What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

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sawhorse
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sawhorse »

It's interesting how little asset allocation has mattered so far this year. Here are the year to date returns as of Thursday of popular Bogleheads funds at Vanguard. Haven't checked on yesterday.

Total Bond Market: 0.85%
Target Retirement: -0.63% to 0.34%
LifeStrategy: -0.18% to 0.70%
Wellesley: 0.16%
Wellington: 0.04%
Total Stock Market: 0.10%
Total International Stock: -1.01%
Total World Stock: -0.43%

So any popular basic allocation has returned about the same. Also the same as stuffing it under your mattress. Which makes me mildly annoyed at all the effort I exerted researching asset allocations :)
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MN-Investor
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by MN-Investor »

I'm sure I'm not calculating my YTD change in the approved Boglehead's fashion, but c'est la vie. That's not exactly why I'm posting today.

My husband and I have always been weighted very heavily towards stocks. With my husband looking at retirement in a year at age 62, we have finally transitioned some money into bonds. It was difficult from the standpoint that interest rates will rise at some point and so bond funds will go down. But we listened to the Bogleheads who said that at some point you have to lock in some gains and, when the market goes down - and it will go down - the bond funds won't go down as much. Sure as can be, our portfolio dropped from 7/31. But our bond holdings did not drop at all, they are up a tiny bit. That is a very nice feeling!

BTW, we are up, in total, 1.8% for the year.
The key to success - Save early, save often, invest well.
travellight
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by travellight »

Total portfolio is up 6.6% ytd. I decided two years ago to not buy any more bond funds but didn't sell what I had. I have a fair amount of real estate in the portfolio as well.
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market timer
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by market timer »

Up 4% ytd. Getting clobbered in international equities and commodities. Was up much more a couple months ago.

Current alloctation:
25% EM equities
25% Developed int'l equities
15% US equities
15% Long term Treasuries
25% Health care REITs
20% Mortgage REITs
10% Gold
20% Oil
-55% Cash
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sergeant
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sergeant »

market timer wrote:Up 4% ytd. Getting clobbered in international equities and commodities. Was up much more a couple months ago.

Current alloctation:
25% EM equities
25% Developed int'l equities
15% US equities
15% Long term Treasuries
25% Health care REITs
20% Mortgage REITs
10% Gold
20% Oil
-55% Cash
Is the negative cash a margin account?
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market timer
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by market timer »

sergeant wrote:
market timer wrote:Up 4% ytd. Getting clobbered in international equities and commodities. Was up much more a couple months ago.

Current alloctation:
25% EM equities
25% Developed int'l equities
15% US equities
15% Long term Treasuries
25% Health care REITs
20% Mortgage REITs
10% Gold
20% Oil
-55% Cash
Is the negative cash a margin account?
The negative cash balance reflects positions in short puts and futures. Effectively, it's like margin. I have some cash that will arrive in the next few months to offset much of this negative balance.
Sconie
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Sconie »

After the market close on Friday, am now negative about 1.2%; portfolio is approximately 65% equity (1/3 Int'l), 30% fixed and 5% cash.
I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. - Alan Greenspan
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Uncle Pennybags
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Uncle Pennybags »

longinvest wrote:Stay the course and stop watching your portfolio daily. Once a month is plenty enough!
I can't. I invest every month and dollar cost average. I stopped lump sum buying when BND took a dive a day after a big lump.

I can look because I don't need my investments for day to day living so drops are not fun but they will not change my life. I hope the 410K crowd doesn't panic and sell as they do every time this happens.
UADM
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by UADM »

Taxable account- 13%
Profit sharing Keogh-8%
Roth IRA- 7%

I invest for myself in the stock market. Was 98% cash this week in ym taxable(pensions are 100% cash) until Friday. Now I am 80-85% in cash in taxable.
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by UADM »

Bacchus01 wrote:
grettman wrote:...quiet in here today....
Today was a great day.

Any amount of market recovery after I TLH about $250K worth of investments....will be worth it!
The market goes from 6.6k to 18.4k. Settles at 17.5k roughly. Drops to 16.5k. Why do you think there has to be a rebound? It might, but it is a tiny correction in the overall scheme of things. People nowadays think that the market can only go up and has to rebound from every drop. People seemed to have learned nothing from the last 2 decades...
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sperry8
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sperry8 »

Well that was quick. I forget what I was up when I first responded to this thread... but as of today (pre-open) I am now down .69% on the year. Vanguard Health Care (VGHAX) and VINEX are holding my portfolio up. Otherwise it'd be much worse. Still, relatively flat YTD is fine with me. It's those huge 2008 style losses that hurt (and yes, I'm prepared for it if it happens again). Much more prepared than last time thanks to this board. Just sayin.
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Bacchus01
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Bacchus01 »

UADM wrote:
Bacchus01 wrote:
grettman wrote:...quiet in here today....
Today was a great day.

