New I-Bond Rate is 2.58%

The Current I Bond Composite Earnings Rate is 2.58% and the Top Rate for older i Bonds is 6.12%!  For a complete listing of rates, See Rates for Older Series I Bonds.

Yesterday the Bureau of the Public Debt announced earnings rates for Series I Savings Bonds and Series EE Savings Bonds, issued from November 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018.

Series I bond, or iBond, fixed rates are determined each May 1 and November 1. Each fixed rate applies to all I-bonds issued in the six months following the rate determination.
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For more about how I Bond Rates are calculated and the new rates for older iBonds, see:

• ==> Current Series I Bond Rates
• ==> Composite Rates for Older Series I Bonds
  

Disclosure: I own Series I Bonds in my personal account ()  I also currently have them in my Newsletter Explore Portfolio.  Some of the old iBonds in my personal account have base rates of 3.0%! Subscribe now and see if I recommend these new I-Bonds for purchase or something better for the fixed income part of your investment portfolio.

Source: Fiscal Service Announces New Savings Bonds Rates, Series I to Earn 2.58%, Series EE to Earn 0.10%

Market & Bob Brinker Marketimer Update

Friday the S&P500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at new record highs.

The Nasdaq & Russell 2000 are down 0.2% to 1.3%, respectively from their earlier highs.

Market Scan Charts

My Explore Portfolio, with many small cap & NASDAQ stocks, is just 0.3% below its record high.

Bob Brinker, in his September 2017 "Marketimer" newsletter, remains fully invested with his model portfolios one and two 100% in stocks.  He has not taken any profits or raised any cash for any potential corrections or bear markets.

Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter

 Subscribe NOW and get the September 2017 Issue for FREE!!!

(Your 1 year, 12 issue subscription with SPECIAL ALERT emails will start with November issue.)

Bob Brinker's Market Outlook and Advice for New Money

Bob Brinker Market Update for August 2017.  In this issue I discuss:

1. Bob Brinker's August 2017 Market Outlook.
2. Marketimer Allocations
3. Advice for new money.
4. Series I-Bonds
5. Timer Digest Update
6. Link to Listen Live on internet radio
7. Newsletter Special Offer - August Issue for Free!

#1 Bob Brinker's August 2017 Market Outlook.  In his August 2017 Marketimer newsletter, Brinker remains bullish on the US stock market.  In the first two pages, he covers his "primary" causes for a bear market.  I guess he changed the name from "five root causes of a bear market" after they completely missed the last bear market where the S&P 500 fell over 50% while Brinker issued "buy alerts" all the way down to the 800s then stopped before the actual bottom in the 600s. Why would he change the name?  Easy, "Google Search."  As such, I take his timing with a grain of salt.  With that said, Brinker:

• says you can get a PE of 17 to 18 times earnings 
• projects the S&P 500 earnings will be $140 in 2018
• thus the market has a "potential" for mid-2500s "going forward."
  [18 x $140 = $2,520]
• At the time of publication, the S&P500 was $2470.30 so $2534 (the lower end of mid $2500s or $2534 to $2567) is only a gain of 2.6%.  Thus, he's not going out on a very big limb with that projection.

#2 Bob Brinker's Marketimer Allocations:   

• Model Portfolio's one and two are 100% in stock funds 
• Model Portfolio three is listed as 50% in stocks but I calculate he has 56% in stocks which means he's more bullish than "balanced."

#3 Bob Brinker's Advice for New Money:   

• Bob continues to recommend a "dollar-cost-average approach, especially during periods of market weakness" but gives no guidance on what he considers weakness or why not just do a typical dollar-cost-average no matter what the market does.  This waiting for "weakness" has kept a good number of individual investors on the sidelines missing this great opportunity to make a lot of money!

#4 Series I-Bonds

• Bob didn't mention Series-I US Savings bonds in the latest Marketimer but he has talked about them in the past on his radio show, Moneytalk. 
• I have iBonds in my "Explore Portfolio" of "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter."  I think iBonds are a good, conservative investment that will keep pace with inflation and defer taxes thus they are great for taxable savings when you are in a high bracket.
• Read more at:  Current Series I Bond Rates  and  Historical Series I Bond Rates

#5 Timer Digest Update

• Here is an update from the August 9, 2017 Timer Digest Hotline.  (Bob Brinker isn't mentioned but I am in the top 10.)

• Last week I added to GE (charts) at $25 and change.  I last took profits in GE last year at $32.50.  It may go lower, but I like the juicy yield here and I have more buy targets in my newsletter to get more shares as I "dollar cost average" back into stocks after I take profits at higher levels.  Send for a free sample issue if you wish to learn more how I do this.
  
• Here is an update from the August 7, 2017 Timer Digest Newsletter.  Bob Brinker isn't mentioned but I am in the top 10 for 1-year and I am tied for first place in "Long-Term" timing.

