Bye Loyal 3

Auf Wiedersehen Gremlin here to wish Loyal 3 Good-Bye.  Last night the brokerage sent out a mass email to all its users informing them that they will be shutting down and transferring everyone's assets to "low cost" FolioFirst.  Loyal3 is giving three options: 1 - sell everything, take the money, and run; 2 - do nothing and they will transfer your assets into FolioFirst; or 3 - transfer your shares into another brokerage.  For me this is an easy decision, I will take door #3.  With it Loyal 3 will be selling my fractional shares, depositing whole shares in my main brokerage, and depositing all remaining cash in my checking account.  In addition, they will waive the standard transfer fee.

As for the other options, option 1 is just not my game - selling it all and running for the hills is not what I would do (though it is what survivor-gremlin would do...).  Option 2 was intriguing, FolioFirst offers up to 2000 free trades on 200 companies per month.  However, starting in August they would levy a $5 monthly fee for the account.  Though it would be cheaper to maintain an account here if one was buying / selling often enough considering commissions, it still rings hollow.  I also don't do enough buys to justify this.  Going forward, I plan on reducing costs by trying to increase my buy minimum from $1000 up to $1200 or 1500.  That will reduce my fee percentage, and if necessary the size purchases can be increased.

I had hoped Loyal 3 would continue for another year or two, but in the end the result was going to be the same.  That account was going to be merged with my main brokerage account.  If anything, I am happy that they were around to allow some of my positions to be built from scratch.  In the long run, these positions, regardless of size, will become cogs in the engine that is under construction.

So long Loyal 3, we had a good run.

- Dividend Gremlin

PS if you want a better break down of changes go visit the Dividend Growth Investor.

Recent Buys, April 2017

Health Gremlin here to talk about some more recent buys.  This past weekend was one of the few away I've had in a while.  Many fun jokes were told, sports were played, drinks and merriment were attained by all (or at least most).  Before I left town I made sure I executed some purchases I had been waiting to attend to.  Some of these were in my Loyal3 account and will be included here along with my major buy that I made.  So, what did I buy and why?

First, I added a new position by purchasing shares of Amgen Inc. (AMGN) in my taxable account.  I bought 8 shares, with a total cost of $1305.54 ($162.32 / share).  The current yield is 2.80%.    The P/E ratio for AMGN sits today at approximately 16.  I really want to add more in the healthcare sector in general, and this will be a part of that.  AMGN boasts a 40% payout ratio and 7 years of dividend growth.  This purchase will add $36.80 to my 12-month forward income.  I like AMGN's products, product pipeline, payout ratio, and general moat.  AMGN has been a monster of a company over the past several years, and the products they provide will be profitable for a long time.

Second, I added another new position consisting of around two shares of Starbucks (SBUX) to my Loyal3 account.  The current yield is 1.54%.  The P/E ratio is still high at 29+, but this is a position I have wanted to have for a while.  It will be my window unto the company.  The payout ratio on the yield is a sweet 44%, which is lower than the majority of the industry leaving plenty of room for growth.  Personally, I am not a coffee drinker, but I know that most people are and a lot of them seem to like SBUX.  To be sure, some like Dunkin Donuts (DNKN) too, so I figure it is time to own both.  This purchase will add $2 to my 12-month forward income.

Third, I added around one and a half shares of American Express (AXP) to my Loyal3 account.  The current yield is 1.62%.  The P/E ratio is 13.76.  I also own Discover (DFS) in my Roth.  I like the credit market companies.  They have carved a way forward for the overall world economy.  Its hard to find a place that does not take credit, and its harder deal with those places.  There is also so much more on the financial side to both companies.  Hopefully in the future I can add their other competitors Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA).  This purchase will add $1.65 to my 12-month forward income.

Finally, I added shares two of YUM! Brands (YUM) to my Loyal3 account.  The current yield is 1.87%.  The P/E ratio is around 16.  The payout ratio is approximately 76%, which is high at the moment.  This move was to fill up the position I had started, which split its value with the creation of YUMC.  I think YUM in the long run will be a nice holding, and they are relatively cheap right now.  However, sorting out their finances might slow dividend growth in the short term with the absence of the Chinese contingent bringing it revenue.  Still, I am positive on them, and its a long road ahead. This purchase will add $2.40 to my 12-month forward income.

I will update my portfolio page at the end of the month.  Here is to a strong 2017.

Happy 100th post to me!


- Gremlin
- Long AMGN, SBUX, AXP, DFS, YUM, YUMC