Search found 3274 matches

by CyberBob
Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is there any way to avoid a taxable event when switching between index funds within a Vanguard taxable account?
Replies: 9
Views: 1364

Re: Is there any way to avoid a taxable event when switching between index funds within a Vanguard taxable account?

No, but unless you're in a really low tax bracket, you can likely minimize the tax hit by selling after you have held the shares for over a year. This way you'll benefit from lower long-term capital gain rates, versus higher short-term taxable rates.
by CyberBob
Mon Dec 07, 2020 12:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wellington closed to new investors, own it in taxable account, can I buy some in an ira account?
Replies: 12
Views: 3143

Re: Wellington closed to new investors, own it in taxable account, can I buy some in an ira account?

It’s been closed for quite a while, except for individual investors.
From the prospectus:
Vanguard Wellington Fund will be closed to all prospective financial advisory, institutional, and intermediary clients (other than clients who invest through a Vanguard brokerage account).
by CyberBob
Tue Dec 01, 2020 7:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacement Wi-Fi 6 Router
Replies: 53
Views: 6932

Re: Replacement Wi-Fi 6 Router

Asus RT-AX86U or RTAC86U. This is a powerful wireless router in a vertical form factor. AX is Wi-Fi 6. If you have a pre-AC router, I would go for the AX. Asus routers can be connected to each other in a mesh configuration. They also pump out firmware update The Asus RT-AX86U router is fabulous! (If you can find one) Since all of my computers and phones and such are WiFi 6 capable, I replaced a tri-band three-piece Linksys Velop mesh system (AC) with the single RT-AX86U router and despite going down to a single router, it substantially increased both coverage area and overall speed everywhere throughout a three story house. To what do you attribute the increase in coverage area going from mesh to single router? Seems odd. Some of it must b...
by CyberBob
Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacement Wi-Fi 6 Router
Replies: 53
Views: 6932

Re: Replacement Wi-Fi 6 Router

Gray wrote: Sat Oct 10, 2020 11:59 pm Asus RT-AX86U or RTAC86U. This is a powerful wireless router in a vertical form factor. AX is Wi-Fi 6.

If you have a pre-AC router, I would go for the AX.

Asus routers can be connected to each other in a mesh configuration. They also pump out firmware update
The Asus RT-AX86U router is fabulous! (If you can find one)
Since all of my computers and phones and such are WiFi 6 capable, I replaced a tri-band three-piece Linksys Velop mesh system (AC) with the single RT-AX86U router and despite going down to a single router, it substantially increased both coverage area and overall speed everywhere throughout a three story house.
by CyberBob
Thu Nov 26, 2020 1:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: David F. Swensen
Replies: 57
Views: 8652

Re: David F. Swensen

Oddibe McDowell wrote: Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:41 pm
Off topic - what duration does Swenson recommend for treasuries? Is that intermediate / short - some combination of the two?
See this thread.
Swensen was emailed directly about that question and he responded that your bond duration should match that of the overall Treasury market (5.07 years at the time, 6.16 now).
by CyberBob
Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New MacBook Pro with M1 processor
Replies: 129
Views: 13060

Re: New MacBook Pro with M1 processor

angelescrest wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:55 pm I’m a power user and have always used a MBP (and it’s predecessors) for the past 20 years. I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I can’t stand how the MBP fans always scream at me when I’m using it disconnected from power. It’s obnoxious enough that I would love to have a version without a fan even if it means there’s a reduction in performance. The Air has my attention.
I've been using an M1 MacBook Pro for three days now under similar circumstances that would have triggered the fan on my previous Intel version. So far, the M1 MacBook Pro hasn't even gotten warm.
by CyberBob
Wed Nov 11, 2020 9:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New MacBook Pro with M1 processor
Replies: 129
Views: 13060

Re: New MacBook Pro with M1 processor

Ordered a MacBook Pro M1 on day one. Should be here next Wednesday. iPhone 12 Pro Max will be here on Friday. Good week for me. 8-)

Rumors are that a new physical design of the MacBooks will be here late summer or early fall 2021, but that’s too long a wait for me.
by CyberBob
Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good books about Linux
Replies: 13
Views: 1119

Re: Good books about Linux

by CyberBob
Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRS letter 4883c
Replies: 4
Views: 706

