Search found 4744 matches
- Wed Aug 09, 2023 3:07 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Small debt sent to collection- what to do
- Replies: 65
- Views: 7781
Re: Small debt sent to collection- what to do
Not true. I have several of these a year and my score is above 800. The credit score issue is a myth. The collectors wont sue unless it's serious money and any credit ding is wiped out in a few months assuming you pay your credit cards every month. My credit score will drop twice as much from American Express deciding to increase my credit limit than it will a collection agency reporting unpaid debt. Never pay a collection agency. They are toothless, the idea that they can hurt you is propaganda. Just to be clear, are you advocating that OP and others should not pay their debts when they've been turned over to a collection agency because they can get away with it? Because that's what your last sentence seems to suggest. I'm on team countme...
- Wed Aug 09, 2023 2:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Bid - Ask spreads and settlement accounts
- Replies: 10
- Views: 898
Re: Bid - Ask spreads and settlement accounts
1. How much is the usual bid / ask spread for a modest sized transaction on a large (Total Stock) fund? VTI trades within a penny. Bid 222.37 x 1100 Ask 222.36 x 1100 Source: Yahoo Finance. And in my experience 99% of Vanguard ETFs execute at the midpoint of the spread (e.g. 222.365 in your example) at Vanguard. Vanguard claims >95% (https://investor.vanguard.com/about-us/brokerage-order-execution-quality). Midpoint trading effectively means no spread, since you can buy and sell at the same price. I see midpoint execution on small lot orders of even less liquid ETFs like VFVA/Vanguard US Value Factor that shows an average spread of $0.09. (Admittedly, I'm generally only buying. But I assume sell orders would see similar execution.) Regardl...
- Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:29 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard to Liquidate U.S. Liquidity Factor ETF (VFLQ)
- Replies: 18
- Views: 2189
Vanguard to Liquidate U.S. Liquidity Factor ETF (VFLQ)
For the first time, Vanguard is liquidating an ETF. When I saw the headline, I could immediately guess which fund it was.
https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/ ... 92622.html
https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/ ... 92622.html
- Fri Apr 22, 2022 8:54 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Color Laser Printers
- Replies: 38
- Views: 3974
Re: Color Laser Printers
I've always bought third party toner cartridges for our HP M452nw. A set of the HP-branded ones cost quite a bit more than the printer cost. (I paid $175 for it in 2016). And when I say always, I mean once in the six years we've had it. With the modest amount we print, they last a long time. (In our experience, ink-jet printers don't do well with sporadic use.)Bronco Billy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 7:05 pm I LOVE my HP laser printer until I have to buy Cartridges for it.
- Fri Apr 22, 2022 8:15 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard will restrict trading in most OTC stocks
- Replies: 59
- Views: 13832
Re: Vanguard will restrict trading in most OTC stocks
might not surprise you, but vanguard CS didnt have the option to hold your place in line and the wait time was like 2 hours to speak with the investment team (I hung up). I havent gotten an email but assume that I wont be able to buy more GBTC after this month. Per OPs email, it looks like we can still sell what GBTC we have after the cut off date (just cant buy more). a bit of a bummer-- since I drew up a plan to split my BTC holdings into half BTC and half GBTC, and my only selling for rebalancing purposes would be GBTC in my roth (therefore avoiding hefty cap gains taxes). Best laid plans... It will be interesting to see if GBTC is converted to a spot ETF (the Securities and Exchange Commission has a July 6 deadline to rule on it). If t...
- Tue Mar 29, 2022 12:20 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard now allows purchase/sale of dollar amounts for Vanguard ETFs (fractional purchases)
- Replies: 217
- Views: 33489
- Mon Mar 28, 2022 7:18 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Bloomberg, "Vanguard Stumbles In Pivot From Cult of Jack Bogle"
- Replies: 60
- Views: 12581
Re: Bloomberg, "Vanguard Stumbles In Pivot From Cult of Jack Bogle"
I've always written "strait" based on the understanding that it came from the passage in Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV):
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
- Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:11 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Country-backed bonds, is anyone buying?
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1675
Re: Country-backed bonds, is anyone buying?
