Your Favorit Retirement Funds?

[rsingh6675]

Please tell us some of your FAVORITE RETIREMENT FUNDS.
I have some, but they are no longer my favorite & I am looking to transfer to some conservative mutual funds. Currently, I have---DODGX, DODFX, CGMFX, CGMRX, PRWCX, WWNPS, VWLTX.
I want to find funds that will pay 5-8% dividend without loosing much principal. This way I can create a steady income. Currently I am 60yr old and semiretired.
Thanks.

 

[Lawrence of Suburbia]

5-8%??

Good luck. Most conservative funds I'm aware of are lowering dividends. VWINX pays 5% now, I know that. VWEHX pays 8% currently, but there's a risk premium there (it's corporate debt.)

I don't see anything wrong with the funds you have now.

 

[ziggy29]

Wellesley will pay about 5%, but it's suffering from dividend cuts even as its NAV has fallen over the last year.

Other than that, intermediate-term investment grade corporates might work, but they will have some default risk as well as inflation/interest rate risk.

If there were "safe" 5-8% yields out there, people would be flocking to them in this environment... and the demand would drive up prices to the point where they wouldn't yield 5-8% any more.

 

[WilliamG]

Our core funds are now the Wellington/ Wellesley combo. Managed balance of value stocks and mostly intermediate corporate bonds. They are pretty much mirror images of each other in stock to bond ratio, so pretty easy to control a stock/bond allocation; e.g., equal amounts in each fund will be roughly a 50/50 stock/bond allocation. We use international and REIT indices for further diversification on the stock side and 2-5 year CDs and treasuries for short term fixed income.

 

[charlie]

A combination of Wellesley and Vanguard's 5% Managed Payout fund
to suit your risk tolerance would be my choice. This would give
excellent diversification on the equity side with a large cap value
tilt. I use both funds. Manage Payout in taxable and Wellesley in
tax exempt. I also own Intermediate Term Investment Grade and
Templeton Global Income (GIM) plus several inflation linked individual
corperate bonds in the IRA. All of these investments were made to
produce current income, hopefully to keep uo with inflation.

Cheers,

charlie

 

[LOL!]

The funds don't make the portfolio; the asset allocation does.

Why not pick one of the popular asset allocation models and be done with it? For example, maybe you want 50% bonds and 50% stocks. Just fill your stock allocation with VTI, VEU, VBR, and VSS. You don't need anything more, but you could tweak if you wanted to. Bonds, the same thing, pick BND and TIP. There you go: 6 funds. These are among the lowest expense ratios funds available for their asset class.

See also: Is it Christian if you give more of your money to a financial advisor than to the Church? and Lazy Portfolios - Bogleheads

And read this to understand that you want Total Return in a tax-efficient way:
https://institutional.vanguard.com/iip/pdf/WP_TotalRet.pdf

 

[DblDoc]

And read this to understand that you want Total Return in a tax-efficient way:
https://institutional.vanguard.com/iip/pdf/WP_TotalRet.pdf

Thanks for posting that link. I lost it some time ago and as hard as I looked at Vanguard I couldn't find it again.

DD

 

[Dennis]

Retirement Funds or Ports?

If your regarding Vanguard Retirement Funds?
For what age? Or are oyu retired , then use their Sliding bar routine and help to designe a port for you ..

I am not a Fan of them and like others.. their are many other ways to set up a Retirement Plan/Fund/Port that is much better..

Example: Wm. Larkin at Cabot Mgmnt has a Excellant Port for Div & Income has been paying over Double the best VG Retirement Plan..
Fido has a few as well as do other Fund Families and Investment Mgmnt. firms to better suit your Needs..

Shop around before committing yourself..