BND

DifferentSwing3149

I already have BND and SGOV. Just looking for a bit more income with maybe a small amount of growth.

MalkinPi

There is nothing wrong with BND ETF itself, but at 36, I would only have 10% at most.

NightclubDoorGuy

Can’t wait to revisit this comment once rates get the slightest cut. BND gonna fly and this guy gonna cry lmao

i30swimmer

36yo here and I also left MS a month ago to do it all myself at Schwab. The “professional” had 50% of my account in $BND and had been buying it since 2021. Huge losses and still fees on fees. No more.

taplar

When stocks move down x%, how much in comparison does BND move down?

grobyhex

I put money into a boglehead type 3 fund - please talk me out of giving up on bonds/BND. If BND moves down when stocks move down what's the point?

junger128

Good call, VTI+VXUS+BND. Approximately 20% - 40% in ex-US stock, 0% - 10% in bonds and the rest in US stock. This is the Vanguard glide path for investors your age and aligns basically any target date at your expected retirement age. Trust the experts, not your or someone else’s gut feeling. https://institutional.vanguard.com/investment/strategies/tdf-glide-path.html

stvaccount

BND is garbage at your age. 50$ every week is bad, better use 45$ (if last week previous was a good week), 55$ if last week before was a down week, 50$ if it was a neutral week. You need VT + All world.

SnooDogs3021

Im 25 years old and plan on holding for atleast 20-25 years. I want to set up autobuy every week and forget about it, I’m starting with $300 and plan to put $50 every week im new to investing so excuse me for all the questions which are probably basic but I keep thinking/reading about a 3 fund portfolio but if buy VT(which is already US and international?) it's no reason to buy a separate international ETF? so I’m thinking of going with VT in my portfolio and BND. And I just do 75% VT and %25 BND? Is this a good/sound plan?

UBERNARWAL

BND💀

joyful-

How difficult do you think it is to get better risk-adjusted return than the US stock market (i.e. VTI) over the long run when you manage your own portfolio? Manage your portfolio as in DCA into ETFs like VTI, QQQ, BND, TLT, etc. but quarterly rebalance at my discretion. Maybe even diversify into international stocks like VGK, FLJP, and MCHI. I'm guessing very difficult since this is basically what fund managers do, and ones that can outperform the market get paid a bazillion.

Ashamed_Bit_9399

Gold is recession and inflation “proof”, but you won’t be gaining anything. Gold is the best holder of value, but it can’t grow like a proper investment. If you want a safe investment buy an ETF like VOO or SPY. These track and follow the top 500 companies on the stock market. These do grow, and average about 10% a year. Ideally you have a bunch of different kinds of investments. Some very safe like GLD or BND, most being good long term purchases like VOO, and few very risky plays like stock options, crypto, or startups.

ZettyGreen

VTI and VXUS Or if you want bonds: VT(which is a combination of VTI and VXUS) and BND(which go figure is bonds).

wickedshrapnel

If you are new to investing then I assume you are young. I would get rid of BND and replace with a little bitcoin IBIT. Can start buying bonds at older age closer to retirement. Bonds are more for preserving capital than building wealth. They can lower the volatility of a portfolio too but young people should just ignore the short term ups and downs and keep adding to investments regularly and guaranteed they will be worth more in 20-30 years than they are now. The rest of the funds I see here are good. Keep adding to them. #NotInvestmentAdvice :P

Overclock_87

damn son. you went heavy. I have 200 shares of $TLT and I bought 100 shares if $BND. I purchased both at their 52 week low's essentially but I'm confident in a significant and safe value accrual when FED begins slashing rates.

argybargy3j

BND. I love bonds right now. The government has no choice but to keep borrowing and keep paying us off.

jlocke1979

I’m a Vanguard fan. So most of my reccos will be Vanguard ETFs (they act like Indexes mostly but there are nuances that slightly differ). Corresponding to the order that you listed I would do… 1) VV 2) VB 3) * I assume you want developed (including US here?) If so I’d recommend (for simplicity) to reduce this to zero and split it between 1 and 4. This remove overlap and make it clearer your allocation by US vs International. 4)VEA 5) VWO 6) I haven’t personally found any good Emerging markets Small cap that has low expense ratios. They are either high expenses or not very long record. If you find a good one let me know. As a substitute you can do SCZ which is a International Developed Markets Small cap 7) in less familiar with Bonds options as Im 100% equities but do a quick Google search on vanguard bond index or etfs. BND comes up for me but I can’t say I know much about it. Good luck! 4) 6) no good option that I’ve seen…the closest would be SCZ but it is International (Non

TestOk4269

I currently have an employer provided 403b retirement account. Here's a picture of the investments they have me in: [https://imgur.com/a/xE8J2ga](https://imgur.com/a/xE8J2ga) The financial advisor charges 1% to manage my retirement, and they meet with me once a year to go over the performance. About 4 years ago, I started my own Roth IRA in M1 Finance to supplement that retirement account. It's 100% VOO, which I understand is aggressive, but it's just a supplemental account and I'm far enough away from retirement that I love dumping money into it when the market is falling. It gets a regular monthly deposit unless the market is doing poorly, in which case I double/triple the deposits. My Question: Would it be in my interest to direct my financial advisor to simplify the investments in my 403b, toward something like a 3 ETF setup (VTI, VXUS, BND) with a 90/10 stock/bond split? * I'm 42 years old and live in the US * I make alright money for my area and no debt besides a mortgage with about 8 years left * I'm more than 20 years from retirement * I'm very comfortable with short term volatility/loss as long as the long term plan is sound.

spacemate

It’s up to you. But think of it this way. You said yourself that equity is high right now. It never sounds like a bad idea to sell high, so if you wanted to have at least a 80/20 VOO/BND fund this would be a good moment. Just make sure you leave money for the taxes.

