The difference between bank interest and bank stock:
03/16/2012 as of 03/15/2012
BANK INT 021612-031512
type: bank interest
$0.19


03/15/2012 PCBK PACIFIC CONTINENTAL CORPOREGON
type: QUALIFIED DIV
$55.00

:unibrow:

Interesting option to foreclosure: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...il_rt_mc&ifp=0

I can see plus sides of this alternative - what are the potential unethical downsides?

Here's a very detailed look at Kinder Morgan with an excellent description of its business and it's takeover of El Paso.
I think some of you have invested in this name. This article will let you understand why you did. :D :woot:


http://seekingalpha.com/article/4514...el-paso-merger

Ringing the bell baby! :woot: :woot:

Here's a good article on Dividend investing in the early stages of starting out...


http://seekingalpha.com/article/4513...owth-investing

For me - as I look out at the golf course I played yesterday - and look over my shoulder - looking back at the "beginners".... I wish I could pull you all forward to take a peek at the "after life" of dividend investing - or what it's like to live off your dividends. It might help you stay the course - or plow ever more into the pot. I haven't forgotten 'the early years' - when making the choices of what to do and making the tough choices when things were going south - buying when the markets were going sideways etc... and now... it all looks so "easy". :cheers:

Greg


You are pulling people forward with your thoughts and posts.. So you are helping..

My God, some people have been sitting on cash since 2008......Ahhhhhh...But you have people thinking and acting on it...Well Done

...I HAD to retire young due to health, 52...Major Health..But since I have been doing investing for decades, My numbers will work out fine... I Would have liked to work more to hit the next level, but I am good living off the dividends now...

So people, get investing and keep your eye on the ball..get passionate about money...Not for the money, but for what Greg says...

To me, success is doing whatever you want, whenever you want, for as long as you want, just as long as you are not hurting anyone...To do that , you need.....lots of money...I am not there yet, but close enough

This thread has changed my outlook, :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Good read.

Greg - What you have started here has, with myself and surely others, created feelings of remorse due to not taking this course of action years ago but better late than never IMO. On the other side what you have done is helped numerous younger individuals on this forum as well as a few of their friends get the head-start that many remorse over and that generosity in itself is truely respected. You have spent hours on hours carefully contributing to this thread hoping to make a difference in the financial future of those that will listen no matter their longevity.

Thanks for the generous gift. :thumbsup:

reeeeeeepooooost! ;)

LOL. that was a great article. Helps "keep the faith"... I even threw a few comments on that one :).


As always, thanks Greg and Mike for showing me (and everyone else) "the light". :) :lateral: :woot:

I'm not so sure todays action is Bernanke -- or end of the quarter window dressing for the "funds" -- I suspect the later.

End of the quarter is when many companies post their employees contributions and the funds (as dumb as they are) need to buy shares in the underlying names that they invest in... Remember that a market is made with sellers and buyers -- more buyers - the prices go up.... and these funds buy big. Add to that the Bernanke affect and we'll all have a good day! :woot:

Yes, a good day..

My health is great today and the market is up..

When my health is bad, i could be up 10 grand for the day and it still doesn't help..

But today, I have my Health, overnight Dividends, a nice market bump, and family and friends..

And My cars....A great day, indeed..

:thumbsup: :cheers:

And with Bernanke, last week he spoke and I took a hit....I knew he was blowing smoke up my rear for a sell off..I went about my day..

I laughed and thought to myself, sure Dude, you won't spend any more, and print anymore...I was just waiting for him to speak again..this time out of the other side of his mouth....He did...WOOT.

and no rain! heheh

So if you wake up and see Annaly Capital (NLY) down it's because it went "ex-dividend" today... so it's down equal to the dividend payout... This is totally normal. Don't freak out!


:lol:

Nice........looking forward to my first NLY dividend deposit. :thumbsup:

Ditto!

lol.. i did notice it was down.. wasnt sweating it, cuz I'm "in it for the longhaul" so to speak...

