[Editor's note: "Take Buffett's Advice: 5 Vanguard Funds to Buy" was previously published in February 2020. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.]Vanguard should probably be thanking Warren Buffett.In Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE:BRK.A, NYSE:BRK.B) 2014 shareholder letter, Buffett mentioned Vanguard funds in a big way.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsSpecifically, he recommended that the cash left to his wife be invested 10% in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. Not just any index fund mind you, but a Vanguard fund in particular. * 9 Healthcare Stocks to Buy Even After the Coronavirus Fades Whether it be exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds, the Oracle of Omaha believes Vanguard funds are the way to go. With that in mind, I've put together a portfolio of two ETFs, two mutual funds and a fifth wildcard. The resulting portfolio should be appropriate for Buffett's wife -- or anyone else, for that matter. Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX)Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com Allocation: 50% of Portfolio 10-Year Performance: 10.49%The goal is to keep costs to a minimum while generally sticking to Buffett's hypothesis when it comes to his wife's investments. Although Vanguard does offer commission-free ETFs, I recommend a mutual fund for the S&P 500 investment.The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (MUTF:VFIAX) charges an annual expense ratio of just 0.04%, or $4 on a $10,000 investment.Your annual fees would amount to a mere $20 on a $50,000 portfolio. That's hard to beat, and Buffett knows it. The largest holdings in this fund include Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL). The minimum investment is $3,000. Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares (VIMAX)Source: Shutterstock Allocation: 20% of Portfolio 10-Year Performance: 9.94% The VFIAX covers the large-capitalization portion of the portfolio quite nicely.While Buffett might not be fond of mid-cap stocks being added to the mix, evidence suggests mid-caps outperformed large-cap stocks over a four-year period between 2009 and 2013.In fact, John Hancock published a report cautioning investors about underweighting mid-caps because of an assumption that a large-cap fund combined with a small-cap fund will do the job. That's simply not the case.Mid-cap stocks tend to provide an attractive combination of risk and reward. For this reason, I recommend the Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares (MUTF:VIMAX), which tracks the CRSP Mid Cap Index, an index composed of stocks that fall between the top 70%-85% of investable market capitalization. * 7 Beautiful Biotech Stocks to Buy Here They're big enough to survive an economic hit but small enough to still be growing. With an expense ratio of 0.05%, this entry on our list of Vanguard funds is giving you safety and performance in one. Top holdings include Newmont (NYSE:NEM), Centene (NYSE:CNC) and TransDigm (NYSE:TDG). Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF (VSS)Source: Shutterstock Allocation: 10% of Portfolio 10-Year Performance: 6.67% Although I just said mid-cap stocks are a key part of any portfolio and tend to outperform small-caps while utilizing less risk, there is always a place for small-caps in your portfolio.That's especially true when the two previous picks from Vanguard Funds are almost 100% invested in the U.S. with virtually no international exposure. For this reason, a little bit of love outside America makes total sense.My recommendation is to go with the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:VSS), a fund that tracks the performance of the FTSE Global Small Cap ex US Index, which consists of over 3,000 stocks in dozens of countries. Investing in both developed and emerging markets, the fund provides good exposure to some of the world's future stars at an annual expense ratio of just 0.12%.With such low fees, it's no wonder $6.8 billion is invested in this ETF. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH)Source: Shutterstock Allocation: 10% of Portfolio 5-Year Performance: 1.33% Buffett recommends that 10% of his wife's portfolio go to short-term government bonds. Vanguard Funds has an ETF that does exactly that.The Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (NASDAQ:VGSH) invests in investment-grade U.S. government bonds with average maturities between one and three years. The risk, on a scale of one to five, is one -- meaning this Vanguard ETF is for conservative investors looking for stable share prices.And with an expense ratio of 0.05%, this ETF should give you peace of mind for your short-term needs. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC)Source: Shutterstock Allocation: 10% of Portfolio 10-Year Performance: 10.67% On this final piece of the puzzle, I'm going defensive. The mutual fund version of the S&P 500 has less than 10% invested in consumer staples. I mean to remedy that by putting the final 10% in the Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEARCA:VDC), a collection of 92 household names including Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO).Since its inception in 2004, VDC has had but one year of negative annual total returns, and that was in 2008 when it experienced a 17% decline -- 20 percentage points better than the S&P 500. When the you-know-what hits the fan, you'll be glad you own this particular low-cost ETF. It has an expense ratio of just 0.10%.It seems the "keep it simple" rule holds true, and Warren Buffett is the No. 1 follower.As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Hot Stocks Staging Huge Reversals * 7 Under-The-Radar Growth Stocks That Could Benefit New Investors * 5 Excellent High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy The post Take Buffett's Advice: 5 Vanguard Funds to Buy appeared first on InvestorPlace.
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Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") upgraded Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers Inc.'s ("HMH") Corporate Family Rating ("CFR") to B3 from Caa1, and HMH's Probability of Default Rating ("PDR") to B3-PD from Caa1-PD upon strong performance in its adoption markets during 2019, expectations of strong performance in 2020 and pending refinancing of its capital structure, with maturity extensions. Moody's also assigned B3 rating to newly launched $330 million senior secured term loan, which together with additional secured debt and cash on the balance sheet is anticipated to refinance existing term loan maturing in 2021.
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Although the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates twice this year and could continue doing so, some investors may want to manage duration risk with short-term Treasury ETFs, such as the Vanguard Short-Term Government Bond ETF (VGSH) . Bond funds hold a collection of debt with varying maturities, buying and selling debt securities to maintain their short-, intermediate- or long-term strategy. When it comes to bond ETFs, investors should look at the duration, or a bond fund’s measure of sensitivity to gauge their investment’s exposure to changes in interest rates – a higher duration means higher sensitivity to shifts in rates.
The Fed is likely to recommence purchase of short-term U.S. treasury bonds, which may give a boost to these ETFs.
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") assigned a B3 rating to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers Inc.'s ("HMH") newly launched $350 million senior secured notes due 2025, which together with the recently launched $330 million senior secured term loan and cash on the balance sheet are anticipated to refinance the existing term loan maturing in 2021. HMH's B3 CFR reflects material improvement in the company's performance during 2019 adoption cycle, with outperformance in the Texas Reading product portfolio, and strong performance in other locations combined with the pending gross debt reduction.
“I think one of the biggest stories we’ve seen, particularly from last year or so, has been flows into fixed-income products. It feels like folks are starting to understand that market, and the market continues to evolve,” Ryan Ludt, Global Head of ETF Capital Markets and Index Relations, Vanguard, said at the Inside ETFs conference. According to XTF data, Vanguard fixed-income ETFs attracted $34.6 billion in net inflows in the past year. Among its most popular bond ETF plays, the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND A) attracted $9.9 billion in inflows over the past year. BND provides investors with broad exposure to U.S. investment-grade bonds and can act as a core component in any long-term investment strategy, helping investors produce reliable income. The Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BNDX A-) also brought in $9.6 billion in inflows over the past year. BNDX seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of international non-U.S. dollar-denominated investment-grade bonds. Additionally, the ETF includes a U.S. dollar currency hedge to limit the harmful effects of foreign exchange or forex swings. Additionally, the Vanguard Short-Term Government Bond ETF (VGSH A) saw $3.4 billion in net inflows. VGSH tracks short-term Treasuries, which provides in a portfolio carrying very little interest-rate and credit risk. While this fund will not generate spectacular results, it will deliver consistent returns and provide strong downside protection.