• Get a Free Issue of Timer Digest here

#6 Click to Listen Live at KFNN from 1-4PM PST, 4-7PM EST

#7 Newsletter Special Offer 

• Subscribe NOW and get my August 2017 Issue for Free!
• Your 1 year, 12 issue subscription will start with next month's issue.
• Get email alerts when I buy or sell securities for my explore portfolio. My "Auto Buy" and "Auto Sell" levels are set ahead of time for target buy and sell levels for my securities.  This allows you to place "limit orders" with your broker in advance so you can go about your business.
• Unlike "others," I will answer All questions about what I write by Email.  If what I write is not clear to you, just ask! 

Brinker's Suncor Energy, $25 Oil & Self-driving Cars

If you follow Bob Brinker and bought Suncor Energy (SU) when he recommended it in Marketimer in the "mid-$30's" back in 2009 and still hold it today per Bob's advice after years of under performance, then this article is something to consider.

Click for full size images

5/23/17 Article: "Be warned: $25 oil is coming, and along with it, a new world order" 

• "Oil demand will peak 2021-2020 and will go down 100 million barrels, to 70 million barrels within 10 years. And what that means, the new equilibrium price is going to be $25, and if you produce oil and you can't compete at $25, essentially you are holding stranded assets," Seba said.
• "At $25 a barrel, that means deep-water, sands, shell oil, fields, most are going to be stranded, and also all the refineries and pipelines associated with these expensive oils are also going to be stranded. And that is going to reshape worldwide oil, geopolitics and so on."

The cost to extract oil from shale is coming down but this chart shows they all lose money today when oil sells below $29 per barrel.   Where does this chart bottom out?

Bob Brinker recommended buying Suncor Oil in his newsletter back in early 2009.  After trying to snag some cheap shares in his May 4, 2009 Marketimer in the "mid-$20s" Brinker chased the stock price in the next issue (June 2009) with a recommending to buy in the "low-$30s."  By my definition, that allowed his subscribers to buy at $33.34 (lower third of "the 30s") just before it dropped back to the mid-$20s.

Bob Brinker doesn't count this recommendation in his measured performance like I do with my "Explore Portfolio" for obvious reasons...  The graph above shows how poorly SU has done compared to the Total Stock Market fund that is the majority of his model portfolios.  IMHO (in my humble opinion) Brinker likes to recommend popular things in his "individual issues" so he can talk about them on the radio as a form of "advertising" but he doesn't track their performance since I've found they usually grossly under perform when taken as a group.

Don't Miss:

May 26: Market Update - New Record Closing Highs
and

Bob Brinker's May 2017 Market Outlook, Advice for New Money & More

Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter:

Subscribe NOW & get the May 2017 Issue for FREE!!!

More Bob Brinker Information:

• Listen Live: Bob Brinker Moneytalk Station List
•  FREE Bob Brinker Podcasts

Bob Brinker's Market Outlook, Advice for New Money & More

Bob Brinker Market Update for May 2017.  In this issue I discuss:

• Bob Brinker's May 2017 Market Outlook.
• Marketimer Allocations
• Is Brinker more or less bullish than in past years at this time?
• Series I-Bonds
• Advice for new money.
• GNMAs
• Timer Digest Update
• Link to Listen Live (1-4PM PST, 4-7PM EST)

Bob Brinker's May 2017 Market Outlook.  In his May 2017 Marketimer newsletter, 

• As of May 3, 2017 with the S&P500 at $2,384.20, Bob Brinker is bullish and fully invested.
• He expects the S&P500 to earn $130 in 2017 and says it can support a P/E ratio of 17 to 18 times that.
• Bob says the market can "trade well into the S&P 500 Index 2400s range going forward."
  
• We're nearly there already given the market has traded into the 2400s already this month!
• Bob also says "tax reform legislation" going forward could lead to "a healthy increase in operating earnings in 2018."  This is pretty much what every talking head on CNBC from both political parties says would happen if companies get to keep more of the money they earn.

Marketimer Allocations:

• Model Portfolio's one and two are 100% in stock funds with 80% in the US and 20% as the listed percentage in an "All-World" index fund.  

• The actual percentages in his portfolios vary from what is listed since he doesn't rebalance or update the percentages often.   

• It seems odd he offers zero guidance for using the percentage he recommends or the actual percentage in the portfolios he shows and reports measured performance for.  For example, he recommends 30% in VTSMX for P3, but the actual percentage is 33.5%, over 10% more than he recommends!