Re: IRS letter 4883c

It happened to me four years ago.
I asked them if there was fraud involved, or whether someone had already filed under my social security number, and they said no there isn't any problem with your return at all, it was just a random check.
Bad news is that it delayed my refund.
Good news is that they paid me interest for the delay period.
Bad news again was that the next year I got a 1099 form for that interest and had to pay tax on it :D
by CyberBob
Fri Oct 30, 2020 9:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Checking out of HOTEL APPLE
Replies: 88
Views: 10261

Re: Checking out of HOTEL APPLE

I would say trying to offload photos, music, etc. is quite a pain. Can't you just blow it all over to a USB stick or drive? Well, no, unfortunately it's not all that simple. Apparently if it's formatted under FAT32, which is basically universal, the transfer speeds are effectively throttled. It took my fancy iMac Almost 24 hours to transfer just 1.5 GB or so of photos, and only the 650 that I had previously marked as favorite. I then took that same thumb drive, moved it over to the old Lenovo on Linux, and it literally (and I do mean literally in the real denotative sense) took 3 minutes to make that same transfer back to the Lenovo. Now if I had reformatted that same drive to the Apple file system, then I would have probably transferred t...
by CyberBob
Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:49 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Remove blue tint color from the forum webpages
Replies: 12
Views: 3110

Re: Remove blue tint color from the forum webpages

What happened to all of the styles/themes that used to be available?
LadyGeek, you might consider adding back at least one dark style, such as BlackBoard.
by CyberBob
Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Freedom Fund Question [Freedom Fund vs Freedom Index Fund]
Replies: 22
Views: 2386

Re: Fidelity Freedom Fund Question [Freedom Fund vs Freedom Index Fund]

Just to confuse things further, there are also the Freedom Blend funds.
They are part indexed and part active.
by CyberBob
Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Apple Watch for Jogging & Podcasts
Replies: 26
Views: 2770

Re: Best Apple Watch for Jogging & Podcasts

Podcasts is a built-in function for any Apple Watch running any recent software version, so it shouldn't matter much if that's your main requirement.

I've used the podcast app over the years using an Apple Watch 4, 5, and 6, using AirPods version 1, version 2, and AirPods Pro, and they all worked great.
by CyberBob
Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are Wellington-Wellesley just closet index funds?
Replies: 76
Views: 7978

Re: Are Wellington-Wellesley just closet index funds?

That looks like the quote I was looking for. Where is it from? I can't find it at the above link, which just wants me to buy a premium subscription. Try this link instead, which includes this comment: Take a fund like the Wellington Fund. It has a 98% R-squared, or coefficient of determination, with the two indexes it tracks – 65% S&P 500 and 35% Barclays/Bloomberg corporate bond index. Ninety-eight percent! Is that an actively managed fund? Well, 2% of it is. But does it go in the actively managed category when it is 98% tracking its benchmark? This is what people forget about in the mutual fund industry. We are all heavily influenced and our performance is determined by the action of the market. The average Vanguard actively managed ...
by CyberBob
Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are Wellington-Wellesley just closet index funds?
Replies: 76
Views: 7978

Re: Are Wellington-Wellesley just closet index funds?

John Bogle wrote:In Wellington Fund's case, in the last decade 97% of its return has been determined by the return of the index I put together for them in 1978.
Wellesley's R-squared is actually even higher at 98.

http://news.investors.com/investing-mut ... ut.htm?p=1
by CyberBob
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard bonds
Replies: 4
Views: 1505

Re: Vanguard bonds

ben85austin wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:47 pm What about VGLT + VGIT + VGSH ? Is there a fund that combines all three of them?
iShares GOVT
by CyberBob
Sat Aug 22, 2020 11:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: As a US Investor, why shouldn't my market be "US Investors" (vs. "Global Investors")
Replies: 16
Views: 1618

Re: As a US Investor, why shouldn't my market be "US Investors" (vs. "Global Investors")

PlateVoltage figured this out a few years ago using numbers from the U.S. Treasury. There isn't a single efficient frontier for the entire world. Investors seek to optimize real, after-tax returns in their home currency. Since each country has its own inflation rate, its own tax laws, and its own currency, each country also has its own efficient frontier. Perhaps instead of adopting the US/ international ratio of the global market, we should adopt the ratio of our fellow countrymen. By my calculations, US investors have adopted a 68/32 US/ international ratio. I'm currently 2:1, so that's pretty close I'm using year-end numbers for 2017. US market cap was $27.4 trillion: http://www.crsp.com/fact-sheet-archive Foreign investors owned $8 tril...
by CyberBob
Thu Aug 13, 2020 12:45 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Unrecognised PM
Replies: 5
Views: 1209

