Whatever happened to that vanguard dividend achievers fund?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I heard it was slated to launch in december, havent heard a peep since. Couldnt find anything on vanguards web site other than the original press release (and that wasnt super easy to find).

 

[retire@40]

I called Vanguard back in December. They were very vague about the delay from the initial ETA. They basically told me just to wait, but wouldn't tell me about how long.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I heard some scuttlebutt a while back that they were having some trouble with the 'dividend achievers' term being a copyright or a trademark. Maybe they're working that out.

 

[unclemick]

I hope not - I've been buying the book since 1993 and the price has gone up over the years -plus the 'marketing, PR and associated spin off's is in high gear' - I get the flyers - several products have rolled out in recent years.

Dividends are now in cycle - Wall Street never ever fails to feed the ducks.

Let's hope VG stays smart and 'cheap' - expenses wise.

I will let them use the Norwegian widow brand at a very competitive price.

heh heh heh heh

 

[Martha]

Mergent has a trademark registered for Mergent Dividend Achievers and one pending for Dividend Achievers. http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=v5j5jq.3.1

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well, if I were mergent, I'd have given vanguard enough positive greenlight in negotiations to get them to release their intent press release, then started to increase the costs for them to use the trademarked terms after they committed. I'm betting they're sitting at that impasse right now.

Going with the 'dividend achievers' brand probably draws the unclemicks of the world who have been longtime admirers of the strategy and plausibly buyers of the book and other tools and services. Good for vanguard to get instant brand appeal with a segment that probably isnt a big buyer of mutual funds. Not so good for mergent who sees brand expansion but may lose revenues. Go without the brand and its just another high dividend value fund and vanguard already has a boatful of those.

Unfortunately for us, we'll end up paying whatever vanguard gives up at the negotiating table to suit mergent as a higher ER.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I will let them use the Norwegian widow brand at a very competitive price

I might be interested then.

 

[retire@40]

Going with the 'dividend achievers' brand probably draws the unclemicks of the world who have been longtime admirers of the strategy and plausibly buyers of the book and other tools and services.  Good for vanguard to get instant brand appeal with a segment that probably isnt a big buyer of mutual funds.  Not so good for mergent who sees brand expansion but may lose revenues.  Go without the brand and its just another high dividend value fund and vanguard already has a boatful of those.

Unfortunately for us, we'll end up paying whatever vanguard gives up at the negotiating table to suit mergent as a higher ER.

Com'on, they can't break out a thesaurus to figure out another word for "achievers?"

It's not like trying to find a word that rhymes with purple or orange.

How about the Vanguard High Dividend Attainment Fund? Or, the Vanguard High Dividend Focused Fund, or the Vanguard Aggressive High Dividend Fund, or anything like that.

Isn't the Vanguard brand good enough? Why pay for something you don't need?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Not the point. The point is to draw people who follow mergents dividend achievers, and a lot of people have heard of it.

Making a fund that follows mergents strategies, and calling it the 'flying spaghetti monster fund' gains you nothing. They already have high dividend stock funds. They're looking to capture another segment of individual stock purchasers who buy mergents books and buy and hold via their strategies, only vanguard does the work for them. For a small fee.

 

[unclemick]

()

To use your words - ding ding ding!

A little mutual brand recognition - with the intent of benefiting both organizations.

 

[Nords]

Not the point.  The point is to draw people who follow mergents dividend achievers, and a lot of people have heard of it.

Making a fund that follows mergents strategies, and calling it the 'flying spaghetti monster fund' gains you nothing. 

Hey, if you don't have performance, you gotta have promotion!

 

[HFWR]

IOW, if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Eh, it works for me. I like the idea but I'm not up for buying a book and doing my own fiddle diddling and i'm not into buying individual stocks anymore. Should they actually launch the dang thing I might buy a chunk. No matter what the name is as long as they're following the strategy.

 

[retire@40]

Rumor has it that the Vanguard Dividend Achievers Fund will be available this March.