Investing 102

[ErikLS2]

Well said Greg, I like the feeling I get when I can physically see what's happening. I often wonder what would have happened if I just put a little money into each new thing when I noticed a trend developing, i.e. people buying personal computers, EVERYONE getting a cell phone or listening to music that WASN'T on a CD, hell even the company that made those Baby On Board window hangers probably killed it for a while LOL.

Amazon is what's blowing me away lately, I like never buy anything at the store, except groceries and maybe clothes/shoes that I want to try on first. They sell EVERYTHING! I just ordered a bunch of parts for my boat and these flossing things for kids teeth, on the same order, had it in 2 days, free shipping as a Prime member! Sometimes I even get stuff the same day since they put a fulfillment center in here.

[sik68]

Thanks for the feedback fellas, as well as the metrics you use. Maybe I'm not a 'GROWTH' guy; I'm okay with that

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by ErikLS2

Well said Greg, I like the feeling I get when I can physically see what's happening. I often wonder what would have happened if I just put a little money into each new thing when I noticed a trend developing, i.e. people buying personal computers, EVERYONE getting a cell phone or listening to music that WASN'T on a CD, hell even the company that made those Baby On Board window hangers probably killed it for a while LOL.

Amazon is what's blowing me away lately, I like never buy anything at the store, except groceries and maybe clothes/shoes that I want to try on first. They sell EVERYTHING! I just ordered a bunch of parts for my boat and these flossing things for kids teeth, on the same order, had it in 2 days, free shipping as a Prime member! Sometimes I even get stuff the same day since they put a fulfillment center in here.

I can only wish that I'd have bought into this retail behemoth! Wow -- anyone that's interested should check out their chart (AMZN) - UP 70% year to date - UP 60% for 1 year - UP 280% 5 year - UP 1128% in 10 years...

I just wish it paid a dividend... because for my own personal investing that's a critical piece of the puzzle particularly given their share price.

[MPM IV]

Hey gentlemen, I received my 1st dividend from Shell today, which was nice to see, but I'm a little confused. I bought RDS.B, and when I looked today I now own a few shares of RDS.A. I'm just curious if anyone knows why that is or what effect it might have, if any. Thanks in advance.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by MPM IV

Hey gentlemen, I received my 1st dividend from Shell today, which was nice to see, but I'm a little confused. I bought RDS.B, and when I looked today I now own a few shares of RDS.A. I'm just curious if anyone knows why that is or what effect it might have, if any. Thanks in advance.

Good question --- I couldn't find an answer. A and B both pay the exact same dividend (.94 a quarter)... and the two shares mirror each other. Sometimes A shares are voting and B shares are Non Voting.... but I wasn't going to spend the time to research it.

[MPM IV]

Thanks for looking Greg. I believe that the A shares pay a 15% tax to the Netherlands where the B shares don't, which is why I chose B from the start. Due to my lack of experience I didn't even consider that they might pay in a different share than what the buyer owned.
I was hoping that someone that owned the stock might know if there's a way to correct that or if I end up paying tax to two countries, which would make me far less happy with my selection. Part of the learning curve I guess.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by MPM IV

Thanks for looking Greg. I believe that the A shares pay a 15% tax to the Netherlands where the B shares don't, which is why I chose B from the start. Due to my lack of experience I didn't even consider that they might pay in a different share than what the buyer owned.
I was hoping that someone that owned the stock might know if there's a way to correct that or if I end up paying tax to two countries, which would make me far less happy with my selection. Part of the learning curve I guess.

I did find this little "nugget" in an article just published discussing RDS's ability to continue to pay it's dividend!!



Market is concerned that higher dividend yield at the expense of low share prices will mean that the dividend is not sustainable and company may cut its dividend payment in the future. However, Shell has not cut its dividends over the past 70 years. Even at oil below $10 per barrel, it maintained its dividend payments and has always given priority to its shareholders.

The Anglo-Dutch company is in a good position to finance its future projects while satisfying its investors. At the end of second quarter 2015, Shell’s gearing ratio was 12.7%, much better than other oil giants. Although the completion of the Shell-BG would require the oil company to raise its debt financing, it seems that the company would still be in a strong position to finance its dividends.

[MPM IV]

Thanks again. I had not seen that article and it definitely put a smile on my face.