2017 YTD investment performance thread

[Golden sunsets]

OK made me look. PRR for the year to date without cash is 2.15%. Including cash it is 1.93%. I'll take it.

54/41/5

 

[trixs]

As of 3 Feb my total portfolio is up 2.45% mostly due to having 33% in international funds. Maybe this will be the year I don't regret having a high percentage in international...

For comparison sake here is my allocation.

Categories			ETF/Fund	Current %		Desired %
Fixed Income Allocation				25.49%		26.00%
Total Bond Market			BND, AGG	19.63%		13.00%
TSP G Fun			TSP G Fund	5.46%		13.00%
Cash			CASH	0.40%		0.00%
Total Stock Allocation				74.51%		74.00%
International Stock Allocation				33.63%		32.89%
Emerging Market			VWO	11.34%		10.97%
Regional - Pacific			VPL	11.26%		10.97%
Regional - Europe			VGK	11.03%		10.97%
United States Stock Allocation				40.89%		41.11%
United States REIT			VNQ	8.14%		8.22%
United States Small Cap Value			VBR	10.91%		10.96%
United States Large Cap Blend			VV	11.00%		10.96%
United States Large Cap Value			VTV	10.84%		10.96%

 

[atmsmshr]

FIDO says the 401k is up 3.09% YTD. Utilities still holding their own. In a stroke of luck - I thought S&P index was oversold and had quadrupled our international exposure at year end, which is up over 4%. This was the beginning of diversification as I sneak up on FIRE.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I'm now up 1.59%. REIT, small cap, S&P, and total market aren't doing so bad so far this year. Neither is Wellesley. Individual stocks are kind of just sitting there, but they're doing the dividend dance I bought them for, so overall, woohoo!

 

[hiker88]

Up 3.1% for the year. Balance is at an all time time even tho I started spending from it at retirement last April. 65/35 with half of equities in international.

 

[Totoro]

In a stroke of luck - I thought S&P index was oversold and had quadrupled our international exposure at year end, which is up over 4%.

I guess you mean overbought?

If January is indeed as the year goes, International (emerging actually) will be shining.

 

[sengsational]

For comparison sake here is my allocation.

That's pretty. I say so because it looks a bit like mine

 

[RobbieB]

Up 1.6%

 

[Dan4495]

Up 2.80% as of today with a 65/30/5 mix.

 

[COcheesehead]

My bond ETF's finally went green today after the late year sell off. Perfect example of rebalancing. I bought more early in January and now those have helped make up for my losses and overall I am up for the year in bonds.

 

[NW-Bound]

3.64% return YTD, as of market close of Friday Feb 10, 2017. Not too shabby for holding 31% cash.

But am I elated? Heck no. I trailed the market in 2014, and 2015 too. Just reversion to the mean. Hope I have not jinxed it by bragging here.

 

[RobLJ]

Up 2.80% as of today h a 65/30/5 mix.

2.9% with a similar mix (but more cash--65-25-10). International, biotech/drugs, and Latin America are the big winners--so far.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I tried to find the answer in the previous year threads, butthey are so long.

You only include interest and returns when figuring out the percentage, not money you're adding into the pot right? That makes the most sense to me.

 

[audreyh1]

Up 2.1% YTD as of Friday. Hard to believe!

 

[sengsational]

I told myself I was only going to look at month-end, but maybe I'll only limit looking when the market is down. We all need to make sure we over-enjoy these times since we know we tend to over-fret when it goes against us.

I'm enjoying a 3.4% YTD rate! And that doesn't include the honkin' big check that I just got from the IRS. If I were a real accounting type, I would have had an asset account that contained the loan I gave Uncle Sam, lol!

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey, that 3.4% is almost as good as mine. And I recall you went light on equities last year due to Shiller's warning.

 

[sengsational]

Yeah, it was in late 2015 when I lightened-up on US equities due to the CAPE signal. This year, it must be that some of those things dragging my return down for a while are finally getting a little love.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, it was in late 2015 when I lightened-up on US equities due to the CAPE signal. This year, it must be that some of those things dragging my return down for a while are finally getting a little love.

What was that CAPE signal?

 

[sengsational]

CAPE or PE10 is a value that's derived from the ten year earnings of US stocks and the current pricing of those stocks. The "signal" is something that's defined in a book called "Rock Breaks Scissors". There's a link to the stock market chapter in http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/using-shiller-pe-to-time-the-market-73166.html. And here's my spreadsheet that re-creates the signaling: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B72EGiKyXAcjbE9tUjh3ek5CcVk/view?usp=sharing

 

[PontGuy]

Our finances are still in transition since since taking the early retirement package from my megacorp last year so it is difficult to calculate an overall return. I just got the final severance check since I deferred it to save on taxes. And paid off the mortgage.

But looking at individual investment accounts YTD we are up 3.69% on my 401K and 2.23% on our Vanguard after-tax account.

I moved almost everything in the 401K to equity index funds just before the election, 85% US, 10% international, 5% bonds. I was all but sure that no matter how it went stocks were going to go up a bunch for a while. That turned out to be a very good move but not so sure how long to hold on to this strategy...

Vanguard is much more conservative, 55% US equity and 45% bond admiral index funds. I haven't made any adjustments since setting it up last summer.

We also have two company cash-balance pension funds increasing at 3.5% and 4.25% that are untouched. And now enough cash sitting in bank accounts to live very well for a few years. Not sure how smart that is with interest rates so low. Still sorting it all out in my mind.

 

[tmm99]

Up 2.1% YTD as of Friday. Hard to believe!

Hey, even mine too (I was so lagging behind at the end of last month). What a difference a week can make!

 

[RockyMtn]

2.7% YTD on a 65/30/5 allocation.

 

[Ticker]

In Dec I sold almost all of my diversity, and concentrated on the FANG's, which really didn't participate in the rally until recently. Now I am up 15+% ytd, and starting to unwind these positions, and will return to more diverse holdings sometime in March or April. I am thinking that between earnings and a lack of tax reform we should see an adjustment that would make the market more palatable.

The only quandary that I am facing now is how much and when to sell the remaining shares. I have made more than enough money to cover my withdrawals for the year, and want to protect my gains-just not certain how to accomplish this.

 

[pb4uski]

I tried to find the answer in the previous year threads, butthey are so long.

You only include interest and returns when figuring out the percentage, not money you're adding into the pot right? That makes the most sense to me.

There is an extensive discussion of the calculation in the 2016 thread.

The "best" approach would be an XIRR calculation based on dates of various cash flows in or out of the portfolio with the ending value dated 12/31/2017.

In many cases that isn't practical, so we use the moneychimp calculator... see Investment Return Calculator: Measure your Portfolio's Performance using 12 months and the 1/1/2017 balance, net additions (or a negative number if reduction) for the year and the ending balance.

Using 12 months gives us a YTD number.

Also see http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/how-do-you-calculate-ytd-return-83399.html#post1779328

 

[RobbieB]

I write the numbers on a piece of paper with a pen at the start of the year and then I look at the statements and compare to what I wrote on the paper for the rest of the year.