Weekly Roundup - February 22, 2014

What a busy week, although that's the norm right?  But I'm striving to really slow down that busy-ness level, especially since it's not devoted to doing things I really want to pursue.  Don't get me wrong, I actually like my job, but there's times where it absolutely sucks.  We should be able to finish up here sometime this weekend and then I'll be headed back home.  I can't wait to be back home with my wife, now if only she could be off work whenever I was off work and things would be even better.

It was a great week as far as the portfolio is concerned with dividend increases from Coca-Cola, Lorillard, and Wal-Mart.  I was a bit disappointed with the WMT increase but not really surprised given their results from the last quarter.  So far five of my ownership stakes have announced increases this year with one more expected next week.  I calculated the overall dividend growth of my holdings and I'm quite happy with the results.  It only accounts for dividends paid through the end of 2013 but the weighted growth rates are all over 10%.  I hope to keep that up but I expect it to work its way down to the 7-10% range over the long-term so I'll ride it while it lasts.

I posted two stock analyses this week over at Seeking Alpha.  One on Coca-Cola and one on PepsiCo.  Go check them out if you want to see what I think about them.  SPOILER ALERT: I like them, despite their struggles in 2013.  I'm hoping to review Dr. Pepper Snapple Group next week to get the trifecta and then get a nice summary comparison of all three so it's easier to see the relative value between them.

I need some help from my readers, especially those that have a bit more artsy/creative side.  You didn't think this blog was free, did you?  I think it's about time I get a logo for my blog so if anyone has any ideas/suggestions or would even like to help me out with one, please let me know.

Thanks again to each and every one of you.  Last weekend I crossed the 300,000 pageview level here and I continue to be amazed at the growth.  I set out to document my journey to try and keep myself focused and have a living, breathing example of what I'm trying to do with my finances.  Seeing everyone's comments is always inspiring and some of you have even started blogs of your own so we can all get a glimpse of what's going on in your world.

Newbies:  These 11 words will give you all the motivation you'll ever need to get started on Bigger Pockets - While the post is about real estate investing, it applies to just about anything.  "If your motivation is just leading to excitement which leads to more motivation which leads to more excitement...it's worthless".  I've been stuck in this cycle a bit with trying to expand into rental properties so I guess I need to put this quote front and center.

Review of Retire with Dividend Growth: A Better Way by Fast Weekly - I was able to read the book myself and Fast Weekly's review is spot on.  Go get a copy now before the price increases.  It's a great book for anyone looking for

Juicy Details:  Income, Expenses, and am I going to Sink or Swim, Pt 2 by Create My Independence - Kraig made some great progress over the last few months.  He's still cash flow negative overall but this guy has some stones to quit a steady job/income with a load of savings and an idea.  I wish you the best Kraig!

Should I buy a stock at its 52-week high? by the The Dividend Guy - Personally I don't ever look at the 52-week range.  The key is to remain focused on the future of the company and the valuation of that future growth.

The Power of Pennies by Dividend Mantra - I really like Jason's ability to explain the complex in a simple fashion.  I don't know if he's quite up to WB's level, but he definitely has a knack for it.  What better way to invest than with companies that continue to earn and pay you more money, year after year.

Warren Wednesday: H1 1961 by Pulling Ourselves Up Financially - I love this series and only wish I had come up with the idea.  One of the things I like about the series besides Buffet's wisdom is the events that were going on.  It's a reminder that there's always something that's going to be the end of the world, but it just seems to pass and the great companies just keep on trucking along.

The Half-way Point:  Owning Five Rentals (What's next?) by FI Fighter - 5 rentals and 7 units.  Considering how quickly he's gotten to this point, he's going to be FI in no time.  He's really encouraged me to pursue rental properties as another means of passive/semi-passive income.

Position Review:  5 Years of Owning Emerson Electric by Retire Before Dad - I can't wait to get some longer holding periods for some positions to really get a good look at dividend growth in action.  I made my first individual stock purchase back in August 2011 when I was first starting down the DG path.  The results have been great but there's still a lot of work to do.

