Investment

» smile_1 - Asset Assessment Tools????

In response to Asset Assessment Tools???? posted by stocktiger:
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Add E*Traade to that list for Morningstar - x-ray, if you have an account there.
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You can do the analysis on your actual account or set up a watchlist and do the analysis on either or both.

Adding a watchlist is very easy, just enter tickers separated by commas or spaces, and either press done to get the analysis or update your holdings for cost basis, shares held etc.

Sweet.

-- posted by smile_1

» Happy_2 - Vanguard Portfolio Watch Allocation

I was kind of surprised when I used the Vanguard Portfolio Watch program to determine my recommended asset allocation.

The answer came out a surprising 100% stocks. I guess this is because I said I would not need the money for 15 years and I had a high tolerance for risk.

I would have thought it would be more like 80:20 at the most.

-- posted by Happy_2

» runner26 - YTD, June 2007

I am conservatively invested, retired, and have critical mass.
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I have 14.8 % in MM and CD's yielding 5 to 6%.
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I have 49.5% in equities, large/medium/small cap, weighting heavier to large and value at this time. (about 80/20 domestic/foreign).
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I have 35.7% in bonds (Vanguard GNMA's, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, I-bonds, Treasuries).
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Total return YTD through June is 5.4%.
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Real estate is not included.
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Funds held with YTD returns:
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Vanguard Emerging Market - VEIEX 17.92
Dodge & Cox International - DODFX - 12.00
Vanguard International Value - VTRIX - 11.85
Vanguard Developed Markets - VDMIX - 10.81
Vanguard Total Stock Adm - VTSAX - 7.51
Dodge & Cox Stock - DODGX - 7.23
Vanguard Wellington Adm - VWENX - 6.20
Vanguard Short-Term - VFSTX - 2.03
Vanguard GNMA - VFIIX - 0.63

-- posted by runner26

» allancoleman - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by runner26:

As runner26 , I am conservatively invested , retired , and have critical mass .

I have zero percent in equities . Most of my fixed income is scattered between a stable value income fund in my 401(k) that returned 3.0% ytd and , GNMAs , and other money market funds .

Total return YTD is 2.98% in my Invested portfolio NOT counting real estate and my ever decreasing bucket number one that accounts for my living expenses .

Total return YTD is 4.98% in my Total portfolio counting real estate using very conservative tax assessed valuations and my bucket number one . My withdrawal rate based on my 2006 living expenses was 1.93% from bucket number one of this Total portfolio .

Look forward the second half of 2007 of investing half my total assets in the stock market if a suitable buying opportunity offers itself and buying more GNMAs below my average $9.95333 nav price .

-- posted by allancoleman

» retiredinprescot - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by allancoleman:

As with runner26 and allancoleman, I am conservatively invested, retired and hopefully have critical mass. My wife and I retired young (52 and 46 respectively) so we have to live on our assets which must also cover healthcare. I set my budget each January for the year based on generally not exceeding 4% withdrawal for that year. If we have a year where total investment returns exceed 8% I skim a bit off the top for a "slush fund" for the upcoming year which I feel we can spend on an extra vacation or towards a new car, etc.
I am invested currently as follows:
28% US equities
3.5% international equities
5% Bonds (Fidelity Floating Rate High Income and Vanguard GNMA)
2% "real return" assets such as Fidelity Strategic Real Return
20% public non-traded REITS yielding 6%
41.5% Stable Value Fund (401K) yielding 5.35%. I may roll over the Stable Value Fund to Vanguard GNMA Admiral if GNMA rates get much higher.

My YTD return through end of June is 4.6% which is OK with me.

-- posted by retiredinprescot

» Happy_2 - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by retiredinprescot:

What is a public non-traded REIT?
Examples.

-- posted by Happy_2

» retiredinprescot - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by Happy_2:

Public non-traded REITS are similar to REITS which trade on the exchanges like a stock but these are issued at a fixed price (typically $10 per share) and they don't trade. They typically pay a higher dividend than a traded REIT and you have no price volatility (good for a lot of retirees). They will typically mature in 7-10 years at which point they either list on an exchange or sell the properties and distribute the proceeds.
The downside of these vehicles is that you don't get the potential for big price swings (up or down) and they are not considered to be "liquid" investments. I think of them as a super charged bond that you plan to hold to maturity. The ones that we have owned which have matured in the past couple of years did provide some price appreciation when matured or bought out by another company and a steady dividend. Dividends today are running around 6%. Some names: HINES, CNL, CB Richard ELLIS, WELLS. The same rules apply to them as for other public but TRADED REITS.
Please note: I am not advocating these investments for anyone else; They are part of my asset allocation (and my wife's) and they have functioned nicely for us as part of our longer term fixed income allotment at 10-20% of our total assets.

-- posted by retiredinprescot

» Happy_2 - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by retiredinprescot:
thanks for the information.
You said,the ones that you had owned which have matured in the past couple of years did provide some price appreciation.
How much percentage wise, and over how long a time?

I do have some assets in TIC's that I have gotten through 1031 exchanges. They pay 7% guaranteed. All income is off-set by depreciation, so the income is essentially tax free. By far the biggest reason I went into these was to avoid paying 30% of the profit from the exchange property, in taxes. As far as appreciation, none have reached maturity. The market for institutional size properties have sizzled these last five years.

-- posted by Happy_2

» retiredinprescot - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by Happy_2:

Hi Happy_2,
I'll give you a couple of examples. We purchased CNL Hotels and Resorts REIT in 2003. We were getting 6% annual dividends paid quarterly. We reinvested those at a 5% discount. In 2007 the REIT was acquired and we were paid a few percent more than the NAV.
So we made our 6% annually plus a small bonus.

We also had CNL Retirement Properties REIT which I consider to be a "home run". It too was acquired by another entity at a 20+% boost in NAV. It also paid 6% dividends while we held it.

This year our WELLS REIT matures at the end of the year. We have been getting solicitations to sell our shares to other concerns at ever increasing values above the NAV. I expect that we will probably get 10-20% above the fixed NAV plus we have gotten 5 years of 7% dividends.

I don't know if these results are typical as the commercial Real Estate market has been particularly good the past few years.

We recently rolled over our REIT money from the matured REITS into a new CB Richard Ellis REIT which is buying commercial properties all over the world, not just in the US. It is a bit more aggressive than the others with potential for more price appreciation at maturity down the road (perhaps 10 yrs?) but a smaller 5.5% dividend while you wait. Like I said, I look at these as supercharged bonds; not as a replacement for equities.

-- posted by retiredinprescot

» Happy_2 - YTD, June 2007

In response to YTD, June 2007 posted by retiredinprescot:
Sounds like these have been a good investment for you.
I did a little research and am not sure why a non-traded
reit is better than a traded reit. Both carry the same risks.
You just don't know where you are with the non-traded reit until things are completed. Maybe ignorance is bliss.
Also the load fee on the Wells REIT is 14.5%. There is
only the trading spread on the traded reit's. Also the
traded reit' are totally liquid. I guess this could be a bad thing for some.

But, for me the biggest downer is the fact you can't do a 1031 exchange out of these. It is the end of the line as far as unrecognized gains are concerned. I have been exchanging this way since 1977.

-- posted by Happy_2