2016 YTD investment performance thread

[MichaelB]

We're up 6.2% YTD. I've done some shifting of the portfolio so far this year, if I had to discount the hours & labor cost spent in portfolio mgm't, we'd be losing when compared with the passive Wellesley / Wellington combo that REWahoo has.

 

[redduck]

I could have done better if I had put more in my winners, such as Cummins (30.5% YTD), ATT (29.1% YTD), Verizon (24% YTD), Utility ETF XLU (22.3%), or Walmart (21.2%), J&J (19.6%),

It appears that I am in good company as I own (except for Cummins) all those stocks and the ETF in my dividend portfolio. I imagine that most people whom invest in dividend stocks pretty much own the same group.

 

[dvalley]

According to Personal Capital:

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE
184-DAY CHANGE 6.07%

Stock performance:
You Index™
184-DAY 4.26%

 

[youbet]

Wow, a lot of good YTD gains. Most of us are beating the market. I am impressed. Let's keep it up.

Yes! It's amazing how a site with so many index investors has so many reporting beating the indexes.

 

[audreyh1]

I suppose having 20% of our equities in international has been a drag. But we're 53% equities broadly diversified, 37% fixed income. I'm surprised at all the >5% year to date results. I suppose a value oriented portfolio with no international exposure is really beating a more broadly diversified one!

 

[MichaelB]

Yes! It's amazing how a site with so many index investors has so many reporting beating the indexes.

Interesting, isn't it? What I would find useful in these performance threads is how people's portfolios were performing vs their particular benchmarks.

 

[NW-Bound]

It appears that I am in good company as I own (except for Cummins) all those stocks and the ETF in my dividend portfolio. I imagine that most people whom invest in dividend stocks pretty much own the same group.

No international for you, I presume.

 

[photoguy]

We're up 4.0% as of 6/30. AA is 65% equities, 35% fixed income (20% in cash & cash equivalents, rest in bonds).

Of our equities 58% in US, 42% in international (ouch).

Main winners in portfolio:

REIT: 13%
large and small value: 7-10%
short term corporate bond: 3%
intermediate total bond: 5.5%
EM: 7.5%
international real estate: 5.8%

The REITs are somewhat surprising since I think since the past few years, everyone has been saying their expected return sucks and they will likely go nowhere.

Bonds have continued to be a good bet for us and I will likely keep them over CDs unless the rate is over 2%.

 

[redduck]

No international for you, I presume.

The dividend portfolio has only one international company: Unilever (UL).
But, it has Boeing, Cisco, Caterpillar (darn), G.E., McDonalds, and a few other companies that get about half their sales from outside the U.S..

 

[NW-Bound]

It appears that I am in good company as I own (except for Cummins) all those stocks and the ETF in my dividend portfolio. I imagine that most people whom invest in dividend stocks pretty much own the same group.

Hey, where's the guy who said he would be watching you?

Oops, I spilled the bean.

 

[Totoro]

That sounds more like me, that is the 3.7%. Some of the numbers mentioned in this thread seem astronomical in todays market, possibly we have some budding hedge fund managers or very good market timers.

Another option: my portfolio is in Euro (I live in the Eurozone).

Index trackers: +2.3%
Individual portfolio: +13.5%

 

[devans0]

Probably not the typical mix on this board.

Merriman has these in his Ultimate Buy and Hold portfolio. I hold these in Fidelity ETFs. I'll have to calculate my YTD return.

I pulled out a chunk for a kitchen renovate, a bathroom complete gut and renovate, new flooring through most of the house, a piano, and a new block wall, a rock fill-in and new patio over it. Even with the spending, we are still be positive for 2016.

Edit added 8.49% YTD.

 

[eytonxav]

Merriman has these in his Ultimate Buy and Hold portfolio. I hold these in Fidelity ETFs. I'll have to calculate my YTD return.

I am surprised he would have emerging market bonds or municipals (except for taxable ports) in his buy and hold model portfolio.

Any how, my thinking was skewed due my ports having a large cash position, and that made me attribute some of the strong results reported in the thread to brilliance or timing which clearly is not the case, so can easily see how some folks could have double digit performance. While I like dry powder, I should probably cap it at 10-15% in the future

 

[RobbieB]

I'm up 10%.

 

[LOL!]

Interesting, isn't it? What I would find useful in these performance threads is how people's portfolios were performing vs their particular benchmarks.

Bond index funds have done well this year as have the actively-managed Wellesley and Wellington with their significant bond positions and value tilts. So folks with less international stocks and more bonds have to be happy.

So some YTD (through 1-July) fund returns:
7.94% Wellesley (38/62)
5.29% Wellington (66/34)
4.87% VBIAX Balanced index (60/40, no foreign stocks)
4.15% VTXVX Target Retirement 2015 (47/53)
4.05% VTWNX Target Retirement 2020 (58/42 AA)
3.84% VTTVX Target Retirement 2025 (66/34)

 

[Lsbcal]

Yes the large value + intermediate bonds portfolio has done well over the last 6 months. Better then mine which has more diversification.

I have yet to find a portfolio combination that is not beaten some percentage of the time. I have a benchmark test for myself that compares my portfolio to one based on Wellington and another with just index funds. Mine beats these benchmarks 67% of the time in the last 23 years of rolling 12 month returns. Right now it is not the winner.

 

[eta2020]

I must be the only one with YTD return which is roughly in line with S&P 500.


Lot of very smart/lucky people here.

 

[jimbee]

I'm up about 4.5% with a 50/50 equity/bond allocation. My 50% bond fraction has outperformed my 50% stock fraction.

 

[RobbieB]

It's not me, it's my 1% AUM wealth manager dude that did it.

Blame him, it's his fault.

 

[523HRR]

IRR thru 6/30 = 4.7% (80% equities)

 

[jollystomper]

Up 2.67% with roughly 42% stock/58% bonds.

 

[nash031]

As of today's semi-annual review, 3.89% for the year. 85/15, with 70/30 Domestic/Int'l stock split. Mostly index funds for now.

 

[target2019]

Sat, Jul 2, 2016*at 7:08 PM
Dividends
Yield On Cost 4.44%
Current Yield 3.73%
Wellington (VWENX)2.61%
Performance Gain YTD 11.41%
Wellington (VWENX)5.06%

 

[robnplunder]

Yes! It's amazing how a site with so many index investors has so many reporting beating the indexes.

I think many of us have balanced portfolio with significant percentage in bond funds. Bond funds have outperformed the S&P 500 index YDT. I think most of us with balanced portfolio may be outperforming the market thanks to the diversification.

 

[NW-Bound]

I never have more than 5% in bonds. With 60% equities (1/3 of that in international) and 35% in low-yielding cash, my stocks have to work hard for the portfolio to catch up with the index.

Darn, bonds have not crashed as I feared. They do however go up and down as the threat of interest rate hike by the Fed flows and ebbs. I should learn to go in/out of them to pick up a few more pennies.