2017 YTD investment performance thread

[Turboslacker]

YTD 34.1% from portfolio of 100% equities: S&P500, Technology ETF, Boeing stock

 

[brainsagolfer]

19.9% YTD. Blue chip and N horizons T rowe price (26 and 22% YTD) and Cap appreciation 11%. Obviously not yet retired, in volitile funds. But the Cap App fund fell less than many "conservative" funds in the last bear market.

 

[Alan]

No change since last month.

5.11% - AA of 50/50

 

[target2019]

YTD July 2017 Investments Summary (53 Equity / 42 Fixed / 5 Cash)

• 7.51% YTD Weighted Performance overall

18.13% new 401k still setting the pace. This is XIRR calc from provider.

• American Funds American Balanced R6 Fund: 7.03%
• American Funds New World R6 Fund: 20.61%

YTD July 2017 Investments Summary (53 Equity / 42 Fixed / 5 Cash)

• 7.44% YTD Weighted Performance overall

401(k) Rate of Return is 19.5%. Can't slow it down.
From 01/01/2017 to 08/31/2017

• 7.06% American Funds American Balanced R6 Fund
• 22.92% American Funds New World R6 Fund

During the month I replaced two funds in my SEP-IRA with Wellesley.

 

[pb4uski]

Don't you mean YTD August 2017?

 

[NW-Bound]

From 01/01/2017 to 08/31/2017

• 7.06% American Funds American Balanced R6 Fund
• 22.92% American Funds New World R6 Fund

...

You made me look. American Funds New World R6 Fund is a diversified emerging market fund. Up 24.0% YTD as of 8/31.

Yes, EM has been doing well this year after treading water for the previous few years. Yes, I know this too well.

EM is on fire this year. Vanguard VWO is up 24.6% YTD, and its MF VEIEX is up 24.4%. Revenge of the EM!

 

[Cobra9777]

Portfolio is up 8.8% YTD as of 8/31/17, excluding cash and rental real estate. AA is 70/30. By comparison, a simple 70/30 mix of VTI/BND was up 8.9%.

International equity did extremely well (up 20.7%), but even after some increases earlier this year, our allocation is still below the conventional wisdom. So those returns were more-than offset by larger positions in REIT ETFs like VNQ (up only 3.6%) and some high-dividend ETFs like VYM (up only 5.4% collectively).

The fixed income side overall performed a bit better than BND mainly due to 2 corporate bond ETFs: LQD (investment grade, up 5.7%) and HYG (high yield, up 5.5%).

I need to increase international some more, but right now seems like a really bad time. All my tilts to high dividend and real estate produce sufficient income that I rarely sell shares. But it does hold back growth at times, relative to a more straightforward portfolio. For example, a 50/20/30 mix of VTI/VXUS/BND would have been 10.2% YTD. Lots of stuff to ponder.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

YTD 34.1% from portfolio of 100% equities: S&P500, Technology ETF, Boeing stock

Wow.

 

[jollystomper]

up 7.8 percent through 8/31, on the equities portion of my assets (55/45 within that). Quite happy with it.

 

[trixs]

Up 10.02% as of 31 August with the following allocation.

Fixed Income Allocation				26.54%
Total Bond Market			BND, AGG	20.03%
TSP G Fun			TSP G Fund	4.91%
Cash			CASH	1.60%
Total Stock Allocation				73.46%
International Stock Allocation				34.22%
Emerging Market			VWO	11.78%
Regional - Pacific			VPL	11.11%
Regional - Europe			VGK	11.34%
United States Stock Allocation				39.24%
United States REIT			VNQ	7.80%
United States Small Cap Value			VBR	10.26%
United States Large Cap Blend			VV	10.66%
United States Large Cap Value			VTV	10.53%

 

[LOL!]

YTD (August 31, 2017) returns for a collection of 'close-to' 60/40 funds (from Morningstar.com):

9.77% VSMGX Vg LifeStrategy Moderate Growth (60/40)
9.24% VTWNX Vg Target Retirement 2020 (56/45)
8.19% VBIAX Vg Balanced Index (60/40), no foreign
8.19% DGSIX DFA Global 60/40 I, small-cap & value tilted
7.64% VWENX Vg Wellington (65/35)
10.28% VTTVX Vg Target Retirement 2025 (65/35)

Wellington is taking it on the chin this year.

 

[Corporateburnout]

9.42% on a 55/45 AA.

 

[SumDay]

13.02% @ 60/37/3


We just rolled over DH's 401(k) to Vanguard, so I'm hoping the next 12 months will continue on this trajectory so those lower fees taste even sweeter.

 

[Fermion]

Did bonds do just insanely good this past year? People seem to be beating the stock market with only 50% to 60% in stocks.