SurvivedWayWorse

Question for the BERS out there... I ran a few BND simulations for puts on robinhood and getting 2,500% returns. I don't make the plays because, the volume is 0. Is there a really common one you all usually use for that kind of play? I am not a gay ber, but gay ber curious.

spacemate

Maybe then put this 70K into something like BND? Bonds aren’t on your portfolio for returns but for reduced overall volatility. At 40 you should maybe start having more diversification in assets allocation.

TestOk4269

I currently have an employer provided 403b retirement account. Here's a picture of the investments they have me in: [https://imgur.com/a/xE8J2ga](https://imgur.com/a/xE8J2ga) The financial advisor charges 1% to manage my retirement, and they meet with me once a year to go over the performance. About 4 years ago, I started my own Roth IRA in M1 Finance to supplement that retirement account. It's 100% VOO, which I understand is aggressive, but it's just a supplemental account and I'm far enough away from retirement that I love dumping money into it when the market is falling. It gets a regular monthly deposit unless the market is doing poorly, in which case I double/triple the deposits. My Question: Would it be in my interest to direct my financial advisor to simplify the investments in my 403b, toward something like a 3 ETF setup (VTI, VXUS, BND) with a 90/10 stock/bond split? * I'm 42 years old and live in the US * I make decent money for my area and no debt besides a mortgage with about 8 years left * I'm more than 20 years from needing the money * Very comfortable with short term volatility/loss as long as the long term plan is sound.

Aggressive-Donkey-10

1% fee costs 31% of total portfolio return over 40 yrs, regardless of annual % returns of portfolio, so left with 690k not 1 million after 40 yrs etc. 2% fee costs 53% of return, 3% fee costs 68% of your total return. you see a doctor b/c they know more about health than you, a mechanic b/c they know more about cars than you etc. Finance is not like the above, as any deviation from "buy the whole market" will over a long enough time sample always get you a worse return, and much worse if you pay for the privilege of such deviation from a total stock or total bond fund. Your dad needs your help, get him to fire the FA, then you can direct him as to how to invest his funds, given his proximity to retirement, perhaps a 40/60 VTI/BND, there are dozens of ETF solutions, all will be better/simpler than whatever the FA has concocted to bilk your dad out of his remaining life savings. William Bernstein "The four pillars of investing" said something like the financial industry should be best analogized to dealing with a group of hardened criminals. (not harsh enough)

amg-rx7

Unfortunately, neither bonds nor gold ETFs offer the stability one thinks there is with those asset classes. Go see a chart of BND. It fluctuates as much as 5% in any given year - and it has been down much more than that from its peak in 2020 (-17%). Gold ETFs are even worse. Take AAAU for example. 20% fluctuations each year. Compare those to VOO. VOO is up 179% since 1/1/2014 \~10 years. % change within a year is sometime more than BND on the downside but it is up \~8-10% per year on average. 2022 is the big outlier year on the downside after a similar upside in 2021. BND is down 11.26% in the same period. Which is the more stable, less risky asset class? Which is the better investment?

Zealousideal_Bag_325

First off, 20% at your age is AMAZING! I wish someone had told me at your age how much better off 20% at 26 is than 20% at 40. I didn't understand investing so I thought (like most people) that 20% at my age wasn't much so I would wait and put in more as I got older and could afford to put more in. Turns out the exact opposite is true. Good job! 1, Just because an asset is in the red does not make it high risk, as long as you believe it will go up in the future you are buying it at a discount (which is one of the best things you can possibly do). However If you really believe it will not go up in the future, sell all of it immediately and go into something else. I know what you mean on overperforming ETF's, I have a similar issue with Bitcoin. I don't want to sell it back to a designated % if it is going up, because less money makes less money. What I do is set a range of allocation rather than a specific amount. So I would say the range is, for instance, 10%-20%. So if it falls under 10% I will top it up to 10%, but if it goes over 20% I will only sell it back to 20%. I also put in a stop-loss that if it falls below, say, 18% and I believe that the bull run is over, I will sell back to 10% immediately. This strategy is more difficult and requires more attention, but from back testing I know that it allows me to keep more gains while limiting losses in high volatility assets. 2. I am the same way, I still want to average in once I have designated funds for a new asset. Basically you have to either 1) make ongoing sales from the other assets to allocate to the new one, while going ahead and putting the new allocation of your paycheck into the new asset, or 2) sell the funds to free up the cash, let them sit as cash, and set up auto-buys (if available) through your provider. I am doing the second option recently because my unallocated cash is moved to money market accounts that return (an insane) 4.5% at current rates. The risk of underinvestment is at least offset to some degree. Plus I am concerned that the markets are due for a correction over my allocation period, so a risk free 4.5% may be better than a high risk 8%. Also I wanted to add that I feel your pain on adding so many assets that rebalancing becomes difficult. I used to have a portfolio of 20 stocks that I believed in and would rebalance but it got to be a real pain. Now I basically have 4 asset classes: cash, stocks, bonds, Bitcoin ETF, with only about 7 total ETFs & Funds. If you have a diversified fund, like MSCI World or BND, it is already diversified, so there is no need to have individual stocks. You can include a couple more, at lower allocations, if you believe in the ETF sector (like INRG), but be careful what you add because the sector should already be diversified into your general stock ETF, so you may end up overweighting your portfolio more than you realize.

