Search found 47 matches
- Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:33 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1427
Re: Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
Alex-686, Thank you! This is the sort of guidance I was looking for! I understand matrixes (matrices) and types of computations using them, etc, so now I have a better idea how it’s done when you have a lot more variables than just two asset classes at once for example. As for the importance of the ...
- Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:05 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1427
Re: Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
OP here. Been busy. I need more time to sort through the excellent dialogue. Looks like I asked a provocative question. I’m glad I started a spirited dialogue. All my life I’ve felt that given the choice I’d rather be provocative than right! So, let me try to restate my initial concern, and then let...
- Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:14 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1427
Understanding asset allocation, portfolio performance, and correlation coefficients
I’m just curious. I understand correlation coefficients in theory. They measure how much of the behavior of “something” can be attributed to “something else”. I also know that a well known idea about asset allocation is that it (the “something else” here) is the thing that affects portfolio performa...
- Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:28 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
- Replies: 7
- Views: 345
Re: Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
What if I’d asked about contributing to a trad IRA? Same answer?
- Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:23 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
- Replies: 7
- Views: 345
Re: Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
Thx. Sorta what I figgered.
- Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:11 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
- Replies: 7
- Views: 345
Roth IRA if all income is foreign excluded
Can a person whose entire earned income for a year comes from foreign work and is excluded under the foreign income exclusion contribute anything to a Roth IRA or a trad IRA?
- Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:06 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Parent contribute to child IRA
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1359
Parent contribute to child IRA
What are the laws, rules, limits, etc., related to a parent contributing to an adult employed child’s IRA, trad or Roth? I’m thinking of a situation in which the adult child has earnings but may not be able to afford contributing as much of them as the limits on any IRA contribution may be. Ideally,...
- Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:45 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Xfr from joint vang acct to individual vang acct
- Replies: 2
- Views: 269
Xfr from joint vang acct to individual vang acct
Just asking...I could call vanguard and wait on hold forever or I could ask here and get instant gratification! We have a non-tax-adv vanguard acct in both our names. Let’s say my wife opens her own separate vang acct, also non-tax-adv. If we then move some of the $ from the joint acct to her indivi...
- Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:16 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
- Replies: 3
- Views: 161
Re: Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
Just thought of this: would the same apply to possibly contributing to a trad IRA?
- Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:13 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
- Replies: 3
- Views: 161
Re: Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
Thx. That’s what I needed to know.
- Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:07 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
- Replies: 3
- Views: 161
Roth IRA with foreign income exclusion and $0 AGI
If a person has earned income reported on W-2 and it is all or nearly all excluded as foreign income, and the end result including the standard deduction is that he has a very small AGI and $0 taxable income, can he still contribute up to the W-2 amount of earned income to a Roth IRA? I’m trying to ...
- Mon Mar 08, 2021 11:39 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: During decumulation, can someone explain why holding VBIAX is the same as holding separate stock&bond funds?
- Replies: 35
- Views: 2358
Re: During decumulation, can someone explain why holding VBIAX is the same as holding separate stock&bond funds?
No comments on the strategic aspects of this fine thread. But do be sure to check the fees in VBIAX vs versions of separate stock and bond funds, which could easily be index funds and even Admiral shares thereof. On a $1 million balance the diff might be worth thinking about. I don’t think VBIAX is ...
- Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:51 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Good overall stock mkt “tracking index”
- Replies: 10
- Views: 673
Re: Good overall stock mkt “tracking index”
good ideas, folks. thx very much.
- Thu Mar 04, 2021 4:14 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Good overall stock mkt “tracking index”
- Replies: 10
- Views: 673
Good overall stock mkt “tracking index”
This has pbly been asked and answered many times, but I haven’t seen an answer so I’ll ask again, maybe! Which of the myriad indices of stock market behavior would be a good one if I just wanted what I’ll call a “big picture all US stocks” index? Clearly the DJIA isn’t. I don’t think the Nasdaq is e...
- Tue Feb 23, 2021 3:01 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Confused about Vang current terms for cash reserves
- Replies: 3
- Views: 380
Re: Confused about Vang current terms for cash reserves
Thanks. You’ll never believe it but I just called V and got a human on the phone who answered my question!😆😆😆 you both are right. Also, V said since I already have Vanguard Fed Money Market as my settlement fund, that’s what I’ve actually been writing checks on as far as they’re concerned, so it’ll ...
- Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Confused about Vang current terms for cash reserves
- Replies: 3
- Views: 380
Confused about Vang current terms for cash reserves
I have cash in my Trad IRA in VMMXX, Vang Cash Reserves Federal Money Market Fund. I also have a settlement fund in Vang Federal Money Market Fund. I'm not sure those are exactly the same fund as far as Vang is concerned. I typically use the cash in VMMXX to write checks as QCDs, as part of my RMD. ...
- Tue Feb 23, 2021 8:58 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Rate of return on my var annuity
- Replies: 8
- Views: 547
Re: Rate of return on my var annuity
Thx again, everyone, but I made this more complicated than I needed to. I was wondering about the math question I asked, but it really was ONLY a math question! It wasn’t actually about an annuity at all. I could have (should have) said something like “I put $65,000 in the bank 26 years ago, left it...