• Model Portfolio three is listed as 50% in stocks but since he doesn't rebalance often, he has quite a bit more in stocks than fixed income.  Of the stocks, he has about 20% of that in the same "All-World" index fund.  (so 10% "All-World" and 40% US)
• His "Active/Passive Portfolio" is 100% in stocks with the same 80:20 balance between US and foreign
• His "Income Portfolio" is 100% out of stocks with money spread between three managed funds with duration between 1.25 to 1.52 years and yield between 1.95% and 4.62%

May 13, 2017 Market Update - Summary

• The four major US markets I follow are up between 1.9% and 13.7% YTD.
• The S&P500 and Nasdaq markets set new record closing highs this week.
• The 2400 level continues to be strong resistance for the S&P500 while open gaps are cause for concern.
• The New Rates for New and Old I-Bonds are out.
• My Explore Portfolio continues to do well in 2017 after a great 2016.  It finished the week at a new record high!
• Full Article: Markets Near Record Highs, Open Gaps & 2400 Resistance Level

I plan to add to and finish this article over the next few days so come back and look for more.

Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter:

Subscribe NOW & get the May 2017 Issue for FREE!!!

Make sure you read:

• May 26: Market Update - New Record Closing Highs

Timer Digest Update - Bob Brinker's Marketimer

Marketimer Update:  As of the latest (March 2017) Marketimer newsletter, Bob Brinker remains bullish and fully invested with his model portfolios one and two 100% in stocks.

Annual Timer Digest (1/31/17 Issue) Update:  Bob Brinker hasn't had a buy or sell signal in 14 years (since March of 2003) so he's fallen off the radar of the frequent updates of Timer Digest for one, two and three year market timing but Brinker still scores well for longer periods:

For Long Term Stock Market Timing:

• 2 Yrs: 12/31/14 to 12/30/16: Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" wasn't listed while "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" tied for 4th place.
• 3 Yrs: 12/31/13 to 12/30/16: Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" wasn't listed while "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" tied for 4th place.
• 5 Yrs: 12/30/11 to 12/30/16: Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" and "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" tied for 2nd place.
• 10 Yrs: 12/29/06 to 12/30/16: Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" was in 6th place while "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" wasn't followed.  (Timer Digest started following me in 2010)

For Short-Term (1-year) Stock Market Timing:

• 1-Yr. 01/27/16 to 01/27/2017: Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" wasn't listed while "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" tied for 2nd place.

For 1-Year Bond Market Timing:

• 1-Year 01/27/16 to 01/27/2017:  Neither Bob Brinker's "Marketimer" or "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter" were listed on the "Top Five Bond Timers" list (Timer Digest concentrates on stock market timing) but we both won "Timer of the Year" in past years:

May 25, 2017 Update:

• Read my 5/2/17 Article: New Series I Bonds Offer Attractive Rates With Older Ones Paying Up To 5.6%

Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter:

Subscribe NOW & get the May 2017 Issue for FREE!!!

More articles by Kirk Lindstrom:

• Make Money In A Flat Market With Asset Allocation & Market Volatility
• Buffett's 2017 Letter To Shareholders - 3 Stocks Close To His Purchase Price
• Winning the Zigs, losing on the Zags - Why small investors usually do poorly
• SPY And Markets At Record Highs As Fear Rises Timer Digest 5 Bears, 4 Bulls & 1 Neutral
• China Lowers 2017 GDP Growth Target

Vanguard's Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund - VUBFX & VUSFX

For Bob Brinker readers who are seeking to minimize DURATION in their Fixed Income portfolio in anticipation of a rising interest rates going forward, you should consider Vanguard's two new ultra short duration bond funds.

Current Charts

They are Vanguard's:

• VUBFX - Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares
• VUSFX - Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Admiral Shares

Fund Comparison

Fund	Minimum Investment	Current Yield	Expense Ratio	Average Duration
VUBFX	$3,000	1.30%	0.20%	0.9 years
VUSFX	$50,000	1.35%	0.12%	0.9 years

For my recommendations for fixed income investments, read "Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter."

Subscribe to my Newsletter NOW
and get the January 2017 Issue for FREE!!

Bob Brinker Moneytalk Podcasts For 2017

Bob Brinker Podcasts for January 2017 plus Bob's Current Market Outlook at the bottom of the page. 

Bob Brinker's Moneytalk. 

Bob Brinker's:

•  => Advice for New Money   
•  => Asset Allocation History
• For questions and more:
• Follow Kirk on Twitter
• Follow Kirk on Facebook

Free On Demand podcasts for January 2017:

January 8, 2017: 

• Bob Brinker 1/8/17 - 10PM

January 1, 2017:

• Bob Brinker 1/1/16 - 11PM
• Bob Brinker 1/1/16 - 3PM

Bob Brinker's Stock Market Outlook:  

In the November 2016 Marketimer, 

• Bob Brinker remains bullish & fully invested. 
• Nov. 4, 2016: "We anticipate new record highs for the S&P500 Index as we move into the winter season and investors become more confident in an improving earnings trend in 2017"
• Bob says dollar cost average new money into the market.

Since there is no real change, read Bob Brinker's Market Update for September 2016

Kirk Lindstrom's Investment Letter
Subscribe NOW and get the 

January 2017 Issue for FREE!
Free Sample