If you want an EM bond fund, I’d look at Vanguard’s active VEGBX. I’ve owned it since the day it launched December 6, 2017. (It had been in closed incubation since early 2016, so I’d discount the blowout performance prior to its real launch.) I keep it around 5% of our portfolio. Even with the recent downturn, it is up 24.95% since launch, compared to VWOB’s 7.5%, EMB’s 4.3%, and losses (-3.4% and -7.5%) for EMLC and LEMB. To me emerging market bonds are not well suited for indexing. There’s not a single efficient global market, and it is worth a little extra expense to me for active management to research credit and manage risk. There is definitely risk, though. It’s not quite equity risk, but you can see what happened in March 2020 where ...
- Fri Feb 25, 2022 7:36 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: TLH: Switching from mutual fund to ETF
- Replies: 40
- Views: 2727
Re: TLH: Switching from mutual fund to ETF
In fact, I did it this morning, adding to a position in my an emerging markets ETF in my IRA and then selling just the right amount of VSIGX (Vanguard Intermediate Treasury) to cover it. Easy peasy. Fidelity will not let me do the same thing. You have to have margin—or at least limited margin in a retirement account—but they don't support margin in an HSA. Wow, I did not think it could work this way. Did you have to do this transaction over the phone? No. I never call Vanguard. As long as it's not a new account, you're not under any restrictions, and the transaction is reasonable in relation to the size of the account, you can buy before funding with the sale of something else or a transfer in. We make monthly Roth IRA contributions of app...
- Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: TLH: Switching from mutual fund to ETF
- Replies: 40
- Views: 2727
Re: TLH: Switching from mutual fund to ETF
If I enter a sell order today, how long will it be before the funds become 'available to trade' such that I could buy another total market ETF? Mutual funds settle Trade + 1 day. Stocks settle Trade + 2 days. Assuming you are selling mutual funds held in a brokerage account you can immediately turn around and buy stocks. ETFs are stocks. Note that this does not go in reverse. If you sell stocks you have to wait a day to buy mutual funds. Or you could sign a margin agreement with your broker. That would gloss over so many issues. Without a margin account, how could you buy ETF same day? I didn’t think funds from MF sale are avail as funding source to trade same day (except in $ denominated exchange of MF to MF) You can't at Vanguard. Work a...
- Sat Feb 12, 2022 10:05 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Different question about Wordle (access location)
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1045
Re: Different question about Wordle (access location)
It also kept my statistics (36 games played) after the redirect to nytimes.com. I assume it's cookie-based, as there was never any login, and if I open it up in a separate browser, I have no history.
- Mon Feb 07, 2022 9:48 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Capital One - Fraud Case, heads up, interesting turn of events
- Replies: 36
- Views: 7137
Re: Capital One - Fraud Case, heads up, interesting turn of events
Same For me, AmEx has been the gold standard for convenience in dealing with both outright fraud and unscrupulous merchants.anon_investor wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:39 amWow really? In my experience Amex has always been excelent when it comes to fraud resolution.
CapitalOne has been OK for us. Their big advantage is the Eno virtual credit card numbers. I use those for any new online merchants and for recurring subscriptions that may be hard to cancel (i.e. newspapers).
- Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:51 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
- Replies: 276
- Views: 55545
Re: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
Vanguard has never closed an ETF, so I wouldn't lose sleep over VFLQ or VFMV closing, but I also wouldn't put the risk at zero. And I wouldn't buy them in taxable, even if I believed in them. Vanguard recently shut down the factor ETF suite that was being offered in Europe. I was only referring to the US. Vanguard ex-US has always been a different animal. I eventually concluded that they were separate because they were nominally "active" funds, not index funds. All of the ETF-mutual fund dual share class funds are index funds. I suspect it is a legal limit in Vanguard's original exemptive relief that approved the dual-share class funds, but I didn't care enough to track that down. It is more than just that. They also have one or ...
- Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:57 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
- Replies: 276
- Views: 55545
Re: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
Since this was bumped, figured I'd add latest AUM: VFVA: $515.09M VFMO: $203.04M VFQY: $193.68M VFMF: $118.74M VFMFX: $51.6M VFLQ: $53.71M VFMV: $51.93M Small fry compared to the Vanguard norm, but steadily growing and probably not a whole lot of closure risk at this point. Thanks. I only watch VFVA closely, since that's the one I own. Given Vanguard's track record. I would think that VFVA, VFMO, VFQY, and VFMF are safe. I could see VFMFX being merged into VFMFX if they weren't getting traction enough to justify the costs of managing a separate fund. (A merger would be non-taxable, and Vanguard has merged funds into similar funds before.) Vanguard has never closed an ETF, so I wouldn't lose sleep over VFLQ or VFMV closing, but I also would...
- Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:20 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: How often do you DCA into the market?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 4151
Re: How often do you DCA into the market?
Our 401(k) and HSA contributions go in every 2 weeks. I typically make double Roth IRA contributions every month equal to approximately $583.33 each ($7,000/12). (But I usually buy the ETF first and then contribute to pay for it. So on Monday, the contributions were $580.xx and $590.xx.)
Now that we're over 50 and have catchup contributions—and have one son in college with another starting this fall—we no longer have any taxable retirement savings, so that's moot. We also do not have excess cash sitting around to front-load $14K in Roth IRA contributions.
Now that we're over 50 and have catchup contributions—and have one son in college with another starting this fall—we no longer have any taxable retirement savings, so that's moot. We also do not have excess cash sitting around to front-load $14K in Roth IRA contributions.
- Fri Jan 07, 2022 8:50 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Experience/thoughts on Apple Fitness?
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1352
Re: Experience/thoughts on Apple Fitness?
I would not subscribe to Apple Fitness+ as a stand-alone, but as part of the big family bundle that includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, 2 TB iCloud, and Apple Fitness+, I find value in it. I use the yoga workouts more than anything else. They have 4 instructors, 1 male, 3 female, with different builds and styles. I like Jessica and usually pick 30 or 45 minute routines. The routines have seemed to get a bit more advanced over time, but they don't retire the old ones. Jessica now has 76 sessions recorded, with a new one added each week. I occasionally put rowing or treadmill routines on while I am rowing or running. The instructors are positive and mildly entertaining, but the sessions are 100% focused on workouts, which I simply ...
- Fri Jan 07, 2022 8:30 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
- Replies: 276
- Views: 55545
Re: Vanguard New Factor Funds Portfolio Statistics
There also is a question of why there are two multifactor funds, VFMF and VFMFX. At first blush, a Vanguard investor would expect that these are each share classes of the same fund, but that is not the case. They not only are different funds but they have different portfolios. If Vanguard is disseminating their reason for having both, they only are doing so through advisors. Some of us were surprised by this when the funds launched, because we assumed they would be share classes of the same fund. I eventually concluded that they were separate because they were nominally "active" funds, not index funds. All of the ETF-mutual fund dual share class funds are index funds. I suspect it is a legal limit in Vanguard's original exemptive...
- Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:30 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: 1 or 2 HSA accounts for married couple questions.
- Replies: 8
- Views: 855
Re: 1 or 2 HSA accounts for married couple questions.
HSA accounts are in individual names. That said, you can contribute to accounts for one or both of you, up to the family limit, in whatever mix suits you The exception is catch up contributions. Those $1000 contributions must be made to an account for the specific individual who is eligible. So if both are eligible and are making the contributions, at least $1000 needs to go in an account for each spouse Mike Thanks Mike so I have to open 2 accounts and put in $3,600 max in each account ? If either of you have family HDHP coverage, you can put the entire family limit in one HSA or any combination divided between your two HSAs. If you each have self-only HDHP coverage, you each may contribute the individual limit to your own HSA. If either ...
- Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:22 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard Factor Funds/ETFs
- Replies: 3
- Views: 913
Re: Vanguard Factor Funds/ETFs
The Vanguard quant factor funds (VFMF, VFVA, VFMO, VFMV, VFQY, VFLQ) are all "active" in roughly the same sense that Avantis and DFA are active. They are quant funds with flexible rebalancing.
I've personally owned VFVA (Value) since launch, and it is currently our second largest—and largest non-401(k)—holding.
I don't personally own any funds that focus strictly on quality, but I do own Avantis, DFA (in my 401(k)), and other funds that use a quality filter in conjunction with value.
I've personally owned VFVA (Value) since launch, and it is currently our second largest—and largest non-401(k)—holding.
I don't personally own any funds that focus strictly on quality, but I do own Avantis, DFA (in my 401(k)), and other funds that use a quality filter in conjunction with value.
- Sun Dec 19, 2021 11:30 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Which Vanguard Small Cap Value ETF?
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4540
Re: Which Vanguard Small Cap Value ETF?