Extension-Head-4577

Hey investors! Seeking input on my strategy: Late 20s, Bay-area software developer, making $200K/year. Goal: FIRE, relocate to lower cost areas post-FIRE. Willing to take calculated risks for higher returns without risking everything. Considering using programming skills to track SEC-4 forms by corporate insiders/politicians for potentially higher-than-market returns. Allocation: 60% VOO, 30% BND, 10% insider tracking. Would appreciate insights, advice, and alternative strategies for someone in my position.

aytikvjo

A portfolio of globally diversified market-cap weighted total market equities and fixed income funds i.e. VT + BND You're making this way too complicated for what will have a high likelyhood of underperforming the above over a 10 year period anyway.

Somoch-MoraguerRRR

I’m a crypto degen and I’m here to tell you: please don’t put a significant amount into crypto, especially as crypto markets are just setting new all time highs, *especially* if you have no other investments to fall back on. First, create an account with a major brokerage. I like Fidelity for a bunch of reasons (great funds, better trading tools, more flexible than Vanguard, lets you dabble in crypto if you really want to, great checking account product too) Then ask yourself: if the market saw a big contraction in the next year and your portfolio lost 30% of its value, how would you feel? Do you want to use this money for anything in the next 5 years? 10 years? 20? I’ll say that if you plan to use the money in five years or less, put all of it in a money market fund. SPAXX is great. FDLXX has a roughly similar yield but is not subject to state and local taxes because it invests mostly in treasuries. If you live in a state with income tax or you are a high earner, FDLXX may provide better after-tax returns than SPAXX. You should research more from here if this sounds appealing. If you are not comfortable stomaching a possible 30% loss in value over the next 10 years, you should invest in stocks but tilt more conservative with a bond allocation. Anywhere between 10-40% of the money should go into a low cost, diversified bond fund like BND. The remainder should go into diversified index funds—either some mix of US and International like FSKAX or VTI plus FTIHX or VXUS. Or you could take the lazy (but still extremely valid and maybe even preferable) approach of putting all of your stock allocation—that is, whatever you don’t put into bonds—into a global fund like VT. If you have some risk tolerance and a longer time horizon, I would say it’s worth considering a 5% allocation to Bitcoin either by holding it directly on Fidelity Crypto or Coinbase or whatever, or by holding one of the Bitcoin ETFs like FBTC or IBIT. But don’t go crazy. Crypto his high risk / high reward. Most of the folks you see here will tell you it’s tantamount to gambling. I disagree on balance, but they’re not entirely off base. This is an entire debate unto itself.

Putrid_Pollution3455

Honestly, gold is a great asset to have for the portion of your portfolio dedicated towards bonds. If you all added more gold either GLD or physical, not only would you have less money to squander on FDs, you'd have a stash of money that will trend up regardless of how hard the government prints the dollar into oblivion. I'm personally torn on the matter, I'll probably keep emergency amounts of gold in physical, but the benefits of the paper product allow me to margin against the share value in case I want to spend it without incurring taxes. Imagine this..... 60/40 SPY/BND...SPY/GLD...SPY/TIP [https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=MSblGiFvJg2ab86Ih4fYX](https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=MSblGiFvJg2ab86Ih4fYX) Now we sprinkle in some bitcoin to make things interesting; [https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=5mwbKUWJXrDPbs65SAyUYy](https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=5mwbKUWJXrDPbs65SAyUYy) Now we go rationally regarded; [https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=7d2GG4XZPLtJDXZ2F5eLzo](https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=7d2GG4XZPLtJDXZ2F5eLzo) a lil F U shoutout to J Collins from the simple path to wealth; [https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=SFoQMbft7PWJ4h1BbPt8r](https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=SFoQMbft7PWJ4h1BbPt8r) We need to be more fair though to JC; [https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=3Xeubh11AdY5AU81kDk2io](https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=3Xeubh11AdY5AU81kDk2io) Gold still outperformed BND.

_176_

If you're trying to hold money for 20 years, an 80/20 split of VTI/VXUS seems totally reasonable. I'd slowly move to ~50% bonds over that time period. I agree with others that buying a modest place might be a good idea. It doesn't have to be today. But you could go more like 60/40 (VT/BND) with your portfolio and keep looking at real estate inventory. I looked for a few years before I bought. It would be a solid hedge against getting priced out in the future.

greytoc

So sorry about the confusion - I try to pick my words carefully when it comes to investing discussion, but I failed spectacularly in this case. Bear in mind that risk tolerance can vary among people. And many people consider risk in investing as relative between asset classes. My comment is about "equities" as an asset class - not "equity funds". Equity funds offer diversity as you said - and spreading an equity investment among a basket of specific companies by using an equity fund will spread out concentration risk. So yes - an equity fund is considered less risky than holding a single stock or concentrating in a specific industry. My reference to equities beingriskier (better term may be more aggressive) - means that it can be more risky in comparison to other asset classes such as debt (ie bonds). But equities would also be less risky than other assets such collectibles, crypto, or commodities. Or using derivatives. Even among equity investments - there are sectors and industries which can be considered more or less risky. A small cap company stock vs a large cap value stock will have different expected future value. And the same is also true of debt investments - debt can have different credit quality so high credit quality debt will have lower interest than lower credit quality debt. So treasuries which is sovereign debt of the US government and considered low risk is going to have lower expected returns than higher risk debt such as bonds from unprofitable companies. There are also risk-on strategies such as using leverage on an asset class. For example - using equity options, commodity futures, leveraged funds, etc. etc. But even with derivatives - there can be ways to invest in a risk managed manner. As to what else you can invest in - if you are new at investing - stick to basic portfolio allocation models of equities and bonds. And since you are younger - you want your equity allocation to be much higher which is why I suggested that your BND allocation which is a bond fund should be lower. If you scroll up - to the getting started link - there are also resources such as the boglehead allocation suggestions that you can follow. If you ask the question again - there will also always be people that will recommend that should just put everything into a large cap US equity fund that tracks the S&P 500 index. But it all depends on personal risk tolerance, financial situation, and personal life situations. So there is no one size fits all answer. And as a reminder - stuff you hear or read about on social media may not always be accurate or complete. So if you are unsure - double-check.

