Up 38.41%

using Bobbi's simple method and 42.40% with XIRR.  Comment-  lady luck doesn't show up at the door without diligence, contrariness, sensibility, and an invitation.  Plans for 2008- do it again.

 

YTD Portfolio performance 12/31/07

Overall +8.40%
Individual stocks +10.74%
Bond Funds +6.11%

Equity Funds +7.74%

Asset Allocation
Bond Funds 33.36%
Stock Funds 25.35%
Individual Stocks 37.59%
Tradable Cash 3.70%

Style box:

LV 27 LC 26 LG 30
MV 3 MC 5 MG 5

SV 1 MC 3 SG 1

 

Individual Fund Performance YTD
PRWCX  +4.56% TRP Capital Appreciation Fund

RPMGX +17.65% TRP Mid Cap Growth Fund
RPSIX +6.13% TRP Spectrum Income Fund
TRMCX +0.60% TRP Mid Cap Value Fund
VBIIX +7.64 % Vanguard Intermediate Bond Index Fund
VFIIX +7.04% Vanguard GNMA Fund
VFSTX +5.89%Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade Bond Fund
VWNFX +2.23% Vanguard Windsor II Fund

Stocks that have moved more than 5% YTD

CAT +20.48%

CL +21.94%

MMM +10.53%

MSFT +20.83%

NOC +18.46%

ORCL +31.74% (+34.24% since I bought 3/5/07)

PFE –8.15%

RFMD –15.91%

RIG +77.14%

XOM +24.34%

YHOO –8.93%

ZMH –15.60%

 

Comments: No trades during Dec. Also there was little change in anything.

 

Happy New Year,

Herb

Overall, a middling year for my portfolio.  It was held back by the performance of my muni fund and various value funds.  With the exception of DODBX, I was happy with how my moderate allocation funds fared.

In December, for tax purposes, I sold my position in VUVLX that I began in Feb 2004.  I ended with an XIRR in this fund of 8.3% which is just OK.  With the proceeds, I bought into VASVX and some additional VWELX – after their distribution dates.

Portfolio %’s and YTD % Gain using XIRR.

Asset        %YTD       Dec07%        Adj%

Cash          0.0%         19.9%
Fixed         4.8%          32.7%
Bonds        1.9%         10.0%        17.4%
Equity        6.5%         37.4%        30.0%

Total          5.4%        100.0%

The adjusted allocation percentages reflect the bond component of the balanced funds.  Cash is included in the portfolio, but has not been tracked for growth – since it is now such a large part of my portfolio, I’ll start doing that in 2008.  Foreign stocks total 7% of portfolio, 19% of equity.

Current M* Stylebox:
25     24    25
  6      7      7
  2      2      2

Equity and bond funds (w/YTD) are:
USVAX    9.0%     USAA Virginia Bond Fund (1.11%)
VGSTX    6.5%     Vanguard STAR (6.58%)
VWELX    5.4%    Vanguard Wellington (8.34%)
DODBX    4.7%    Dodge & Cox Balanced (1.73%)
FBALX     3.7%    Fidelity Balanced (8.99%)
VQNPX    3.0%    Vanguard Growth & Income (2.62%)
VHCOX    2.9%    Vanguard Capital Opportunity (10.58%)
VWNFX   2.6%     Vanguard Windsor II (2.23%)
DODFX    2.5%     Dodge & Cox International (11.71%)
VMRGX   2.1%     Vanguard Morgan Growth (11.22%)
FIGRX     1.5%     Fidelity International Discovery (18.98%)
NAESX   1.4%     Vanguard Small Cap Index (1.16%)
VASVX    1.0%    Vanguard Selected Value (-0.23%)
PTRAX    1.0%     PIMCO Total Return Admin (8.84%)

Neil

My third best year in the last 20 --- 2003 was +39.5% and 1998 was +25.0%.

I retired 12/31/01 and I'm using this portfolio for growth and income. During 2007, I withdrew only 2.2% of the value as of 12/31/06. In 2008 I intend to w/d about 4.8% of today's value. I don't base my withdrawals on the value from 10 or 20 years ago as described in some papers.

This is predominately a mid-cap growth portfolio, according to M*, comprised of 28 stocks.

