Thanks for all the replies. I should have given more info on my situation (and fund choices). My pension and SS (which I just started, I receive my first deposit next week) way more than cover all of my expenses (including dining out, entertainment, health care, etc). I also have a six-figure online savings account for unexpected expenses (that I replenish each January from my 401k). My AA was 60/40, I recently shifted to 40/60 (using just two funds - an S&P 500 index fund and the bond fund referenced in this thread).
It appears I now have a couple additional choices. Here are the three:
1) BlackRock Bond Index Fund (CURRENT BOND FUND I'M IN)
Lipper Classification*- Core Bond Funds (Funds that invest primarily in highly-rated corporate and government bonds; most of these bonds are scheduled to mature in five to ten years)
Fund Objective*- The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of a particular index (its Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
Total Expense Ratio: 0.033%
Returns:
YTD: -2.09%
1 Year: -2.99%
3 Years: +3.64%
5 Years: +3.06%
2) State Street Real Asset Index Fund (NEW OPTION, FIRST AVAILABLE TO ME LAST MONTH)
Fund Objective - The Fund seeks to provide a long-term targeted return in excess of the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation by offering broad exposure to commodities, global natural resource equities, global infrastructure equities, US commercial real estate securities and US inflation linked bonds (i.e., real assets).
Total Expense Ratio: 0.121%
Returns:
YTD: +2.18
1 Year: +23.02
3 Years: +10.96
5 Years: +7.63
3) Interest Income Fund (MIGHT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN OPTION, NOT SURE)
Fund Objective - The Fund seeks to provide safety of principal and a stable credited rate of interest, while generating competitive returns over time compared to other comparable investments.
Total Expense Ratio: 0.270%
Returns:
YTD: +0.10
1 Year: +1.36
3 Years: +1.94
5 Years: +1.88
Does anyone have any experience with the State Street Real Asset Index Fund (this fund is new to me, I first saw it available last month)? If I keep my AA at 40/60, I might move everything out of Blackrock and split it between SSRAIF and the Interest Income Fund. Any thoughts on this strategy? I appreciate having so many knowledgeable people here to bounce ideas off!