Retirement Portfolio For Do It Yourselfers: January Transaction Updates [View article]
Dave,
Just finished Norman's TF valuation article, and caught David's article on his 2012 Report and now yours. A very enjoable meal, but man am I stuffed. Long day so I'll have to open the SA frig tomorrow and reread these great leftovers again.
Retirement Portfolio Using Dividend Reinvestment: 3 Auto Parts Stocks [View article]
Norman...good comment on my company - UPS. I have worked in operations my whole career and currently working in feeder operations...umm..the big trucks:) UPS has always stretched the use of their vehicles to DRIP every bit of life out of them. In the larger metro areas they turn them over due to increased miles but here in IOWA we buy and hold our vehicles forever..almost. Example: Training a new driver we went into Chicago a few years back and had a problem so we ran over to the shop. The mechanic looked at our tractor, smiled, and then slyly said, " Sorry to see you broke down. Were you on the way to the UPS museum?" At the time that old MAC had 1,700,000 miles and needed to be put out to pasture to "stud"..lol.
Using The 10 x 10 Table To 'Score' Dividend Yields And Growth Rates [View article]
Folks....I was reading the "Lawrence Rants" and about half way through I took a sip or two out of my 64 oz Max Gulp Kool-Aid container (to suppress my gag reflex) and realized from my sugar high that there WAS a "dislike button" and was surprised no one had seen it but everyone had used it. Look hard...it's right next to the "Like" button..see it?....yep 'the "zero"!!
Should You Put All Of Your Eggs In Apple's Basket? [View article]
@Internal. The good thing about my house is I live in a midwestern state and the estimated market value has not dropped off (about 5%) as much as in other regions of the U.S. For that I'm blessed and very thankful..and I was "attempting" to be humorous. My Harley is a 96 Softail Custom so it is on the rare side or was until Harley brought back the Custom a couple of years ago. She is my joy and the cobweb cleaner for that grey matter I spoke of earlier. Road King is a great choice and it has a great look when you strip off the bags and windshield...good lines. If I was to grab another Harley it would be that one because it works better then the Softail for long road trips. The thing is I can call both assets but as you said they are illiquid which is fine for now because neither are going up for a market clearing price anytime soon.
Should You Put All Of Your Eggs In Apple's Basket? [View article]
@ Internal - I have read that the correlation has never been greater then it was in 2011 but that only recently the correlation is breaking down somewhat. Just curious because I'm counting my house and Harley as part of my diversification for 2012.
@Luy - Exactly...pick out 10 articles and read the comments and they are all based on their personality and lifestyles. We could have all the same information, charts and graphs but once we each sift it through our gray matter the answer is different. Like dropping a ball at the top of a Peg Board...the ball almost never ends up in the same slot at the bottom...and that assumes we have all our pegs.
@Truffle - I agree with your view on diversification in stock picking and would add sector picking, You and I both own NLY and AGNC but I detest the financial sector yet those 2 stocks bounced off my pegs and landed in the buy slot.
@Rocco - Series of interesting articles - The thing that interests me from the above references of the previous comments is why we pull the trigger....or don't. That would be an interesting article but each of us might have to write it. As a teaser, maybe instead of sharing a portfolio, we share the reason we bought a stock..just one. So I'll start: Example of my pegs: UAN - New fertilizer company - speculative - read my first article about it on Motley- no real numbers to go by - close to the railroads - nice dividend - management guaranteed a yearly 1.92 annual - only one plant - could blow up - need something more in Basic Materials sector - clueless about fertilizer companies - doesn't use natural gas in the process - uses by-product from parent company to process - sounds like a better mousetrap - lower cost to produce - higher potential margins - maybe they carve out a niche - more people means more food and that means more fertilizer - what the hell - click! Those were most of the pegs I hit on the way down the UAN peg board - due diligence - luck - deductive decision--kinda,sorta, not at all. I liked the idea and it kept scratching my gray matter till I bought some. I wish I could see the expressions on the faces of anyone reading this comment because then I might glimmer a few of their pegs...lol!
