OK I'll start............. YTD returns on my IRA (easy to calculate since vanguard does it for me) 14.41%. Biggest gains in Vanguard international value and V international growth. Took out some gains and put into bonds to get back to my 60/40 allocation.......Shredder
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Vanguard does not give ytd returns on my IRA - just last 12 months which is from 11/30/05 to 11/30/06. So far it is 11.3% and that is Wellesley Income VWIAX (35/65)
I posted this in the other YTD thread, but put it here for reference as well.
Here are a set of reference returns for asset classes that I got from Vanguard:
Large cap domestic VFINX: 15.6%
Mid cap domestic VIMSX: 13.6%
Small cap domestic NAESX: 15.6%
Large cap international VGTSX: 26.6%
Small cap international VINEX: 30.3% (not an index fund, closed to new investors)
Emerging markets VEIEX: 29.4%
REITs VGSIX: 35.1%
Total bond VBMFX: 4.2%
So if you had an all equity portfolio of 33% large cap domestic, 33% small cap domestic, and 34% large cap international, your benchmark return would be:
0.33 * 15.6 + 0.33 * 15.6 + 0.34 * 26.6 = 19.3%
Value indexes did better than growth indexes. If you used value funds or added in REITs, small cap international or emerging markets then you goosed your returns.
A 60:40 equities:bonds portfolio with the above equity allocation would then be
0.60 * 19.3 + 0.40 * 4.2 = 13.3%.
Dodge&Cox Balanced fund returned 13.9%
Vanguard Target 2045 (VTIVX) returned 16%
Thanks to all that are contributing to the thread. I guess I'd like to make two quick points myself, because maybe I have either been understood, or I am misunderstanding (?):
1. My sharing of my own returns was not by way of bragging. I don't consider the returns at all exceptional, so my 'not too bad' comment meant literally that! And the comments regarding 'counting chickens prior to hatching' are on the mark, and clearly applicable. But c'mon, are we not going to take stock at year end? Maybe some are highly disciplined enough to ignore returns year to year, but I already self-confessed that is not me
2. However, I not only endorse the concept of buying and holding indexes, but I follow it as well; my own lagging against the returns that LOL! cites can be seen in one simple graph, below, where my own choice for a midcap fund (RPMGX) had a very weird drop at what looks like about two weeks ago, compared to the Vanguard-equivalent index LOL! cited that it usually tracks pretty close to (VIMSX).
I don't know what caused that loss with just a couple of biz days left in the year, but that is what caused my own overall underperformance. Still not complaining. FWIW, I had already decided to exchange RPMGX for the closest Vanguard equivalent I can get, VMGRX, due to lower fees ( 0.8% vs 0.4%) at rebalance time, however, it looks like VMGRX had the exact same end of year dip, so it would not have helped me on this performance:
Whenever I see a big drop like that in a chart, I assume that a distribution was paid out and the charting software or the data is uses is flawed.
For us (calculated by MSMoney) YTD is 16.2% with an asset allocation (stocks:bonds) that started at 90:10 and ended up at 80:20 by year end. That includes all accounts with money in them except the checking account. Equity YTD was 18%.
I must thank this forum for helping to straighten out my investment philosophy. There is no doubt that the hints, advice, and links posted on this forum have helped us along towards FIRE.
I pulled the top ten holdings in both VMGRX and RPMGX, and while there are some commonalities*, none of the individual top ten holdings has anything like the drop those two indexes had. Huh. Musta been something deeper down - I did not see what percentage the top ten have, but there is a cause somewhere that I have not seen yet. It's not an annual charge or distribution as near as I can tell because it does not show at all in any prior years. I am not too good at this stuff, good thing I am diversified and not a 'picker'...
VMGRX top ten = PAYX BBBY LAMR* KMX FAST E*Trade MSM SII TSCO JCOM
RPMGX top ten = ROP CCI COL HCR EOG CEPH LAMR* BJS DST MAN
In an up year, a chimp makes money and a few pundits like Cramer make millions because bandwagon subscribers give them credit. Let's talk during a down year when the braggin turns to, "Well, I'm only down. . . "
I think Helena, brewer12345 and Lex are right on. Unless you're cashing out today, it doesn't seem very prodcutive.
Jake 46
Years ago, I didn't worry about YTD returns. I never realized how far behind I was getting. Tracking returns at regular intervals forced me to accept reality and forced me to change investments and get on the bandwagon. So I have found it very productive.
Now you could write, "Go ahead and calculate all you want LOL!, but keep it to yourself." However, I think posting numbers helps confirm for folks that asset allocation is important and that indexing works.
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