Tuesday, March 31, 2015

March Review / April Preview, 2015

Robber Gremlin here to talk about March and April.  March was a crazy month in many ways for me.  Work wise my boss is retiring in a month.  My wife's car got a new timing belt, and my car decided its cylinders and pistons were not all on the same page.  My car left me with two options - get a new a engine or a new car.  So my old car engine robbed me, it was going to hit 200,000 miles soon too.

This led to a lot of car shopping.  I was looking to get a used car that would last a long time.  However, I found a helluva deal and purchased a new car.  This was not the intent, but it turned out to be a smarter purchase with a family possible and other issues.  The expectation is that this car will last 13+ years as the last one did.  She only needs a name...

March:
My last month's prediction of pain was correct, but not for the reasons anticipated. 

Last month I brought in a total of $73.37 in dividends ($49.34 taxable, $24.03 Roth).  This is an overall increase over last year ($52.19) by 40.58%.  The majority of the growth was from the Roth account.  A dividend increase came from Waste Management (WM) and a cut came from Pengrowth Energy (PGH).

Kraft (KRFT) announced a merger with Heinz to make one of the largest food companies in the world.  I purchased my shares at approximately $55, they are currently worth $87.11!  Plus a special $16.50 dividend per share was included in the deal.  KRFT's merger creates an outstanding chance at capturing future growth.  This all has to be approved of course, yet it makes my dividend goal seem very attainable, but the special dividend will not be a part of future comparisons.  It is only a one time deal after all.

In my Roth I received my last Dupont (DD) dividend; the position was sold and a new position was opened in Deere (DE).  This was done as a forward looking move, with DE providing a better prospect for growth and current dividend.  I added only one share in Kellogg's (K) at Loyal3; the goal was to add more Coca Cola (KO), however car situations required me hold onto extra cash.  We even received a tax refund (unplanned), but that is already spoken for going towards my wife's car.

April:

There are only 2 (two) debts I currently owe; our wedding rings and new car.  The rings are almost done, fitting a new one would pop up.  Once the rings are done, a little extra capital will be funneled the car's way.  I hate having debt.  However, this will in no way slow down future investments; they are just going to be a blip in the long term.

Next month should produce a similar amount of dividends to this month, which will be a negative percentage.  This is due to holding toxic Windstream (WIN) last year, which paid out a massive dividend and to PGH's cut.  However, my Roth should see an increase.  I expect to realize 5 dividend increases: CIBC (CM), Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS), KO, Realty Income (O), and Chubb Corp (CB). 

Change has been coming to my account, better growth trends and stability.  Hopefully, life calms down next month and continues to head in the appropriate direction.

Hope everyone has a great April.
- Dividend Gremlin.
- Long WM, PGH, KRFT, DE, K, KO, CM, DPS, O, and CB

12 comments:

  1. Hey Gremlin. Thank you for sharing. Awesome news with Kraft. Hope everything works out for you. I hate car troubles but everything has wear and tear. Stay positive and go with the flow. It's not always smooth. Hope you pay off those debts and keep squirreling away that cash for stocks. :) Take care and keep hustling bud.

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    1. DH,

      Thanks for the comment. I always make sure to pay myself first, then go after debt. Those are priorities 1 and 2 with money. Car troubles happen though, just have to roll with it.

      - Gremlin

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  2. Gremlin,

    Sorry to hear about the car troubles. Timing belts and blown engines was a somewhat common experience for me when I worked in the industry. Hope that new car lasts at least as long as the last one did. :)

    Great job with the dividend income. Slow and steady wins the race...

    Best wishes!

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    Replies
    1. DM,

      Thanks for stopping by. My sister had some great advice on cars - "They suck." I got a new Civic, I hope it goes as long as my old Accord...

      - Gremlin

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  3. Very solid month, Gremlin. You're doing the right thing by paying off the debts before you invest anything else, I would do the exact same. I know how hard it is to refrain from piling more cash into the market in those situations, but at least you've got names like KRFT doing some work for you in the meantime! You should be able to put that special dividend to nice work :) Take it easy my man!

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    Replies
    1. MGD,

      Thanks for the comment. I hope to do both... if I get a work cert this summer my salary should increase making it easier. KRFT will definitely be putting in some work for me.

      - Gremlin

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  4. That's awesome you own KRAFT and are making a nice profit right now. Sorry to hear about the car troubles.

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    Replies
    1. Tawcan,

      Thanks for checking in. Yes the car trouble stuck, but KRFT was a great silver lining on the month.

      - Gremlin

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  5. I wonder how the deal with Kraft will pan out... I mean, will it pass all the competition laws?

    Cheers

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    Replies
    1. TV,

      Thanks for the comment. I think it will pass the monopoly laws here in the USA, because it will not be #1 here or in the world. It would shock me if it did not pass.

      - Gremlin

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  6. Gremlin,

    Sorry to hear about the car problems. Hopefully you can fix them soon so you can start putting more focus into acquiring more investments!

    Regards,
    F2R30

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    Replies
    1. F2R30,

      It happens, but things are looking good! Thanks for the comment.

      -Gremlin

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