Disclaimer: No...this is not how I pick stocks but it is how I picked UAN and to tell you the truth...it was fun and is now one of my larger holdings.
Disclosure: Long Aapl, UAN, NLY, AGNC - and those are 4 of my sweet 16.
Annaly Capital Management: Why It's Not Time To Sell [View article]
Bill...I was just kidding about you bringing up the rule of 72...and giving away the secret....going with the prior comment by RSS. SA is a place where everything gets shared and is a great place to learn, gain perspective, direction from so many...the sheesh just shows I read all the comments because they carry a wealth of information also. Actually with NLY @ 14% on the div and AGNC @ 19.2% on the div your comment nailed my rate. It was another reason why I bought AGNC. When I first purchased my initial shares of NLY it was close to what AGNC is now. If I could handle the risk/reward back then with NLY why not take the risk/reward now with AGNC?
Annaly Capital Management: Why It's Not Time To Sell [View article]
Rss...very good article on what I would call one of my core holdings. I do hold NLY for the dividend and both their excellent history plus the management team. This week I gave myself a birthday present and bought initial shares in AGNC for the very same reasons although the history isn't as longstanding as NLY. The financial sector is underweight in my portfolio so my purchase of AGNC is to add to that sector with a similar mREIT like NLY. The performance of AGNC seems best of breed for the short term and compliments NLY longer best of breed status. I like the direction of NLY becoming more conservative and perhaps AGNC is a way of adding a bit more risk while increasing the financial sector to an equal weight position. It will take me a long time to bring banks into that sector of my portfolio. I find it hilarious when you look back just a few years and see the leverage the banks were at. So to the risk screamers and scare tactics and knee jerks all that can be said by me is that in my eyes these two are conservative. NLY is my main man and AGNC a little brother growing up in my portfolio.
American Capital Agency Is Positioned For Profit [View article]
Hmmmm...I just did that. NLY is still my main man in the financial sector which is underweight. With an initial purchase on AGNC I get more bang from its dividend and since the ex. div. date is not for a while it gives me time to see if there will be a dip or two to purchase some additional shares. I mistrust of the banks...for me they are ones not worth the risk. NLY and AGNC gets my trust...with verification. Far better to shoot holes in your views of a stock then your pocketbook. My thanks Todd for the article and the verification to what I have read. I also agree there will be a time to sell these positions.
2012 Dogs Of The Dividend Champions [View article]
David,
Happy New Year. It has been a while. Also long T and Mo...and it is hard quitting. I'm trying the e-cigarette to help cut back but still long MO. Oh yeah, I said that. My thanks for all you helped me with in 2011. Your direction and insight were invaluable.
5 Stocks For Retirees And 1 To Avoid [View article]
I agree with the differences of NLY to the other stocks listed. In fact, it is the only stock (umm...REIT) I hold in the financial sector although I am looking for a pullback for entry in AGNC. Not betting the bank...in fact I'm underweight in the sector.
I do agree with capital preservation or trimming a stock when it is near a 52 week high at least that is what I did this year . Which reminds me...I want to send a thank-you out to David Crosetti. You had published an article that ran along the lines of training your family because there will be a day when your investing days will end. So on Christmas Day my daughter and I went through some points and she said her head hurt a bit from the session..lol. She did understand the importance and has been going through the process a little at a time and those "sessions" will continue. To me this is true capital preservation and not for the short-sighted.
Speaking of short-sighted CNBC is watching the tape and hawking whether or not the S&P will be in the black or the red. Interestingly, this has only happened 3 or 4 times where the stock market was flat for a year. I think 2012 will be a bust-out as stated by Regarded Solutions....so we are in sync also:). I also liked your call on "T"...stock of the year in 2012!!! We will see...that is part of what makes this stuff fun!
To all in the SA family....all the best for each of you, jdhd
3 Dividend Paying Utility Stocks For 2012 [View article]
Norman....Happy New Year. Was a busy season at UPS so have been offline for quite a while and just reading verses entering into any comments. I told my boss that June 30th would be my last day.
