Break from the Grind May 4, 2017

A Little Friday File Fun

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In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a businessman will get a new trial on mortgage fraud charges. A U.S. District Judge ruled the man was denied a fair trial because his defense attorney dozed during the October trial. The attorney has acknowledged that he fell asleep because he was taking cold medicines that made him drowsy, according to the Associated Press. The man has hired a new attorney.

In Taraz, Jambyl, Kazakhstan, at a gas station a man was seen trying to put diesel into a canister strapped onto the roof of his van. Because it was difficult to see, he took out a lighter, which ignited the fumes causing a mini explosion, and burning flames began flowing out of the nozzle. According to the UK’s Metro, the panicked man then dropped the nozzle, which sprayed burning fuel over the ground and other vehicles as he tried to flee for safety.

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In Kiselyovsk, Russia, workers had been tasked with inflating a three-ton tire, but had forgotten about it—leaving it to over inflate. The UK’s Mirror reports the huge tire suddenly exploded into the air and landed on a car—leaving the vehicle completely flattened.

In York, South Carolina, a man has been arrested for burglary and petit larceny. The Rock Hill Herald reports a man broke into his neighbor’s house and made a sandwich. A police report lists the stolen goods as a drink of clear moonshine, a Clover Valley kosher whole dill pickle, a scoop of Newk’s pimento cheese and two slices of bread. The homeowner alerted authorities after home surveillance detected motion. He had installed the cameras after noticing things going missing. The suspect, who is renting property from the homeowner, admitted to entering the home on other occasions.

Sometimes it’s best to not overdo the entrance to a wedding reception.

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This dog really wants this big stick, but it is still stuck to the tree.

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Sometimes you just have to dance, no matter where you are, when your ‘jam’ comes on.

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Products May 4, 2017

Investment Products and Service Launches

Franklin Templeton launches strategic beta ETFs and Vanguard reduces expense ratios on more funds.
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Franklin Templeton Launches Strategic Beta ETFs 

Franklin Templeton Investments has added three new strategic beta exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to its Franklin LibertyShares lineup. With these additions, the firm’s LibertyQ strategic beta ETF suite now includes U.S. equity-focused products investing in companies with favorable exposure to four investment style factors: quality, value, momentum and low volatility.

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The funds include the Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Equity ETF, which tracks an index generally including U.S. mid- and large-capitalization companies.Topping off the list are The Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF the Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF.

“Our new U.S. equity strategic beta ETFs reflect our ongoing commitment to investors, by developing best-in-class offerings that seek to achieve better risk-adjusted returns over the long term,” says Patrick O’Connor, global head of ETFs at Franklin Templeton Investments. “Leveraging our firm’s 70 years of active management experience, our quantitative approach targets specific factors for consistent sources of return. In our proprietary approach, we place an emphasis on the ‘quality’ factor.”

For more information, visit LibertyShares.com.

NEXT: Vanguard Reduces Expense Ratios on Stock and Bond Funds

Vanguard Reduces Expense Ratios on Stock and Bond Funds

Asset management firm Vanguard has reported lower expense ratios for 82 mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) shares.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund reported lower expense ratios for four share classes: Institutional: a half basis point to 0.035%, Admiral: one basis point to 0.04%, ETF: one basis point to 0.04%, Investor: one basis point to 0.15%.

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund saw reductions across the following share classes: Admiral Shares: one basis point to 0.04%, ETF: one basis point to 0.04%, Investor: two basis points to 0.14%.

The Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund saw reductions across the following share classes: Institutional Plus: one basis point decline to 0.03%, Institutional: one basis point to 0.04%, Admiral: one basis point to 0.05%, ETF: one basis point to 0.05%, Investor: one basis point to 0.15%.

Fourteen additional Vanguard ETFs experienced expense ratio decreases: FTSE Developed Markets, Value, Growth, Short-Term Bond, Mid-Cap, Small-Cap, Intermediate-Term Bond, Large-Cap, Small-Cap Value, Mid-Cap Value, Small-Cap Growth, Extended Market, Long-Term Bond, and Mid-Cap Growth.

For a complete list of expense ratio changes, visit pressroom.vanguard.com.

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