- Mon Feb 22, 2021 7:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Rate of return on my var annuity
- Replies: 8
- Views: 547
Re: Rate of return on my var annuity
Thx. I figured it was that simple but I wanted to be sure.
- Mon Feb 22, 2021 3:45 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Rate of return on my var annuity
- Replies: 8
- Views: 547
Re: Rate of return on my var annuity
Sorry, can’t count years. 26 years holding period, not 16. Otherwise, am I right?
- Mon Feb 22, 2021 3:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Rate of return on my var annuity
- Replies: 8
- Views: 547
Rate of return on my var annuity
This is such a fundamental question (I think) that I’m embarrassed to ask. But... I put $65,000 into a variable annuity on Feb 22, 1995. Today, Feb 22, 2021, it is worth $285,000. I have not taken out anything and I have not put any more in. I’ve paid fees along the way. (I’m using fake numbers but ...
- Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Is State tax refund taxable if I didn’t itemize?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 389
Re: Is State tax refund taxable if I didn’t itemize?
Escape....good point, except when I fired up TaxCut today, it did say I had a 1099-G for the proper amount for me to edit or delete. That may just be a carryover from before 2019 since 2019 was the first return I filed using the std deduction, and I had used 1099-Gs in previous years. Curious, but n...
- Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Is State tax refund taxable if I didn’t itemize?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 389
Is State tax refund taxable if I didn’t itemize?
I got a refund last year from SC on my 2019 SC state taxes. But when I filed my 2019 federal and state returns last year, I did not itemize any deduction for 2019 state income tax. I took the std deduction. So is the refund I got back from the state last year, for 2019 taxes I did not explicitly ite...
- Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:32 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Help me understand what the Fed is doing
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1551
Re: Help me understand what the Fed is doing
I think the point made here that helps me the most is that when the Fed buys bonds it actually creates new money to do so. Leaving aside the inflationary aspects of such a monetary policy, I think that helps me understand that it really is NEW money being used. The Fed isn’t just taking existing mon...
- Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:19 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Help me understand what the Fed is doing
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1551
Re: Help me understand what the Fed is doing
This is good...this is very good!
Thank you all.
Thank you all.
- Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:44 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Help me understand what the Fed is doing
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1551
Help me understand what the Fed is doing
I’m not real clear on exactly what’s going on when the Federal Reserve buys treasury bonds and T bills as part of its monetary policies. I just read about today’s FOMC meeting and the likelihood that the Fed will continue its buying at least for the short term. I get that. I understand that when any...
- Mon Jan 25, 2021 7:01 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Isn’t VBIRX really just another VMMXX in effect?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 368
Isn’t VBIRX really just another VMMXX in effect?
I’m fiddling with my AA. I’ve decided how much I want in easily accessible cash, which I typically put in VMMXX. But if I then decide to distribute my bond allocation into, say, intermediate term, short term, and any other “flavor” of bonds, aren’t I really, in effect, just increasing my “easily acc...
- Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:23 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Terminology for a newbie
- Replies: 6
- Views: 757
Re: Terminology for a newbie
Thx especially for referring me to the dictionary of acronyms. I’d never known that’s here. It’s very helpful!
- Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:26 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Terminology for a newbie
- Replies: 6
- Views: 757
Re: Terminology for a newbie
Thanks everyone!
- Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:48 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Terminology for a newbie
- Replies: 6
- Views: 757
Terminology for a newbie
Hi. I just joined a couple weeks ago. I like to check this board every couple days to see if there are fresh messages on topics I’m interested in. I understand personal investing fairly well for an amateur, at least if our portfolio is any indication. But I just ran into a couple terms I don’t under...
- Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Vang Variable Annuity quarterly fees under Transameric
- Replies: 2
- Views: 225
Re: Vang Variable Annuity quarterly fees under Transameric
Ok. Thx. If that’s right (I’m not questioning you; I’m just agreeing with your skepticism re Transamerica!) I’d be assessed a fee this past week, on or about Jan. 11. Actually, the reason I thought of this at all is that since a week or so ago there seems to have been a small decrease in my share ba...
- Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:50 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Vang Variable Annuity quarterly fees under Transameric
- Replies: 2
- Views: 225
Vang Variable Annuity quarterly fees under Transameric
I’ve got a Vanguard Variable Annuity that is now being tracked and administered by Transamerica, not Vanguard. Under Vang, it got charged quarterly fees, and had the bookkeeping transfer not occurred in early December, the next such fee would have been charged a few days ago on January 9 (at least t...
- Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:40 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Mutual Fund Performance Tracker
- Replies: 1
- Views: 159
Re: Mutual Fund Performance Tracker
What about Morningstar?
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Where to put my US bond allocation
- Replies: 4
- Views: 499
Re: Where to put my US bond allocation
Yeah, I agree. I've pretty much decided (since I posted the OP!) to keep it simple, stupid! One short term high quality fund, one med qual med sensitivity fund like VBTLX (that my wife's $ is in and she's not inclined to change, so I'll keep it there), and then some % of our total bond allocation in...