I remember several analysts talking the utilities down at the start of 2011 and now the same analysts are stating they are overvalued:) What a difference a year makes but still holding fast to BIP and AEP and blessed that I did.
Just wanted to wish you and yours all the best for 2012. jdhd
Bret, I follow you about as much as Cramer...that is a compliment, not sarcasm. I liked your call on COP and TOT and initially went with TOT but then switched due to the foreign taxes that I could not recoup in my IRA. Cramer gave a lot of good advice and so have you. I don't agree with either of you all the time....not a zealot. Getting back to EVEN verses GETTING even....perception, smell..not sure of the intent. I know this...Cramer is an easy target. I know this...all previous articles by you that I've read are clean, objective and informative. So do that...do what I've come to look forward to...what we have come to look forward to....stocks and why you like them and why we should also. You are going to do what you are going to do but let me just say that you have stood out and separated yourself from the mob. It seems a shame to me to see you join them now. Merry Christmas and thank-you for what you do.
Why Apple Needs To Buy Back At Least $4.5 Billion Per Year [View article]
Bill....seriously, a buyback?...REALLY! I would ask you a simple question...."Would you back up the truck at Aapl's current price and load up on Aapl stock?" Note: The Aapl high was close to 426.00 and is currently around 370.00 or approximately 12% off the Aapl's all time high. Now that you know that...I'll ask again, "Would you back the truck up?" The answer for you is-- "I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours." Hmmm.....but you state Aapl should be buying 4.5 billion a year. They should back the truck up for about the next 20 years. HELLO???? Let's use another large company--CISCO. They bought shares back around the high of $22.00---and watched it drop down to about 14.00 before "surging" back to its current price of around $18.00. I'm not saying this will happen to Aapl but I am stating that a buyback doesn't necessarily add to the value of a company. Look---Tim Cook is an operations guy and (as I've stated in a previous comment to an article about Aapl's cash) not a stockpicker nor was Steve Jobs. If you like a stock with operational excellence--buy Aapl. If you are hesitant like the author to not have a position in Aapl because it has to much cash then simply reread the sentece with emphasis on "TO MUCH CASH" and understand it still sounds stupid the second time you do it.
Retirement Portfolio For Do It Yourselfers: January Transaction Updates [View article]
Just finished Norman's TF valuation article, and caught David's article on his 2012 Report and now yours. A very enjoable meal, but man am I stuffed.
Long day so I'll have to open the SA frig tomorrow and reread these great leftovers again.
All the best,
jdhd
Retirement Portfolio For Do It Yourselfers: January Transaction Updates [View article]
Reminds me of the verse..."This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice in super-abundance of happiness"
Not sure if it is proper to quote a Scripture verse on SA but on the other hand...as you put it previously about your portfolio..it is what it is!
Great article..thanks for the insights.
All the best,
jdhd
Retirement Portfolio Using Dividend Reinvestment: 3 Auto Parts Stocks [View article]
UPS has always stretched the use of their vehicles to DRIP every bit of life out of them. In the larger metro areas they turn them over due to increased miles but here in IOWA we buy and hold our vehicles forever..almost.
Example: Training a new driver we went into Chicago a few years back and had a problem so we ran over to the shop. The mechanic looked at our tractor, smiled, and then slyly said, " Sorry to see you broke down. Were you on the way to the UPS museum?"
At the time that old MAC had 1,700,000 miles and needed to be put out to pasture to "stud"..lol.
All the best,
jdhd
Using The 10 x 10 Table To 'Score' Dividend Yields And Growth Rates [View article]
Look hard...it's right next to the "Like" button..see it?....yep 'the "zero"!!
All the best,
jdhd
Should You Put All Of Your Eggs In Apple's Basket? [View article]
My Harley is a 96 Softail Custom so it is on the rare side or was until Harley brought back the Custom a couple of years ago. She is my joy and the cobweb cleaner for that grey matter I spoke of earlier.