+1 I scrapped the complications of having multiple value funds when VFVA launched and consolidated into VFVA. It's 1/3 large, 1/3 mid, 1/3 small by design and offers the consistently deepest value exposure you will find.grabiner wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:45 pm My own preference is VFVA (Vanguard Factor Value ETF). It includes both small-cap value and large-cap value, but it offers better value exposure than any of the conventional ETFs.
It also matters how much small-cap and value exposure you want. I have limited room in my Roth IRA for value stock funds, so I want the best value exposure I can get there. If VBR is sufficient for the value exposure you want, then it makes sense to use it because it has the lowest cost.
- Sat Dec 18, 2021 8:05 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: What is your age and asset allocation ?
- Replies: 1156
- Views: 151937
Re: What is your percentage split between stocks and bonds?
Ages 51/51
Retirement assets currently:
82% Stocks (50% US/25% Developed Ex-US/25% EM, tilted heavily small and value)
10% Safe Bonds
5% EM Bonds (VEGBX since inception)
3% Merger Arb
Target for end of 2022 is 80% equities, probably 80/11/5/4. I'll be rebalancing gradually, mostly with new money.
We're probably 10 years from retirement, maybe a few years less for my wife. Right now we have a freshman in college and a senior in high school starting college next year. We'll see where we are when the kids finish their undergrad. (They're both on their own paying for med school if they stick with their current plans.) Our mortgage will conveniently be paid off about the same time.
Retirement assets currently:
82% Stocks (50% US/25% Developed Ex-US/25% EM, tilted heavily small and value)
10% Safe Bonds
5% EM Bonds (VEGBX since inception)
3% Merger Arb
Target for end of 2022 is 80% equities, probably 80/11/5/4. I'll be rebalancing gradually, mostly with new money.
We're probably 10 years from retirement, maybe a few years less for my wife. Right now we have a freshman in college and a senior in high school starting college next year. We'll see where we are when the kids finish their undergrad. (They're both on their own paying for med school if they stick with their current plans.) Our mortgage will conveniently be paid off about the same time.
- Fri Dec 03, 2021 1:04 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard issue with Yubikey : Won't support U2F API soon?
- Replies: 73
- Views: 9339
Re: Vanguard issue with Yubikey : Won't support U2F API soon?
The message is coming from the browser. I started seeing it this week (?) on Microsoft Edge on Mac. Edge is based on Chromium, so it will usually have the same issues as Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.
Vanguard has never supported Yubikeys on Safari, so it drops back to SMS codes on there as always.
- Fri Dec 03, 2021 12:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: VSS holding 5% cash? (Vanguard international small-cap)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 615
Re: VSS holding 5% cash? (Vanguard international small-cap)
It's come up in the past with VSS:
viewtopic.php?t=201488
It's basically two things: (1) cash held as collateral for securities lent out and (2) cash held for liquidity with respect to futures contracts. I believe it's usually, mostly #1.
You can see how the fund tracks its index. Thanks to the lucrative securities lending market for small-cap stocks, it has out-performed its index slightly over 5 years and barely trails by 2 bp over 10 years.
viewtopic.php?t=201488
It's basically two things: (1) cash held as collateral for securities lent out and (2) cash held for liquidity with respect to futures contracts. I believe it's usually, mostly #1.
You can see how the fund tracks its index. Thanks to the lucrative securities lending market for small-cap stocks, it has out-performed its index slightly over 5 years and barely trails by 2 bp over 10 years.
- Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:59 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Converstion VFIAX to VOO
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1498
Re: Converstion VFIAX to VOO
As others have said, you have to call Vanguard and ask to convert VFIAX to VOO. You will listen to a series of disclosures, and then give your consent. They will convert at that day's closing NAV for both funds, not the ETF closing market price.
I haven't done one in a couple of years, but the position used to disappear overnight and then reappear the day after in the new fund.
I haven't done one in a couple of years, but the position used to disappear overnight and then reappear the day after in the new fund.
- Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: How would a Boglehead buy a new Apple laptop?
- Replies: 65
- Views: 6742
Re: How would a Boglehead buy a new Apple laptop?
Other than the Apple store, is there a better (read: cheaper) place to buy a Macbook? Is there an older, similar version that might be a better value? Do they ever go on sale? As a PC/Android guy I'm not terribly familiar with the Apple ecosystem. Certified refurbished laptops purchased directly from Apple can be a good deal. That's where I bought our older son's MacBook Air this past summer. (He's a freshman in college this fall.) They come with the normal warranty and are indistinguishable from new. At this point, though, you can probably find comparable new MacBook prices on the same model. I couldn't at the time. Under no circumstances would I buy a MacBook at this point with an Intel processor. They just can't compete with the Macs ru...
- Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:19 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: When does an old smartphone become unsafe to use.
- Replies: 41
- Views: 6115
Re: When does an old smartphone become unsafe to use.
I did a quick search of the forum and could not find any threads that specifically addressed this issue. I purchased a Google Pixel 3 two years ago. My understanding is that since the phone has been out for three years it will no longer be supported for updates beginning October 2021. I hope to keep my phone at least a couple more years. Will my phone be unsafe to use? . I would think there are many Android and i phones in use that are no longer being supported for updates They may even outnumber supported phones. I have not read or heard about peoples phones being hacked. How unsafe is not getting updates? Does it matter how you use your phone? Is there anything I can do to help make an old phone more secure? I know some of you would say ...
- Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Seen new Dune Movie? Your opinion??
- Replies: 226
- Views: 19638
Re: Seen new Dune Movie? Your opinion??
As a fan of the book, I loved it. It was exactly what it needed to be. Sure, I'd be happier if Part 2 were already in the can, but I'd put money on that happening.
My brother-in-law went to the theater with me, and had no background in the story. He also really enjoyed. I had warned him that it was half the story, so he was not caught off guard by the ending.
My brother-in-law went to the theater with me, and had no background in the story. He also really enjoyed. I had warned him that it was half the story, so he was not caught off guard by the ending.
- Fri Oct 22, 2021 6:34 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Attempted identity theft
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2072
Re: Attempted identity theft
This happened to my wife this week. Someone opened a new checking account at a bank with which we have our mortgage and a barely used checking account that we originally opened in conjunction with the mortgage. Taken collectively, the whole thing is odd: 1. They had her SS#. 2. The other information did not match our existing account. 3. They used a valid email address that would probably been associated with her SS# in one or more prior data breaches. It's not the email address associated with our existing accounts. We both have freezes at the Big 3 plus Innovis plus ChexSystems. It didn't stop them opening a new account. (For what it's worth, it also didn't stop me from opening a new "high yield" savings at a major online back ...
- Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Attempted identity theft
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2072
Re: Attempted identity theft
This happened to my wife this week. Someone opened a new checking account at a bank with which we have our mortgage and a barely used checking account that we originally opened in conjunction with the mortgage. Taken collectively, the whole thing is odd: 1. They had her SS#. 2. The other information did not match our existing account. 3. They used a valid email address that would probably been associated with her SS# in one or more prior data breaches. It's not the email address associated with our existing accounts. We both have freezes at the Big 3 plus Innovis plus ChexSystems. It didn't stop them opening a new account. (For what it's worth, it also didn't stop me from opening a new "high yield" savings at a major online back t...
- Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:58 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Vanguard new desktop site doesn't work
- Replies: 45
- Views: 6175
Re: Vanguard new desktop site doesn't work
Thank you to everyone reporting this issue. I freaked out today when my login button did not work despite clicking on it several times. This was through Firefox. I thought maybe my laptop is going. Normally I have no trouble accessing Vanguard.com on my laptop via Firefox or via Chrome. Anyway, I rebooted my computer and retyped everything carefully and got in pronto. Do you use a password manager. Note that some browsers have a built in capability to remember and automatically enter ID/PW for you. Th reason I as is that I had a similar problem (on a non-Vanguard site). I had to manually clear the automatically entered ID/PW and actually type them in to get it to work. I've noticed this too at times on various sites. I don't have to delete...
- Fri Aug 27, 2021 12:12 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Waiting period between buying/selling ETF/MF?
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2473
Re: Waiting period between buying/selling ETF/MF?
I realize this is an old thread, but just thought I'd mention that after finding this excellent strategy for moving from a MF to an ETF without time out of the market, I discovered that while Vanguard does allow you to buy an ETF with $0 available as long as your MF sale settles in time, Fidelity does not (at least in my Solo 401k) :x So I think I'm stuck with breaking my transaction up into small pieces over several days, and hoping I don't suffer too much from 'eating' the overnight change between selling MF and buying ETF. I've experienced the same thing at Fidelity. I have one large ETF position in my HSA at the moment, but if I needed to add a second for overall portfolio balance (unlikely) I'd stick to another ETF to avoid any settle...