itspastmybedtimeee

Oh wow I never knew the part about equity funds having more risk, I always assumed it was the safest because of how diverse they are. So a portfolio with the funds I listed is on the risky side? When I was making it I had the intentions of playing it safe. As for the BND part, that percentage seems quite low, why is that? If I'm looking for low risk funds (but not as boring as a CD or treasury bond) is there anything else I should be investing in? Thank you for your help 🫡

greytoc

Yes - it's fine to have just index funds. More risks translate to mean more equities. And all the funds that you listed are equity funds. So from an allocation perspective - many people would suggest that your BND allocation to be in the 0% to %5 or so range. Making regular investments is fine. Waiting until there is a dip maybe ok but are you able to know when there will be a dip? And what would be a dip to you? If you are able to generate yield on cash equivalents - that's fine too if you have a lower risk tolerance.

itspastmybedtimeee

Hello everyone, I'm pretty new to investing and just opened a vanguard account last year following my 18th birthday. I have a regular brokerage account and also a roth ira opened. I have about 2,000 in each but only a few hundred actually invested so far as I'm still deciding where to put it. I will also continue to add more funds whenever I get the chance but I do not have a job or steady income, just inheritance + allowance from parents, but if I do get a job down the line I will make consistent contributions. Since I'm young I keep seeing people say I should be able to take more risks but being a full time college student, I've found it difficult to find the time to learn about investing and keep up with individual stocks so I think I've decided I won't be investing in any individual stocks or anything that requires a lot of research or to be watched closely. But I was wondering what should I be investing in then? Up until this point I figured I would invest in mostly index funds like VOO, BND, VT, VTSAX, SCHD, and QQQ since they seem to be the safest for a foundation, but I don't know where to go from there. Is it okay to have a portfolio of just index funds? Will that do me any good? Are there other things I should look out for? My intentions with the money I invest are most likely going towards retirement in 40 years or maybe to buy a car or house way down the line. Also should I consistently make small investments every month or should I wait for a dip in the market to buy in? I've seen most people say to do the monthly investments since it will most likely average out but at the same time I feel like currently the market is at an all time high and I don't know if that's smart? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice!

s32bangdort

Please do yourself a favor and head on over to r/Bogleheads and read up on the approach of using a three fund portfolio. A broad US market fund, a broad international market fund, and some allocation of bonds. There are low cost ETFs that support that: VTI , VXUS, and BND. Those are vanguard, ETFs, but there are similar products from Fidelity. The rationale is that these three flavors of investments are not highly correlated. The broad international market could do well while the US market goes nowhere and vice versa. The rationale for bonds is to reduce volatility in your portfolio.

the_fozzy_one

Check out this video on combining the two ETFs SCHD and VGT: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAts4y1hXI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAts4y1hXI) I think it's a really interesting strategy that I may make my own sole focus going forward. Whatever you do, some form of ETF investing (e.g. VOO, VTI, BND, etc.) is what you want to be focusing on.

pancyfalace

IMO no need to hold bonds at your age. If you wanted to, you'd buy something like BND. Just hold your VTI and let it grow. In the meantime, max out your tax advantaged accounts as possible (401k, Roth ira).  Do you have accounts with another brokerage like vanguard? Fidelity allows you to trade options and crypto, which some may see as a plus, but if you're trying to avoid that, maybe vanguard is better so you aren't tempted :)

Blurple11

She doesn't know what she wants, she had munis because "you don't pay tax on those", not knowing anything about account types etc. I'd probably out her a portion in BND, and the rest in a CD

Blurple11

Do you think selling all the munis and buying BND would be a good move? Or maybe a CD in the same account?

UnluckyChums

That’s a wholly personal decision that depends on what you want to do. What’s the reason you chose the TDF? If it was because you wanted to be at market weight, then yes, VOO would be contrary to your goals. If you want to match your TDF allocation, there isn’t really any reason to not also do the TDF in the brokerage (well, there are some potential tax implications that you should read up on, but $100 a month won’t result in a massive tax liability). You could also do a VT/BND mix or VTI/VXUS/BND mix to accurately match the TDF allocation while letting you tweak it a bit if desired. Or even omit bonds entirely if you find that risk acceptable, since you’re presumably a few decades out from retirement. If you only chose the TDF because you wanted to take a hands off approach, then VOO isn’t *necessarily* a bad choice - it’d just overweight your S&P allocation. Figure out what your goals are and go from there.

_176_

I realize everyone on this sub is 17 years old and investing $20 that their grandma gave them for their birthday. But [here's](https://imgur.com/PijJ1C6) a 60/40 (blue—VT/BND) vs a 100/0 (red —VT) starting in 1990. The 60/40 outperforms over the first 30 years. It has 0.8% lower avg returns with significantly less volatility. For people retiring on $1m, that's a trade-off they're happy to make. I don't hold much bonds either, only 2 years of expenses worth. But anybody telling you the 60/40 is bad is someone who is naive and has only been looking at the last decade or so. And worse yet, they don't have the foresight to adjust as the market changes. Interest rates are back up, the 60/40 is once again a good option. You can get 4-5% for free which will only be a small draw on long-term returns while majorly protecting against downsides and reducing volatility.

Zann77

I hold on grimly to BND and other loser bonds but they’ve been the deadbeat tenants of my portfolio ever since they were acquired.