Road King is a great choice and it has a great look when you strip off the bags and windshield...good lines. If I was to grab another Harley it would be that one because it works better then the Softail for long road trips.
The thing is I can call both assets but as you said they are illiquid which is fine for now because neither are going up for a market clearing price anytime soon.
Should You Put All Of Your Eggs In Apple's Basket? [View article]
@Luy - Exactly...pick out 10 articles and read the comments and they are all based on their personality and lifestyles. We could have all the same information, charts and graphs but once we each sift it through our gray matter the answer is different.
Like dropping a ball at the top of a Peg Board...the ball almost never ends up in the same slot at the bottom...and that assumes we have all our pegs.
@Truffle - I agree with your view on diversification in stock picking and would add sector picking, You and I both own NLY and AGNC but I detest the financial sector yet those 2 stocks bounced off my pegs and landed in the buy slot.
@Rocco - Series of interesting articles - The thing that interests me from the above references of the previous comments is why we pull the trigger....or don't. That would be an interesting article but each of us might have to write it.
As a teaser, maybe instead of sharing a portfolio, we share the reason we bought a stock..just one.
So I'll start:
Example of my pegs: UAN - New fertilizer company - speculative - read my first article about it on Motley- no real numbers to go by - close to the railroads - nice dividend - management guaranteed a yearly 1.92 annual - only one plant - could blow up - need something more in Basic Materials sector - clueless about fertilizer companies - doesn't use natural gas in the process - uses by-product from parent company to process - sounds like a better mousetrap - lower cost to produce - higher potential margins - maybe they carve out a niche - more people means more food and that means more fertilizer - what the hell - click!
Those were most of the pegs I hit on the way down the UAN peg board - due diligence - luck - deductive decision--kinda,sorta, not at all.
I liked the idea and it kept scratching my gray matter till I bought some. I wish I could see the expressions on the faces of anyone reading this comment because then I might glimmer a few of their pegs...lol!
Disclaimer: No...this is not how I pick stocks but it is how I picked UAN and to tell you the truth...it was fun and is now one of my larger holdings.
Disclosure: Long Aapl, UAN, NLY, AGNC - and those are 4 of my sweet 16.
All the best,
Jdhd
Annaly Capital Management: Why It's Not Time To Sell [View article]
Annaly Capital Management: Why It's Not Time To Sell [View article]
SA is a place where everything gets shared and is a great place to learn, gain perspective, direction from so many...the sheesh just shows I read all the comments because they carry a wealth of information also.
Actually with NLY @ 14% on the div and AGNC @ 19.2% on the div your comment nailed my rate.
It was another reason why I bought AGNC. When I first purchased my initial shares of NLY it was close to what AGNC is now. If I could handle the risk/reward back then with NLY why not take the risk/reward now with AGNC?
All the best,
jdhd
Annaly Capital Management: Why It's Not Time To Sell [View article]
This week I gave myself a birthday present and bought initial shares in AGNC for the very same reasons although the history isn't as longstanding as NLY.
The financial sector is underweight in my portfolio so my purchase of AGNC is to add to that sector with a similar mREIT like NLY.
The performance of AGNC seems best of breed for the short term and compliments NLY longer best of breed status.
I like the direction of NLY becoming more conservative and perhaps AGNC is a way of adding a bit more risk while increasing the financial sector to an equal weight position.
It will take me a long time to bring banks into that sector of my portfolio.
I find it hilarious when you look back just a few years and see the leverage the banks were at.
So to the risk screamers and scare tactics and knee jerks all that can be said by me is that in my eyes these two are conservative.
NLY is my main man and AGNC a little brother growing up in my portfolio.
...and what is with Bill....sheesh!!!..:):)
All the best,
jdhd
American Capital Agency Is Positioned For Profit [View article]
NLY is still my main man in the financial sector which is underweight. With an initial purchase on AGNC I get more bang from its dividend and since the ex. div. date is not for a while it gives me time to see if there will be a dip or two to purchase some additional shares.
I mistrust of the banks...for me they are ones not worth the risk.
