newsletter for disipline

[mathjak107]

for the last decade or so i subscribed to a newsletter that catered to fidelity funds.we have done great following the news letter..the growth mix in 87 was worth 100,000 ...today thru it all it just broke 1 million...at times i think i would like to try something else .i can easly put together a lower er mix of funds ..maybe even do better on my own..but the one thing im afraid to give up is the disipline the newsletter gave us thru all the horrific drops ...so many times i think i would have bailed in the 2000 drop.the newsletter kept us in and we toughed it out only to go one to new highs....anyone else find the disipline of a plan is the most important part of their investing? and do you have trouble on your own following thru long term?

 

[Nords]

...anyone else find the disipline of a plan is the most important part of their investing?

DCA'ing has been claimed to be more valuable for the discipline it bestows upon investors than for its returns.

Theoretically we'd all do better by accumulating lump sums of cash and dumping them in the market during downturns, but those are the fire sales that most investors run away from. DCA may return a little less than lump-sum timing, but the regular doses of small amounts allows compounding to work its magic.

If you started with $100K in 1987 and did not invest any additional funds, then over the last 19 years your average return was about 12.9%. Presumably that's after expenses, also. Is that the case?

 

[mathjak107]

yes no other funds put in except reinvested dividends

 

[riskadverse]

...at times i think i would like to try something else .i can easly put together a lower er mix of funds ..maybe even do better on my own......anyone else find the disipline of a plan is the most important part of their investing? and do you have trouble on your own following thru long term?

If you have something that works and you can follow the discipline, stick with it.   I think following a system is the most important part.  That said, I have problems doing just that.  However, I would have even more problems following someone elses system.  I just don't have that much trust or faith. 

 

[Spanky]

mathjak107,

13% annualized is pretty impressive. If the newsletter has been good to you, why are you comtemplating of dropping it? Is it cost saving? Are you having doubts about the newsletter? I am in support of newsletters. Some are better than others. Some do make money for their subscribers. However, the publisher of the newsletter makes the most money.

Spanky

 

[Gone4Good]

Heh, heh, heh

Had this discussion just today with my wife. We both read a report about avian flu that scared the bejeezus out of both of us. "Can't we just monitor the situation and pull our money out before it gets really bad?" she says. "That's not how it works." I reply.

I know there is a **** storm on the horizon. It may be avian flu, or something completely different. The only thing I can do is stick to the plan, and hope for the best - sitting on the sidelines is not a viable option.

 

[mathjak107]

dont get me wrong i love the newsletter..but i guess its our quest to always try to do better...im not sure i have the discipline to follow my own plane where im calling the shots when the going gets tough....and so the newsletter i will stay

 

[Jane_Doe]

MathJak-

Do you mind giving more details as to the name of the newsletter? (or is it TOP SECRET? ) Seriously - can you share - website, cost, frequency of publication, etc. Thanks!

Also, is it possible for you to follow the strategy of this newsletter but you slowly change your funds from the higher ER ones to lower Vanguard (or similar) funds? Wouldn't that help in your situation? Why or why not? (Please explain your answer - again if you don't mind! : ) Thanks!

Jane

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

It sure is easy to succumb to panic and sell. When I was young, I owned Magellan, when it was still a world-beater. It dropped 10% one time, I panicked and sold. Later, I felt kinda dumb and resolved to educate myself better.

That was before I had learned anything about market history. The little coffeehouse investor book has some simple charts that show the data that really helped me calm down, showing what was the worst that could happen: 10 years below sea level, IF you only had one asset class! Having been a young investor during the early 70's gave me a feel for what a bad market could be like and I lived through that, so I figured if I wised up, I could survive another. I learned how to diversify. That gave me confidence so that I didn't flinch in 1987, which reinforced the feeling that, Yes! I can do this!

My sister and her husband own individual stocks. They got spooked (I can see why!) and bailed out of the market during the tech bust, probably a little late, and took a long time to get back in. As near as I can tell, maybe they are back where they started by now. By being diversified and "staying the course", I am way ahead of where I was when they sold. Mutual funds really help me stay calm.

