It’s November!
Had you noticed?
That means so many things, so many changes. It’s the onset of The Golden Quarter, aka Fourth Quarter Holiday Retail Season when an inexplicable sense of panic and social obligation separates consumers from Continue reading
How simply can we invest without getting too simple? Three of my largest holdings are multi-cap core funds held in accounts managed by Fidelity, Vanguard, or myself. I own Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF (VTI), Fidelity Strategic Advisers US Total Stock (FCTDX), and Vanguard Tax-Managed Capital Appreciation Admiral (VTCLX). What is under the hood of these funds and how well do they perform compared to the market?
According to the Refinitiv Lipper U.S. Mutual Fund Classifications, multi-cap core funds “by portfolio practice, invest in a variety of market capitalization ranges without Continue reading
On November 1, 2024, the former AlphaCentric Strategic Income Fund was rebranded as AlphaCentric Real Income Fund with a new sub-advisor, broader strategy, and new expense ratio to accompany its new name.
CrossingBridge Advisors will manage the investment strategy by employing a team approach. Portfolio managers are T. Kirk Whitney, CFA, who joined the firm as an analyst in 2013, Spencer Rolfe, who first joined in 2017, and David Sherman, CIO. CrossingBridge, with over $3.2 billion in assets as of 8/31/24 was Continue reading
On October 15, 2024, Bridgeway Capital launched Bridgeway Global Opportunities Fund (BRGOX), a long/short equity fund that will pursue long-term positive absolute returns while limiting exposure to general stock market risk. Using advanced quantitative modeling, the fund will hold 250-300 long positions and 250-300 short positions. The portfolio is designed with a bias toward quality, value, and sentiment. It will otherwise be neutral as to country, size, sector, and beta. That is, it will shoot for a beta of zero, a net China exposure of zero, and so on.
The fund will be managed by a Bridgeway team led by Co-Chief Investment Officer Jacob Pozharny, PhD. He joined Continue reading
For most of us, saving money is the first step to investing, yet 25% to 35% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. This article looks at why people are living paycheck to paycheck and how lower- and middle-income Americans in particular may be able to increase emergency savings leading to saving more for retirement. The concepts are just as relevant to higher-income people as well.
In addition to volunteering at Habitat For Humanity, I also volunteer at a local non-profit organization, Neighbor To Neighbor, which offers programs in eviction avoidance, utility shut-off avoidance, affordable housing, housing search, foreclosure prevention, and counseling including financial coaching, debt consolidation, and reverse mortgages. Many of the people seeking assistance at Neighbor To Neighbor have experienced Continue reading
AKRE Focus ETF is in registration. The Fund invests primarily in securities of companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Investments consist primarily of common stocks of companies of any size market capitalization. John H. Neff will be the portfolio manager. Expenses have not been disclosed. Mr. Neff also comanages Akre Focus Fund, which was founded by the namesake Charles Akre. Mr. Akre was remarkable, engaging, and … well, old. He retired from day-to-day management about three years ago. Since then Akre Focus Fund has performed in the way it was designed: exceptional in down markets, reasonable in up markets. In the absence of Mr. Akre, that seems not to have convinced shareholders to stay:
In the fund’s three “laggard” years, including 2024, it’s made an average Continue reading
Dear friends,
Welcome to the Samhain / the coming of the dark edition of the Mutual Fund Observer!
October is an interesting month. Traditionally perilous for the financial markets. It begins with the sullen remnants of summer and ends with festivals of the harvest (even for those of us in cities) and of the coming season when nature slips into dormancy. Halloween, whose sales now begin in August and whose iconic ghouls now Continue reading
On September 29, 2023, Mr. Pabrai started the Pabrai Wagons Fund (WAGNX/WGNIX), a ‘40 Act mutual fund, offering retail investors a vehicle to invest in his stock ideas.
Mohnish Pabrai, quoting ChatGPT, is a value investor heavily inspired by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, with a focus on long-term, concentrated bets on undervalued companies. He founded Pabrai Investment Funds, where he manages private partnerships that mirror Buffett’s approach, often emphasizing the importance of patience and low-risk, high-return opportunities.
He has written two notable books: Continue reading
Investors waited impatiently as the Federal Reserve considered cutting interest rates. Will it be 0.25% or 0.5%? They finally cut rates by 0.5% on September 18th. The S&P 500 is up 20% year to date as investors contemplated whether we would have a recession or manage the elusive soft landing. There have been three periods this year where the market fell 5% or more. The S&P 500 has been relatively flat for the past three months but spiked over 1% after the Fed made the cut.
My survival instinct tells me to sell stocks and buy bonds, but my self-control tells me Continue reading
In addition to volunteering at Habitat For Humanity, I also volunteer at Neighbor To Neighbor which offers programs in eviction avoidance, utility shut-off avoidance, affordable housing, housing search, foreclosure prevention, and counseling including Financial Coaching, Debt Consolidation, and reverse mortgages, among other services. My role is to prescreen people to get assistance within Neighbor To Neighbor and direct them to external sources of assistance.
As a housing opportunity resource for Northern Colorado, Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) services are designed to meet each individual where they are now – from homeless and low-income individuals seeking a place to live; to families needing assistance to secure their existing homes; to prospective buyers ready to explore the homebuying process. Our trained housing professionals assist clients through obstacles and develop personalized solutions to help them achieve their housing goals.
Neighbor To Neighbor’s Financial Coaching includes Continue reading