Did find a few articles of "noise" on seekingalpha this morning. Trying to "herd the cattle away" from NLY... but the good part of Seekingalpha i like is that you can comment (and a LOT of people do)... So there are just as many PRO NLY as against NLY. So they bicker back and forth... good thing is sitting on the sidelines i get both views, and can make my own judgement.

It's one of my 3 "down" holdings... and is "volatile" to say the least. Volatile because with 25,000 shares -- a dime makes a big swing. I'm down 22K in the name BUT --- BIG BUTT --- I pick up $14,500 PER QUARTER in dividend... and UP .50 a share from here -- and I'm suddenly not down much. :D

lol. yeah...

so far on my "investing 102" dividend funds, my two worst are NLY and CVX.. Each down 4.xx% since i purchased (last month?).. but, not that big of deal. If i had the money, id buy more of em. lol.

Here's a good - well written first hand experience about a "life change" experience in the stock market.


http://seekingalpha.com/article/4632...g_income&ifp=0


I lived thru the "dot bomb" bubble -- and traded a couple million dollars daily. I'd buy half million dollars worth of Dell - Microsoft - Intel - and a couple others almost every day -- if they went up .50 I'd sell and go play golf... if they went down - I MIGHT hold them over night. I made HUGE money - and paid HUGE (40%) taxes... and had I not taken out the money in 1999 (from my trading account) to pay cash for a house and then spent a year gutting and remodeling it... I'd have lost most of that account (3MM). I now look back and think what I COULDA WOULDA SHOULA done with that money... but it was mostly a lesson (by watching on the sidelines) that saved my bacon and made me a different INVESTOR... I thought at the time that I was sooooooo smart. Now I know I was very very lucky and it was all very easy while going straight UP.... :cheers:

another good article.. :thumbsup:

Lately I have been trying to research/tackle the 401k.. but oh boy... thats a challenge. :_paranoid

I've lost a little interest in this ONLY because I have no money to invest. HOWEVER, I check this thread religously and watch the market as best as I can right now. I still have my goals mapped out and will continue to chug along as planned.

Crcft... same here.. i check this thread probably 10 times a day. LOL


anyhow, good news... I started researching my 401k "Funds" that i could invest in. Re-thinking the whole portfolio based on "investing 102" strategies... First thing was to tackle all the "Large cap" style funds, as according to what I've read from a handful of different sources, that should make up for aprox 50% of my "portfolio" (Long term, 11+ years, aggressive).

I was on the 7th of 8 total funds, and think I "struck gold" (well, it felt like it anyway)... All the other funds had little or no dividend (by little, i mean less than 1% and some even less than .01). Which meant their "fee's" cost more than their dividend.

On a "research" level, i compared each funds fee's, Dividend, long term capital gains (which, is confusing), 1, 3, 5, 10 yr performance, top 10 "holdings" and their diversity (what % in what sector)... <--- I am not sure if this is a good way to compare funds. So any help here is appreciated... I then compared them to each other, and the S&P returns for those same time frames.


Anyhow, back to the "gold".... 7th of 8 total funds, and my head was spinning.. none "looked good"... until now... 2.54% dividend (2nd highest out of all 8), 0.36 fee's (lowest of all)... solid S&P comparison... and the kicker? their holdings... Solid Dividend "champions"... CVX, Royal dutch shell, Merck, VZ, HD, JNJ, Wells fargo, Boeing, MCD, T, KO, etc... Bingo! i know those, i trust those, they fit "investing 102"!

:lateral:

just thought i'd share.. finding that, made me smile.. and felt a huge "i dont know what to do" weight lifted off my shoulders.. I think i know what to do now ;)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


That right there is why I've stuck with this thread!


You have no idea how good that makes me feel. :bow: :cheers: :woot:

Which fund did you find this in if you dont mind sharing?

Dont mind at all! This funds ticker is: RWMFX

I dont have all 8 funds tickers with me at the moment (left my notebook at home). But if you'd like, I can list all 8 "Large Cap" funds that i was comparing this evening or tomorrow... (wouldnt mind if someone wanted to "doublecheck" my theory on those 8 diff funds. LOL)

Way to do your homework Albert and thanks for the share. :thumbsup:

No problem! any way I can help, I'll try.