Re: Unrecognised PM

It only appears as sent after the other person reads it. Otherwise, it sits in your Outbox.
by CyberBob
Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: IMac technical help
Replies: 11
Views: 725

Re: IMac technical help

Nummerkins wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:03 pm Sounds like full screen mode. On a PC f11 turns it on and off.
I concur that it sounds like full-screen mode. Press the three keys control+command+F at the same time and it will toggle out of full-screen mode.
by CyberBob
Sun Jul 26, 2020 1:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: China and Stocks
Replies: 34
Views: 2927

Re: China and Stocks

Bill Bernstein wrote:The reason to avoid China's equity markets can be summarized in one word: dilution.

The best estimates are that the Chinese equity markets dilute their share pools on the order of about 20% per year, so even if the country is growing its GDP and corporate profits at slightly less than 10% pa, they can't keep up on a per-share basis.

This is borne out by the MSCI China index, which since 12/31/92 has had a total return of 1.6% in nominal dollar terms, or less than zero in real terms.

The problem, of course, is that if you're indexing Emerging Markets, there's no way to avoid the country's ~30% weighting in most indexes.

Bill
viewtopic.php?p=5261908#p5261908
by CyberBob
Sat Jun 20, 2020 12:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

Maestro G wrote: Sat Jun 20, 2020 11:12 am BTW, I have always loved your avatar! I assume that cute cat is yours?

Best,

Maestro G
Her name is Gracie. She’s gray (hence the name) and white with a perfect milk mustache. She was born in a barn on a farm in 2007 and rescued/catnapped at four weeks old by a friend of my mother when the mean farmer said he had enough barn cats and threatened to drown her in a bucket. She’s been my constant companion ever since. She’s also a great dog, as unlike most cats she always comes running when I call her name. That close-up photo is how I see her most days as she likes to sit between me and my computer keyboard and help me type. :D
by CyberBob
Sat Jun 20, 2020 10:31 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Etfs that fold up or switch indexes
Replies: 18
Views: 1396

Re: Etfs stop tracking index

JPMV is closing. Last day of trading is 18 August 2020. Liquidation on 20 August 2020.

https://www.ishares.com/us/products/264 ... tility-etf
by CyberBob
Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

31 May 2020 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD): 29,290,091 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown 21,821,490 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S. 23,080,940 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index 20,431,910 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S. So that equates to allocation percentages of: 30.95% US stocks (VTSAX,FSKAX,VTI,ITOT,SCHB,SPTM) 23.06% ex US stocks (VTIAX,FTIHX,VXUS,IXUS,ACWX,CWI) 24.39% US bonds (VBTLX,FXNAX,BND,AGG,SCHZ,SPAB) 21.59% ex US bonds (VTABX,FBIIX,BNDX,IAGG) Or: 54.02% world stocks (VT,VTWAX) 45.98% world bonds (BNDW) Hi CyberBob, Perhaps I am confused, but it appears to me from the FTSE AA Calculator (bottom text) https://research.ftseru...
by CyberBob
Sun Jun 14, 2020 12:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: If Vanguard’s Target Date Series added just one more fund, it would be perfect
Replies: 11
Views: 1962

Re: If Vanguard’s Target Date Series added just one more fund, it would be perfect

You may be interested in the white paper Vanguard’s Approach to Target-Date Funds, which explains why they only use TIPS closer to the target date: https://institutional.vanguard.com/VGAp ... pproachTDF#
by CyberBob
Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

31 May 2020 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

29,290,091 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
21,821,490 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
23,080,940 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
20,431,910 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

30.95% US stocks (VTSAX,FSKAX,VTI,ITOT,SCHB,SPTM)
23.06% ex US stocks (VTIAX,FTIHX,VXUS,IXUS,ACWX,CWI)
24.39% US bonds (VBTLX,FXNAX,BND,AGG,SCHZ,SPAB)
21.59% ex US bonds (VTABX,FBIIX,BNDX,IAGG)

Or:

54.02% world stocks (VT,VTWAX)
45.98% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Tue May 26, 2020 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any retirees get through Covid crisis without large cash reserve?
Replies: 63
Views: 5882

Re: Any retirees get through Covid crisis without large cash reserve?