SaticoySteele

I understand the reasoning that Bonds help diversify a portfolio and help reduce risk from overexposure to stocks... but damnit, I'm about ready to dump all of my BND that I've been sitting on and watching it do nothing but stagnate.

curyfuryone

Im assuming you are recommending BND, since you mentioned it, but their 1yr-10yr graphs show nothing but declines. Why are bonds a good investment?

junger128

BND is a total market bond fund.

Isaac459

It wouldn't have made much of a difference. 80/20 VT/BND outperformed his 40/40/20 by just 0.5% CAGR during this time period. Root cause of the poor results was just bad/unlucky timing. https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=4675c3dG4PY5oH8QnqX443

admiral_corgi

Great explainer describing bonds in detail: https://youtu.be/kPTdUZpBlj8 Bond ETFs are just a bunch of bonds bundled together. Basically, if you want to make money from bonds, you will need to expose yourself to: - Duration risk - Credit risk Credit risk is the risk that the borrower defaults. Duration risk is how long it takes to get your money back. An ETF that exposes you to credit risk would be something like ANGL or JNK. For duration, you can look at a fund like TLT, which invests in 20-year or longer Treasury Bonds. Or, you can invest in the total bond market, such as BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF). Something like BND is generally viewed as quite safe, but also boring. You're exposed to a lot of reinvestment risk with something like a CD — if interests fall while you're holding the CD, then it could be difficult to find another high-yielding investment.

jdav0808

Some of it depends on your age. If you are younger you don’t need much if any bond holdings, as you age I am a believer in adding more. So what a lot of people choose to do is the bulk would go into VOO or VTI, some in VXuS for international exposure and a bond fund like BND. Maybe something like 70% VOO or VTI 20% VXUS 10% BND Adjust to you specific investment strategy.

slippymcdumpsalot42

Sure thing. I sold a small business that was owned by me and one partner, walked away with 1.5. That’s the real answer as to where most the capital came from. If you are wondering how it was done…I worked as an employee for about a decade before deciding to break off with a partner and put our own money on the line. We were both knowledgeable, maybe even border line experts in the industry that we were working in as employees before going it alone. We ended up brushing against insolvency at two points in time but persisted through those hard times, gained customers through performing quality work, and exited the business with a pretty good payday. I took some time off for a couple years, then went back to work as an employee again. This time in the public sector, because I want to help others and I want to work. As far as the retirement goes. Probably work until 55 or 10MM. Whichever comes first. I like working right now. The interactions with other people. The routine. Throughout the entire process I have always been entertained and fascinated with stock picking. I play penny stocks for fun/gambling. I have about 600k in individual stock picks that I’ve built up over time. I’ve got 7 figures in ETFs, mainly VTI, VXUS, AVUV, BND.

dzenanmo82

Is it worth holding both VT and VOO in a portfolio? Current holdings are VT, VUG, VYM, BERK.B, and BND. Thanks

kiwimancy

It's the main US bond index. It holds a mix of US treasurys, agency backed mortgages, and investment grade corporate bonds. I don't know what you mean by "pin my portfolio to this". If you want your portfolio to contain it, buy AGG or BND or SPAB or SCHZ or PBND or FXNAX or ...

slippymcdumpsalot42

My unsolicited advice would be to stay far away from penny stocks. Sure, there is a short term dopamine hit when you pick a winner. But long term (over many years) it is unlikely to be profitable. I’m only able to put on trades like this because I spent years building a responsible base of stocks and bonds, savings accounts and real estate holdings. Find a ratio (preferably like 90/10) where the vast majority of your incoming funds are invested in things such as VOO, VXUS, AVUV, BND. Let’s say you can theoretically invest $200 per month…180 goes to those, and you have $20 to play with penny stocks. Good luck to you sir. Any questions lmk.

toomuchtodotoday

BND

SirGlass

Not really for a couple reasons First I think BND average maturity is like 7 years, when the FOMC sets interest rates they mostly control the short end, basically like the over night rate Longer term bonds are priced a bit different as for example no one expects short term rates will stay the same over 7 years, everyone expects some changes over a 7 year period . So with longer term bonds people sort of expect short term rates to change over time and it be a somewhat of an average rate. Also guess what , you are not the only person who thinks the FOMC will cut rates in the near future , the entire market is expecting it. Do you really think banks who hold billions or trillions in bonds are blissfully unaware of these planned "rate cuts"? No sorry they employee thousands of employees whose whole job is to monitor this and they most likely have a whole lot more information and understanding then you do . You can go here and see what the market is "pricing in" [**https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html**](https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html) Meaning bond prices have already changed in anticipation for the rate cuts. Now the market does not always price in these cuts accurately , the market has been wrong So if rate cuts go as expected , well it would already be priced in. Now there might be money to be made if you predict the market is pricing it wrong like A. Rates will stay higher for longer B. Rates will be cut quicker than expected However that is quite honestly above my pay grade .

stvaccount

No. Since 2007, BND is the red

Random_Name532890

Is it a reasonable expectation that BND (Vanguard Bond ETF) price will go up once interest rates are cut later in the year? Or is there no strong correlation there?

wakeupagainman

I like your idea of buying the ETFs on their list. I think I might look into doing something similar. But how do you find their current ETF list? I wasn't able to find it when I searched. Incidentally, I think the switches in the bond holdings will make virtually no difference in the overall portfolio if you continue with BND and BNDX

Wan_Haole_Faka

The easy (but not most lucrative) answer is treasury notes & a bond ETF like BND. For equities, I like recommending VT for simplicity, but it's hard for me to recommend equities at an all time high. I'm turning out to be a little of a contrarian towards the indexing approach. I like the idea, but it doesn't make sense to me to just "but the same thing at whatever price!" Bonds are cheap now. Most stocks are expensive. Indexing is good for people who don't have a lot of time, but I don't think it takes much time to realize how expensive everything is now. You can take the time to look for value plays, or you can buy bonds.