:lateral: :cheers: :woot:

You know I've said there's a little man on the street that tells everyone to do the opposite of what you've just done.... takes the market up AFTER you sell - -and down AFTER you buy....

Phillip Morse (PM) had grown so much --- and I have such an outsized gain (over 100K on 400K invested) that I "trimmed" 1500 shares earlier in the week.

Of course it's UP almost $2 a share today! I really hate that little guy... I really do!

Although -- for Investing 102 --- the statement "nobody ever went broke taking a profit" is true enough... trimming outsized gains should be a normal course of events for EVERYONE...

For those in the 401(k) world where you only have mutual funds to pick from, this is about the best list of funds you'll find IMHO. Here is the link if you want to read up on the criteria to make the list:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestfunds/

Large Cap
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
AMRMX American Funds American M... +6.34% +2.28% 0.62% Value
SSHFX Sound Shore Fund +14.43% -0.17% 0.95% Value
PRFDX T. Rowe Price Equity Inco... +10.15% +0.59% 0.70% Value
VWNFX Vanguard Windsor II Fund ... +11.79% +0.22% 0.35% Value
SWPPX Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund... +12.11% +1.61% 0.10% Blend
SWTSX Schwab Total Stock Market... +12.42% +2.14% 0.11% Blend
FMIHX FMI Large Cap Fund +10.56% +3.67% 0.97% Blend
SLASX Selected American Shares ... +10.51% -0.31% 0.93% Blend
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Mark... +12.38% +2.11% 0.07% Blend
VOO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF +12.05% -- 0.06% Blend
AMCPX American Funds AMCAP Fund... +12.48% +3.05% 0.73% Growth
JENSX Jensen Quality Growth Fun... +10.18% +3.41% 0.92% Growth
TRBCX T. Rowe Price Blue Chip G... +18.68% +4.41% 0.77% Growth
SEQUX Sequoia Fund +10.51% +5.66% 1.04% Blend

Mid Cap
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
DEFIX The Delafield Fund +16.34% +5.41% 1.25% Value
FAMVX Fenimore Asset Management... +10.06% +0.79% 1.24% Blend
VIMSX Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fu... +13.03% +2.64% 0.26% Blend
VO Vanguard Mid Cap ETF +13.40% +2.74% 0.12% Blend
CAAPX Ariel Appreciation Fund I... +15.79% +3.23% 1.15% Blend
FPPFX FPA Perennial Fund +11.63% +4.66% 1.02% Growth
MERDX Meridian Growth Fund +12.49% +6.75% 0.81% Growth
POAGX PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressi... +14.62% +5.26% 0.69% Growth
WEHIX Weitz Series Fund Hickory... +10.30% +1.33% 1.28% Blend

Small Cap
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
PRSVX T. Rowe Price Small-Cap V... +10.96% +3.51% 0.97% Blend
PENNX Royce Pennsylvania Mutual... +12.17% +3.22% 0.90% Blend
NAESX Vanguard Small Capitaliza... +13.03% +3.35% 0.31% Blend
VB Vanguard Small Cap ETF +12.99% +3.47% 0.17% Blend
VBR Vanguard Small Cap Value ... +12.30% +1.34% 0.23% Blend
RYSEX Royce Special Equity Fund... +11.47% +6.71% 1.16% Blend
WAAEX Wasatch Small Cap Growth ... +14.02% +5.94% 1.24% Growth
BERWX Berwyn Fund +15.02% +4.15% 1.26% Blend

Specialty
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
CSRSX Cohen & Steers Realty Sha... +9.32% -1.16% 0.97% Real Estate
IGE iShares S&P North America... +3.74% +5.77% 0.48% Natural Resources
RWX SPDR Dow Jones Internatio... +15.68% -6.38% 0.59% Real Estate
SDY SPDR S&P Dividend ETF +5.14% +1.92% 0.35% --
PRNEX T. Rowe Price New Era Fun... +5.14% +3.53% 0.67% Natural Resources
VGSIX Vanguard REIT Index Fund ... +8.83% -1.17% 0.26% Real Estate
VNQ Vanguard REIT Index ETF +9.74% -1.08% 0.12% Real Estate