- Thu May 20, 2021 11:07 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Value and Momentum- Zero premium for twenty years
- Replies: 60
- Views: 6099
Re: Value and Momentum- Zero premium for twenty years
Long-Short Factor Returns: 5/20/2001 - Present Value ... -1.2 % Momentum ... 0.0 % Quality ... 3.5 % Size ... 2.9 % Twenty years seems like enough time to declare value and momentum over. Grazed away. Yesterday's news. https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/factor-statistics?s=y&factorDataSet=0&marketArea=0&__checkbox_ffmkt=true&__checkbox_ffsmb=true&__checkbox_ffsmb5=true&__checkbox_ffhml=true&__checkbox_ffmom=true&__checkbox_ffrmw=true&__checkbox_ffcma=true&__checkbox_ffstrev=true&__checkbox_ffltrev=true&__checkbox_aqrmkt=true&__checkbox_aqrsmb=true&__checkbox_aqrhml=true&__checkbox_aqrhmldev=true&__checkbox_aqrmom=true&__checkbox_aqrqmj=true&__checkbox_aqrbab=true&...
- Tue May 11, 2021 9:27 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fifth Third HSA Transitioning to HealthEquity HSA (no longer Optum)
- Replies: 33
- Views: 4137
Re: Fifth Third HSA Transitioning to Optum HSA
Yes. Fifth Third hasn't sent us notice yet, but I heard through work that Fifth Third would be moving folks to HealthEquity instead. We just sent employees notice yesterday that we will be moving their accounts to Fidelity instead ahead of the transition to HealthEquity.
- Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:58 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: S&P500 (1.3ER) vs S&P Mid Cap(.93ER)
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1447
Re: S&P500 (1.3ER) vs S&P Mid Cap(.93ER)
No question I would use the mid-cap index fund at 93 bp over the S&P 500 index fund at 130 bp. There is no reason to expect the S&P 500 fund to outperform the mid-cap fund by 37 bp over time. I would try to balance things out elsewhere.
- Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:55 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fifth Third HSA Transitioning to HealthEquity HSA (no longer Optum)
- Replies: 33
- Views: 4137
Re: Fifth Third HSA Transitioning to Optum HSA
Has anybody heard any updates on this apparent transition? Fifth Third recently made some subtle changes to their HSA login screen. Also, some of the language surrounding the transition has either disappeared or changed. The only language reads: "Fifth Third continues to work on its transition plan to a new HSA custodian. Additional information will be provided soon as it is available." It appears that all references to "Optum" have been removed. I heard today through work that the Fifth Third deal with Optum has indeed fallen through. I had been wondering what was going on, since we hadn't heard anything either. Regardless, I'm happy to say that after a quick RFP we are moving our business to Fidelity. It will make my ...
- Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: EEM vs SPEM
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1108
Re: EEM vs SPEM
+1 I'd use IEMG (MSCI) or VWO (FTSE) depending on whether I wanted South Korea in my EM fund or not. Since my 401(k) has VTMGX/Vanguard FTSE Developed Market Index Admiral as an investment option, I use VWO for consistency.snailderby wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:27 am If you want to include South Korea in your emerging markets fund, use IEMG. Otherwise, consider VWO, SPEM, or SCHE. All of these ETFs are generally liquid enough for the average buy-and-hold investor, and EEM's expense ratio is more than 6x that of IEMG.
iShares created IEMG to compete with other cheap EM funds without having to cut the fee on their original expensive EM fund, EEM. Ordinary investors should just pretend that EEM doesn't exist now. It's purely a day-trading vehicle at this point.
- Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:22 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Factorheads Opinions Please VFMF/VSS
- Replies: 19
- Views: 2784
Re: Factorheads Opinions Please VFMF/VSS
I could see holding that. At one point a few years ago, I did swap all of my developed international (VEA/VTMGX) for VSS just to simplify things. But I still held additional emerging markets (VWO/VEMAX) separately. And I don't think it's unreasonable to hold VFMF as your core (or only) US equity holding.
Having two 401(k)s, though, with limited investment options makes things more complicated. My 401(k) has VTMGX but no other useful international funds (and my wife's has no usable international funds). So I can't keep things as simple as I would like while maintaining the exposures I would like.
Just to add a bit more complexity, I also last summer swapped one of our two positions in VSS out for AVDV.