McKoijion

Exchange just means sell and buy in one step instead of two. Sell all of them immediately before you accumulate capital gains. Unless you’re super rich, you should have gotten a step up in cost basis. That means you don’t need to pay a ton of taxes to reinvest in something else. I’d recommend Vanguard index funds. VTI, VT, BND, etc.

Dom0520

I like VTI and BND. 80 20. It doesn’t surge quite as hard as VOO but its better suited to weather storms

yogibear47

At 68 if it were me I’d periodically invest in some relatively safe allocation like 60% VT / 40% BND over the course of a year. Keep some in cash for taxes of course and keep the money in something like VUSXX while it sits.

CompooterMadeMeDoIt

bonds you buy bonds, in particular for the long term, to hedge against the volatility of securities and to gain a fixed income source. a bond pays a steady rate over the life of its bond and then returns those funds at the end of the bond period in full. so you get all your money back plus you earn the return rate on a fixed income basis. its pretty typical for a retirement account to hold bonds now if youre doing this yourself on some app you probably need to buy an ETF or something of bonds, which do operate differently. BND but like its long established financial advice that some mix of securities and bonds long term is the play. whether thats 80/20 or 70/30 or 50/50 any financial advisor worth anything would tell you to own some fixed income in your retirement account you also would likely own some REIT, which is another kind of real asset. and the reason you own a reit is because they tend to be inflation resistant. so again it hedges you against the downsides of inflation.

harvard378

The simplest method is to follow the Bogleheads approach (this is what a target date fund does, and many (most?) people's 401ks are using this). You won't hit a home run with this method, but you won't strike out either as long as you are willing to stick with it for decades and hold the course during the inevitable down years. This means a total US market fund (VTI), an international fund (VXUS), and a bond fund (BND). Opinions differ on the exact US/international split, and some people just merge the first two into VT (60% US, 40% international). Some people also think bonds are a sub-optimal choice while your young since they lack the upside of stocks and you have time to weather the down years.

the_leviathan711

"Strategy" just means having a plan to use the resources you have to get what you want. So yes, investment requires strategy. That strategy might be something simple like: Buy 60% VTI, 30% VXUS, 10% BND and rebalance every year. Simple yes, but a strategy nonetheless.

Alec_NonServiam

I went heavy on bonds after the Covid recovery, in an ill-fated attempt to set up a strategic rebalance. It was in this moment I learned that BND is quite stable, until interest rate risk kicks in. I still lost less than the S&P did over the same period, but the goal was to keep a rolling rebalance, and everything going down at once basically kneecapped my returns.

the_leviathan711

> BND pays a 3.5% dividend...which will be taxed. This is a 401k > Further it dropped 13% in 22. Recency bias, again.

Nuclear_N

So for the sake of stabilizing or diversifying let's tie up capital in a less performing index. BND pays a 3.5% dividend...which will be taxed. Further it dropped 13% in 22. If anything buy CDs, or bonds which give a decent return.

Nuclear_N

[BND?](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BND/chart#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) You just thanked him for advising a fund that is -10% over the 5 year, while the 500 is +84%. Stay the heck away from bonds until you are 60.

the_leviathan711

BNDX is the international bond fund, BND is the US bond fund. You could do 75% BND/25% BNDX. Or you could just do 100% BND.

Stock_Atmosphere_114

BND, BNDX, and corporate bonds. I've even dabbled in some high yeild corporate bonds, but less the 1% of my fixed income holdings

funpolice99

You answered your own question. If the difference is too big BND may never catch up to VOO to maintain 50-50 ratio even if 100% is going into BND. That’s why people sell/convert instead of just putting new money directly to BND.

TimeToSellNVDA

> To invest in an index fund , do I need a financial advisor or would I just download any app , (robinhood etc ) and find those index funds on there ? Recommendations for anyone I can use too are welcomed Just download the app, find the funds and invest in it. For new investors, these days I tell folks to just put their money into the AOA fund. It's a cheap all in one fund with stocks and bonds and is very liquid and very good. Check out this: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio TL;DR: Just invest in VTI, VXUS, BND. For US/International ratio: anywhere between 80:20 to 60:40 is fine. Depending on your mindset. > Investing in an index fund is it something I have to do on a weekly or monthly basis or do I just dump the extra cash I have now and not have to worry again about it ? If you can automate it and forget about, that's the best. But anything is fine. Robinhood, Schwab, Fidelity and a few others offer fractional shares which will be very useful for you.

Isaac459

The data only goes back that far. And for VT/BND it only goes back to 2008. For the 70/30 data went back to 1978. None of the dates were cherry picked.

