one has mentioned the QQQ call. After the 2000 crash, Brinker recommended subscribers buy the QQQ at $80 to take advantage of a quick bounce back. Problem was the bounce never happened and he never closed out the recommendation. Here’s a recap: https://honeysbobbrinkerbeehivebuzz3.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-27-2011-bob-brinkers-worst.html Just read some of the comments on the QQQ call. Wow! Do people today have the same exceptions for market timing? Maybe I'll request a free issue, but I can't fathom anything of value coming from it. Website is crazy too, like a time machine to the 90s.
by bzargarcia
Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:04 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New "Money In Excel"
Replies: 50
Views: 12865

New "Money In Excel"

Looks like Microsoft is teaming with Plaid to offer downloading of your financial transactions into Excel. Looks very similar to Tiller Money. Article says premium spreadsheet will be a downloadable in Office/Microsoft 365 soon.

Money in Excel

Bart

[edited title and OP to correct the name of the product - moderator prudent]
by bzargarcia
Sat Oct 12, 2019 12:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Discover It card change
Replies: 2
Views: 788

Re: Discover It card change

Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Most of my Discover card spending happens in November and December when the 5% category is on Amazon.

I'm going to try to get them to switch it back.

bg
by bzargarcia
Fri Oct 11, 2019 11:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Discover It card change
Replies: 2
Views: 788

Discover It card change

I have a Discover It card I use occasionally when the rotating category is useful to me. Today I received an email saying: "A new rewards card is on the way to you. Accepted at more than 11 million merchants nationwide that take credit cards*, this Discover it® Miles card replaces your old one and comes with new rewards to look forward to." I don't really travel so I really wasn't in the market for a travel rewards card.

Anyone else receive this from Discover? Trying to figure out if this is something related to how I used the card.

Thanks,

bg
by bzargarcia
Mon Jul 15, 2019 7:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Schwab in talks to buy USAA Wealth/Brokerage
Replies: 5
Views: 1267

Re: Schwab/USAA $2B deal

corn18 wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2019 7:01 pm What did Victory Capital buy then?
Victory bought the ETFs, mutual funds, and 529s.
by bzargarcia
Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I leave Betterment?
Replies: 38
Views: 12703

Re: Should I leave Betterment?

Betterment founder, Jonathan Stein, is guest on Bloomberg's 'Masters in Business' podcast. https://ritholtz.com/2019/06/mib-jonathan-stein/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter This week, we speak with Jonathan Stein, founder and CEO of Betterment, an online automated firm with $16.4 billion dollars under management. He explains how the industry has changed over time, and how acquisition costs shift as the firm grew. We also discuss the competition and some of their foibles: We discuss Wealthfront’s Risk Parity problem; Schwab portfolio’s outsize cash position, and Vanguard’s Personal Advisor product. Stein’s position is that online advice is built into his firm’s DNA while it is an add-on for all of these other firms. Thanks for post...
by bzargarcia
Tue May 28, 2019 9:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: USAA getting out of mutual fund biz
Replies: 51
Views: 12477

Re: USAA getting out of mutual fund biz

Banking products don't appear to be affected by the Victory transaction. The message from USAA is basically telling individuals to ensure their banking ACH information is set up within the USAA/Victory mutual fund itself. USAA's funds transfer tool (tool for internal USAA account transfers) will no longer work to move money to and from USAA/Victory funds
by bzargarcia
Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Rick and Larry on Bloomberg 3/13
Replies: 12
Views: 2442

Rick and Larry on Bloomberg 3/13

FYI: Eric Balchunas from Bloomberg tweeted that both Rick Ferri and Larry Swedroe will appear on ETF IQ show at 1 pm Eastern 3/13/19.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Sat Mar 09, 2019 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: USAA
Replies: 18
Views: 3637

Re: USAA

I have been a USAA member since 1984. Up until a month ago, I had everything there: auto ins, home ins, umbrella ins, checking, savings, credit card, taxable brokerage, my Roth, wife's Roth. No complaints except their brokerage service. They are a good bank, but a terrible brokerage house. Terrible organic funds, ok ER's but not great, and any time I wanted to do something it required a phone call. It was nice that I could buy FIDO funds without a fee, so I had all FIDO funds in my accounts. With the announcement of the sale of their brokerage arm, I decided maybe I should just move everything to FIDO since all my funds were FIDO and they are a real brokerage house. I did that this month and so far, life is much better. My MM accounts now ...
by bzargarcia
Tue Feb 05, 2019 6:52 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Episode 006: "Bogleheads on Investing" with guest Dan Egan
Replies: 26
Views: 4712

Re: Episode 006: "Bogleheads on Investing" with guest Dan Egan

Looking forward to this one. I really like Egan’s work.
by bzargarcia
Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why is index investing better than other quantitative strategies?
Replies: 38
Views: 4621

Re: Why is index investing better than other quantitative strategies?