Dividend yield vs dividend growth by Roadmap2Retire - Roadmap has a great mix of dividend yield and dividend growth with his portfolio.  I think it's a good exercise to look back every now and then at some very simple visuals of where your portfolio stands.  He's off to Aruba for the week and didn't invite any of us.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Volatility is not your enemy by A Wealth of Common Sense - As an investor you should welcome volatility because you get opportunities to buy assets for cheaper.  One interesting stat from the post.  "Even though the long-term average return is 9.6%, there have only been 5 calendar years (about 6% of the time) that ended with a return of 7% to 12% on the S&P 500.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Comments

  1. Thanks for the inclusion JC! I'm glad you'll be on your way home in the next few days.....even if that means you'll be radio silent for a few more days. Glad you'll get to see your wife and throw a tennis ball for you Lab. Nice articles on SA this week, you're putting me to shame buddy.

    I like Coca-cola and Pepsico BECAUSE they struggled this year :o) Safe travels
    -Bryan

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    Replies
    1. Bryan,

      Me too. I can't wait to be home again, if only it was over the weekend and not mostly during the week. Beggars can't be choosers, right? I hoping to get some posts written up to try and cover the blog through at least the first half of the week.

      I also like KO and PEP because they had issues in 2013. Both are great companies that aren't going anywhere so if some short-term issues causes the price to dip to a great yield that's awesome and I'll take advantage of that.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Thanks JC for the mention. You had a very busy week with 2 SA pieces. Nice work. Your dividend growth post has inspired a new spreadsheet on my hard drive.
    -RBD

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    Replies
    1. RBD,

      No problem. It was a pretty busy week between writing and work. I want to get an analysis on DPS up on SA on Monday or Tuesday to complete the big three. I'm glad you liked the dividend growth checkup post. I think it's pretty interesting to see, obviously is backward looking and not forward looking, but it gives you an idea of what the companies you own have done historically.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Hey Thanks for including my "11 Words" post! I definitely wrote it with the idea of incorporating more than just real estate - so I'm glad to see it worked and being read by others! You rock :)

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    Replies
    1. Brandon,

      It was a great post and really hits home with how there needs to be action. Hoping, wishing, getting excited won't take you to where you want to be, it's action that will. It applies to just about anything, and not even just investment related. Want to lose weight? Getting excited about working out and cooking healthy meals won't do it, you have to get off your a$$ and work out or cooking those meals.

      Another quote to hopefully push people towards action:

      "Tomorrow (n): a mystical land where 99% of all human productivity, motivation, and achievement is stored"

      We've got to figure out how to push tomorrow to today!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Pursuit,

    Thanks for the kind words and the mention. I'm definitely not up to WB's level, but I hope to one day be within the same universe. :)

    Have a great weekend. Hope things slow down for you a bit!

    Best wishes.

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    Replies
    1. DM,

      Well, you're at least working towards it. I'd love to take some extended time off, but in mid/late March my wife and I will be going to DC if everything works out right. It'll be a much needed trip for both of us.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. Jc a lot of good reads here. You should get into real estate investing as that is another great source of income. Have a good weekend

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Charles,

      I'm definitely working on it. It's just difficult to move forward with it because I have the most time to research the properties when I'm at work, but I can't view them in person until I get home again. I've missed out on some pretty good cash flowing properties because of that but eventually the timing will work out right.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. Congratulations on hitting the 300,000 milestone. Well deserved. Now, onto half a million. Onward and upward. :)

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    1. Done by Forty,

      Thanks. It was pretty amazing to see how quickly I went from 200k to 300k and I hope 500k can at least be on the same pace.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the mention! Lots of good articles here.

    Also, congrats on 300k! That's amazing, and I'm glad to see the blog doing so well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just curious, have you thought about possibly migrating over to WordPress at a later time?

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    Replies
    1. FI Fighter,

      It's been awesome to see how traffic has picked up over the last 6-8 months. Well all of 2013 really.

      I'm planning on making the move over sometime this year. I need to talk with Jason (Dividend Mantra) to see what he recommends and what issues he ran into. It's going to have to be a quick switch because I just don't have consistent time while I'm at home to be able to make the move and handle any issues. It is in the works though.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  9. Thanks for the mention, JC.

    I wanted to do a trial run to make sure it's safe before inviting ;) It's a fantastic place....really recommend this place looking for a sun destination getaway.


    Best wishes

    ReplyDelete

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