madsinger monthly report (May 2014)

[madsinger]

Here is a big fat collection of portfolios, with their May 2014 returns, 2014 YTD return, and annualized returns since 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2011 (15 years 5 months, 10 years 5 months, 5 years 5 months, 3 years 5 months). I broke them into four categories, roughly corresponding to 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60 stock/bond portfolios, sorted by 10 year Total Return. The 3 fund is 50/30/20 Total Stock/Total Int'l/Total Bond. The s&d is 10 each of VFINX, VIVAX, NAESX, VISVX, VGSIX, 25 VGTSX, 5 VINEX, 20 VBMFX. The coffeehouse is a 60/40 described at The Coffeehouse Investor. The Newsletter portfolios are from a newsletter following Vanguard funds. William Bernstein's "Sheltered Sam" is an all stock portfolio which is 20% VFINX, 25% VIVAX, 5% NAESX, 15% VISVX, 10% VGSIX, 3% VGPMX, 5% each VEURX, VPACX, VEIEX, and 7% VTRIX. The madsinger portfolio is my real-world portfolio, roughly 50/6/11/33 stock/REIT/Gold/bond.

-Brad.

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                                   CAGR     CAGR     CAGR    CAGR
                    May    YTD     since    since    since   since
                    2014   2014    2011     2009     2004    1999
Hot Hands          0.61%  -2.30%   14.11%   16.60%   9.63%  12.17%
Sheltered Sam      1.84%   5.39%   12.07%   16.41%   8.56%   7.72%
VFINX              2.34%   4.90%   15.53%   17.36%   7.48%   4.78%
                  
Newsletter G       2.37%   3.80%   14.11%   17.65%   9.17%   9.68%
Newsletter G-IND   1.97%   3.50%   13.65%   17.99%   8.96%   6.41%
s&d                1.67%   5.19%   10.29%   14.28%   8.32%   7.71%
3 fund             1.86%   4.09%   10.42%   13.75%   7.69%   5.91%
LS G               1.85%   4.13%   10.59%   13.95%   6.87%   5.20%

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Newsletter CG      2.15%   4.30%   13.58%   16.00%   8.30%   7.96%
Wellington         1.46%   4.98%   11.90%   13.56%   8.27%   7.59%
coffeehouse        1.50%   5.05%    9.80%   12.56%   7.69%   7.36%
STAR               1.87%   4.35%   10.57%   13.29%   7.38%   6.84%
LS MG              1.65%   4.07%    8.98%   11.79%   6.42%   5.32%
                  
Wellesley          1.21%   5.10%    9.99%   11.20%   7.37%   7.10%
Newsletter Inc     1.84%   4.90%   11.67%   13.40%   6.79%   5.74%
LS CG              1.47%   4.02%    7.02%    9.57%   5.59%   5.13%
                  
madsinger          1.08%   2.85%    8.46%   13.25%      

[Eastwest]

Excellent work, thanks for sharing this. Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'd love to see where I could find more info out about the "Newsletter" funds.

[cfs]

Outstanding

Thanks Brad, I look forward to this monthly report.

Thanks for reading.

[madsinger]

A pretty strong month for the portfolios. Total bond up about 1%, stocks in the 1% to 2% range. REITs are still outperforming, up 2.35% for the month and up over 16% for the year. Large US is outperforming small US for the year. Value ahead of growth.

VGPMX (Precious Metals and Mining) was down for the month ( -1.6% ) and IAU (Gold) down about -3% for the month. My shifting some of my portfolio to a permanent portfolio (stock/long bond/cash/gold) in the middle of April has been fun for me to watch. While stocks, long bonds, and gold have all had daily moves ranging between +1.1% to -1.0%, +1.2% to -1.1%, and +1.0% to -2.0%, respectively, the total daily swings in the PP portion of my portfolio has been 0.4% to -0.4%. Now, the gold portion on my portfolio has fallen about -4.0% since my April 16 purchase...so, it hasn't been an overwhelming short term success, but I wasn't expecting that. I'll be accumulating these returns for "real time" comparison purposes for future reports.

-Brad.

[Rob5TCP]

Excellent work, thanks for sharing this. Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'd love to see where I could find more info out about the "Newsletter" funds.

The newsletter funds are by Dan Weiner for the "Vanguard Investor".
While he does have some good information; he makes so many outrageous claims, that many Bogleheads dislike him intensely
Here is his website.

http://adviseronline.investorplace.com/

I am neither endorsing, nor denigrating him.

[investor]

Wellington keeps ticking along....

thanks Brad

investor

[John Z]

Thanks again Brad.
I have a modified version of coffeehouse (more like 53-47 instead of 60-40) since we are further into retirement and after the run up over the last 12-18 months wanted to allocate to more bonds, so your figures give me an idea of how portfolio is going.
John