Having two 401(k)s, though, with limited investment options makes things more complicated. My 401(k) has VTMGX but no other useful international funds (and my wife's has no usable international funds). So I can't keep things as simple as I would like while maintaining the exposures I would like.
Just to add a bit more complexity, I also last summer swapped one of our two positions in VSS out for AVDV.
- Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:06 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Thoughts on Fidelity's new Zero funds
- Replies: 50
- Views: 10077
Re: Thoughts on Fidelity's new Zero funds
Take a close look under he hood of those funds. Fidelity’s zero fee funds don’t track the same index. It’s a proprietary index created by Fidelity. I am betting not exactly the same as the Willshire 5000 or S&P 500. Here's an interesting article saying to wait on Fidelity's zero fee funds until they've had more time to prove themselves https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/01/06/read-this-before-buying-fidelitys-zero-fee-funds.aspx Not sure if you looked at the date of the article you send out but it was from two years ago. I was googling about these fund when I came across the article. Is 2 years enough time to know if something is keeping up with a benchmark? Yes. The Fidelity zero funds are fine. They've performed as one would expect....
- Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:56 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
- Replies: 387
- Views: 40621
Re: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
Ours finally says that our payment will also be mailed April 2.
Just to repeat what I posted above:
2018 tax year - refund to Account A
COVID payment 1 - ACH to Account A
2019 tax year - payment from Account A (filed after COVID payment 1)
COVID payment 2 - check
2020 tax year - payment from Account A scheduled for 4/15
COVID payment 3 - check
Several of us seem to have had the same 2018/2019 - payment 1/payment 2 pattern. Has anyone received a COVID payment via ACH after paying a balance due on your last filed return?
Just to repeat what I posted above:
2018 tax year - refund to Account A
COVID payment 1 - ACH to Account A
2019 tax year - payment from Account A (filed after COVID payment 1)
COVID payment 2 - check
2020 tax year - payment from Account A scheduled for 4/15
COVID payment 3 - check
Several of us seem to have had the same 2018/2019 - payment 1/payment 2 pattern. Has anyone received a COVID payment via ACH after paying a balance due on your last filed return?
- Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:22 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
- Replies: 387
- Views: 40621
Re: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
For us, the IRS website still shows "Payment Status - Not Available." I did file our taxes on March 13, so it's possible the timing of that pushed us back in the line. Our income was a bit higher in 2020 than 2019, but not significantly so, and not to the level that would be relevant to the amount of the payment.
- Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:44 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
- Replies: 387
- Views: 40621
Re: status of $1400 check Get My Payment
We're in the same boat. We got the first payment very quickly via DD. For some reason they sent the second payment via check, but we got it. I filed our taxes recently and scheduled our three-figure payment for April 15. Ours also shows "Payment status not available." on the IRS tool. It sounds like it may be an issue for folks who have already filed their 2020 returns. It may be an issue for folks have already filed their 2020 returns but it's also an issue for others. We qualified for and received both the first and second payments. Like yourself, we received the first via DD but the second came via check. We have yet to file our 2020 tax return. But we are also receiving the Payment Status not Available message on the IRS tool...
- Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:18 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: [Third stimulus payment - mega-thread]
- Replies: 387
- Views: 40621
Re: status of $1400 check Get My Payment
We're in the same boat. We got the first payment very quickly via DD. For some reason they sent the second payment via check, but we got it. I filed our taxes recently and scheduled our three-figure payment for April 15. Ours also shows "Payment status not available." on the IRS tool.
It sounds like it may be an issue for folks who have already filed their 2020 returns.
It sounds like it may be an issue for folks who have already filed their 2020 returns.
- Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:26 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Corporate bond market: zombie apocalypse?
- Replies: 17
- Views: 2058
Re: Corporate bond market: zombie apocalypse?
But if I were to own one of them, I would put it in my alternatives bucket and not count it as a bond fund. Because high yield tends to crash with equities. You're probably going to be rebalancing into your high yield at the same time as you're rebalancing into equities. I don't currently own any. Instead, I own VEGBX, Vanguard's active emerging markets bond fund, and I put it into that same alternatives bucket. It isn't quite as correlated with equities as high yield, but it is still not a reliable source for funds to rebalance into equities. I don't use the same terms but, for me, anything that's not government guaranteed goes in a separate category. Even investment grade corporate bonds would be what you call "alternatives" fo...
- Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:42 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Corporate bond market: zombie apocalypse?