Isaac459

Thanks for upvote, but that's completely wrong. 15% Gold will increase the long term risk adjusted return of ANY portfolio. 100% domestic stocks? Adding 15% gold to this portfolio will increase Sortino ratio from 0.64 to to 0.73. https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-asset-class-allocation?s=y&sl=wjnfPlTOw1kwtcMuSEyk7 60% VT/ 40% BND? Adding 15% gold will increase Sortino from 1.02 to 1.10 https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=3ssrkTzT4oUG4QiXDxaOri It even works with bond heavy portfolios like 70% long treasuries/ 30% domestic stocks. Adding 15% gold will increase Sortino from 0.77 to 0.79. https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-asset-class-allocation?s=y&sl=1MlE6VKzIsYYtKDoldrObi

vimomancer

Looks a bit complicated but if it's automated I guess it's fine. Here are some points I want to make: * All of the stocks in SPMO are already in IVV, and SPMO has a higher expense ratio; I'd just turn SPMO into IVV. * IVV and VONG are 61% similar for the top holdings. The few differences have such little money invested that it is insignificant in your overall portfolio. I would turn VONG into a dedicated small cap or international ETF (VB, VEA, VWO) if you want more risk. * Similar thing with QUAL, but since I am biased towards simplicity, I would turn this into more IVV. * Not sure if BMD is a typo, but I'm assuming it's BND. You are you and have a long term investing horizon so I don't think bonds make sense right now. I would turn that into more IVV. Those changes would make your portfolio look something like: IVV 63%, VB 14%, VEA 16%, VWO 7% -- 77% U.S. and 23% International stock

Wan_Haole_Faka

If you're "trying to go into real estate ASAP", then you should probably keep any extra funds in a taxable brokerage account, invested in BND (ATL), treasury bills or, VT, vanguard's global equity ETF. It's broad advice, but the proportions depend on time frame.

Sufficient_Current48

For broadest diversification at lowest cost and most simplicity you could opt for VT. It’s essentially a collection of 9000 companies globally, spanning all sectors. It includes everything domestically that you’d find in a SPY, QQQ or VTI plus all major international orgs. It’s obviously not equal weighted but it’s a great simple way to stay diversified. One could also buy some of the bond version of this with BND. If I had 3 things… I’d go with 65% VT and 20% and 15% in money market which is at 5.25% right now. That way you’re hedged and u can add some liquidity to the funds if there is a “crash”. U also have some money on the side for emergency use

swinging_door

Please critique my portfolio For many wrong reasons I’ve been outside the market, basically sitting on the sidelines with cash of value $C in a Money Market fund. Over the next 24 months, once a month I’m planning to invest $C / 24 across: - VTI 50% - VGT 20% - AVUV 5% (higher potential return, but risky) - SMH 5% (I feel bullish about this sector) - SCHD 10% (some stability from value stocks) - VEA 10% (developed markets ETF: thinking it can provide stable and less risky international exposure) (No BND) I’m 40. Taxable account

McKoijion

VTI, VXUS, BND, and VNQ. US stocks, foreign stocks, US bonds, and U.S. real estate.

VanguardSucks

I don't dismiss the fact that there are idiotic millionaires out there, especially boomers who prefer the old traditional investing methods. Or the greed of some fund managers overcharging for management fees. But I do think your views are biased. Last 10 years, nothing really outperformed tech and tech-heavy indices like QQQ, SPY, VTI, etc... all took off due to their tech-dominated weighting. If you use these as benchmark then of course the majority of funds are going to underperform because many of them are in more defensive sectors and if they don't have any of the M7, they are going to underperform. The majority of asset managers are more concerned about wealth preservation and downside risk management rather than growth because they will have to answer to people if their funds are wiped. Can you imagine having to answer to angry clients in 2022 when QQQ vaporized 40% of its NAV ? How about 2008 ? 2000 ? Even the majority of Vanguard funds underperformed QQQ/SPY/VTI: VT, BND, VTEB, VYM, VYMI, etc.... but I guess they all get a pass on Reddit because they got Vanguard in the names. Factor investing, 3 fund portfolio, small cap, etc... nothing really work in the past 10 years. Either you have tech or you are going to "underperform". If you truly want to escape out of this distortion of the current market, you need to look back further and evaluate how these funds perform during the downturn, rather than comparing returns. Because frankly, if returns are all you care for, nothing really beats crypto. But why don't people just YOLO 100% into cryptos ? You got your answers.

Acceptable_Offer_387

I’m 23, live in the U.S. and just created a Roth IRA and maxed it out for 2023, so none of it is invested yet. I want to use this money for retirement. I’ve heard that timing the market is a bad idea, but have also heard that, as of writing this, I should wait a bit for the etfs I want to invest in to drop given that they are “at an all time high.” Right now, I’m looking at putting 90% in VOO with the other 10% split among VUG, VXUS, and maybe little in BND. Should I wait for it to drop a bit or just get in now.

bmeisler

This is why I can’t stand (most) financial advisors. IMHO, you can’t get a really good one (unless you’re lucky) if you don’t have like $10 million. I’ve learned the hard way not to offer financial advice to friends and family. But for most folks - 110 minus your age in VTI, 5% cash, the rest in BND, rebalance once a year. Unfortunately, most folks are so financially illiterate that what I just suggested is more than they can handle. Hence the proliferation of low-rent financial advisors.

NoConfusion530

The simplest way is thought to be the best approach. Look up bogleheads. They advocate using a 2-3 index funds or ETFs. They are low cost and offer a lot of diversification. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VTIAX) Vanguard Total Bond Market Fund (VBTLX) Or for ETFs: Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VXUS)Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND). https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio Based on your income, you can contribute up to $7K a year in a Roth IRA. Contribute to these funds regularly. At 23, you will be setting yourself up nicely. Time in market is the most important factor, so I urge you to get started. Avoid individual stocks until you are very comfortable with discussing a stocks fundamentals.

