The Radio Girl

December Mid-Month Stocks

Only two weeks left until the year end market wrap.

 
If December keeps humming along, 2009 will be my best investing year yet.  The non-reg account is exactly where I want it:

• Bonavista Energy
• Student Transportation
• Crescent Point Energy
• Altagas
• Armtec Infrastructure
• Superior Plus
• New Flyer Industries
• Inter Pipeline
• Artis REIT
• Pembina Pipeline
• First Capital Realty
• Killam Properties
• Colabor Group
• Davis + Henderson
• Morneau Sobeco
• Alaris Royalty Corp.
• West Coast Energy preferreds
• Futuremed Healthcare
• Power Financial preferreds
• Sun Life Financial preferreds

And today is even better than Christmas - today is income trust payday!  My realtor and I trade text messages all day long whenever a new distribution appears in one of our accounts. 

Geeks R Us :) 

Bank of Canada Rate Unchanged

Haven't been posting much while we're gearing up for Mexico.

Lots of travel details to take care of plus we're both still working full-time. 

But I'm on top of the morning biz news/my portfolios and the non-reg account is humming along nicely.  Current holdings in order of weighting:

• Student Transportation
• Crescent Point Energy
• Altagas
• Armtec Infrastructure
• Superior Plus
• Bonavista Energy
• Inter Pipeline
• Pembina Pipeline
• First Capital Realty
• Killam Properties
• Artis REIT
• Davis + Henderson
• Colabor Group
• New Flyer Industries
• Morneau Sobeco
• Alaris Royalty
• Westcoast Energy preferreds
• Futuremed Healthcare
• Power Financial preferreds
• Sun Life Financial preferreds
• Cash

No big changes, but I have been slowly selling down my preferreds after nice 30% gains.

And big news this morning, the Bank of Canada has left the benchmark lending rate unchanged at 0.25%.  They've basically said they are leaving the rate the same until June 2010. 

Great news if you hold a variable rate mortgage or a personal line of credit.

And here's my daily random Mex pic  :)

November Numbers

Got the final portfolio numbers for November month end:

• RRSP  +8.1%
• TFSA  +0.6%
• non-reg  +5.8%
• LIRA  +10.7%

Pretty decent but I'm not making very good choices for my TFSA.  December may be the month to shake things up in there.

And I've decided to post a beach pic every day til we leave for Mexico:

Que Pasa?

My Fella and I are doing all our regular 'life' things.

But in someone else's house.  We're still house-sitting a lovely rural property on the edge of our little Okanagan beach town but we're both living more 'carefully'.  

Not sure if that makes sense. 

We feel at home, but we're not doing all the things we normally do since we're surrounded by someone else's life.  But we're making excellent use of the hot tub  :)

And a buddy of ours (who conveniently lives next door) gave us the security code to his wireless internet, so we usually have access.  Unless it's really clear out or the wind is blowing from the south...

The research continues on motorhomes vs. fifth wheels.  We're still open to either but for the past few days motorhomes have been winning.  Mainly because we don't want to buy a truck. 

And of course, nothing gets in the way of my morning biz news or following the markets. At least during the first half of the trading day.  It's an unwritten rule that the markets see the most action in the first half hour and the final thirty minutes of each business day, unless big economic news is released during the day, like retail sales figures or jobs numbers.

Quick 'bar napkin math' has the portfolio in decent shape as far as November gains:

• RRSP +6.2%
• LIRA +10.8%
• non-reg +5.3%
• TFSA 0%

But tomorrow is the final trading day of the month.  If there's a big sell-off (from the Dubai news or any other negatives) my November gains could go down the tubes.

On the bright side, we'll be here in less than a month:

Mid-November Stock Talk

 
Here's my mid-month non-reg portfolio update, in order of weighting:

• Student Transportation
• Crescent Point Energy
• Armtec Infrastructure
• Altagas
• Bonavista Energy
• Inter Pipeline
• Pembina Pipeline
• First Capital Realty
• Davis + Henderson Income Fund
• Killam Properties
• Superior Plus
• Morneau Sobeco
• Alaris Royalty Corp
• Artis REIT
• West Coast Energy preferreds
• Power Financial preferreds
• FutureMed Healthcare
• Sun Life preferreds
• Colabor

I'm a tad bit ticked off at one of the talking heads on BNN.  Three months ago I stumbled across a strong little Quebec based company, Colabor (GCL.T).  It was just converting from a trust to a corporation, keeping the same high yield upon conversion. 

