July 2018 – Dividend

A new dividend update, the compounding kicks in. This month it’s a 104% increase compared with July last year. Mostly from the growing portfolio and some small dividend increases, largely offset by currency rates which are still a bit negative relative too last year. All in all nice progress in this ever evolving experiment.

The numbers :

DateStockCurrencyAmount
27-07-2018Walt Disney CompanyEUR0,72
26-07-2018Cisco SystemsEUR7,97
25-07-2018General Electric CompanyEUR2,28
17-07-2018W.P. Carey IncEUR8,79
05-07-2018Vanguard FTSE all world UCITS ETFEUR39,23
04-07-2018Vanguard dividend appreciation ETFEUR1,47
03-07-2018Coca-Cola CompanyEUR5,04
TotalEUR65,50

June 2018 – Dividend

Another month gone by quickly. And thus a new dividend update. It’s up about 3,2% compared to June 2017. Which is exactly what is supposed too happen. No big differences with the positions and just a steady growth.

It’s funny, this strategy is very easy too follow and doesn’t require a lot. Just one thing perseverance , that’s it.

In combination with debt reduction and other savings the power of compounding over time becomes very apparent. It’s a no brainer really.

The numbers :

DateStockCurrencyAmount
26-06-2018Deutsche PfandfabriekEUR107,00
21-06-2018Icahn EnterprisesEUR1,51
19-06-2018HAL TrustEUR31,00
17-06-2018DowDupont EUR3,28
14-06-2018Microsoft EUR7,24
12-06-2018Emerson Electric CompanyEUR4,18
07-06-2018ASM InternationalEUR8,00
06-06-2018UnileverEUR3,87
TotalEUR166,08

May 2018 – Dividend

A bit faster than the last dividend report. May is over again and the numbers are in. Bit lower compared to last year due too dividends being payed just outside of May in some occasions. In percentage -44% but in simple money still a nice number and a good confirmation of my strategy.
Now that the balance between handpicked and the ETF parts in the portfolio is almost complete I will go back and do some picking again. Lets’s see how that goes.

The overview:

DateStockCurrencyAmount
30-05-2018Bayer AGEUR14.00
30-05-2018Unibail-RodamcoEUR5,40
18-05-2018K+G AG EUR14.00
18-05-2018Porsche Automobil Holding EUR17,60
17-05-2018Apple IncEUR6,24
14-05-2018NSIEUR13,44
10-05-2018Amsterdam CommoditiesEUR42.00
09-05-2018ASML HoldingEUR5,60
TotalEUR118,28

April 2018 – Dividend

Well late this, very late almost June again and I hadn’t yet published my April dividend numbers. Nothing special , a nice growth comparing with last year. Which is the idea behind it all. Percentage wise it’s a ridiculous number, 263%. Totally due to first time dividend paying positions.
So it looks awesome but’s it’s simply just new funds that were added after they payed dividends last year.

The dividend investing strategy is being debated more and more in favor of a more growth focus strategy (I.e Netflix, Amazon , Tesla and so on). But for me this dividend focused strategy works fine, it’s simple and straightforward. Exactly what I need.

The numbers:

DateStockCurrencyAmount
30-04-2018Munich ReEUR197,80
26-04-2018Ahold Delhaize KonEUR63,00
26-04-2018Cisco systemsEUR7,63
25-04-2018General Electric CompanyEUR2,81
21-04-2018Jungheinrich AGEUR5,00
17-04-2018Icahn Enterprises LPEUR1,21
17-04-2018WP Carey Inc. REITEUR8,38
16-04-2018NedapEUR50,00
05-04-2018Vanguard FTSE AWEUR16,74
03-04-2018Coca Cola CompanyEUR5,85
03-04-2018Vanguard Dividend appreciationEUR0,90
TotalEUR359,32

Portfolio news – Januari, Februari and March 2018 changes

It’s been a few months since the last portfolio update. It’s been mainly just adding to the ETF’s I selected because there is still a imbalance between my hand picked stocks and the ETF’s. But I am on track towards getting the balance right.

So I am focussing my attention more on picking some new stocks and adding to existing positions. I added to my positions in Munich Re, ASM International and Amsterdam commodities. Jungheinrich is a new addition, it’s active in logistical systems and warehousing. Technical company and with the growing need for smart warehousing it’s a good company to be invested in, in a growing market for now. Until we finally realize we don’t need all that stuff in our lives. It’s also paying a nice dividend. So for now it’s in the portfolio.

I sold ONEOK , one of the US leading natural gas suppliers. It has served the portfolio well with a nice increase in share price and a healthy stream of dividends. I made a solid profit on it and the reason for the sell is part of a broader idea in my investing away from fossil fuels and into other forms of energy. It’s still in the ETF’s and I am still invested in old world energy but it’s time to reduce it and get it to zero.

It’s a bit hard getting in with the real promising company’s as a lot of them are not listed on any stock exchange just yet, which is unfortunate. Well there’s Tesla, but that’s not really my cup of tea investing wise. But I am keeping an eye out and trying getting as much information as I can.

One of the company’s I am checking out is Umicore, which is big in recycling and material research and development. I have some work left to do so I when I’m finished I’ll share my findings.

