Fund of the Week: BTTRX American Century Target Maturity 2025

This past week looked a lot like the week before. BTTRX American Century Target Maturity 2025 My Post was the best performer of the funds I track gaining 2.7%. The other 9 funds in the top 10 were bond funds.


The stinkers? Real Estate, and Growth funds. SSREX SSgA Tuckerman Active REIT My Post lost the most for the second week in a row, losing 18.87%. Yep, -18.87% in one week.

Next WylieMoney Slowly fund: MDIIX BlackRock Intl Index

I have really been slacking with adding funds to the WylieMoney Slowly portfolio.

I'm supposed to pick a new fund before the first of each month and add it to the WylieMoney Slowly Portfolio on the first down day of the month. Well unless Monday is a gargantuan rally, my laziness will pay off as this month has already seen massive declines in my next fun category: Foreign Large Blend.

The fund I choose for the WylieMoney 20 Mostly managed portfolio was MDIIX BlackRock Intl Index My Post.

Of the no-load, no fee mutual funds available in this category through Etrade with a record of more than 5 years, MDIIX has the worst 3 year return, but not not by much. The funds in this category are performing very close to each other.

Since MDIIX has the lowest expenses and non of the other options are significantly outperforming it over 5 years, I'm sticking with it.

So on the next day the markets decline, I'll add a $2500 investment in MDIIX BlackRock Intl Index to the WylieMoney Slowly Portfolio.

Portfolio Update 11/17/08: Nasty

This market collapse is just plan nasty.



34 seconds in when Janet (accompanied by Paula Abdul) screams "STOP!" I wish the markets would join her date and chill out for a second. Actually, if they then started dancing, like her date, that would be fine too.


I remember back in early 2008, when the losses were scary. At this point, it is just kinda numbing. It will take a pretty special rally to avoid needing a long time to make it back to even. And with the economy starting to show profound weakness, finally feeling the impact of week housing and credit markets, a special rally seems a long way off.

Of course the darkest hour is just before dawn.


The ETF portfolio is just barely below the WylieMoney 20 Mostly Managed portfolio. If the ETFs did not have fee required for their purchase (If I used Zecco instead of Etrade?) the ETF Portfolio would be ahead. Of course I also reinvest dividends for this experiment which in reality would have a cost for the ETF portfolio that the No Load No Fee Mutul fund portfolios avoid...

Bottom Line is these two portfolios are basically even and the ETF portfolio's lower tax burden is worth exploring.

WylieMoney 20 Mostly Managed


ETF 20


Lazy 20 Mostly Index


WylieMoney Slowly


Three Fund Index

S&P 500

Fund of the Week: BTTRX American Century Target Maturity 2025

BTTRX American Century Target Maturity 2025 My Post was up 4.48% last week, outperforming the 100 or so funds I track. The top ten funds were all bond funds.



Real Estate funds got walloped last week. SSREX SSgA Tuckerman Active REIT My Post lost 8.11% last week stinking more than any other fund I track. The other real estate funds in my experiment (or IRA. my IRA has more real estate in it than the other portfolios. note how it fared last week) sat at the bottom of the pile along with some small and mid cap domestic funds.

Portfolio Update 11/07/08: Bob the Drummer

At the end of this week, there is hope.

Hope for Bob the Drummer.

You see Bob the Drummer does not want his taxes to go up so he can buy a business. His story was so powerful that it launched a tour.

The tour was confusing, because it tried to make the point that Bob, who was worried about paying higher taxes, should support a candidate that would have him paying three times more taxes than if he supported the other candidate.

The average drummer in Bob's home state earns $47,930 a year.

Well those earning $47,930 would see their tax bill decline by $319 under the plan of the candidate who launched a tour touting Bob's struggles. But the other candidate's plan would see the average drummer's taxes decline $1042.

Bob did not quite understand this or did not care. Bob actually has no plans to buy a business, so the foundation of his story is a bit of a lie. Also turns out Bob is not a licensed drummer and does not bother to pay the taxes he owes under the current tax plan.

The reason there is hope today for Bob is that the candidate that plans to lower the taxes that Bob can continue to not pay by three times as much as the candidate that used Bob to try and scare a lot of people, is now the president elect.

So there is hope for Bob and anyone else who wants to be a drummer.



For those of us seeking to make pretend money with hypothetical investments, this week was a bit rough.

The WylieMoney portfolio of Mostly Managed mutual funds continues to be the best performing portfolio invested on May 1 2007, but by less than 1%.

WylieMoney 20 Mostly Managed
ETF 20
Three Fund Index
WylieMoney Slowly
Lazy 20 Mostly Index
S&P 500

Fund of the Week: VWO Vanguard Emerging Markets

VWO Vanguard Emerging Markets was up 23.28% last week. Real Estate, Natural Resources and growth funds make up the top 10.


TLT iShares Lehman 20+ Years Bond fund had the worst week of the funds I track, losing -4.03%. The other 9 funds in the bottom 10 were all bond funds.

Portfolio Update 10/31/08: Big Time

This chart helps keep things in context but last week, the markets were up Big Time.

The WylieMoney 20 Mostly Managed portfolio was only up 4.1% compared to a 9.05% gain for the ETF 20 portfolio. Another week like that and the ETF portfolio will take a comfortable lead.

WylieMoney 20 Mostly Managed
ETF 20


Three Fund Index

WylieMoney Slowly

Lazy 20 Mostly Index


S&P 500