Jeff DeMaso

482 posts

Weekly Brief

Vanguard’s Service Still Stagnant

The 60/40 portfolio lives | Inflation check-in | Vanguard service issues | Beware phishing attempts

| 4 min read
IVA Research

Big Index Fund Fails?

The Morningstar headline grabbed me. “Why Are These Big Index Funds Underperforming?” By definition index funds, if they’re doing their jobs properly, don’t outperform or underperform. They simply match their benchmarks less a bit for their expenses. Generally, when talking about outperformance or underperformance it’s active funds

| 2 min read
Quick Take

Alternative Costs

Did Alternative Strategies (VASFX) run into some trouble earlier this year? Some time between November 2021 and April 2022 Vanguard paid $637,000 into the fund to cover “higher-than-anticipated costs associated with short sale transactions.” As you may recall, the fund uses a variety of strategies to achieve a goal

| 2 min read
IVA Research

Who Are Vanguard’s Pros?

Vanguard has increasingly turned to outside help, and it’s costing shareholders millions.

| 1 min read
Weekly Brief

Is Your Brokerage Statement Deceiving You?

Mixed ISM data | Municipal money market yield warning | Vanguard's portfolio recommendations

| 5 min read
IVA Research

Upping the Limit

Every year around this time, Dan and I provide an update on contribution limits for retirement savings accounts. And every time we say something along the lines of “Put time on your side, and sock away as much as you can as early as you can.” Well, this year is

| 12 min read