 

[SAtoUS]

11.7% on 9/1/17

 

[Corporateburnout]

Did bonds do just insanely good this past year? People seem to be beating the stock market with only 50% to 60% in stocks.

Not all people with 50% to 60% AA are beating the stock market. I've seen around a 9% return which is comparable to the benchmark funds posted by LOL but a 13%

 

[JustCurious]

11.92% YTD return as of 8/31/2017. Approximate portfolio allocation: 74% stocks (U.S. total market, Total international, EM, REITS), 20% Bonds (18% Vanguard high yield bond fund, 2% municipals), and 6% cash.

 

[LOL!]

Did bonds do just insanely good this past year? People seem to be beating the stock market with only 50% to 60% in stocks.

No, bonds have not done insanely good. My bond funds are up 2.8% to 4.6% which I think is about their long-term average annual return, too.

What has done well for me are small-cap emerging (+27%), small-cap foreign (21%), and foreign stocks in general. Some large-cap US growth stocks are not too shabby either.

One of the winners of 2016 was US small-cap value (up 25+%), but in 2017 this asset class has been a dog so far (up only 1.9%). Fortunately for me, I exchanged all small-cap value in my Roth (held for most of 2016) into small-cap foreign back in February: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f44/lol-s-market-timing-newsletter-57042-70.html#post1836686

 

[NW-Bound]

YTD (August 31, 2017) returns for a collection of 'close-to' 60/40 funds (from Morningstar.com):

9.77% VSMGX Vg LifeStrategy Moderate Growth (60/40)
9.24% VTWNX Vg Target Retirement 2020 (56/45)
8.19% VBIAX Vg Balanced Index (60/40), no foreign
8.19% DGSIX DFA Global 60/40 I, small-cap & value tilted
7.64% VWENX Vg Wellington (65/35)
10.28% VTTVX Vg Target Retirement 2025 (65/35)

Wellington is taking it on the chin this year.

I would not call it "taking it on the chin". Is Wellington's performance not on par with its allocation? Considering that its philosophy is to avoid stocks with high P/E, and these stocks drive the most gain in the S&P 500 which is up just a bit above 10%, the managers have done well I think.

Not all people with 50% to 60% AA are beating the stock market. I've seen around a 9% return which is comparable to the benchmark funds posted by LOL but a 13%

I got 13.40% to be exact, with 68% stock and 28% cash.

As I explained and LOL also mentioned, foreign stocks and particularly emerging markets did well. For US stocks, I overweigh biotechs and semiconductors and bought them at the right time, and they did well. Of course as volatile as these are, they may just turn 180 degrees next week or next month.

 

[robnplunder]

In the years of long term mutual fund investing, what I found over and over again is that today's dog may outperform the rest tomorrow. EM is doing just that. As a previous poster mentioned, EM was underperforming for a while before this year. Similarly, people who are in mostly stock are outperforming the rest of us this year. But that can change.

 

[NW-Bound]

Sure. Buy low sell high. Rinse and repeat. Should be easy, no?

 

[Rianne]

Are these 1 yr, 3yr, 5yr, 10yr returns? Ours are 5.9 for 10 years, 60/40

 

[Corporateburnout]

Are these 1 yr, 3yr, 5yr, 10yr returns? Ours are 5.9 for 10 years, 60/40

YTD only

 

[target2019]

You made me look. American Funds New World R6 Fund is a diversified emerging market fund. Up 24.0% YTD as of 8/31.

Yes, EM has been doing well this year after treading water for the previous few years. Yes, I know this too well.

EM is on fire this year. Vanguard VWO is up 24.6% YTD, and its MF VEIEX is up 24.4%. Revenge of the EM!

Yes, EM is on fire. I've been hoping that something similar would happen, as in 2006 and follow. In 2006, I was starting a new 401(k), and it had DM and EM index funds. I went 50/50 on the split. Things turned out very well. And there was a cooling off period, but not like in the US market. Plenty of ways to view the bouncing balls (or bricks) here:

https://www.rcmalternatives.com/2017/03/the-alternative-callan-periodic-table-of-investment-returns/

Fast forward to 2015-2016, and I was starting a new job. Harking back to my brilliant moves in 2006, I went with a World fund. The 2016 result lagged other bouncing bricks, but it is doing well for now.

About RNGWX:

"Distinguishing Characteristics
The fund invests in securities of issuers based in "qualified developing countries," as well as in equity securities of issuers based in the developed world with significant assets or revenues attributable to developing countries. For their total return potential, the fund also invests in bonds offering exposure to developing countries."

It is not an EM index, but focuses on EM countries, and companies with significant interest there. At least that's my interpretation. And the fund is relatively small.

Below is the country breakout.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

As of 8/31, YTD 11.218% Which to me doesn't hold real weight. Real terms its $419,560, now that to me has real meaning.