NLY and AGNC gets my trust...with verification.
Far better to shoot holes in your views of a stock then your pocketbook.
My thanks Todd for the article and the verification to what I have read.
I also agree there will be a time to sell these positions.
All the best,
jdhd
2012 Dogs Of The Dividend Champions [View article]
Happy New Year. It has been a while. Also long T and Mo...and it is hard quitting. I'm trying the e-cigarette to help cut back but still long MO.
Oh yeah, I said that.
My thanks for all you helped me with in 2011. Your direction and insight were invaluable.
All the best in 2012,
jdhd
5 Stocks For Retirees And 1 To Avoid [View article]
I do agree with capital preservation or trimming a stock when it is near a 52 week high at least that is what I did this year .
Which reminds me...I want to send a thank-you out to David Crosetti.
You had published an article that ran along the lines of training your family because there will be a day when your investing days will end. So on Christmas Day my daughter and I went through some points and she said her head hurt a bit from the session..lol. She did understand the importance and has been going through the process a little at a time and those "sessions" will continue.
To me this is true capital preservation and not for the short-sighted.
Speaking of short-sighted CNBC is watching the tape and hawking whether or not the S&P will be in the black or the red. Interestingly, this has only happened 3 or 4 times where the stock market was flat for a year.
I think 2012 will be a bust-out as stated by Regarded Solutions....so we are in sync also:). I also liked your call on "T"...stock of the year in 2012!!!
We will see...that is part of what makes this stuff fun!
To all in the SA family....all the best for each of you,
jdhd
3 Dividend Paying Utility Stocks For 2012 [View article]
Was a busy season at UPS so have been offline for quite a while and just reading verses entering into any comments.
I told my boss that June 30th would be my last day.
I remember several analysts talking the utilities down at the start of 2011 and now the same analysts are stating they are overvalued:)
What a difference a year makes but still holding fast to BIP and AEP and blessed that I did.
Just wanted to wish you and yours all the best for 2012.
jdhd
Cramer's Midyear 'Mad Money' Misses [View article]
I follow you about as much as Cramer...that is a compliment, not sarcasm. I liked your call on COP and TOT and initially went with TOT but then switched due to the foreign taxes that I could not recoup in my IRA.
Cramer gave a lot of good advice and so have you. I don't agree with either of you all the time....not a zealot.
Getting back to EVEN verses GETTING even....perception, smell..not sure of the intent.
I know this...Cramer is an easy target.
I know this...all previous articles by you that I've read are clean, objective and informative.
So do that...do what I've come to look forward to...what we have come to look forward to....stocks and why you like them and why we should also.
You are going to do what you are going to do but let me just say that you have stood out and separated yourself from the mob.
It seems a shame to me to see you join them now.
Merry Christmas and thank-you for what you do.
All the best,
jdhd
Why Apple Needs To Buy Back At Least $4.5 Billion Per Year [View article]
I would ask you a simple question...."Would you back up the truck at Aapl's current price and load up on Aapl stock?"
Note: The Aapl high was close to 426.00 and is currently around 370.00 or approximately 12% off the Aapl's all time high.
Now that you know that...I'll ask again, "Would you back the truck up?"
The answer for you is-- "I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours."
Hmmm.....but you state Aapl should be buying 4.5 billion a year. They should back the truck up for about the next 20 years.
HELLO????
Let's use another large company--CISCO.
They bought shares back around the high of $22.00---and watched it drop down to about 14.00 before "surging" back to its current price of around $18.00.
I'm not saying this will happen to Aapl but I am stating that a buyback doesn't necessarily add to the value of a company.
Look---Tim Cook is an operations guy and (as I've stated in a previous comment to an article about Aapl's cash) not a stockpicker nor was Steve Jobs.
If you like a stock with operational excellence--buy Aapl.
If you are hesitant like the author to not have a position in Aapl because it has to much cash then simply reread the sentece with emphasis on "TO MUCH CASH" and understand it still sounds stupid the second time you do it.
Happy Turkey Day
jdhd