[quote=Soothsayer][quote=Maxstud]

EJ on MO sale issued 2nd qtr 2003, hold issued 1st qtr 2005.[/quote]

Skrainka is a freakin' genious! 

[/quote]

In the context of his colleagues at Jones, he's a freaking oracle.

People said the same thing about american funds in the 1990’s.  As far as the A share thing I agree I use alot of C shares now I am being told not to do that and if I do it better be in one family?  What is the point of it?

I would agree that WAMU (which I’ve used) and ICA (which I’ve never used, oddly enough) should probably be swapped out as underperformers.  Even though there are concerns at AmFunds like lots of other fund families, I would consider a swap to another stronger performer in the family, although perhaps not in the same asset class.  Fundamental Investors is a decent value fund, Growth Fund continues to show pretty good numbers, even with the asset bloat concern, and New World is a more conservative way to play emerging markets.  If you just don’t like 'em and the client doesn’t mind paying the load again, there are plenty of better choices on the outside also.

Bankrep,

remember you work for a bank. Whatever they say won't make sence and will probably benefit them in some way.

I remember a story my rep told me about a training session she went to as a New IR at American Funds.

They were teaching the ICA story, showing mountain charts and talking about the top holdings of their top funds...at question and answer time she raised her hand and asked "Isn't that what's called overlap?"

She said the way the speaker and New IR Support Specialists looked at her you would have thought she said "let's strip your mother naked and sell her on the street!" After that I didn't have to stock many American Funds prospectus in the office.

EZ,

I work for a credit union.  Are you still pissed at BOA you gotta find a new gig negativity will kill you!

Devoted: Overlap. What’s that? (Good question for the jones reps to answer.) Yeh, go ahead and answer it. 

[quote=Revealer]Devoted: Overlap. What's that? (Good question for the jones reps to answer.) Yeh, go ahead and answer it. [/quote]

I hear a lot about overlap in American Funds from different people but I have to say that when I put together a portfolio using Morningstar Instant X-ray I never have more then 17% or 18% overlap with American Funds.  While with other fund companies It's tough to get under 25%.  In fact there was a thread a while back where Big Payday gave a sample American funds portfolio and everyone was screaming overlap.  Babbling Looney ran an X-ray and found the overlap to be quite low.

I’m not trying to be a jerk here Max…but frankly, a roughly 20% overlap is in my mind is quite high.  I think you say it’s tough when you consider that products are limited and choices are so similar.

[quote=csmelnix] I think you say it's tough when you consider that products are limited and choices are so similar.[/quote]

Agreed

[quote=Maxstud]

[quote=Revealer]Devoted: Overlap. What’s that?
(Good question for the jones reps to answer.) Yeh, go ahead and answer
it. [/quote]

I hear a lot about overlap in American Funds from different people but I have to say that when I put together a portfolio using Morningstar Instant X-ray I never have more then 17% or 18% overlap with American Funds.  While with other fund companies It's tough to get under 25%.  In fact there was a thread a while back where Big Payday gave a sample American funds portfolio and everyone was screaming overlap.  Babbling Looney ran an X-ray and found the overlap to be quite low.

[quote=rightway] [quote=Maxstud]

[quote=Revealer]Devoted: Overlap. What's that? (Good question for the jones reps to answer.) Yeh, go ahead and answer it. [/quote]

I hear a lot about overlap in American Funds from different people but I have to say that when I put together a portfolio using Morningstar Instant X-ray I never have more then 17% or 18% overlap with American Funds.  While with other fund companies It's tough to get under 25%.  In fact there was a thread a while back where Big Payday gave a sample American funds portfolio and everyone was screaming overlap.  Babbling Looney ran an X-ray and found the overlap to be quite low.

[/quote]

Look at the correlation, not overlap.  This is where the American Funds get scary unless you know what you are doing in terms of putting the portfolios together.  Mutual Funds suck anyway.
[/quote]

That is why you would want to be able to offer low correlated assets such as REITs and Floating Rate Senior Loan Funds, among other things.  You can get a fairly low overlap, even in American Funds, but it is hard because they have so few funds.   On the American Funds web site they even have a grid you can print off that will show you the overlap that they have in their own funds.   You need another tool, such as the Morningstar X Ray to get the same overview of a more diversified portfolio.   20% overlap is just much to high.