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: What's Vanguard Saying Today re developed vs emerg mkt stock allocation?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 417
What's Vanguard Saying Today re developed vs emerg mkt stock allocation?
I don't know how to find Vanguard's generic investment advice on their public website and I don't currently pay them to be my own advisor. So I wonder if any of you happen to know what their latest allocation advice is with respect to how to split a foreign stock allocation into developed vs emergin...
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:51 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Where to put my US bond allocation
- Replies: 4
- Views: 499
Where to put my US bond allocation
I’m caught in the paralysis of analysis!😱 I’ve got my stock/bond allocation pretty much worked out. I’m not sure how I want to spread the bond part. I don’t want a lot of interest rate sensitivity and I won’t take much credit risk. So those both move me to a high quality/low-to-med interest rate sen...
- Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Mutual fund shares or ETF of same fund
- Replies: 17
- Views: 889
Re: Mutual fund shares or ETF of same fund
Good replies, everyone. The article helped a lot. Overall, it sounds as if, compared with my lifelong familiarity and comfort level with funds, it's another example of "if it ain't broke...."
- Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:20 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: How to determine my annual return rate with contributions
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1382
Re: How to determine my annual return rate with contributions
I have a suggestion. I'm not sure if it constitutes advice to use or buy something, which I may not be allowed to make. If it is, I'm sure the board admin will deep six this, but if it passes them, here's what I do. For decades, I've used a marvelous program called Fund Manager to track all my inves...
- Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:02 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Mutual fund shares or ETF of same fund
- Replies: 17
- Views: 889
Mutual fund shares or ETF of same fund
I'm a fairly experienced personal investor with years of generally good results using Vang index funds and making most of my own decisions, after reading a lot of advice, etc., and other due diligence. We're in our 70s and our portfolio is sufficient for our needs. Our SS and my pensions cover our r...
- Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: International Bonds?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 2134
Re: International Bonds?
I’ve got the same question. While working on some typical year end asset allocation and rebalancing alternatives, I’ve been running my ideas through Morningstar’s X-ray tool. Very informative. It shows that right now VTABX is squarely in the “medium quality extended interest rate sensitive” part of ...
- Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:11 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Vanguard Short Term Inv Grade fund as "cash" replacment?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 2358
Re: Vanguard Short Term Inv Grade fund as "cash" replacment?
One more probably minor thing to think about when choosing any Vanguard short term parking lot for cash: I use the vanilla money market fund and I do write checks on it for QCDs etc. They just tinkered with it a few months ago, and how it allows me to keep using the check writing feature did change....
- Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1328
Re: Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
Right, sport. Thx for reminding me. See also my global reply to all earlier posts, which I was sending as you were sending yours! We're on the same page, I'm sure!
- Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:47 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1328
Re: Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
Thank you, one and all! These are good comments. The kind of dialogue I wanted to start and benefit from. I'll try to answer them all in one reply, and I'll try to keep it clear who I'm replying to. With respect to deciding to take withholding along the way, no offense but that's a nonstarter for me...
- Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:07 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1328
Possible tax penalty if I take entire RMD right now
I understand RMDs. My wife and I are both mid 70s. We also pay estimated fed and state taxes throughout the year rather than have anything withheld when we take an RMD. We have no problems doing this and I’m not asking if we should. My question is about the tax aspects of the timing of taking either...
- Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:14 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Are the FANG stocks and similar "growth" or "value" these days
- Replies: 6
- Views: 458
Re: Are the FANG stocks and similar "growth" or "value" these days
Thx. I guess the issue for me first is to decide how I feel about having any of my $ in stuff like MS, Amazon! Apple, etc. Then, once I decide, I guess if I decide I don’t want so much in them I’ll have to underweight lg cap, period, not just lg cap value or growth or blend, and overweight mid and s...
- Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:04 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Efficient frontier
- Replies: 1
- Views: 215
Efficient frontier
Does anyone make use of the efficient frontier concept in deciding how to allocate among a group of funds you are considering? I understand the concept. I’m just asking if there’s any easy way I could use it to decide if any particular mix of funds I’m thinking of using might have too much risk. If ...
- Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:45 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Help me understand TIPS vs other short term bond funds
- Replies: 4
- Views: 575
Help me understand TIPS vs other short term bond funds
I'm new here. Looks like a good source of smart information. I have a general question to help me learn something. I'm 76, reasonably well off with most of our portfolio in various Vang funds. I use typical asset allocation ideas and I typically rebalance annually. I'm working on that now and I'll m...
- Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:38 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Are the FANG stocks and similar "growth" or "value" these days
- Replies: 6
- Views: 458
Are the FANG stocks and similar "growth" or "value" these days
Hi. Just joined. Looks like a valuable place for good info. I'll start with one general question. I'm 76, comfortably retired with most of our funds in various Vang funds, which I rebalance annually using typical asset allocation ideas. I'm doing that now, and I'll make some adjustments in a week or...