Jul 8th, 2009
What’s in My Portfolio: Dodge & Cox Funds International Stock Fund
Here’s a mutual fund in my Roth IRA which is atypical (for me, anyway)–it’s not an index fund, it’s not an ETF, and it’s not from Vanguard. It’s the Dodge & Cox Funds International Stock Fund (DODFX), which is a (surprise) international stock fund that is actively managed.
This fund has been a winner for me in the years I’ve owned it, and this year it’s up 13.07% vs. the 9.99% that the Vanguard Total International Stock Fund (VGTSX) that my much larger holding in the international stock arena has returned this year.
Fortunately, since it’s held in a Roth IRA, I don’t have to worry about the capital gains taxes resulting from the turnover of its active management. It has a decent but not fantastic expense ratio of 0.64% and it pays a yield of 3.45%. It makes up just 0.42% of my total portfolio so there is no chance of overexposure.
While I would always choose the passively managed index over this fund, the Dodge & Cox has done quite well for me and I would not hesitate to buy it again. I’ve held it for a few years and I plan on holding it for quite some time.