The first ex-div date as a corporation isn't until the end of '09.  Not wanting to tie up my cash, I decided not to buy in until mid-December.  This stock has been hovering around the $10 mark because it's not covered by many analysts and very few investors have heard about it.

Until yesterday when someone mentioned it favorably on BNN.  The stock shot up to $10.60 within 20 minutes.  Acck.

Damn you, BNN!  Stop talking about Colabor to the masses! 

I'm not ready to buy yet :)

Best Canadian Trusts

 
Rob Carrick wrote a great article in the Globe and Mail over the weekend.

I have a slab of income trusts in my non-reg account and most investors know that the trust structure in Canada is disappearing as of 2011, when all trusts convert to a corporation. 

In Carrick's article, veteran independent analyst, Harry Levant of IncomeTrustResearch.com (who has analyzed close to 200 trusts) offers a list of the 'best of the bunch'.  The list is based on being 'strong, steady businesses that generate lots of cash'.

I am happy to say that of the 32 trusts listed, all 8 in my non-reg portfolio are considered 'best of the bunch':

• Armtec
• Altagas
• Inter Pipeline
• Pembina Pipeline
• Bonavista Energy
• Davis + Henderson
• Morneau Sobeco
• FutureMed

I'm confident in my ability to evaluate good companies/investments, but it's reassuring to get the green light from an expert like Levant.

Here's the complete Globe and Mail article including the entire list of 'best of the bunch' trusts.

Hittin' the Road

My Fella's parents have had it...

 
...with the weather! 

Even though winter hasn't frozen our little Okanagan beach town yet, the In-Laws are making their escape early.  They've packed up their RV and they're heading out on Monday for the first (of many) annual winter getaways. 

Safe travels you two.  Hopefully we can hook up somewhere along I-5.  We'll bring the slowcooker and the crib board if you supply the cervezas  :)

(Nutty bunch.  Glad I fell into this wacky family  :)

Now onto my other fave things... 

Numbers. 

This sounds super geeky, but I usually monitor my investment account gains (or losses) throughout the month.

At least once a week I grab a pencil, whip out my calculator and get lost in the numbers.  Ever since I saw a video of Dennis Gartman (a well known US investor and author of the Gartman letter) I've been more aware of monthly changes in my accounts.  Gartman doesn't go for the big score.  Instead he tries to make small gains of 1% - 1.5% per month.  If he's successful, his small monthly gains add up to 12% or 18% per year. 

I don't agree with all his investment theories, but this strategy is very sound.  Especially when it works  :)

• LIRA +5%
• RRSP +10%
• TFSA +11.8%
• non-reg +7.6%

Of course, there's still the final week in October where things could fall apart.  Gotta stop counting my chickens, yada, yada, yada. 

(Can't seem to find any chicken pics so Mother Goose and the babies will have to do) 

Here are my current non-reg holdings in order of weighting:  Student Transportation, Crescent Point Energy, Armtec, Altagas, Inter Pipeline, Pembina Pipeline, First Capital Realty, Bonavista Energy, Davis + Henderson Income Fund, Killam Properies, Superior Plus, Morneau Sobeco, Alaris Royalty Corp, Artis REIT, Power Financial preferreds, Westcoast Energy preferreds, FutureMed, Sun Life preferreds, cash.

And the best news of all, my PIG (Passive Income Goal) is up to $26,047 a year, which is like earning $33,000/year in BC, before taxes.  

 

Mid-Month Stock Stuff

My blog focus has really been on stocks lately.

 
Investing is my passion. 

There's not much else that could get me out of bed every weekday morning at 5:30 ... except for maybe free beer.  And real Italian pizza straight from the pizza oven.

Or a pack of hungry velociraptors running around loose in the house, like that scene in Jurassic Park.  Let's face it - velociraptors are creepy.

When My Fella and I pack up for Mexico in December I'll have a lot more posts featuring travel and road trips, but for now it's all about stocks.  And money.

My non-reg account (the important one that's funding super-early retirement) is humming along nicely.  The top ten gainers have shot up a minimum of 10%, and I've started selling off some preferreds to lock in the profits.

