Search found 72 matches

by christina
Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:07 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: This Forum & Dissenting Opinions of the HBPP
Replies: 190
Views: 61347

Re: This Forum & Dissenting Opinions of the HBPP

I'm more of a lurker, and have been doing so for about 4 years, since I started with the PP.
Yes, I believe most discussions are civil, however, I will say that almost ALL discussions veer WAAAY off topic, to the point of excluding the OP. 
by christina
Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:04 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Are you buying, holding, or selling the PP?
Replies: 69
Views: 28874

Re: Are you buying, holding, or selling the PP?

I've held a vanilla PP for 4 years. (Well, I have the Canadian version, which splits the stock portion into 66% Canadian stocks and 33% American.) I've had one down year (2013) and that was a challenge to get through, admittedly. This year is going to be a flat year, it looks like. I really HATE los...
by christina
Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:14 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Six Years of Studying the HBPP And...
Replies: 16
Views: 11067

Re: Six Years of Studying the HBPP And...

I have been in the PP for 3 years, and I can say that for the last year, I didn't check my portfolio for almost 6 months because I felt confident enough that if one asset went down, another would go up. Also, reading the news, I knew that my US stocks would counterbalance a lot of my mediocre Canadi...
by christina
Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:06 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP?
Replies: 26
Views: 18639

Re: Canadian PP?

I just noticed this: "Open Season on the Loonie" What the heck happened to the Canadian Dollar!?  It's now 0.90 USD per 1.00 CAD.  That's a 4% move down over the past month. So that's why the Canadian PP has moved 4% higher YTD.  Gold is up almost 10% YTD in CAD!  But if we convert the Canadian PP ...
by christina
Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:59 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP?
Replies: 26
Views: 18639

Re: Canadian PP?

Check the fees for iTrade. I think under a certain amount, they charge you an astronomical annual fee to hold with them (like $120, or somewhere in that range). Plus trades are $20 each, so rebalancing gets expensive. I use Questrade. ETF trades are free. Sweet. There's no annual fee. Sweeeet. (User...
by christina
Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:05 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Kudos for the PP
Replies: 71
Views: 29333

Re: Kudos for the PP

If money was leaving the stock market, where would it be going? Abroad, but not into gold. Or paying back debt. Historically (in the U.S. anyway), if money is leaving the stock market it's going into treasuries, gold or cash. And note that as dollars are leaving the stock market, they don't necessa...
by christina
Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:51 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year
Replies: 15
Views: 10786

Re: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year

Shadow - I don't understand why holding the Canadian stock market is a bad choice. I guess because you are not taking advantage of when the stock markets of the world beat Canada's? How often do the stock markets of the world beat Canada's? If I look at the returns, I see that the S&P was crap again...
by christina
Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:27 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year
Replies: 15
Views: 10786

Re: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year

yes, the CAD went up during those years.
Isn't this currency bonus is only relevant for my gold, as well as my US stock holdings, which are unhedged?
by christina
Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:09 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: PP investors--stay the course
Replies: 282
Views: 123680

Re: PP investors--stay the course

If I'm not mistaken (but very well could be because I didn't double-check), I think frommi likes value investing.
by christina
Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:32 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year
Replies: 15
Views: 10786

Re: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year

Stunt - I found out about the PP through the Canadian Couch Potato website. Yes, I like the structured approach too. I like buying bonds directly from the government, as there is no management fee :-), but I do top-up with Bank of Montreal's ZFL (long bonds etf). It's interesting that 2/3rds of your...
by christina
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:01 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year
Replies: 15
Views: 10786

Re: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year

I have about 1/3 of my stock portion in US stocks, but used to be all-Canadian stocks until about 1/2 way through the 2013 year. People on this board (and everywhere else) have told me that the Canadian economy is not diversified enough: it is over-represented by financials and resource stocks; ther...
by christina
Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:16 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down 7.26% this year
Replies: 15
Views: 10786

Canadian PP down 7.26% this year

Hi there, My personal fiscal year end/start is October. From Oct 2012 to Oct 2013, my Canadian PP lost 7.26%. This is a record for the greatest loss ever by the Canadian PP. The previous record was 6.53% in 1981 (according to the Stingy Investor Asset Mixer). Mind you, the year start/end date is typ...
by christina
Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:26 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Kudos for the PP
Replies: 71
Views: 29333

Re: Kudos for the PP

Well, if we know that historically the PP asset that is declining will usually be in the process of losing 40-80% of its value from its prior high and the asset that is in the process of increasing will usually be increasing by between 200% and 1000% (or more) from its prior low, do you see how you...
by christina
Tue Sep 24, 2013 8:28 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Kudos for the PP
Replies: 71
Views: 29333

Re: Kudos for the PP

Well, if we know that historically the PP asset that is declining will usually be in the process of losing 40-80% of its value from its prior high and the asset that is in the process of increasing will usually be increasing by between 200% and 1000% (or more) from its prior low, do you see how you...
by christina
Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:03 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?
Replies: 60
Views: 24679

Re: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?

