Extra Time for Bond Ladders
Moderator: Global Moderator
Extra Time for Bond Ladders
If I put say $50k into a T-bill ladder, and a separate $50k into a T-bond ladder, how much extra time will I be looking at to calculate my values when I go to do an annual checkup/rebalancing? I'm sure the first time would be more, and after that it would be easier, so I'm just asking about the extra time in the second and following years, after I'm over the learning curve.
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
No longer than it takes you to lookup and enter the extra data into a spreadsheet (ms office excel or libreoffice calc). 10minutes maybe?stuper1 wrote: If I put say $50k into a T-bill ladder, and a separate $50k into a T-bond ladder, how much extra time will I be looking at to calculate my values when I go to do an annual checkup/rebalancing?
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
Wonderful. Thanks for the info. What data do I need to keep track of at purchase?
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
For any investment you should track your basis.stuper1 wrote: Wonderful. Thanks for the info. What data do I need to keep track of at purchase?
For debt-type instruments I also like to track the yield (annual rate).
For bonds/bills purchased on the secondary market you should track what if any premium/discount to face value at time of purchase. (Which can then be used to calculate your actual yield.)
If you anticipate any possibility of trading you should also track the CUSIP of each bond/bill.
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
Is there any Quicken-like product that does this?
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
If I set up a rolling ladder with Treasury Direct, Vanguard, or Fidelity, will all this info be automatically saved for me, or will I need to record it myself, which sounds like a fair bit of work?For any investment you should track your basis.
For debt-type instruments I also like to track the yield (annual rate).
For bonds/bills purchased on the secondary market you should track what if any premium/discount to face value at time of purchase. (Which can then be used to calculate your actual yield.)
If you anticipate any possibility of trading you should also track the CUSIP of each bond/bill.
Re: Extra Time for Bond Ladders
I don't know if brokers track bond information yet.stuper1 wrote: If I set up a rolling ladder with Treasury Direct, Vanguard, or Fidelity, will all this info be automatically saved for me, or will I need to record it myself, which sounds like a fair bit of work?
I do not count on them to accurately track my stock information yet either. I had to pay an additional $200 in taxes one year because trying to correct Fidelity was not worth it.