Explore how SCHQ’s government focus and SPLB’s corporate breadth shape risk profiles and income potential for long-term bond investors.The Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (NYSEMKT:SCHQ) and the State Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEMKT:SPLB) differ most in their underlying bond exposure, with SPLB offering corporate credit risk and a slightly higher yield. At the same time, SCHQ is more concentrated in U.S. Treasuries and carries lower expenses.NYSEMKT : SCHQSchwab Strategic Trust ...

Core Viewpoint - Warren Buffett, the long-time CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has officially stepped down, passing leadership to Greg Abel, while continuing to influence the company's strategic positioning before retirement [2]. Group 1: Leadership Transition - Warren Buffett has retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, transitioning leadership to Greg Abel [2]. - Despite stepping down from day-to-day operations, Buffett remains involved in strategic decisions to ensure the company's future success [2]. Group 2: Investment Moves - Prior to his retirement, Buffett was actively managing Berkshire's investment portfolio, as evidenced by Form 13F filings, which disclose the buying and selling activities of institutional investors [3]. - A notable action was Buffett's significant reduction of Berkshire's stake in Bank of America (BofA), a core holding for nearly a decade [4][5]. - Concurrently, Buffett was building a position in a popular consumer brand for five consecutive quarters leading up to his retirement [4]. Group 3: Bank of America Insights - Bank of America has been one of the top three holdings in Berkshire's portfolio, reflecting Buffett's comfort and understanding of the financial sector [5]. - Bank stocks, including BofA, benefit from the nonlinearity of economic cycles, allowing them to grow loan portfolios during periods of economic expansion [6]. - BofA's sensitivity to interest rate changes has been advantageous, particularly during the Federal Reserve's rate-hiking cycle from March 2022 to July 2023, which increased BofA's net interest income significantly [7].

Core Insights - Dividend stocks are attractive for investors seeking passive income, with companies that pay dividends generally outperforming those that do not [1] - Not all dividend-paying companies are the same; some focus on dividend growth while others prioritize high dividend yields [1] Company Summaries - AGNC Investment is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily invests in mortgage-backed securities (MBSs), using leverage to achieve a high dividend yield of 12.7% [2][4] - AGNC's investments are mainly in agency MBSs, which are backed by government-sponsored entities, reducing risk due to government guarantees [5] - As of September 30, AGNC's at-risk leverage ratio was approximately 7.5 times its tangible net book value, indicating potential volatility in earnings and book value due to interest rate changes [6] - Ares Capital operates as a business development company (BDC) that provides loans to middle-market companies, offering a dividend yield of 9.4% [2][7] - Both AGNC and Ares Capital are pass-through entities required to distribute most of their taxable income to investors, resulting in high dividend yields [7][8] - The two companies are sensitive to interest rate changes but in different manners due to their distinct business models [8]

Core Insights - The Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCLT) offers lower costs and higher yields compared to the iShares 20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT), which provides greater scale and pure exposure to U.S. Treasuries [1][9] Group 1: Fund Characteristics - TLT focuses exclusively on U.S. Treasuries with maturities over 20 years, while VCLT invests in a diverse range of investment-grade corporate bonds with maturities between 10 and 25 years [2] - VCLT has an expense ratio of 0.03%, significantly lower than TLT's 0.15%, making it more cost-efficient [3][4] - VCLT's dividend yield is 5.4%, compared to TLT's 4.4%, appealing to income-focused investors [3][4] Group 2: Performance and Risk - Over the past year, TLT has returned -4.0%, while VCLT has returned -1.6% [3] - The maximum drawdown over five years for TLT is -45.06%, whereas VCLT's is -34.31%, indicating VCLT's relative resilience [5] - The growth of $1,000 invested over five years would yield $564 for TLT and $695 for VCLT, showcasing VCLT's better performance [5] Group 3: Portfolio Composition - VCLT holds 257 securities across various sectors, including healthcare (14%) and financial services (13%), and applies an ESG screen [6] - TLT consists entirely of U.S. Treasury bonds with 100% of its assets in cash and government debt, making it less exposed to corporate credit risk [7] Group 4: Investment Considerations - Investors must choose between the financial security of U.S. Treasuries offered by TLT and the lower cost and higher yield of corporate bonds from VCLT, with the latter carrying higher credit risk [10][11]

Financial Performance - Net income per share for Q1 2025 was $018, compared to $007 in Q4 2024[10] - Book value per share decreased slightly from $809 in Q4 2024 to $794 in Q1 2025[10] - Dividends declared per common share remained constant at $036[16] - Net portfolio income decreased from $23514 thousand in 2024 to $21348 thousand in 2025[16] Portfolio Characteristics - Average MBS balances increased from $5348 million in Q4 2024 to $5996 million in Q1 2025[14] - The weighted average coupon of the fixed rate MBS portfolio increased from 503% at December 31, 2024, to 532% at March 31, 2025[43, 47] - Economic leverage ratio increased from 73 in Q4 2024 to 78 in Q1 2025[14] - Liquidity decreased from 105% in Q4 2024 to 78% in Q1 2025[14] Hedging and Funding - The weighted average repo rate was 446% as of March 31, 2025[51] - Total notional balance of hedge positions was $(47328) million[56] - Interest rate swaps had a notional balance of $(39093) million with a weighted average pay fix rate of 329%[56]