No, i meant 6% per year, not over inflation. I'm not quite sure how to arrive at a savings target based on a moving compound interest target of 4.5% over inflation. To get to my target, I need my savings to compound at 5-6% per year. How I arrived at my target was to take my salary and multiply it b...
by christina
Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:02 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?
Replies: 60
Views: 24679

Re: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?

Gumby wrote: So, when the Dollar gets weaker, the Permanent Portfolio goes up. When the dollar gets stronger, the Permanent Portfolio goes down.
So, when the dollar gets stronger --- maybe that's the signal to get out of the PP and into something else (not sure what)?
by christina
Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:20 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?
Replies: 60
Views: 24679

Re: Investing in the PP - Why Do I Feel Like My Head is in the Sand?

I'm not someone who benchmarks the PP against the stock market. All I need is about 6% gain per year to achieve my retirement goals. For the past 2 years, I have not had 6% a year with the PP (it's the Canadian PP). So that is my problem with the PP now. Perhaps 2 years is not a long enough time to ...
by christina
Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:51 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Watching the PP work. Thanks Harry
Replies: 32
Views: 13630

Re: Watching the PP work. Thanks Harry

Year todate I have the PP down 6%. SHY flat,TLT down 11%,and gold(IAU) down 27%. Neat how it all works together. Who knows when this bleeding stops. I started my PP in January and I knew the risk of buying into an extended rally. Only regret is not finding the concept years ago. I assumed the last ...
by christina
Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:44 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: PP investors--stay the course
Replies: 282
Views: 123680

Re: PP investors--stay the course

I feel very fortunate to have lived through 2008 in the prime of my investing career.  I experienced it fully and completely.  The trauma was comprehensive.  You can't read about that kind of stuff and understand it.  You must live through it. Yes, I agree that you must live through the bad times t...
by christina
Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:54 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012
Replies: 11
Views: 5672

Re: Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012

I don't understand why you say that world stocks "counteract" gold for Canadians.
I understand that gold acts an alternative currency for Canadians, and is useful to us in times of inflation. Are world stocks also supposed to act as a foreign currency, and be useful in times of inflation?
by christina
Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:47 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012
Replies: 11
Views: 5672

Re: Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012

Hi - I've felt more comfortable using 20% and 30% boundaries, so that's what I've been doing. I did end up buying gold yesterday. If the PP strategy hadn't been there telling me that it was time to buy, I never would have bought it. We'll see what happens, and I feel good knowing it's only 25%. I st...
by christina
Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:53 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012
Replies: 11
Views: 5672

Canadian PP down -5.29% since October 2012

I started my Canadian PP in October 2011. By October 2012, it had gained 5.39%. Since October 2012, it has lost 5.29%, and would have lost more had I not invested in the S&P500 in December-ish timeframe. My Gold yesterday got to <20% of my portfolio so I'm going to have to buy some more. It's hard. ...
by christina
Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:40 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Difficult Times
Replies: 124
Views: 41639

Re: Difficult Times

I'm always rooting for my stocks.

It actually doesn't bother me to see stocks doing better than the PP, in the same way that it doesn't bother me when I see bonds doing better than the PP, or gold. One of those assets is ALWAYS going to be doing better than the PP :-) so get used to it, Budd!! :-)
by christina
Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:02 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Canada Life International Funds
Replies: 1
Views: 2114

Re: Canada Life International Funds

My employer lets me pull out all the money that I put in (not the company match) once a year, without penalty. Have you looked into such an option? Are you getting a good match that makes up for these incredibly high fees?
by christina
Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:26 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Asset Class Correlations
Replies: 6
Views: 4187

Re: Asset Class Correlations

right, so you mention that the PP relies on causation, which is what I like about the portfolio too. However, I was wondering about the situation in Japan. Somebody recently posted that Japan was posting billions in government surpluses. So that would indicate that Japan's economy is doing well. So ...