Top Ten Gainers as of today: 

• Westcoast Energy preferreds +36.37%
• National Bank preferreds +28.20%
• Armtec Infrastructure +25.93%
• Power Financial preferreds +23.39%
• Sun Life Financial preferreds +23.38%
• First Capital Realty +23.29%
• Inter Pipeline +20.99%
• Bonavista Energy +14.59%
• Crescent Point Energy +12.97%
• Student Tranportation +10.70%

The TSX is still on an upswing and that's starting to get a bit spooky.  We really need a decent market correction.  Or maybe I'm just being greedy since after the condo sells, I'll have another chunk of cash to invest  :)

Greed aside, here are my non-reg holdings at mid-month:  Crescent Point Energy, Student Transportation, Armtec Infrastructure, Altagas, Inter Pipeline, Bonavista Energy, First Capital Realty, Pembina Pipeline, Killam Properties, Morneau Sobeco, Sun Life preferreds, Alaris Royalty Corp, Superior Plus, Westcoast Energy preferreds, Power Financial preferreds, National Bank preferreds, Keyera Facilities, Futuremed Healthcare, Artis REIT, CML Healthcare.

September Stocks

Quick wrap of my accounts for September '09.

 
Non-reg account was up 1.6% on the month, 7.8% for the third quarter.  If I can average only a 5% gain per quarter that's 20% annually. 

TFSA was up 8% for September, but July was negative and August was flat so the account was flat on the quarter. 

My registered accounts (RRSP and LIRA) were both up 3% to 4% this month and double that for the quarter. 

So my new account goals are:

• Double the value of my LIRA within four years (this is my 'play' money for small cap oil/gas/mining stocks, it's already up 29% since inception in March '08)
• Earn 5% per quarter in my non-reg account, for a total of 20% annually
• Earn at least 16% a year in my RRSP, this allows me to de-register a fixed amount of cash every year
• No real earnings goal for my TFSA, BUT it is a fabulous thing for Canadian residents and I'm making full use of it

And my non-reg accounts are fully invested for the second month in a row. 

Holdings in order of weighting: 

Student Transportation, Crescent Point Energy, Armtec Infrastructure, Altagas, Inter Pipeline, First Capital Realty, Pembina Pipelines, Bonavista Energy, Killam Properties, Morneau Sobeco, Sunlife preferreds, National Bank preferreds, Alaris Royalty Corp, Power Financial preferreds, Westcoast Energy preferreds, Keyera Facilities, another National Bank preferred, Superior Plus, Futuremed Healthcare, CML Healthcare, Public Storage, Cash.

Do You Have a PIG?

Busy week around here.

The Annual General Meeting for our strata corporation was a complete waste of time.  After knocking on doors and burning up my weekday cell phone minutes tracking down lazy condo owners, only eight people showed up at the meeting. That includes three members of the condo board. 

Eight people out of forty.

Thank goodness I kept hounding our Sheeple owners to sign their forms or we wouldn't have had enough bodies/proxy forms at the meeting to have a majority vote.  Without a majority there's no use having a meeting - we would have had to reschedule.  Another waste of time. 

The only satisfying moment of this years AGM was when I resigned from the board.

It's also been a busy stock month.  I've sold a couple positions in September including Colabor (a Quebec based distribution/supply company) which I will buy again before December.  Colabor (GCL-T) has already converted to a corporation.  The company is strong and the quarterly dividend is very attractive.

The other financial highlight this month... my PIG is right on track. 

PIG = Passive Income Goal.  Not a true technical term :)   

Government agencies define Passive Income as "money you earn from trade or business activities in which you do not materially participate".  Examples of Passive Income include:  government or company pension, rental properties, book or song royalties, website ad income, or dividend/interest income from owning securities.

The more passive income you earn, the quicker you can quit working.  Early Retirement here you come!

Pension is not an option but I've tried all the others:  

• I owned a rental property in the past but wasn't crazy about being a landlord

• I wrote a book but the money went to charity so no royalties for me

• At one time I considered selling ads on this site but there probably wouldn't be much interest.  And I find website ads annoying so why would I do that to you?  Yes, all three of you that read this blog regularly  :)

Via process of elimination I've realized the easiest way to reach my PIG is dividend and interest income.  Although there is a lot of research required to pick good companies and buy at the right time. I guess 'easy' is relative, isn't it?  If you don't enjoy research/reading/business lingo, this option won't be easy.

My PIG for January 2010 is $30,000/year or $2500/month, tax free.  That is the equivalent of earning $38,000 a year in British Columbia before taxes.

I'm at $23,150 right now but if our condo sells in the next few months, we'll hit the PIG for January.    And we'll surpass it if I can sell the condo privately through Craigslist. 

Fingers crossed.