An individual have "free" commissions, but institutions don't. Those free commissions still pay the cost of bid/ask spreads (made worse by the brokerage offering the "free" commission selling the order flow).

In our made up cap weighted index, if the 499th and 500th largest companies grow to the 1st and 2nd largest company there is 0 cost to the index fund. If the 1st and 2nd largest company become the 499th and 500th largest also 0 cost.

Like I said cost.
by bzargarcia
Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why is index investing better than other quantitative strategies?
Replies: 38
Views: 4621

Re: Why is index investing better than other quantitative strategies?

Cost. Both in initial implication and continuing management.
by bzargarcia
Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Betterment's Egan Cashflow
Replies: 7
Views: 888

Re: Betterment's Egan Cashflow

randomguy wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:10 pm Man that is complicated. I guess that appeals to some people but I like simple methods. Buy what I need. End of the month transfer the overflow to the portfolio. Why complicate life?
Agreed. It does make me feel like I'm missing something. I do really like the automatic checking sweep and the idea of investing a small portion of your emergency fund. But since I enjoy using Quicken and Betterment doesn't download into Quicken, tracking account there became a part time job.
by bzargarcia
Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Betterment's Egan Cashflow
Replies: 7
Views: 888

Betterment's Egan Cashflow

I thought personal finance junkies here would find this article interesting. It's from Betterment's Director of Behavioral Finance Dan Egan on how he manages his monthly cashflow. Of course, it promotes Betterment services.

Nevertheless, I really like Egan's (Betterment's) work. He also answered a couple of questions on Twitter regarding his set-up.

https://www.betterment.com/resources/be ... dedContent


https://twitter.com/daniel_egan/status/ ... 7991833605


Enjoy :beer


Bart
by bzargarcia
Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Got charged 3 brokerage fees for one sell transaction is that normal ?
Replies: 17
Views: 1805

Re: Got charged 3 brokerage fees for one sell transaction is that normal ?

Add up the three commissions and compare that number to that brokerage commission rate for that trade. My bet is the commission is split between the three lots.
by bzargarcia
Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard app, mobile check deposits and all-in-one accounts
Replies: 11
Views: 2788

Re: Vanguard app, mobile check deposits and all-in-one accounts

Vanguard should be able to get mobile deposit fixed, but the OP had another problem. Mobile deposit was never going to work with a check made out to Vanguard FBO the OP. I've had several bank and investment accounts and none of them ever allowed a FBO deposit over mobile. Technically the check isn't made out to you so you can't deposit it electronically.
by bzargarcia
Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: AQR Podcasts - The Curious Investor
Replies: 5
Views: 1117

Re: AQR Podcasts - The Curious Investor

I listened to the first two episodes yesterday. Its already one of my favorite podcasts.

bg
by bzargarcia
Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free
Replies: 245
Views: 32249

Re: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free

Interesting take on the subject from the advisor point of view from Michael Kitces on Periscope.

https://www.pscp.tv/MichaelKitces/1mnxeoDYaPrGX

Enjoy,

Bart
by bzargarcia
Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Vanguard account locked out due to deceased owner]
Replies: 73
Views: 11588

Re: Customer Service with Vanguard

dbr wrote: Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:24 pm As far as I know that is what is supposed to happen when someone dies unless or until you establish yourself as executor of the estate or as a beneficiary TOD/POD or it was a joint account. No other broker is going to be different.
+1

I've worked at 3 banks. Same rule with all of them. I never understood why people leave usernames and passwords for next of kin. Also, joint account owners don't "share" one log in. If the primary person that manages the finances passes, the other owner will need to create their own log in.
by bzargarcia
Sun Apr 22, 2018 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard Web Site Down?
Replies: 121
Views: 13051

Re: Vanguard Web Site Down?

Just checked and worked fine for me
by bzargarcia
Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: USAA- limited options for investments w/ high ER's, but I still feel loyal. Help!
Replies: 43
Views: 4693

Re: USAA- limited options for investments w/ high ER's, but I still feel loyal. Help!

