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Mutual Funds Mawer Group of funds
July 8, 2017
5:30 am
semi-retired
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Hello A while back 1 of the long-time members in a post was really high on Mawer 104.I was wondering if he could expand on this pick in his portfolio.In his post it sounded like it was Get it & Forget it as it was a great fund.I was comparing my & my better halves portfolio funds on Morningstar website with the Mawer funds group.I am starting to get a little ancy with the way things are playing out in the world.I watch BNN quite regularly,it seems most of the fund managers recommend funds with about 1/3 Canada,1/3 USA & 1/3 foreign global.Any thoughts from some of the knowledgeable members on this site. Thanks.

July 8, 2017
11:10 am
Bill
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semi-retired, it might have been me, I've had MAW104 for some time now. Not really much to expand on, I don't even really check to see how it's doing but overall my balance seems to be heading in the right direction. I generally don't own mutuals but at the time decided some more of my funds could be in "the market", didn't want to spend my time doing research on individual stocks and making decisions all the time, so based on my research at the time I picked it. Relatively low fees, good track record for Mawer in general, not a mainstream fund company, plus I like that MAW104 is mainly comprised of other Mawer funds so it gives me general exposure to the Mawer "family", and I sit back and let the experts do their thing. It fit me too because I generally distrust the general flow of things, and Mawer is definitely not one of the fund companies flogged by all the reps out there (some brokers like RBC DI don't offer it due to lack of fees, TD DI does, so I had to open an account there), they focus on you having to find and buy directly from them. So it suits me, that's about the only endorsement I have.

Here's a link to the Mawer page listing their funds, if you want to quickly compare among their funds:
http://www.mawer.com/our-funds/snapshot/

As an aside, in the past I've been absolutely hammered on a couple "safe and secure" stocks I bought after relying on the Morningstar ratings and analysis so I really have no idea how they come up with what they do.

July 8, 2017
11:37 am
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Bill said
semi-retired, it might have been me, I've had MAW104 for some time now. Not really much to expand on, I don't even really check to see how it's doing but overall my balance seems to be heading in the right direction. I generally don't own mutuals but at the time decided some more of my funds could be in "the market", didn't want to spend my time doing research on individual stocks and making decisions all the time, so based on my research at the time I picked it. Relatively low fees, good track record for Mawer in general, not a mainstream fund company, plus I like that MAW104 is mainly comprised of other Mawer funds so it gives me general exposure to the Mawer "family", and I sit back and let the experts do their thing. It fit me too because I generally distrust the general flow of things, and Mawer is definitely not one of the fund companies flogged by all the reps out there (some brokers like RBC DI don't offer it due to lack of fees, TD DI does, so I had to open an account there), they focus on you having to find and buy directly from them. So it suits me, that's about the only endorsement I have.

Here's a link to the Mawer page listing their funds, if you want to quickly compare among their funds:
http://www.mawer.com/our-funds/snapshot/

As an aside, in the past I've been absolutely hammered on a couple "safe and secure" stocks I bought after relying on the Morningstar ratings and analysis so I really have no idea how they come up with what they do.  

Thank-you very much for your insight.I know ratings are only based on past performances.A few years ago I was watching BNN & a stock guru's top pick was Aecon . At the time it was about 14.00 & the fellow said it should head up to about 23.00 A while later it was at 7.00 .( I worked at Aecon at the time.Had never traded stocks before & that showed me exactly why I shouldn't)I only have mutual funds in my RRSP portfolio.

July 9, 2017
11:50 pm
Loonie
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I'm sure it was Bill who spoke positively about this fund before.
I recall that somebody else (don't remember who) said that somebody they had met or knew had invested all of their kids' RESPs in it. I think the investor was someone who works in financial field, but not sure. Very hearsay!

July 10, 2017
6:52 am
AltaRed
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Mawer appears to have more name recognition than others, but there is also Leith Wheeler and Beutel Goodman as alternatives too. That may work for those who do not want to put all their eggs in the Mawer basket.

I think the point is that with enough $$ at play, there are practical alternatives to the well advertised popular retail names that have high MERs associated with their funds, and which can be purchased directly from the fund company, cutting out the middleman.

July 10, 2017
9:03 am
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AltaRed said
Mawer appears to have more name recognition than others, but there is also Leith Wheeler and Beutel Goodman as alternatives too. That may work for those who do not want to put all their eggs in the Mawer basket.

I think the point is that with enough $$ at play, there are practical alternatives to the well advertised popular retail names that have high MERs associated with their funds, and which can be purchased directly from the fund company, cutting out the middleman.  

Thank-you very much for your input of these other companies.They make very good reading.Actually , Mawer funds have comparable low MERs as the 2 companies you mentioned. They all get good reviews from Morningstar , where comparing figures is very en-lightning. I just worry that a little knowledge is very dangerous.

July 10, 2017
11:09 am
AltaRed
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I am not promoting any of these companies but mention them as a viable alternative to commissioned sales folk peddling any number and variety of high MER actively managed mutual funds either via bank outlets or full service brokerages like Dominion Securities, and an alternative to those who are not inclined to be DIYers in the bond and equity markets (with self-directed discount brokerage accounts).

Fundamentally, costs matter and thus lower MERs are better than high MERs and companies like Mawer have considerably lower MERs than do the CIs, Fidelities, etc. of the world.

July 10, 2017
12:06 pm
Bill
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Same here, I'm not promoting, advising, suggesting, etc. I try never to give advice - if people ask and I feel like it I just tell them what I've done or about some options they might not know about. They might think that's an endorsement, but it's not.

July 10, 2017
12:32 pm
Loonie
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I too have seen numerous references to Leith Wheeler and BG over the years, in roughly the same camp as Mawer.
You might also look at the Couch Potato system, which tends more to ETFs.
I endorse nothing as I have not bought any of them, but just passing on what seems to be considered wisdom. If I were going to get into it, I would try one of these.

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