- Replies: 17
- Views: 2058
Re: Corporate bond market: zombie apocalypse?
If I were going to buy a junk bond fund, it would be the iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF (FALN). If there's an anomaly to be exploited in the high yield space, it's with the bonds newly downgraded from investment grade to junk. There's some evidence that they end up cheap relative to their increased risk because of the investment grade cliff. ANGL/VanEck Vectors Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF is the larger and older fund in the category at $4.4B and 35 bp. FALN has $1.5B at 25 bp. But if I were to own one of them, I would put it in my alternatives bucket and not count it as a bond fund. Because high yield tends to crash with equities. You're probably going to be rebalancing into your high yield at the same time as you're rebalancing in...
- Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:24 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Vanguard Website
- Replies: 291
- Views: 36293
Re: Vanguard Website
I'm on a Mac running the latest 11.3 beta (20E5196f). I see a slight cosmetic change in the headers in Safari, but they work the same. I'm not having any issue with the drop-down menus disappearing on me.GS wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 3:29 pm I see the Vanguard website has changed. It is very difficult to maneuver through the website now. If you click a link for a drop down box, you can not maneuver in the box as your pointer activates another dropdown box for a different link. Before I had no trouble at all. I use Safari browser. Are other people having problems also?
The site looks and behaves exactly the same way in Edge on my Mac (except that Edge supports security keys and Safari still doesn't).
- Wed Mar 03, 2021 10:47 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Non-fungible tokens (NFTs): anyone investing in those?
- Replies: 272
- Views: 32645
Re: Non-fungible tokens (NFTs): anyone investing in those?
Specifically, I don't understand the current market, where people are buying and reselling images, sports game videos, etc. Ownership of the item gives you.. nothing. You don't get the rights to resell the actual video to tv networks, you don't seem to really own anything besides something that someone else might want to pay you money for. I will admit, I don't get pokemon cards, baseball cards, etc (I somewhat can get art). I'm in the same place, except that I understand physical collectible cards a little bit. There can be enjoyment from viewing a collectible that you own, and the physicality gives you the ability to exclude others by virtue of your possession of it. Likewise, I understand the potential of NFTs for art and music. I saw a...
- Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:30 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Value Investing
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1961
Re: Value Investing
As a lifelong value tilter, I'm not a huge fan of VTV. With its market cap weighting and broad definition of value, it offers rather dilute large cap value exposure. However much value exposure you want from VTV, you can get with a smaller position in VFVA/Vanguard US Value Factor, a deep value quant fund. VFVA costs 14 bp instead of 4 bp, but you need less of it. It is also 1/3 large cap, 1/3 mid cap, 1/3 small cap by design, so you get a small cap tilt as well.
- Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Vanguard Extended Market vs Mid and Small Cap index funds
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1602
Re: Vanguard Extended Market vs Mid and Small Cap index funds
Not over the long run, but TSLA recently had an extended run as an unusually large component in the Extended Market Index. During that period, it was fair to describe the extended market index as having a growth tilt.vineviz wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:18 pmIt shouldn’t bother you what Morningstar calls it. It doesn’t bother me.Baseball30 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:11 pm Does it bother people that it is described as growth rather than blended on Morningstar? I don’t want a growth tilt.
The fund owns virtually every US stock not in the S&P 500: it’s literally impossible for it to actually have a growth tilt.
I would not consider Vanguard Extended except when paired with an S&P 500 fund approximately 80/20 to replicate Total Market.
- Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:44 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Is "Amazon Day" delivery less reliable?
- Replies: 23
- Views: 4009
Re: Is "Amazon Day" delivery less reliable?
I've had no issues with Amazon Day delivery, but I will say that close to 100% of our non-holiday deliveries come via Amazon Logistics. So opting for Amazon Day doesn't change who delivers things, it just allows them to consolidate.
And Amazon Logistics tracking is pretty good. I get notices almost as soon as the package is delivered, and they always take a photo which appears in the notice email.
And Amazon Logistics tracking is pretty good. I get notices almost as soon as the package is delivered, and they always take a photo which appears in the notice email.
- Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:41 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Questions about rejected efile (TurboTax)
- Replies: 21
- Views: 3555
Re: Questions about rejected efile (TurboTax)
Thanks. I probably should have just gone ahead and done it last weekend too, but I procrastinated because I thought I couldn't submit it anyway.