If volatility is a big concern, then an investor should consider being 100% in cash. They will suffer inflation risk, but the reported value of the asset won't be volatile. That's a little extreme don't you think? There are certainly alternatives along the spectrum on 0% cash and 100% cash to dampe...

Some odd behavior on the gold futures market today - "one big order" on the CME Globex leads to short halt in gold trading:   http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/09/12/huge-gold-trade-trips-circuit-breaker-prompts-20-second-halt-nanex/ Thoughts? I have zero confidence in free market...

I've been investing in the permanent portfolio for years now. I watched it dive and recover over 2008, take another hit and recover a few years later as volatility remained, and now in 2013 as gold and bonds take a licking. The thing is when you start has a huge effect on your outlook. Someone star...

I decided not to choose and selected a 60/40 AA for 60% of my assets and the PP for the balance. I sympathize with those invested 100% in the PP that started to invest recently. Their introduction to the portfolio was different from my experience having started in 2011. I will also ad that investing...

How do you rationalize not wanting to "go over a cliff with a big loss" and the DD's the PP has experienced in the past (15-20% range). Also, a 60/40 allocation to equities and fixed income is returning approximately 10% YTD. What return does the PP need to achieve in order to break-even ...

I've been investing in the permanent portfolio for years now. I watched it dive and recover over 2008, take another hit and recover a few years later as volatility remained, and now in 2013 as gold and bonds take a licking. The thing is when you start has a huge effect on your outlook. Someone star...

My own PP success story is rather mixed as I had a few "life happens" things get in the way, as well as the difficulty in keeping my portfolio balanced with such limited 401(k) options.  I empathize. 401K's and how to make them work has been a frequent topic on the forum. Back in the day ...

PS has captured a list of changes that would prompt me to reconsider my investments. Three or five years is an arbitrary time frame. I think that you have to remain committed to the strategy unless one of the fundamental building blocks of the portfolio is no longer true. For example, returning to t...

Three or five years is an arbitrary time frame. I think that you have to remain committed to the strategy Are you implying one has to be committed forever regardless of what is happening to your portfolio? If not how long before you face reality that you've made a mistake? ...And cutting losses at ...

Using peak-to-trough's calculator, for the period 1972-current the number of times there were drawdowns >7%: HBPP w/ 35/15 rebalance: 15 60/40 Stocks/Bonds (annual rebalance): 52 100% Stocks: 116 100% Bonds: 70 100% Gold: 186 100% Cash: 0 Past performance is no guarantee of future results... Bottom...

Three or five years is an arbitrary time frame. I think that you have to remain committed to the strategy unless one of the fundamental building blocks of the portfolio is no longer true. For example, returning to the gold standard.

The US Government has flooded the bond market for the last five years with freshly printed money. Most other central banks have done similar things. Sorry. that is manipulation on a massive scale and the fact that bond interest rates have risen a bit in no way alters that fact. Yes. The Fed literal...

There is certainly an aggressive manipulation of the Bond Market going on both here and abroad. That is however no great secret and is as far as I know not seriously contested. Beyond that I am rather leery of conspiracy theories. That's not to say that there has never been or could never be some s...

How much credibility do PP investors give to articles that suggest that the equity, gold and treasury markets are manipulated to serve some purpose? If you are convinced that markets are driven by institutional or government entities, what, if anything, can an investor do to protect their investment...

Thank you for the excellent overview of available treatment options amdda01.

When faced with the realities of thinning hair an implant is a viable option. Alternative options range from letting nature take its course to shaving the head completely bald. Prices are reasonable and I'm sure it does wonders for self esteem. How natural do implants look? Also, am I going to wonde...

Don't criticize the PP investor for adhering to portfolio principles because you have a hunch on the direction of mining funds and interest rates. It looks like you haven't internalized the concept of the PP and still believe that you can outperform using active management and timing. Good luck! In...

I will exist the PP nontheless in the next month when i get rid of my longterm bonds, so i don`t want to follow rules that someone invented 30 years ago or renewed as a philosphy. The PP is a simple asset allocation, not more and not less. Sometimes i am under the impression that people in this for...

I own GLD in the PP and GDX in a VP. From my observations, mining stocks follow equities more closely than they mirror the price of gold. They do offer more frequent re-balancing opportunities when compared with my other equity positions, but I would never consider replacing gold with miners as it v...

Good question. I stayed away from GTU for this reason alone.

apart from the message nice site, i love the internet for opening historic content Buffett has still investments in railroad stocks I think its a valuable lesson in indexing and diversification, but not necessarily specific to the PP. I think that is fair, for the most part. If one had followed a b...

Thomas Hoog wrote: apart from the message
nice site, i love the internet for opening historic content
Buffett has still investments in railroad stocks

I think its a valuable lesson in indexing and diversification, but not necessarily specific to the PP.

My rule of thumb is that if the cash in my bank accounts exceeds $1000, then I must contribute to my PP..  I have well over 2 years of expenses saved in my PP, and $1000 is more than enough for emergencies since I'm single, debt-free, and frugal..  if I need anything more, I can just sell some PP a...

"This approach could be considered counter-productive as the bonds may end up being more risky than having all of the funds invested in the PP portfolio." I now realize that conservative investments outside of the PP could introduce more risk to the overall portfolio than simply diversifyi...

Yes, but it is a disservice to the OP and somewhat annoying when you are intensely interested in the thread topic. I too am guilty of tangential thought, but we should strive to stay on topic. The OP is all out, I am all-in. In my opinion, your ability to accept that investing is unpredictable will ...