Foreign
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
DODFX Dodge & Cox International... +11.94% -1.56% 0.65% Large Value
OAKIX Oakmark International Fun... +16.13% +1.15% 1.06% Large Value
AEPGX American Funds EuroPacifi... +11.49% +0.84% 0.82% Large Blend
FSIIX Fidelity Spartan Internat... +10.55% -2.87% 0.20% Large Blend
VEA Vanguard Tax-Managed Inte... +11.10% -- 0.12% Large Blend
VEU Vanguard FTSE All-World e... +11.53% -- 0.18% Large Blend
VWIGX Vanguard International Gr... +13.27% +0.51% 0.47% Large Blend
VGTSX Vanguard Total Internatio... +11.26% -1.32% 0.22% Large Blend
VFSVX Vanguard FTSE All-World e... +12.93% -- 0.50% Small/Mid Growth
PRIDX T. Rowe Price Internation... +16.08% +1.09% 1.23% Small/Mid Growth
NEWFX American Funds New World ... +11.67% +4.43% 1.02% Emerging Markets
PRMSX T. Rowe Price Emerging Ma... +11.61% +3.60% 1.26% Emerging Markets
VEIEX Vanguard Emerging Markets... +12.94% +5.88% 0.33% Emerging Markets
VWO Vanguard MSCI Emerging Ma... +13.77% +5.98% 0.20% Emerging Markets
UMBWX Scout International Fund +12.87% +1.71% 0.94% Large Growth

Bond
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
AHITX American Funds American H... +3.85% +5.74% 0.67% High Yield
DODIX Dodge & Cox Income Fund +2.11% +6.67% 0.43% Intermediate Term
FPNIX FPA New Income Fund +0.38% +3.59% 0.60% Intermediate Term
HABDX Harbor Bond Fund Institut... +2.21% +7.62% 0.57% Intermediate Term
TIP iShares Barclays TIPS Bon... +0.82% +7.74% 0.20% Inflation Protected
RPIBX T. Rowe Price Internation... +1.13% +5.99% 0.82% World
VIPSX Vanguard Inflation-Protec... +0.92% +7.54% 0.22% Inflation Protected
VWITX Vanguard Intermediate-Ter... +0.50% +5.23% 0.20% Muni
VBISX Vanguard Short-Term Bond ... +0.09% +4.60% 0.22% Short Term
BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond ... +0.12% -- 0.11% Short Term
VBMFX Vanguard Total Bond Marke... -0.18% +6.25% 0.22% Intermediate Term
BND Vanguard Total Bond Marke... -0.31% -- 0.11% Intermediate Term
LSBRX Loomis Sayles Bond Fund C... +5.33% +7.12% 0.92% Multisector

Balanced Funds
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
PRWCX T. Rowe Price Capital App... +9.07% +4.92% 0.73% Balanced
VWELX Vanguard Wellington Fund ... +6.51% +4.62% 0.27% Balanced

Target Retirement
Fund YTD Return 5 yr Return Expense Ratio Type
TRRBX T. Rowe Price Retirement ... +10.12% +3.15% 0.69% --
VTTHX Vanguard Target Retiremen... +10.63% +1.94% 0.19% --

When you look at the performance of this ENTIRE LIST of funds -- check their FIVE YEAR RETURN.... almost all of them have an absolutely DISMAL return of 5% or less... There's only about a handful (5?) that are over 5% and most are far worse than that.

I wish I could swear right now! OMG.... really? FIVE YEARS for 5% per year... Wow! Just Wow!



Think about this -- Phillip Morse (PM) is UP 35% in ONE YEAR -- and UP 10% since the beginning of the year... and that's an old worn out SIN stock!! That's the PRICE appreciation --- not counting the dividend of 3.48%


Did I ever mention how much I hate Mutual Funds?? :rofl: :D

BTW -- ERIC!! I'm not picking on you.... or your post... just pointing out the poor performance -- and this is a listing of the "best". WOW! Horrendous...
No wonder people give up saving any money!!

@ Eric....

