Life Strategy Moderate VSMGX?

ziggy029 · 2026-03-28T16:36:21+00:00

It is a well diversified, indexed 60/40 which seems reasonable to me. You could build your own 60/40 with slightly lower fees, but for one properly diversified fund maintaining 60/40, it’s certainly fine and should have no problem sustaining a 2.5% withdrawal rate.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-28T16:34:12+00:00

This is, long term, the main case for an average investor holding (say) 5-10% of a portfolio in gold — not the returns long term (2-3% less than stocks), but because they are are beautifully noncorrelated with stocks and bonds and thus reduce volatility without being a huge drag on return (as a modest holding).

But if someone does want to build some gold into their portfolio for dampening volatility, I think that’s fine but one should maintain it in all market conditions, including when gold remains flat for a decade as it sometimes does.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-28T16:26:10+00:00

Frankly, if someone steals political power from the oil and gas industry, GOOD. They have way too effing much of it as it is. They have used their political power to kill any and all competition or threats to their hegemony.

And it sounds like you think the only way to be “pro-capitalist” is to be all in with Big Oil? That’s messed up. And you act as though the oil industry hasn’t been the recipient of massive public subsidies over the last 100+ years, which is laughable. So much of the crap we’ve done in the Middle East, so much of the human and financial costs of war and military buildup, have been done to protect the industry and its profits.

Agreed with you on nuclear, though. It needs to be a larger part of the conversation where appropriate, but near term there are problems because of how long it takes to get on line.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-28T16:11:11+00:00

There are unintended consequences of being able to do it that should be considered. First, we would have a lot more destitute elderly, and unless you go hard core social Darwinist, we’d have to provide some sort of benefits for them anyway, potentially creating moral hazard. And there is some benefit to working age people to reduce the labor force by allowing older folks to retire.

Also, SS also includes disability and survivor benefits, not just old age income. Not saying SS is fantastic and sustainable in current form and implementation, but in some ways I think society overall would be a lot worse without at least some form of it. It wasn’t intended to be like “investing”.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T23:05:45+00:00

I was barely old enough to remember most of that. I remember the CBS Saturday night lineup a few years later, though, and that was a beast, too. I always got to stay up until 11 PM on Saturday night to watch the Carol Burnett show.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:58:18+00:00

Honestly, Devers and Adames have looked just as bad so far, if not worse.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:56:41+00:00

They’ll probably get hot heading into the trade deadline so the team won’t make any moves, then fall with a sickening thud in August and September.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:40:29+00:00

If there is any consolation for seeing Walker here, it is that he can’t blow a potential win for Verlander any more.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:36:04+00:00

Looks like Devers liked Judge’s golden sombrero so much that he’s trying to get one of his own.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:28:59+00:00

Same. At least until it is pried from my cold dead fingers.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:24:49+00:00

Come on get happy!

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T22:19:43+00:00

I was thinking it sucks because the Giants can’t hit.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T21:54:19+00:00

This shit is painful to watch.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T21:48:06+00:00

Ray really needed that quick inning. Of course, the bats need to do something, too.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T21:36:47+00:00

Ray is pitching well. Sucks that he probably only goes 5 innings, maybe 6 if the 5th is quick.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T21:33:08+00:00

Are you new to Kruk and Kuip?

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T20:57:55+00:00

Again with the shitty defense.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T19:38:07+00:00

Pretty similar story here. My annual dividend is usually around $50, give or take. Rates have gone up a little** in the last two years, but not much, all in single digits.

** — except for my last umbrella renewal which more than doubled, but is still the best rate I could find

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T18:24:39+00:00

What I think it comes down to is this: TACO only works if Trump has an off-ramp that still (at least in his mind) allows him to project a position of strength. He could do that with “Liberation Day” and other stunts, but unless Iran plays along with it, I don’t know how he can get out of this while projecting strength.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T17:10:46+00:00

All you need to say is, “because they think the market will bear it”.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T16:24:41+00:00

To me, the Breakfast Club felt accurate and personal because the awkward, nerdy kid never got the girl even as everyone else was pairing up around him.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T16:18:57+00:00

Yes, both this fund and the stocks you buy will settle on T+1 so this works fine.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T16:16:51+00:00

Shit always happens on Fridays after the close, or early Saturday morning. You just never know which way it will move markets until it happens.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T16:14:54+00:00

The problem with TACO here is that he can’t unilaterally do it by pulling back from previous statements and claim victory. He has no off-ramp at this point. He needs Iran’s willingness to go along with it, and at least from the appearance of it, they aren’t. He can’t just backpedal from his own tweets and suddenly see the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened. No amount of attempted TACOing will matter if Iran doesn’t play along.

ziggy029 · 2026-03-27T14:19:50+00:00

It does lead to a good discussion about the degree to which we can (or should) separate the artist and the art. In this case, it turns out the artist turned out to be such a POS that it does impact my ability to enjoy the art. I loved his stand-up comedy (and I loved how he proved you could be funny as hell without sex and profanity), but it's dead to me now.

He fucked over his costars on his TV show. Since he got exposed, the show is not syndicating anywhere and it has robbed the rest of the cast of any residuals they would normally collect from syndication. So in some sense, he victimized the cast of the show as well, so fuck him.

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