Author Topic: Am I spread too thin among my funds?????  (Read 2861 times)

yelrach11

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Am I spread too thin among my funds?????
« on: February 27, 2013, 06:32:06 AM »
Should I reduce the number of funds I have….am I spread too thin…..

Teacher in Missouri…currently pay 14 percent into teacher retirement….after thirty years I should receive 65% of my top three salaries averaged together…(I do not want to work 30 years nor do I fully trust the money will be around when I retire)

403B with about 17000 currently in it….spread between….Vanguard Total Bond Index…..Fidelity International Discovery….Fidelty Spartan 500 Index….Vanguard Small Cap Growth Index….

JNJ…100 shares….

Dabble on occasion with Scottrade

TRowePrice Account….9000 Media and Telecommunications Fund….6500 New Asia Fund….3800 Latin America Fund…3600 Global Stock Fund….4000 Extended Equity Market Index…..2000 in Roth IRA Retire 2040  (just got into this one and am trying to beef it up)

Have a house….$840 a month owe about 128,000…appraised at around 150,000

My question is….should I consolidate my TRowe Price accounts??  Am I spreading myself too thin?  I put about 100 dollars apiece in each fund monthly.  Would I be better served to get rid of three of them and focus on three and really throw money at them??   

Another Reader

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Re: Am I spread too thin among my funds?????
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2013, 06:57:28 AM »
Look at the returns and expenses on each fund.  A great visual is to look at the chart called "hypothetical growth of $10,000" to see the amount and shape of the growth.  I own about six T Rowe Price funds that I have been very happy with for 15 plus years.  Sorry, Vanguard fans, but the numbers speak for themselves.  The only one I would definitely consider changing is the Extended Equity fund, which has a high expense ratio for what is really an index fund.  In your shoes, I would look at the Health Sciences fund and I would consider a Vanguard index fund or ETF.

I do not in general like the target date funds and I would over time spread the Roth over the other funds you choose.  You pay two layers of fees for a result you can achieve yourself.  With a long time horizon, in your shoes, I would not personally put much in bonds.

You have good choices in your 403b. Most folks with 401k, 403b, and 457 plans would kill for these choices.

I own single stocks as well.  Dividend re-investment into solid companies is a great way to grow your pile over time.  If the shares are held in a taxable DRP/DSP plan or brokerage account, the taxation of dividends is favorable.  However, I would not put too much into these stocks unless you have a plan and are willing to do the research.

I think you are on the right track, overall.