FYI: You can buy all Fidelity's funds (including their index funds) for no transaction fee through their brokerage platform.
by bzargarcia
Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard completely messed up my cost basis..big problem
Replies: 25
Views: 3175

Re: Vanguard completely messed up my cost basis..big problem

Well technically the balance at that time was 0. How about the month before you converted?
by bzargarcia
Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard completely messed up my cost basis..big problem
Replies: 25
Views: 3175

Re: Vanguard completely messed up my cost basis..big problem

Ignore the completed transaction section of the statement. Scroll up to the balances and holdings section. My MFs show average price per share there. What does yours say? If it doesn't show for the converted shares there, look at the month before the conversion.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Fri Sep 15, 2017 6:19 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: San Antonio TX Chapter - Master Thread
Replies: 66
Views: 27160

Re: San Antonio Local Chapter Established

I had a blast. See everyone Nov 16.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New Betterment Portfolio Strategies
Replies: 13
Views: 5297

New Betterment Portfolio Strategies

A few weeks ago Betterment starting offering their Socially Responsible Investing strategies. Looks like today they are adding two more strategies.

BlackRock Target Income
https://www.betterment.com/resources/in ... -strategy/

Goldman Sachs Smart Beta
https://www.betterment.com/resources/in ... -strategy/

I didn't find an example of these new portfolios, but for those that enjoy reading about Smart Beta, the article has some good info.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:12 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: San Antonio TX Chapter - Master Thread
Replies: 66
Views: 27160

Re: San Antonio Local Chapter Established

Count me in. I'd prefer Saturday or week night. 281 and 1604 would be good for me. I'm near Helotes.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Thu Jul 20, 2017 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Maxifi planner
Replies: 60
Views: 21740

Re: Maxifi planner

Thanks for posting. I was just talking to someone today about moving assets to Betterment because I am a fan of their planning tools.
by bzargarcia
Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: William Bernstein on Meb Faber's podcast
Replies: 54
Views: 14698

William Bernstein on Meb Faber's podcast

I haven't listened yet, but Bill Bernstein is a guest on Meb Faber's podcast.

http://mebfaber.com/2017/07/05/episode- ... ent-going/

Bart
by bzargarcia
Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to change banking and credit card periods to end of month?
Replies: 12
Views: 1938

Re: How to change banking and credit card periods to end of month?

Yes you can for some credit cards. I changed the due date of 4 credit cards (Discover and USAA) to the same day. Those companies allowed the change on their websites. USAA did not let me change the close out date for my checking/saving accounts. They said close out dates were determined by type of account.

BTW: Moving my credit cards to the same date really improved my ability to manage my personal finances.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Tue Jun 27, 2017 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any Reason to Stay With USAA?
Replies: 21
Views: 3723

Re: Any Reason to Stay With USAA?

I love USAA for banking and insurance. For investments? It is important to keep in mind that their investment service is actually run by.....Fidelity. So you can buy/sell Fidelity funds/etfs cost free. I have my Roth IRA at USAA but it is entirely invested in a Fidelity fund (FUSVX). I may one day move it to Vanguard just for simplicity (my taxable account is at Vanguard) and have only delayed because of the pain of getting a Medallion Signature for the transfer. Either way Fidelity and Vanguard index funds are more or less the same. Both very cheap, both faithfully tracking their indexes. So perhaps if you want to keep your SEP and 403(b) in one location for simplicity you can just use Fidelity funds instead of Vanguard. Just to be clear,...
by bzargarcia
Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any Reason to Stay With USAA?
Replies: 21
Views: 3723

Re: Any Reason to Stay With USAA?

For DIY investors you can always by NTF Fidelity index funds at USAA.
by bzargarcia
Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Wealthfront: Factor based "Advanced Indexing"
Replies: 3
Views: 1548

Wealthfront: Factor based "Advanced Indexing"

Looks like Wealthfront is making some very big changes....

https://research.wealthfront.com/whitep ... -indexing/

Enjoy....

Bart
by bzargarcia
Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tracking TIAA-CREF accounts with Vanguard Portfolio Watch?
Replies: 12
Views: 2163

Re: Tracking TIAA-CREF accounts with Vanguard Portfolio Watch?

I emailed Vanguard about getting access to the "automatic" portfolio watch. They didn't mention 1 million dollars for access, but they did say I would get access if I signed up for Vanguard Personal Advisor Services.

Oh well.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Mon Jun 05, 2017 9:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: USAA's New (Irritating) Security Protocol
Replies: 19
Views: 6394

Re: USAA's New (Irritating) Security Protocol

Weird that getting downloads would be different Mac vs Windows version. Quicken on Mac ONLY requires member number and pin to get downloads.

Bart
by bzargarcia
Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: USAA's New (Irritating) Security Protocol
Replies: 19
Views: 6394

Re: USAA's New (Irritating) Security Protocol

Are you auto downloading on Quicken for Mac? I'm using Quicken for Mac 2017. Try to change your USAA Quicken connection type to "Direct Connect". I have several USAA accounts and use 2FA and I never have to enter a pin on Quicken.

Bart