Any amount of market recovery after I TLH about $250K worth of investments....will be worth it!
The market goes from 6.6k to 18.4k. Settles at 17.5k roughly. Drops to 16.5k. Why do you think there has to be a rebound? It might, but it is a tiny correction in the overall scheme of things. People nowadays think that the market can only go up and has to rebound from every drop. People seemed to have learned nothing from the last 2 decades...
Because it's naive to think that it won't over the next 30 years.

If it doesn't, we have far bigger problems than what our portfolio is doing.
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Uncle Pennybags
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Uncle Pennybags »

-5.04%, -3.05% after taxes. Uncle will still get some of my realized interest and dividends this year no matter what.
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ruralavalon
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by ruralavalon »

50/50 asset allocation, retired, age 70.

Down 3.40% YTD per Morningstar portfolio manager.

Best this year is Vanguard Intermediate-Term investment-Grade Bond Fund.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
sawhorse
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sawhorse »

Haven't calculated because I have so many different accounts but I'm probably slightly positive thanks to a large allocation to TIAA Traditional.

Back in May I was contemplating "sell in May and go away" until September but decided against it. Investing mistake of the year :annoyed

At the same time I was considering adding the emerging markets index to supplement Total World Stock but didn't. Investing good decision of the year :happy

You win some, you lose some, and you have no idea which will be which!
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Uncle Pennybags
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Uncle Pennybags »

sawhorse wrote:You win some, you lose some, and you have no idea which will be which!
That's why we buy everything and take the average, a guarantied average.
sharpjm
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sharpjm »

-3.1% ytd
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tarheel
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by tarheel »

Update = -5.64% for the year.

What hurt much worse though was the crooked front handle on my portfolio ticking over to the next lower number :twisted:

Not quite at my bond rebalancing band, but if this keeps going for a couple of days......
Bacchus01
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Bacchus01 »

Down $118K since last Tuesday. Ouch.

But, lots of TLH and even put another $50K in from cash.
209south
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by 209south »

Down 2.9%. market timer, not to pry but since you offered your allocation, I'm curious how your account is up 4% when each component is down on the year (at least by my guesstimate?)
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Uncle Pennybags
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Uncle Pennybags »

I'm down 2% YTD, that is exactally where I should be; I'm doing it right. :)
moshe
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by moshe »

down 0.98% YTD but my "market" proxy VTI is down 1.93% so I am beating the market :-)

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livesoft
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by livesoft »

A couple of benchmark fund returns from Vanguard YTD:
-1.07% 60/40 VSMGX LIfeStrategy Moderate Growth
-1.72% 80/20 VASGX LifeStrategy Growth
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bayview
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by bayview »

bayview wrote:at the end of July

Using the wiki referenced above, with all the contributions entered, I get:

portfolio return: 1.84% (YTD figure)

48% Treasury funds (mostly intermediate-term) + G fund
40% total US market + cobbled-together C and S fund
12% total international + I fund (not yet bothering with trying to add in EM and poor neglected Canada)
Aaaand, at the end of August, now with some EM as partial completion of the I fund:
1 month: -3.19%
3 months: -3.13%
6 months: -2.27%
YTD: -0.50%

My growth of $10,000 chart (only 8 months' worth of data; I need to fill that in some slow day) looks like a dead snake in the road. :D
The continuous execution of a sound strategy gives you the benefit of the strategy. That's what it's all about. --Rick Ferri
longinvest
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Longinvest's Uniform Returns -- August 2015 edition

Post by longinvest »

I encourage Bogleheads to use the wiki:Calculating personal returns spreadsheet to calculate and report their personal returns in a uniform manner.

Here are my personal portfolio returns* for August 2015.

Asset allocation: 50/50 -- (25% Canadian stocks / 25% ex-Canada stocks / 50% Canadian bonds)

Code: Select all

Trailing portfolio return (time-weighted return, comparable return)		
		
Portfolio return as of		8/31/2015
1 month		-3.12%
3 months		-2.81%
6 months		-3.64%
YTD		2.85%
Disclaimer (i): The main reason I participate in this thread is to help Bogleheads learn about properly calculating their personal returns and discover that there are different types of returns (investor vs portfolio vs nonsense). Unfortunately, many investors calculate nonsense returns.

Disclaimer (ii): What is the use of knowing one's personal returns? Not much, as it is a big mistake to project these returns into the future. I only see one interesting use: Discovering that from month to month, past returns vary widely, helping one realize how useless they are. For example, in July, my portfolio's YTD return was 6.16%; in August, it's 2.85%. :annoyed

* These are not investor (internal, XIRR, money-weighted) or Beardstown Ladies (nonsense) returns.
Variable Percentage Withdrawal (bogleheads.org/wiki/VPW) | One-Fund Portfolio (bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=287967)
crg11
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by crg11 »

Portfolio return as of 08/31/2015
1 month -5.01%
3 months -5.92%
YTD -2.14%
1 year -2.64%
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Sheepdog
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Sheepdog »

To 9/1/2015, YTD total return -0.1%.
However, since I take distributions for expenses in retirement, my portfolio balance is down -2.07% YTD.
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Nowizard
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Nowizard »

Down 1.3%.