     6  13  12

     7  10  20

   10    3    9

 I don't have a target allocation. Right now it's 74/26 stocks/cash. About 1/3 of the stocks are foreign, 2/3 US.

 Industry Groups

 My five largest industry groups are:

• Retail, 10.7%
• Oil & Gas, 7.7%
• Banks, 6.9%
• Chemicals, 5.7%
• Steel, 5.2%

Largest Holdings

1. Copart (CPRT)
2. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/B)
3. Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD)
4. Harbin Electric (HRBN)
5. Terra Nitrogen (TNH)
6. Helmerich & Payne (HP)
7. CarMax (KMX)
8. Amer. Eagle Outfitters (AEO)
9. Arcelor Mittal (MT)
10. Noble Corp. (NE)

Performance

             MFSFX    VFINX

• 1 mo         1.4%    -0.7%
• 3 mo         3.4%    -3.4%
• 1 yr         21.9%     5.4%
• 3 yr         11.1%     8.5%
• 5 yr         14.8%   12.7%
• 12/31/01  12.5%     7.9% (retirement)
  
• 10 yr         8.8%     5.8%

MFSFX is My Financial Success Fund and I figure the performance numbers much like a mutual fund does. It is the NAV method. The results compare closely with XIRR.

Happy New Year and here's to a successful 2008.

 

 YTD +8.94  

 Cash             18.68%

 U.S.             27.79%       

 Foreign        22.76%       

 Bonds           30.58%

 

 30  29  27

 06  05  02

 01  01  00

 Both my wife and I retired and receiving S.S.

Withdrawal time.

 All distributions added to MM fund.

 Syd

the Whole Banana	2.55%
Rick's Simple	3.65%
my 401k	5.24%
cash	17.71%
US	38.74%
foreign	32.64%
bonds	9.02%
other	1.89%
not class.	0.00%
largecap		16	15	18
midcap		9	7	13
smallcap		10	7	5
LV	23.74%
LG	25.70%
M/SV	24.99%
M/SG	24.14%
average ER	1.23%
yield	3.65%

 

Can you tell how much my financials have hurt me? The worst of it has been realty-related. Those investments are gone. I have proven yet again how much I don't understand realty and REITs. I will stay away for the moment and will only reconsider initiating a DCA back into them via OEFs once I think the subprime mess has finished blasting thru. Even after this mess, I still believe that about 10% of our portfolio should be invested in realty because of their general non-correlation to other investments --but not right now. 

Smallcap have also proven to be weaker than other areas of the markets, especially in the latter part of 2007. Since there is a "healthy" porportion of our personal retirement accounts in SV, this weakness has been yet another blow to the Whole Banana's closing 2007 return.

I took my annual New Year's Day trek to Barnes and Noble today to add to my investing library. I chose The Winning Investment Habits of Warren Buffett & George Soros. Maybe I'll learn something that *I* can implement to my advantage. Not their non-diversified approach, though. They have the acumen and the guts to make it work. I don't.

Regards,

Susan

Bobbi's up just 2.74% in 2007
This portfolio includes all of my investments and cash. I am 59, my husband is 62. We are entering our 8^th year of retirement with no pension however Jay will get his first Social Security check in February. This changes our need for income from this portfolio. His SS plus interest on the MM fund (if it stays above 3%) and the mortgage payment we receive each month will cover our basic income needs. We will still use income from this portfolio for travel, special projects and gifts.

Equity 55%*  w/ YTD returns:
Mutual Funds: DODBX  1.7%, DODFX 11.7%, DODGX 0.14% , FLPSX 3.2%,  MAPIX 18.1%
 * 38% of  equity is foreign
Reit Fund:  FRESX -21.3%
Stocks: BAC -19.2%, CVX 30.6%, GGB 87.4%, LYG -11.5%, RRD 9.0%, UL 38.6%, WOR 4.4 
ETFs: DVY -5.6% , DIA 8.8%

 Bonds  & Cash 45%:**
Active Bond Funds: DODBX, DODIX
Farm Mortgage, Treasury Bills (6 months) and Money Market

Portfolio expenses = 0.49%
YTD cumulative withdrawal = 2.82%  

I continue to be ahead of my bogey, DODBX, but I’m still lagging the market. Dodge and Cox had a terrible year; I like to think they are in transition, much like 2002, and hope that they will emerge stronger next year.

My hat is off to those of you who managed to earn out