March 2018 – Dividend

And another month quickly went by, so another update on the dividend stream, less dividend in Euro’s because of the dollar/euro rates. So -16% comparing to March 2017. Turmoil on the currency markets will always be there and since I only have a very small portfolio hedging against currency fluctuations is a bit expensive. Simply take it as it is.

March numbers :

DateStockCurrencyAmount
29-03-2018Unibail-RodamcoEUR5,40
26-03-2018Royal Dutch ShellEUR38,18
21-03-2018Unilever EUR3,59
16-03-2018
DowDupont incEUR3,09
10-03-2018Emerson Electric CompanyEUR3,94
09-03-2018MicrosoftEUR6,83
TotalEUR61,03

February 2018 – Dividend

Another month has gone by and due for another update on the dividends of February. It’s up 12% compared to February 2017. Excellent news , it’s nice to see a steady increase in dividends. Also it’s just 2 companies this month which provided this increase. Next few months will see some more increases as new positions start too pay out. So far so good.

The numbers:

DateStockCurrencyAmount
15-02-2018AppleEUR5,16
14-02-2018ONEOKEUR6,31
TotalEUR11,47

January 2018 – dividend

Another month has gone by, so yet again it’s time for the dividend of the month post. Always a fine moment. Compared to January last year there’s an increase in dividend by 12%. Factoring in the expensive Euro this is a nice result. It’s still all very modest and by no means were anywhere near the goals but for a hobby its very nice indeed.

This is the result:

DateStockCurrencyAmount
24-01-2018
Cisco SystemsEUR6,55
16-01-2018
W.P. Carey IncEUR8,14
11-01-2018
Walt Disney CompanyEUR0,68
08-01-2018
Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETFEUR11,28
TotalEUR26,65

Portfolio news – November and December 2017 changes

Another portfolio news update, another bimonthly report instead of the usual recipe. Again because of the addition of more ETF’s to balance the portfolio evenly between my own handpicked stocks and ETF’s. I also managed to get some additional result by writing put options on stocks I was planning to buy. Instead of simply buying the stock I wrote the underlying put option.

Effectively committing in buying the shares when the price falls below the strike price. For example, I want to buy 100 shares of company X , as it currently stands the share price of X is 50 Euro’s. When I simply buy the 100 shares it will cost me 100 * 50 = 5000. Let’s say I write an option at the beginning of the month with a strike price of 45 which will expire in the third week the same month. It’s mostly in the third week of each month when options for the current month expire.

Let’s say the price for the option at the beginning of the month is 1 euro , all random numbers btw , no correlation whatsoever with real world option pricing. When I sell this option I will receive 100 euro’s. Options always have 100 underlying shares as the number of shares the option contract consists of.

So the option price is 1 x 100 (number of underlying shares) = 100 as the total price of the option contract.

When I sell an option , I sell the right to another person to sell me 100 shares of company X. I am not going in to details on the difference between European option contracts and American. Maybe in a later post.

So what can happen to me when the option expires. The shares are higher than the strike , so above 45. I will not be held to my contract, the person who bought the put option can get a higher price on the market. So I get to keep my 100 euros. Easy money no ?

Not really, there is off course a risk. That’s why I got the 100 euros in the first place. I was willing at the beginning to take the risk of the obligation to buy 100 shares of company X at the end of the contract. Now lets say the price falls below the strike price of 45 euro’s. I will have to buy the 100 shares at 45 euro’s.

Is this bad ? Well if you are in it for the long turn like me this isn’t really bad. Normally I would have bought 100 shares at a market price of 50, now I bought 100 shares at 45 and got a 100 euro’s extra “discount”. It’s not fun if it drops a lot in a month but then are generally other issues.

The maximum risk is when company X goes bankrupt you will lose 4500 or sell the option at a loss in the market. But then again , under extreme circumstances the total portfolio you own will be under pressure. Or it’s just company X in which case you’ll probably have to review your stock picking criteria.

So it’s a bit of buying at a discount or receiving the premium (price you sold the option for). Always make sure you have the amount of money you need in case you need to buy the shares at the strike price, in my case 4500 in a savings or in you brokerage account. Never do any naked (uncovered) selling of options!

It’s a strategy which will get me a bit of extra cash flow each month , at least that’s the idea. I am also thinking om making a series about option trading and strategies. On the other hand there are loads of websites and books on the subject.

November and December 2017 – Dividend

The end of last year was a bit busier then expected with all sorts of stuff. All but maintaining my blog. November and December dividend in one post this time round. November is always a bit slow in my dividend income.

It’s maybe something I need to adress in the future. In order to get my cash flow in a better position.

Anyway these are the numbers:

November :

16-11-17 Apple Inc EUR 5,35
14-11-17 ONEOK EUR 6,32

Total EUR 11,67

December :

27-12-17 Vanguard dividend appreciation ETF EUR 1,17
20-12-17 Royal Dutch Shell A EUR 39,85
15-12-17 Coca-Cola Company (The) EUR 4,68
15-12-17 DowDuPont Inc EUR 3,20
14-12-17 Microsoft Corporation EUR 7,08
13-12-17 Unilever Certificate EUR 3,59
11-12-17 Emerson Electric Company EUR 4,08

Total EUR 60,65