Rather than a dedicated cash allocation, I simply have all of the dividends from my taxable account go to my bank checking account. It’s like my paycheck never stopped :D
by CyberBob
Sat May 09, 2020 12:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for relatively cheap cell phones
Replies: 34
Views: 12043

Re: Recommendations for relatively cheap cell phones

It seems like a lot of people are recommending the Moto G series. I am currently sporting a Galaxy S6 that I have had since it first came out 5 years ago. The phone is very laggy and has to be charged 2 to 3 times a day. I was originally going to go with the Pixel 3a but it seems the Moto G phones would blow my current phone out of the water and can be had for $150 to $200 vs the $300+ for the Pixel 3a. Anyone think I should go for the Moto G Power ($250 - just came out) over the Moto G7 Power ($180 - about a year old)? Consider calling the local geek store and asking if they can replace the battery. I had the same problem with my S7 and the replacement ($60) fixed the problem. Ditto my sweetie's iPhone 6s. Hers might have even been cheape...
by CyberBob
Fri May 08, 2020 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Addition Only Rebalancing
Replies: 10
Views: 1166

Re: Addition Only Rebalancing

by CyberBob
Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:41 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

31 March 2020 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

24,645,470 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
19,522,099 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
23,296,690 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
19,344,680 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

28.39% US stocks (VTSAX,FSKAX,VTI,ITOT,SCHB,SPTM)
22.49% ex US stocks (VTIAX,FTIHX,VXUS,IXUS,ACWX,CWI)
26.84% US bonds (VBTLX,FXNAX,BND,AGG,SCHZ,SPAB)
22.28% ex US bonds (VTABX,FBIIX,BNDX,IAGG)

Or:

50.88% world stocks (VT,VTWAX)
49.12% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: SS and Pension
Replies: 40
Views: 3474

Re: SS and Pension

Mr. Bogle has spoken about the value of Social Security and pensions as the value of life annuities. Basically meaning that it's more reasonable that way than just picking some discount rate and calling it good. The value of Social Security and pensions shrinks as you get older, since you will, presumably be getting them for a shorter time. So you have to calculate it every year as you age, since the 'value' changes. So, assuming you are a 65 year-old man living in Ohio (I just randomly assumed age and location), your $45k a year Social Security and pension ($3,750 monthly) would equal about $766,000 according to a quote from immediateannuities.com . Compute again next year with your being one year older and Social Security value being adju...
by CyberBob
Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Switching from Android to iPhone
Replies: 11
Views: 1171

Re: Switching from Android to iPhone

There is a Move to IOS app that will transfer stuff for you.
Alternatively, they will do it for you at an Apple Store (when they reopen from corona virus closure).
You can also attend 'how-to' classes at the Apple Store to get you started (also temporarily paused due to the corona virus closure).
by CyberBob
Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Foreign tax paid, Form 1116: is there a cliff?
Replies: 8
Views: 747

Re: Foreign tax paid, Form 1116: is there a cliff?

The $300/$600 limits are sort of freebies from complexity, but the actual foreign tax credit is defined as:

Your foreign tax credit cannot be more than your total U.S. tax liability (Form 1040, line 12a) multiplied by a fraction.
The numerator of the fraction is your taxable income from sources outside the United States. The denominator is your total taxable income from U.S. and foreign sources. (IRS Publication 514)
by CyberBob
Mon Mar 30, 2020 1:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

Two interesting links:

William Sharpe blog, where he talks about the World Bond-Stock portfolio and the corresponding Vanguard funds used to build it.
https://retirementincomeanalysis.blogspot.com/?m=1

FTSE Russell calculator for Sharpe's Adaptive Asset Allocation.
https://research.ftserussell.com/Analyt ... Home/Index
by CyberBob
Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

29 February 2020 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

28,695,054 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
22,955,022 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
23,470,130 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
20,046,610 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

30.15% US stocks (VTSAX,FSKAX,VTI,ITOT,SCHB,SPTM)
24.12% ex US stocks (VTIAX,FTIHX,VXUS,IXUS,ACWX,CWI)
24.66% US bonds (VBTLX,FXNAX,BND,AGG,SCHZ,SPAB)
21.06% ex US bonds (VTABX,FBIIX,BNDX,IAGG)

Or:

54.27% world stocks (VT,VTWAX)
45.73% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Gift Splitting Question-Which Account to Use?
Replies: 7
Views: 527

Re: Gift Splitting Question-Which Account to Use?

