May Review / June Preview, 2019

Sweaty Gremlin here to talk about my progress this past month and what the view is like for next month.  It is officially sticky in the DC area, which means that short bike rides, walks, or anything similar to that result in a me-sized rain shower.  I am not even the sweatiest person I know, but it is definitely not pretty.  Anyways, the stock market has been running an interesting streak - as if were also drenched in sweat either due to effort or stress.  It is currently more unpredictable than I remember it being in the last several years.  I plan on taking full advantage of that in my quest to move towards FI.  However, getting there in this heat will be a sweat filled journey, so lets see what steps are being taken.

May:

This month I made one purchase acquiring shares of Evercore Inc, (EVR) in my taxable account.  Once again had I waited a few weeks it would have been even better value.  I also received 3 shares of Kontoor Brands (KTB) as it was spun off from VF Corp (VFC) at a 1 share per 7 spin off rate.

Last month I brought in a total of $323.36 in dividends ($82.96 taxable, $69.01 Roth, and $156.48 IRA).  This is an increase from last year (267.98 total) by 20%.

In terms of dividend increases, I realized* five (5) raises from the Apple (AAPL - forthcoming shortly...fingers crossed), Royal Bank of Canada (RY), Ameriprise Financial (AMP), Kinder Morgan (KMI), and General Dynamics (GD).  The increases are from about 5% to about 25%.  I have now realized 30 raises thus far this year.  I also realized one cut of approximately 33% by KHC.

Next month I will realize five (5) raises from the Pepsi Co (PEP), Sonoco (SON), Unilever (UL), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), and Exxon Mobil (XOM).  The increases are from about 4% to about 6% (an amazingly narrow and specific range for once).

* I only count increases when realized, because until that money is delivered any statements or declarations are simply conjecture.

June:

The mortgage continues and I am putting extra cash towards the principal monthly - not a huge number, but every little bit counts. Our debts currently outstrip our assets (I choose not to count the house or cars as assets).  Outside of our house, we still have very low interest auto debt (1.5% for our car), which I am aiming to pay off by the end of the year.  Debt is being eliminated, and we are aggressively building and assets.

My next purchase will be in June, which will make for 11 consecutive months of buys across all accounts.

Next month should produce around $452 in dividends, which is a 17% YOY increase.

My portfolio page is currently up to date.

Hope everyone has a great June.
- Dividend Gremlin
- Long all stock tickers

Recent Buy, May 2019

Outdoor Gremlin here to discuss a recent buy.  The weather has finally started to give us some beautiful spring weather in the DC area, which means of course sudden down pours and two weeks before the humidity becomes intense.  In the meantime, I hope to soak in as much of this perfect season as possible.  Luckily, my son loves to be outside as much as possible, so it will not take any arm twisting to get people outside for hikes, runs, etc.  Anyways, good weather and improving my financial portfolio always puts me in a good news so... what did I buy?

Today, I added shares of Evercore Inc. (EVR) in my taxable account.  I bought 11 shares, with a total cost of $1,052.22 ($95.02 / share, plus commission).  The current yield is 2.45%. For a detailed summary of their history, etc. please visit: EVR's Seeking Alpha Profile.

EVR joins my positions in Eaton Vance (EV), Amerprise Financial (AMP), T. Rowe Price (TROW), the big 5 Canadian banks, American Express (AXP), Discover (DFS), and Prudential (PRU) in my financial and asset management sector.  The financial sector has been and continues to be one of my main target areas, as they say follow the money.

What I like most about EVR is how they are involved in a lot of private and specialty transactions.  They provide advisory services relating to "mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, shareholder activism and defense, and related corporate finance matters; and services related to securities underwriting, private placement services, and commissions for agency-based equity trading services and equity research" - from the Seeking Alpha link (Evercore's website also says it nicely).  That is an interesting line of work that most of the other financial companies I own.  Yes, many of those other companies are undoubtedly involved in lots of those lines of business, however that advisory services group is uncommon.  So part of what I am buying here is ownership of those consulting style skills in a somewhat niche industry.  What I like about that, is it adds to my financial sector diversity with a repeatable service.

This purchase will add $25.52 to my forward 12 month dividend income.

I will update my portfolio page at the end of the month.

What do you think of EVR?

- Gremlin
- Long EVR, EV, AMP, AXP, DFS, TROW, PRU, and the big 5 Canadian banks