*Investors Blog*

[JeffKeryk]

GW&K Municipal Bond Strategy
Fact Sheet

@Pablo I want you to know I have made a decision to swap out GW&K. I bought in based on the plan of monthly double tax income. Well, 3 years later this is my only product that is negative. Of course the bond market recently took its biggest hit in 40 years...
I am pretty diversified; this was supposed to be the safe one. I met with my Schwab Wealth Advisory (formerly Private Client) account manager for 2 hours yesterday and made this decision, among others. I will still put this money into CA muni bonds, as I need the income tax benefit. I am considering Wasmer-Schroder CA muni fund.

IMO, muni bonds (as a fairly large $$ value) are not for everyone. I love paying taxes as it simply means I am making money! But I don't wanna be stupid... A loss is a loss and a poor performer is a poor performer.
Good luck in your investing decisions.

 

[Pablo]

@Pablo I want you to know I have made a decision to swap out GW&K. I bought in based on the plan of monthly double tax income. Well, 3 years later this is my only product that is negative. Of course the bond market recently took its biggest hit in 40 years...
I am pretty diversified; this was supposed to be the safe one. I met with my Schwab Wealth Advisory (formerly Private Client) account manager for 2 hours yesterday and made this decision, among others. I will still put this money into CA muni bonds, as I need the income tax benefit. I am considering Wasmer-Schroder CA muni fund.

IMO, muni bonds (as a fairly large $$ value) are not for everyone. I love paying taxes as it simply means I am making money! But I don't wanna be stupid... A loss is a loss and a poor performer is a poor performer.
Good luck in your investing decisions.

Wise.

I brought up muni funds, and specifically CLOSED END muni funds as a muni bond fund vehicle that can be entered and exited quickly. I did not look at your Schroder link because, well no use to me being CA specific. My dad lives in Cali and for years has bought muni bonds and hates ANY AND ALL BOND FUNDS and since he is 92, I just don't mention funds to him!

I bought recently:

EVN
MHI
MQI
NEA
NMZ
NVG

There is some overlap, I realize but this spreads some risk out.

We have no individual state income tax so it helps yield and diversification. The above CEFs gives me a really healthy tax free income stream.

 

[4WD]

Sue and I call it Whole Paycheck.

We still have two meat markets when I want to pay too much

 

[Warstud]

The Market is the Economy today

 

[Koainn]

oil is in a fight for its life. its got to close the month above 88 otherwise there will be a bigger leg down. this week it will probably just thrash around like a fish pulled out of water.

 

[alarmguy]

Lots of bad news in the housing markets that will eventually hurt stock market.

The question is when ?

That might be a good question. I myself have to dig down and take a look what’s going on with the housing because as we all know depending on the area of the country and the mass media sensation of exaggerating things are they just picking out the worst place in the country and everything else is fine?

It’s kind of ironic because my wife and I just decided to buy a house this past weekend, slab has been poured it won’t be until early next year that it’s finished.

The area that we are buying in, the homes get sold and then contract almost as fast as the builder releases them for sale.
The house that we just bought was only released along with a group of seven others for sale four days prior to us signing contracts and four of them already sold.

If you blink or hesitate for more than a day or two somebody else will buy it and this is fact because we saw it happen many times to us
We just weren’t ready to commit and once a day or two goes by somebody else will grab it. We almost didn’t get this one

 

[alarmguy]

Sue and I call it Whole Paycheck.

But you must be happy about it because they pay their employees a living wage so I hope you patronize them

 

[Warstud]

Down 1000 points in two days doesn't sound like a bull market to me

 

[JeffKeryk]

But you must be happy about it because they pay their employees a living wage so I hope you patronize them

I am not sure how much Whole Paycheck pays; I never asked. We rarely shop there, but I can tell you their Thanksgiving turkey deals are excellent. Far less work and the meal is awesome. All in, the price is not that bad.

Most of my shopping is at Costco. Wifey does the other stuff 90% of the time.

 

[Doc8404]

Am I the only one that is holding fast and hoping dollar cost averaging is the way to go for the long run?

49 years old here.
Hoping to retire at 60.

 

[Dave Hess]

That might be a good question. I myself have to dig down and take a look what’s going on with the housing because as we all know depending on the area of the country and the mass media sensation of exaggerating things are they just picking out the worst place in the country and everything else is fine?

It’s kind of ironic because my wife and I just decided to buy a house this past weekend, slab has been poured it won’t be until early next year that it’s finished.

The area that we are buying in, the homes get sold and then contract almost as fast as the builder releases them for sale.
The house that we just bought was only released along with a group of seven others for sale four days prior to us signing contracts and four of them already sold.

If you blink or hesitate for more than a day or two somebody else will buy it and this is fact because we saw it happen many times to us
We just weren’t ready to commit and once a day or two goes by somebody else will grab it. We almost didn’t get this one

Where in Florida did you buy ?

Lots of people from out of state relocating here.