Tim
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jfn111
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by jfn111 »

checked this morning while doing month end tracking. Up 2.48%
wander
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Re: What are you down YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by wander »

Down 4%
sharpjm
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sharpjm »

sharpjm wrote:-3.1% ytd
after close 08/25/2015
now -2.0% ytd
after close 09/01/2015
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randomizer
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by randomizer »

Vanguard web UI is showing a -3.1% return since inception (about 2.5 years ago). Not sure how to get it to show me just YTD.

Doesn't really change anything though as I'll be staying the course.
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sharpjm
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sharpjm »

randomizer wrote:Doesn't really change anything though as I'll be staying the course.
Excellent response. If only 100% of forum posters could adhere to this... :D
sanfran2015
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sanfran2015 »

Portfolio return as of 8/31/15
1 month -4.32%
3 months -4.92%
6 months -4.62%
YTD -1.94%
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Uncle Pennybags
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Uncle Pennybags »

DON'T ASK.
Dan999
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Dan999 »

Up 1.65% vs my proxy of Wellsley which is down 2.28%. This excludes my RMD withdrawals. I do not count them in the returns.

Lot's of market timing here, and got lucky Monday a week ago and bought 5 stocks near the bottom of the flash crash, and sold on Thursday.
Did very well in oil last week, by low sell high.

I know this is nuts to do this, and I most likely will get caught sometime, but I do not ever have more than 30% in equities.
This AM, I am 4% equities.
I had previously said I would stay out of the market until fall, but I could no resist the big drop last week. Will most like settle in on intermediate term bonds and tough it out. My goal is eventually 20% equities, if I can avoid the temptation of buying on big dips.

The problem is I am retired and have nothing better to do. I enjoy it (so far).



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vv19
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by vv19 »

Portfolio return as of 08/31/2015:

1 month -6.47%
3 months -7.74%
YTD -3.12%
1 year -3.66%

AAis 90/10 with 70/30 US/International. Those numbers don't look too pretty, do they?
Gecko10x
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Gecko10x »

As of 8/31/2015, -0.9%. I think. My 401k loan repayment might be skewing the numbers. :confused

For comparison, AOM is -2.6%, and AOR is -3.0%.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by TomatoTomahto »

On my Vanguard (mostly taxable accounts), down 2.6% as of today. Too lazy to include other accounts; easy to look up Vanguard.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
bayview
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by bayview »

Gecko10x wrote:As of 8/31/2015, -0.9%. I think. My 401k loan repayment might be skewing the numbers. :confused

For comparison, AOM is -2.6%, and AOR is -3.0%.
If you're still contributing to your 401k, include your loan repayment with the contributions. (You're using longinvest's calculator referenced above, right?)
The continuous execution of a sound strategy gives you the benefit of the strategy. That's what it's all about. --Rick Ferri
john94549
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by john94549 »

Too funny. My trading account is up precisely 1% YTD. Better than a poke in the eye, but worse than any of my IRA CDs, and not much better than a garden-variety savings account. Retirement accounts? Don't ask.

I think the wife finally appreciates that retail IRA CDs are, actually, cash, never go down in nominal value, and can actually be spent in retirement.
JD2775
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by JD2775 »

CurrentMonth -2.07% (I guess that's only 2 days?)
3mo -7.83%
6mo -7.07%
YTD -4.27%

80/20 mix

80 = 40 Large Cap Index, 25 International Index, 15 small cap index
20 = Bond Index

all low ER's (less than .04)

Seems a little bad compared to others but I guess not too bad.....
sawhorse
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by sawhorse »

Should this thread title be changed to "What are you down YTD?" :P
TravelforFun
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by TravelforFun »

0% YTD. I just lost 8 months of compounding.
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Toons
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Toons »

I don't have a clue ,but I do know the portfolio has grown more than substantially since March 2009.
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I try to keep things in perspective.
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jasc15
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by jasc15 »

-0.15%

Thanks to longinvest for this great spreadsheet:
Image

Edit: Here is my AA:

Image
I'm fairly certain I have accounted for all my contributions in the first chart, but it seems like I may be underestimating my loss YTD given my AA.
Last edited by jasc15 on Sun Sep 06, 2015 1:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ruralavalon
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by ruralavalon »

50/50 asset allocation, retired, age 70.

Down 2.93% YTD per Morningstar portfolio manager.

Only positive YTD is 1.41% for Vanguard Intermediate-Term investment-Grade Bond Fund.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
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Midwest_Investor
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by Midwest_Investor »

down about 4% ytd.
travellight
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by travellight »

I am down 4.2% in my investments ytd. I did the math today and did not realize that only 12% of my net worth is in the market so I am relatively little affected by this. My net worth is up 6% ytd due to real estate.
Last edited by travellight on Mon Sep 07, 2015 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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poker27
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Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Post by poker27 »

-3% 80/20 +20% international.
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