Portfolio news – July 2016 additions

This month I have added some to an existing position again, first off Ahold Delhaize, which has finalized the merger in July and had an reverse split, there are now less stock available and I got extra dividend. Also less shares. In order to balance this out again I added to this position. I remain very positive about this stock.

I also added to the vanguard dividend appreciation ETF, It’s an product that is composed out of stocks that generate dividends, I do this when I have small amounts of cash left and it’s a low cost way of getting invested and be diversified at the same time. It’s ideal for everyone who doesn’t view finance and investing as a hobby. Because it’s low cost and maintenance free you really don’t have to pay attention and just add on a regular basis. Research shows it’s one of the best if not the best way to be invested, just buy an ETF that follows the index or is based on generating income.

Since I enjoy this as a hobby I tend to buy stocks rather than just ETF’s or other things like mutual funds and index funds. But if you are not, index and income ETF’s are a very good way of investing without having to do all the research into individual securities. And over time the ETF’s probably do better than my hand-picked selection. For me it’s also about the fun of doing the research. Time will tell.

The last addition to the portfolio is Bayer, which is a German company that is active in Healthcare and Agriculture , life science as it is described. It has a history of excellent growth and dividend keeps on going up, it has a good cash flow and isn’t high in debt. It’s maybe a bit on the expensive side at the moment, but I thinks that is generally the case in today’s markets.
Since this is a portfolio for the long term I am not to concerned about the price, and this stock is near it’s year lows so it’s not way too high.

So that’s it for this month, now on to the research for the next additions.

June 2016 – Dividend

A new month new dividends. It is starting to get a bit more every time. Last few months have been good, it’s not that I can retire but it is slowly but surely growing.
So these are the figures from June.

Dividends without the tax:

1-jun Dividend (UNILEVER DR) EUR 3,20
9-jun Dividend (MICROSOFT CORPORATION) EUR 3,27
10-jun Dividend (EMERSON ELECTRIC COMPA) EUR 4,32
16-jun Dividend (ICAHN ENTERPRISES L.P.) EUR 1,36
27-jun Dividend (RDSA dvd reinvestment plan) EUR 41,72
27-jun Dividend (VANGUARD DIV APPRECIAT) EUR 1,22

Total EUR 55.09

Running and recovery

Since my encephalitis I have been suffering from concentration problems, analytical and problem solving issues, among other things. My recovery has gone fairly steadily upwards in the beginning but now is stalling a bit. One thing that is helping me a lot is exercising. Especially running. It helps me regaining my energy and makes me feel very happy. As my Paris marathon got cancelled I have now selected a new Marathon as a nice goal to work towards. It’s not going to be an attempt on my PR, the aim is to get across the finish line in one piece.

My recovery experts told me I have to select a goal to work towards and that there should be no pressure. So this is what I selected. I will keep a log of my training activity and share my thoughts on how it’s affecting me in general and towards the recovery.

Gearbox records – Seedr campaign

Today I made a small investment with Gearbox records, they are seeking funds for the expansion of their business. They are a record label which presses old hard to find jazz and some new artist as well.

I love vinyl and I believe they are on the right track. So I decided to do this. The campaign is almost fully funded and I wish them all the best. And hopefully they meet their goals.

Links :

Campaign : Gearbox seedr campaign
Website : Gearbox records

Jeff Mills – Exhibitionist 2

As a fan of Jeff Mills since I first discovered Techno, without knowing to much about it. I was fascinated by the first instalment of the Exhibitionist.

3 decks and a mixer, and some fine mixing. I could only barely mix two records together. Played it frequently when I was bored on a Sunday afternoon. Just watching and listening to one of the greatest DJ’s.

Well When I found out the second edition was out I immediately bought it. It now has 3 DVD’s with on the first one a mix , now with CDJ’s obviously.

And although I miss the records, this mix is very cool. then there is a DVD with a few TR-909 drum machine workouts as Jeff calls then, Which are fun.

Make me wanted to save up for a dedicated drum machine again. Not a 909 , but maybe the new TR-8.

Wandering off, the best part of this series is on the third DVD which is the studio mix. It’s Jeff surrounded by cool gear and starting performing various tracks.

This looks boring to some people, but for me this is very inspiring, simply watching is makes me want to turn on my gear again , and start making music.
Which I seldom do due to a lack of time and or other things that go before making music. And the worst of all lack of energy or inspiration. This DVD puts me right in the mood.