Index Funds
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Annual Performance Ranking of Various iShares Exchange-Traded Funds
Monday, January 10th, 2011I spent some time putting together the returns of some different asset class (LargeCap, MidCap, SmallCap, International, Emerging Markets, REIT, and Bond) Exchange-Traded Funds offered through iShares. I then took that information and ranked the performance for each year. I only used full-year returns. The earliest year for full-year returns was 2002. Not all of [...]
The 7Twelve Portfolio’s Performance for 2010
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011Here are the year-end returns for the 7Twelve Portfolio that was detailed in Craig Israelsen’s book, 7Twelve: A Diversified Investment Portfolio with a Plan*: As you can see, the results looks pretty good—especially when you consider the fact that one-third of the portfolio is in bonds and cash. Dr. Israelsen gives much more detailed information [...]
“7 Twelve” Portfolio October 2010 Update
Monday, November 1st, 2010Here are the total returns for the 7 Twelve Portfolio through October 2010 (Click to see a larger version): NOTES: This portfolio assumes $1,000,000 initial investment with a 5% income withdrawal on December 31, 2009 for a net investment of $950,000. The portfolio also does not include trading costs. The Vanguard REIT Index ETF is [...]
S&P Indice 2010 Year-to-Date Performance Through October
Monday, November 1st, 2010October 2010′s 3.81% total return for the S&P 500 Index was its best October return since 2003. October’s positive return brought the year-to-date return for the index 7.84%. The Midcap and Smallcap indexes have performed much better so far this year. Interestingly, the Barclay’s Aggregate Bond Index has outperformed the S&P 500 so far this [...]
Another Equity Indexed Annuity I Would Avoid
Friday, September 10th, 2010My friend, Allan Roth, posted an article today about an equity indexed annuity that he came across (you can read Allan’s piece here). It’s an interesting piece that details certain tricks that companies use in order to lure people into their products. I want to focus on his trick #2 – “average annual” return. According [...]
A Hypothetical Conversation Between a Stock Picker and an Indexer
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010I saw this hypothetical conversation between a stock picker and an indexer by Larry Swedroe in the book I mentioned last night: Mutual Funds: Portfolio Structures, Analysis, Management, and Stewardship (Robert W. Kolb Series)*. Read the conversation and tell me what you think. My thoughts are at the end. Steve: I just bought a 1,000 [...]
Correlation In the Market is Making Life Difficult for Stock Pickers
Monday, July 12th, 2010An article in today’s WSJ talks about how the correlation (the tendency for stocks to move in the same direction) in the stock market is at high not seen since 1987. From the article: Earlier this year, when stocks were on the mend and investors were less anxious, the correlation between the S&P 500 and [...]
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