Does anyone else want to weigh in on this? The original question in the thread referenced just above has been removed. If it helps, here's the archive of that original post : I've literally read/heard about the gift tax exclusion hundreds of times over the last 20 or 30 years, and the article never fails to mention the doubling of the annual exclusion for couples. Only TODAY I am learning about the term "gift splitting" and the existence of Form 709. [which really says something about the competence of financial columnists/media talking heads. They just parrot conventional wisdom and probably know less than the typical person on these boards.] Anyway, so I went ahead and read the instructions for Form 709, and it's still not perf...
by CyberBob
Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Modifying Swensen 70/30 → 85/15
Replies: 5
Views: 800

Re: Modifying Swensen 70/30 → 85/15

Since you mentioned Swensen:
David Swensen wrote:Fully hedged foreign bonds mimic U.S. bonds (with the disadvantage of added complexity and costs stemming from the hedging process). Unhedged foreign bonds supply investors with U.S. dollar bond exposure, plus (perhaps unwanted) foreign exchange exposure. Foreign-currency-denominated bonds play no role in well-constructed investment portfolios.
David Swensen wrote:Unless foreign currency positions constitute more than roughly one-quarter of portfolio assets, currency exposure serves to reduce overall portfolio risk. Beyond a quarter of portfolio assets, the currency exposure constitutes a source of unwanted risk.
by CyberBob
Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Digital Advisor appears to be live
Replies: 14
Views: 3412

Vanguard Digital Advisor appears to be live

At least for accumulators. The retired investor portion still appears to be coming in the future.

https://investor.vanguard.com/financial ... Adv:Advice
by CyberBob
Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apparatus for laundry in a small NYC apartment ?
Replies: 18
Views: 1168

Re: Apparatus for laundry in a small NYC apartment ?

If you are looking to go non-machine...As someone who traveled nearly non-stop for 20 years, often to places in the world where washers and dryers didn't exist, I can recommend three things:
  1. Scrubba Wash Bags for smaller loads (I always traveled with one of these)
  2. Washing plunger and a bathtub for larger loads
  3. Clothesline or folding drying rack
by CyberBob
Thu Mar 12, 2020 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VG Total World Stock No Foreign Tax?
Replies: 8
Views: 978

Re: VG Total World Stock No Foreign Tax?

Thesaints wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2020 3:38 pm
jtdavid wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2020 3:17 pm Due to the outperformance of US, Less than 50% of the funds assets are foreign. So the fund is not eligible for the foreign tax credit this year.
But I'm pretty sure last year too it was >50% US
The annual report numbers show:
2019 - 54.7% U.S.
2018 - 55.1% U.S.
by CyberBob
Mon Mar 02, 2020 3:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 50 Years of Investing in the World
Replies: 45
Views: 5893

Re: 50 Years of Investing in the World

Starfox wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2020 3:31 pm Not sure why MSCI says such a higher number for USA.
That MSCI index is ‘world’, which, despite the name, is developed only. Try FTSE global all-cap numbers.
by CyberBob
Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156892

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

31 January 2020 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

31,312,957 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
24,996,509 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
23,147,130 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
19,961,800 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

31.50% US stocks (VTSAX,FSKAX,VTI,ITOT,SCHB,SPTM)
25.14% ex US stocks (VTIAX,FTIHX,VXUS,IXUS,ACWX,CWI)
23.28% US bonds (VBTLX,FXNAX,BND,AGG,SCHZ,SPAB)
20.08% ex US bonds (VTABX,FBIIX,BNDX,IAGG)

Or, alternatively:

56.64% world stocks (VT,VTWAX)
43.36% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Fri Feb 21, 2020 12:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How do you objectively set Stock vs Bond Allocation
Replies: 81
Views: 7622

Re: How do you objectively set Stock vs Bond Allocation

How about a down-and-dirty Benjamin Graham-esque analysis of the current relative valuations between stocks and bonds? Current Total Bond yield: 2.10% Current Total Stock earnings yield (inverse of P/E): 4.55% 2.10 + 4.55 = 6.65 2.10 / 6.65 = 32% bonds 4.55 / 6.65 = 68% stocks Recalculate once a year. I used to have a spreadsheet where I tracked this method long-term, and it worked surprisingly well. Sidestepping, for example, much of the tech-wreck after 1999 because bond yields were good, while stock P/E was quite high. It also increased stock allocation after 2008 where the opposite was true (especially due to low bond yields). It had higher gains than any static allocation from 100/0 to 0/100 (I didn't factor in anything like trading co...