 

[Spanky]

Jane,

For Fidelity funds, http://www.fidelityadviser.com/.
For Vangaurd funds, http://www.adviseronline.com/disclaimer.php

Disclaimer: I do not subscribe them or endorse them.

Spanky

 

[AFloat]

I’ve used Fidelity Adviser for the last 6 years and feel very good with it. Dion’s approach seems reasonable and it matches my temperament. I’ve just started using his Fidelity Sector newsletter with about 15% of my portfolio to try to squeeze out another percent or so without taking on too much more risk.

All my investments are in Fidelity and I tried other newsletters but this one seemed to click with me.

 

[mathjak107]

i like fidelity insight and fidelity monitor...performance is very close...fidelity monitor is a tad more aggessive right now than fidelity insight so i use their growth and income and capital preservation mix ..im toning it down a bunch as im getting older....i like fidelity insights growth mix,,,

 

[mathjak107]

MathJak-

Do you mind giving more details as to the name of the newsletter? (or is it TOP SECRET?    )  Seriously - can you share - website, cost, frequency of publication, etc.  Thanks! 

Also, is it possible for you to follow the strategy of this newsletter but you slowly change your funds from the higher ER ones to lower Vanguard (or similar) funds?  Wouldn't that help in your situation?  Why or why not? (Please explain your answer -  again if you don't mind!  : )   Thanks!

Jane   

the funds are strictley fidelity only fund..for the performance ive gotten as well as the hand holding ive gotten when things were tough in the early 2000,s the fidelity expense ratio's are just fine.it would be dfficult to use other funds in the mix as there funds are carefully matched based on weightings and holdings ..the info given on funds as far as that stuff is usually not all that current.eric kobren seems to be pretty up to date on that knowledge .that helps put the mix together with little overlap in holdings.you can find similiar funds in other families but not the same holdings.you can buy an international fund and a domestic fund without realizing they both hold monstor positions in say sony.
i prefer the the newsletters myself.....the structure and discipline of having something to follow and stick to other than the seat of our pants has worked great

 

[Jane_Doe]

Spanky - Thanks for the links - I have bookmarked them and will delve into them when I get a chance later on. :

QUOTE from MathJak's reply:
eric kobren seems to be pretty up to date on that knowledge .that helps put the mix together with little overlap in holdings.you can find similiar funds in other families but not the same holdings.you can buy an international fund and a domestic fund without realizing they both hold monstor positions in say sony.
i prefer the the newsletters myself.....the structure and discipline of having something to follow and stick to other than the seat of our pants has worked great

MathJak- Thanks for the explanation - makes more sense now. DH & I will be selling some real estate and investing the proceeds for our retirement fund. I really am unsure how and where I will invest yet - leaning towards Vanguard, but have heard good things here about Fidelity as well. I will probably do a set-it and forget-it port, but I'm impressed with your earnings voa the newsletter.

Can't wait to join the ER club!!

Jane

 

[bosco]

i like fidelity insight and fidelity monitor...performance is very close...fidelity monitor is a tad more aggessive right now than fidelity insight so i use their growth and income and capital preservation mix ..im toning it down a bunch as im getting older....i like fidelity insights growth mix,,,

I've been a Fidelity Insight subscriber for over 15 years. The publisher, Eric Kobren, used to be a Fidelity fund manager. He maintains presonal connections with Fidelity, but has no official affiliation with them.

While I don't follow his model portfolios, I find his opinions well worth the price of the newsletter. He is very free with his opinions about who the good managers are, and alerts subscribers if Fidelity makes changes that may adversly affect investors.

I haven't subscribed to Fidelity monitor because the 403(b) is locked into Fidelity right now and monitor, unlike insight, has it's horizon extended to cover other fund families. It's been a while since I have subscribed to it, but if it is of the same qualitiy of insight, it would be worth the $120 per year or so.