End_Tough

Don’t forget crypto.. bitcoin and ETH too but I definitely would go for a dividend stock. BND and SCHD is one of my favorites

SirGlass

A diversified portfolio is not just about holding a bunch of funds. You could create a diversified portfolio with potentially only 2 funds something like VT/BND The classic is a 3 fund portfolio [https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund\_portfolio](https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio) ​ Also adding funds may not actually diversify your portfolio, I have posted this a few time Take two portfolios A 100% VT (all world index) B ) 25% VT(all world index) / 25% VTI (total usa market index) / 25% voo (S&P500) / 25% QQQ (Nasdaq 100) what portfolio is more diverse? A is, by adding VTI/VOO/QQQ you are just concentrating your holdings to USA, Large cap and large cap tech. Everything in VTI/VOO/QQQ is already inside VT so adding these actually just concentrates your holdings

CompooterMadeMeDoIt

you probably shouldnt sell but rather just stop acquiring more and just start DCAing into ETFs the truth is active investors typically dont do well. large, small, it doesnt really matter. over long periods of time most dont even manage to beat the market. even with ETFs youll probably make it more complicated than it needs to be you could do VTI and BND and call it a day. thats just total US stock index, total bond then youll get the markets results because you own a representative list of the market. but most of you arent ok with just making market returns. unfortunately because of that the vast majority are doomed to under perform the market.

willklintin

I'm not familiar with BND. O has a solid track record of increasing dividends for decades but there is still risk involved. I'm planning on retiring early so I want to accumulate while the yield is high, so if reits start getting expensive, I'll have a good position.

SirGlass

>Is it wise to diversify the funds you put money into? If you buy broad based funds they could already be diversified. For example VT is an all world index fund, generally considered one of the most diversified equity funds there is. Adding other funds may not actually increase diversity Take the following two portfolios A ) 100% VT (all world index fund B) 34% VT, 33% VOO (s&p index), 33% QQQ (Nasdaq 100) What portfolio is more diversified ? A Adding VOO and QQQ just concentrates your holdings to USA Large cap/Tech You could potentially create a diversified portfolio with only 2 funds like VT (all world equity index) and BND (Total USA bond fund)

Wan_Haole_Faka

At this point, do you think that O has better risk-adjusted returns than an ETF like BND? I've never held REITs before but see their inverse relationship to interest rates. Thanks!

Wan_Haole_Faka

Is there more risk-adjusted upside for holding $O than BND? The dividend of BND is about 3.2% whereas Realty Income is paying in the ballpark of 5.8%. Both appear to be discounted, but O looks like it has more upside potential. I would love to hear some thoughts. Thank you!

astros440

28m. Been researching for a week now. I feel pretty good about this, I'd just love feedback or reassurance. IRA and 401K goal is moderate-strong growth, and brokerage goal is aggressive growth for comfort into my 30s and 40s. [https://i.imgur.com/GyNeBjt.png](https://i.imgur.com/GyNeBjt.png) * Brokerage. Fund - Initial Investment - % of portfolio * VGT - $4,100, 38% * VOO - $3,600, 33% * AVUV - $1,700, 16% * VXUS - $600, 6% * BND - $800, 7% * Roth IRA. Fund - Initial Allocation - % of portfolio * FSKAX (total market index) - $4,500, 69% * FTIHX (total international index) - $1,250, 19% * FXNAX (US bond index) - $740, 12% * 401K. * VLXVX (Vanguard 2065 target) * 54% Domestic * 36% International * 10% Bonds Overall between all 3 portfolios I have a spread of: • 69% Domestic • 22% International • 9% Bonds Takeaway Q's: \-Can I be more aggressive in my brokerage? \-Can I disregard VXUS and BND for some more focus into VGT and VOO?

LethalOkra

You're up for a good start, m8. You're young and that makes ETFs even better, because what you need is time and you have tons of it. Buy a mixture of VOO, VEA, VTI and a sprinkle of BND here and there and never look at it for the next 2 decades. You're making a great start and you're up for a good future if you have the discipline to keep it up.

tragicpapercut

90% VT 10% BND or equivalent. I may just be a little closer to my retirement date though :)

nick_nasty_nice

IVV QQQ IJR IJH EZU VTV SCHF BND more heavily weighted towards IVV and QQQ with everything else just about even.

kronco

I'm a couple years from retirement so I'm 35% stocks 65% fixed income. I'm risk adverse at this point so equity holdings are broad market but with some tilt toward large value and real estate (REIT). You are young so you should yawn in boredom at my portfolio and look the other way :) (But you should still diversify a bit.) But some names: BND, VIG, VXUS, VTV, DFREX

CountingDownTheDays-

OP, go to the bogleheads sub and read the wiki there. Pick a s&p500 fund (SWPPX) *or* total stock market fund (SWTSX). Add International if you like (VXUS or your brokerage equivalent). Bonds if you are close to retirement (BND). Give up on stock picking.

kiwimancy

Investing is typically a long term activity that soaks up some of your current income for the future, not a side hustle to generate extra income today. Plus if you want to have this money available on short notice, you probably won't want to risk it losing value in the stock market. So your options are limited and a bank savings account with a good interest rate (≳4.5% currently) is probably best. Once your financial situation stabilizes, take a look at https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/wiki/index/gettingstarted. The basic steps at that point would be: - Spend less than you earn - Contribute to a 401k or similar if your employer offers a match - Open a Roth IRA with a broker like Fidelity or Schwab - Buy low expense ratio, diversified stock fund(s) like VTI in those accounts; consider a mix of stocks and bonds like BND if full stocks is too much risk

Gunny_1775

Bogles are ok but the VOO/VXUS/BND gets blown to smithereens by VOO/VGT or QQQM/SCHD

MangoTangoTypaFeller

VOO SP500 VTI SCHD O are my favorites. You only need SCHD or O + one of the other 3 and ur set. I also do BND for bonds but that’s for my 401k

CompooterMadeMeDoIt

the best thing you can buy as a beginner is going to be broad indexes VTI, VOO, VT BND you can do this for growth too. VOOG, VOT, VIOG. broad indexes for growth stocks in the large cap, mid cap, small cap. much safer than buying individual stocks