 

[Boomer]

I had an economics professor in college. Every year he gave exactly the same tests. He just changed the answers!!

 

[Dave Hess]

Am I the only one that is holding fast and hoping dollar cost averaging is the way to go for the long run?

49 years old here.
Hoping to retire at 60.

DCA is the best way to invest over a 35 year timeframe, it’s kind of like a long distance drive on cruise control.

 

[alarmguy]

Where in Florida did you buy ?

Lots of people from out of state relocating here.

We ended up buying in the N Myrtle Beach
SC/NC border area. The foundation was just poured and house should be ready early next year.

If you remember we moved from Long Island almost 16 years ago to South Carolina and got used to the very low taxes and cost of living here including incredible value in a large new home.
We started our search in Florida, north of Jacksonville area, I absolutely loved the area and what it offered from St. John’s up to the Georgia border.
However the HOA fees on top of the CDD fees on top of the property taxes was too great to mentally overcome.
First I was shocked at the community development fees which would be roughly $3000 + a year plus the property taxes which would be roughly another $5000 a year for a new house on a tiny piece of land where your next-door neighbors house is only 10 feet away from you.
We actually signed contracts on one in Yulee sometime ago but then backed out a day later I’m glad we did.
This was more or less our retirement home and I couldn’t see increasing my taxes and fees over 100% for a much smaller house on a property that I felt like I was being shoehorned in on.

Prices in the Jacksonville area have gone through the roof in the last four years and wanting to buy in a brand new community a brand new home was just too many sacrifices for me to overcome as the CDD fees HOA fees and property taxes we’re getting close to Long Island New York prices which we escaped from 16 years ago. Throw in our food and gas is also cheaper here in SC.
Don’t get me wrong like I said I loved the area around Yulee, Fernandina Beach, St. John’s but just not for me I can’t justify the expense.
When for the same price I can buy into a gated golf resort with more amenities just about the same size home with more property, same price and 75% less taxes and fees.
Plus with my kids still in the area where we live they’ll have 1 Hour Less Drive to visit us vs Florida.

 

[PimTac]

That might be a good question. I myself have to dig down and take a look what’s going on with the housing because as we all know depending on the area of the country and the mass media sensation of exaggerating things are they just picking out the worst place in the country and everything else is fine?

It’s kind of ironic because my wife and I just decided to buy a house this past weekend, slab has been poured it won’t be until early next year that it’s finished.

The area that we are buying in, the homes get sold and then contract almost as fast as the builder releases them for sale.
The house that we just bought was only released along with a group of seven others for sale four days prior to us signing contracts and four of them already sold.

If you blink or hesitate for more than a day or two somebody else will buy it and this is fact because we saw it happen many times to us
We just weren’t ready to commit and once a day or two goes by somebody else will grab it. We almost didn’t get this one

Interesting view on your local market because here in the Seattle Tacoma metro it has come to a screeching halt.

 

[alarmguy]

Interesting view on your local market because here in the Seattle Tacoma metro it has come to a screeching halt.

Yeah from what I read here on the East Coast the West Coast is getting slammed pretty good but one must keep in mind the price appreciation on the West Coast was much greater than the East Coast so I guess kind of like the stock market has more to fall until it gets to a base.
I don’t know your area but in my mind for what I’m buying here maybe 300% more expensive there and with that appreciation is a greater chance of a bigger fall.

I have noticed here on the East Coast that the national production builders have had some great incentives and price reductions trying to keep inventory moving on the West Coast. Some CEOs of those companies have commented on the situation over there.

There’s some decent incentives here but they kind of pick and choose which houses it’s not a blanket incentive.
I have also noted where we were originally going to buy in Florida again not a blanket incentive but the production builders are offering some pretty good significant incentives on selections of specific homes. I have noticed in that community that sales seem to be moving very slowly and steadily. When previously if we blink our eyes and hesitated on a lot it would get sold within a week, heck my wife and I would laugh about it and even tell the agents that, now here we are gosh months later I see I could still get a lot that I like.
But the homes are packed so close together, I’m not kidding when I say this that we could literally look out the window of some of these homes and look into the window of the house next-door some of the homes are spaced only 10 feet apart

 

[ZeeOSix]

Interesting view on your local market because here in the Seattle Tacoma metro it has come to a screeching halt.

About time ... the housing here has gone off the rails and is way over priced.

 

[PimTac]

But the homes are packed so close together, I’m not kidding when I say this that we could literally look out the window of some of these homes and look into the window of the house next-door some of the homes are spaced only 10 feet apart

That seems to be the style here as well and probably most places. The newer developments here must be mixed so a blend of single detached boxes close together with 3 storey row houses and apartments.

 

[99Saturn]

Am I the only one that is holding fast and hoping dollar cost averaging is the way to go for the long run?

49 years old here.
Hoping to retire at 60.

You’re not the only one. I’ve got quite a bit longer to go to retirement than you too.

 

[Dave Hess]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/22/ford-to-cut-3000-jobs-primarily-in-north-america.html