lol, "worst arbitrage ever" it is... Seems like the only way margin could be used effectively as a dollar position is if there was some kind of leverage, but then you have volatility.

I have an excellent margin rate of 0.9% and I deducted this from my taxes... Over the years of observation I have become very comfortable with the use of margin in the PP and have been slowly increasing it, but still never plan to ever be near the possibility of a margin call. I suppose if 2008 x 2-...

I've been using margin for the PP for years with great success... All 3 other components are easy to margin, but not cash. It doesn't really make sense to use margin to buy SHY and pay more interest than it will earn. What about deep in the money calls for SHY?... What about a 2x dollar bull ETF?......

Indices wrote:The same was said for Ralph Nader back in 2000. The fringe of any society always believe their candidate is being ignored by the media.

I couldn't resist...
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics ... med/43747/

I found Fail Safe Investing to be a big letdown... So much more PP info on here.

How I Found Freedom and Why Government Doesn't Work are two of my favorites, however.

MediumTex wrote:On the tablet he would be holding, rather than July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals, it would read "4 x 25%, rebalance as needed" in Latin.

Quattuor quadrans, Aequilibrium pro re nata.

Preferably in large letter old english across your torso, ala THUGLIFE.

Seems that the CME margin hike has a big hand in this... The last time they raised margin gold reacted with 2 very down days.

I've used the buying opportunity to move out of ETFs and into physical.

The same was said for Ralph Nader back in 2000. The fringe of any society always believe their candidate is being ignored by the media. Well, I don't consider myself "fringe" and Paul supporters do not make up a "society." :D I'm not even saying it's likely, I'm just saying that...

Ron Paul has no chance. He won't even win the nomination. if the primary election is fair and honest and people vote for him he is just as capable of winning as anyone. :) a new Harris pole is putting him ahead of obama in a run off, i don't know how accurate their polling is but he has some pretty...

It would certainly change the game if massive inflation was no longer the threat it is... I wouldn't worry about it until it happens. Frankly I just can't see it happening, too much power for central banking and inflationary policies. Ron Paul won't be elected President (though I am sure he would do...

25% gubmint!

Definitely agree on asterisk, Craig!... I'm hoping we can get a wiki going with all the if/and/buts for all funds. Thanks Akratic! Yes, the mutual funds are indeed a problem... I'm thinking that would be a logical break and have an ETF list and a MF list. Myself I am really only interested in the ET...

I think that's a good idea, Craig... Perhaps a Y/N or check column for meeting Browne's criteria?

Good day, Akratic!

Care to use your mastery of GoogleDocs to help the master PP component list from this thread?:
http://gyroscopicinvesting.com/forum/ht ... 068#p17068

Why would you show your ID? Go to a different store that asks fewer questions. Tell em your sweet grandpappy bequeathed them unto you.... Not that you shouldn't pay taxes, of course, that would be the worst kind of wrong. I'd go for 1 oz govt minted coins (as outlined in the Gold FAQ). I, and everyo...

99.99% coins are very soft, and care must be used handling them... For this reason, I'd recommend slabbing and/or coin holder for them.

On the bright side, a 99.99% forgery is much harder to pull off than a 91.67% forgery.

I really can't see gold losing 12% in one day... HEADLINE: "World's Problems Fixed! Golden Age Inevitable!" Prosperity takes time to build (stairs up), but it can unravel overnight (elevator down). Gold is inverse, therefore I don't see it ever making that huge of leaps down, outside of in...

Posted a very, very rough draft in the OP... Check it out, and the To Do List within. Right off the bat you'll notice mutual funds are broken, they require a different feed than ETFs. Details here: http://www.amateur-invest.com/files/inv_set.ini I wonder if this means we'll have to maintain two list...

Thanks all, keep em coming! I updated the OP. What variables would be good to see in the [mostly] auto-populating spreadsheet? So far I'm thinking: SYMBOL, NAME, TYPE (ETF, MF, CEF [closed end fund]), EXCHANGE , EXP. RATIO, DIV YIELD, EX-DIV DATE, SPREAD (or bid/ask), NO COMMISSION BROKER , STANDARD...

I'm looking to compile a list of all PP variables. Any points and discussions are appreciated. So far I have these... Eventually I'd like to get a wiki going, and a googledoc with all stats (ex: dividend yield) auto-filled. Stocks: VT, VTI, SPY, VIFSX, VGTSX, VV, ILD, VWO, VB, IVV, ACWI, FSEMX, FSTM...