Mutual funds

[Greasemonkey]

Anyone else taking a chit kicking in mutual funds pulled them all and put in GICs until this economy/ govt scandals settles down low term of course, yes I know that they should be a long term investment but I don’t like negative 8 % returns when my best year has only been maybe 4 I’m not an expert by any means but this is going to be one shakey year in Canada investment wise

[daveyn]

I personally don't like mutual funds and would much rather build my own mutual fund by just buying the stocks that mutual funds hold, the fees on mutual funds are growth killers at 2.5 to 3.5 %, meaning you don't make a nickle until the returns exceed the fees. ETF's are a much better way to go if you don't have the capital to diversify on your own.
On a different note, not clear why you would want to sell your mutual funds in a down market unless you think they will never come back. You should be buying more if you think the market is down.
Its like saying "honey housing prices have tanked so we better sell, we can buy back in when the prices go back up" Makes no sense to me.
'

[fishtank]

If you are selling it .. better to have something to put it in and not just let it sit , build your own little portfolio look at the the bank stock at least you get better return then the gic

[gloszz]

Originally Posted by Greasemonkey

Anyone else taking a chit kicking in mutual funds pulled them all and put in GICs until this economy/ govt scandals settles down low term of course, yes I know that they should be a long term investment but I don’t like negative 8 % returns when my best year has only been maybe 4 I’m not an expert by any means but this is going to be one shakey year in Canada investment wise

Stocks are a crazy beast. I started investing too late last year as I overslept the good times with marijuana stocks. I bought into biotech, pharma, electronics, banking and natural resources ( silver, copper, nickel, gold and etc.). I have been sitting on my stocks since last february and just hoping they go a few cents over what I bought them for, just so I can pull out and wait for a dip. Any money I made in the stocks, i reinvested into some bad companies and didnt lose, but had to wait too long to make money back...

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Greasemonkey

Anyone else taking a chit kicking in mutual funds pulled them all and put in GICs until this economy/ govt scandals settles down low term of course, yes I know that they should be a long term investment but I don’t like negative 8 % returns when my best year has only been maybe 4 I’m not an expert by any means but this is going to be one shakey year in Canada investment wise

The time to have been taking profits in your investments would have been back in January last year or into August this summer. It is painful to watch your portfolio drop as the market corrects but to sell it all at the bottom is a common mistake. Stocks are volatile. The time to buy is when things are looking grim. Exiting the market while it is down and hoping to get back in when things turn around is a very tough task to accomplish. To go all in or all out carries its own risk to your returns.

The cost of mutual fund fees in Canada can really eat into your returns over time. Build yourself a simple, diversified portfolio of low cost etfs. Vanguard has some of the lowest fees. Split them up between the U.S. market, Canada and EAFE. Determine the level of risk you are comfortable with and have a level of your portfolio in a relatively risk free asset and the rest in the broad market. If you are young and want to take on extra risk, save a small portion of your portfolio (10% ish) for hopefully generating outsize returns ie. pot stocks etc. but don't go to heavy.

Good luck

[MyAlberta]

The only mutal fund I’m interested in is s company matched one. Did a company matched stock purchase when working at Tesco, but even that couldn’t save an almost complete loss.

When you consider market timing, we are once again entering that environment where rental vacancies rates are dropping at the same time home prices are relatively low.

[KGB]

Look into the ETF- exchange traded funds. They are like mutual fund consist of many companies but trade as a stocks and have very low fee.

[Mistagin]

Ours were doing reasonably well in 2018 - up until about October, then they took a real pounding . So I called my advisor and we moved some stuff around and that leveled them out. At the end of the year I was down probably 8 % or so. Worst year I've had in 40 years of investing in mutual funds.
However, I think we made the right moves ; in the first 6 weeks of this year they have recovered almost back to where they were in September. Just a couple more thousand and we're back into positive territory
It takes some discipline to ride out the lows - especially as we get older and closer to when we'll need that money!

[ganderblaster]

What’s a solid investment to make on stocks in the US right now?

[Ronji]

Originally Posted by ganderblaster

What’s a solid investment to make on stocks in the US right now?

Invest in U.S. construction companies that specialize in building walls, barriers, fences, barricades
Trump wants 5 billion but it sounds like he is only going to get 1.5 billion, and with the cost overruns that occur on any government funded project there will be money to be made!

[bobtodrick]

I'm lucky I guess, the person who handles my investments (mostly mutuals) is very good. I have a bad habit of checking them every morning...I'd say that on an average 75% of the time they are up over the day before...and over the last year they are well up over this time last year.
No complaints here.

[skidderman]

Due to low fees there are only two that stand out. Steadyhand or Mawer. I pay less than 1% in fees at Steadyhand. The most I was down in 18 was minus 4.1%. That has rebounded & am in the black again. avg 6.7 in 3 yrs. There are 3 types of funds. Low risk, med & high risk. High risk is called high risk for a reason. Mutuals are a long term game & if you have a weak stomach it can be hard on the nerves. Key is knowing what you own. If you own good solid companies in the long run a person should do well. Go for dot coms, pot etc & expect some day to be on a sinking ship.

[MyAlberta]

Originally Posted by Ronji

Invest in U.S. construction companies that specialize in building walls, barriers, fences, barricades
Trump wants 5 billion but it sounds like he is only going to get 1.5 billion, and with the cost overruns that occur on any government funded project there will be money to be made!

I’ve gone towards military providers, and now I’m thinking AI Pretty sure the President spends his spare time invisioning an apex power that will pay their debt through global restructuring.

[ceadog]

It's more when run through RRSPs but I'm staying away from equities and doing lending in first and second mortgages. Being in the industry helps though.

[Skytop B]

Originally Posted by ganderblaster

what’s a solid investment to make on stocks in the us right now?

mtch