Help with taxable account

[Morpheussion17]

Hi there!!!

I'm an md, and I dont know much about finances. I'm planning to open a taxable account in vanguard and start investing close to 30K. Should I go index funds, if so how to distribute my money among them? How good is the merriman model (vanguard index funds)?Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Animorph]

I like the FundAdvice buy and hold asset allocation. I follow it, with a few small tweaks (mostly an additional energy allocation) and my own fund selections at Fidelity. It's a solid choice, as are the index funds. Watch the fund minimums, I think some of the cheap funds at Vanguard can have high minimums, and this AA has a lot of funds.

 

[LOL!]

Since you mention md and vanguard in the same sentence, you need to go to the place where there are lots of md's and Vanguard admirers for investment advice: Bogleheads :: View Forum - Investing - Help with Personal Investments

I think the Merriman model is outstanding, but so are many other models. And some typical models are only slightly less outstanding than the Merriman model. That is, it won't make much difference.

BUT ... and it's a big BUT: The Merriman model is not necessarily suitable for a taxable account. You really want to get your asset location correct now for the most tax efficiency. Go to the bogleheads link and start reading.

 

[travelover]

Like LOL says, watch the capital gains in a taxable account. I just use the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index fund for my taxable account - low costs, minimal capital gains. A managed fund will have more turnover and inherently more CG.

 

[DblDoc]

I second LOL!. Check out Bogleheads and their recommended reading. You can post your asset allocation plan over there as well once you have one and they will be happy to critique it. As you are opening a taxable account asset location becomes as important as allocation.

I'm also an MD and I applaud you getting an early start to retirement planning. Avoid trying to keep up with the "Jones, MD" lifestyle and you will be way ahead of the game.

DD