Figures.. not ONE fund I in my "available choices" list is on that list. lmao.

oh well, back to doing it my way ;)

That's another "problem" with work chosen 401's... sadly -- so many of them are just a "place holder" that some manager has chosen... and you're stuck with them.

I've talked to many people who have saved via these programs religiously -- and taken full advantage of the matching funds -- only to find out they've been going behind! OMG... It just kills ya to hear that kind of stuff. Since it's so needless. If the managers would just do their jobs and find good funds for their employees. But most of the guys/gals choosing this stuff - aren't knowledgeable themselves!

Investor attention turns next to corporate earnings announcements, which begin when aluminum maker Alcoa, one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, reports April 10.

Morning Gentlemen..

You really have to be proactive with your Company 401K Plans...It is Great to put away 15% of your pay and get a company match too..Sometimes that is ALL people EVER save...

BUT they are limited on Choices...And they can be DOGS...But worse is the "Mumbo Jumbo " Fees...What are they and why are they there ?........I can't seem to find the breakdown on the fees ? Hmmm.....

As I have said before, only 10% of my Invested assets are in a 401K plan..
But I have been able to shift things around and get 11% to 12% out of it..
Well, the last 9 months or so...My Choices suck, but I work with what they give me..

Greg, 5% over 5 years ? I would lose it, and the people who are losing money in their plans ? Time to change investments.

But I gotta watch it..Because my 401K is in Mutual Funds and I am ready to change it around if I need to..


I could have been adding a lot more to the 401K the last ten years, but I put the other 90% in Schwab over time..

But damn do I love making money...My Wife is hooked too..I just gotta get her more hooKed on racing and I got it made.

I love this Thread:cheers: :lateral:

EDIT....PLEASE remember that you must be investing money you do not need for a LONG time... If we do take a HIT or a correction, you gotta be ready to just let it ride...And your Blend better be so you can sleep at Night.

I have been known to play with Fire, but I am doing it with money I don't need right away. Because the market will go up and sideways and down and up.. I just didn't want people to think it is all a smooth ride for me..It's not..

But I don't care because in the end, it is always for the better.

Didn't take it that way at all Greg. I agree with you, I knew you would chime in and I posted the list to show what probably the best ones out there have done. That, and if you are in a 401k and have choices that are on the list you'd be better off picking those probably.

I may have mentioned this already in the past but if you happen to have money in a former employer's 401k plan still, you can do a trustee to trustee IRA conversion into somewhere like Schwab and invest it however you please. Only hitch is you can't do this if you are currently working for the plan sponsor.

^^^^^^^ :thumbsup: :cheers:


I think the main issue with Mutual Funds is that they are "restricted" generally to investing in their core stocks that the fund was set up for in the beginning. The problem with that is the market is cyclical in nature... and if the hot stock is Chipotle Mexican Grill -- and your mutual fund is into "financials" -- they can't buy it.

That -- and when you look at the top 10 holdings of a fund -- you think -- WOW! That's all good stuff... but when you look deeper -- it's the next 90 that are dragging 'em down. If you could just take your top funds -- and buy only the biggest holding in each one of them... you'd make money. Thus - self directed investing.

Check out Mutual Funds -- write down the top 2 names in each one -- and then look them up -- and their total return -- and my bet is you'd make money hand over fist. But buy the mutual fund -- and you're getting mediocre returns or negative returns. Sad.

Just so you guys know.... today I bought 400 shares of Apple (AAPL) and 1000 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) two stocks I've been in and out of for a while now. I should have bought and held.... but WTF!

Just wanted to let you know because now they will both tank from here on out!
:thumbsup: :woot:

I hope they don't tank, especially that fruit company. :D

As part of my annual financial plan review in January, I found out that our 401k plan through Schwab, now offers a PCRA account option. A Personal Choice Retirement Account (PCRA) is a self-directed brokerage account that supplements your retirement plan and enables you to contribute retirement plan savings into a wide range of investment choices, beyond the core investments (mutual funds). I opened my PCRA account in Jan and am starting to xfer funds into it. I believe the plans vary by employer, but this link will give you some more information on this potential option.

http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/.../accounts/pcra

:cheers: