Sunday, June 2, 2013

Monthly Review: May 2013

It was a relatively quiet and uneventful month for my investing. Here is a review of what happened in May:

Dividends: I received a total of $164.63 in dividends from the following stocks:
  • ABBV: $18.00
  • ABT: $6.30
  • GD: $11.20
  • GIS: $23.10
  • HRL: $17.00
  • KMI: $34.20
  • PG: $30.08
  • T: $24.75
This represents a 44.0% increase compared with the same month a year ago, which is pretty good. My year-to-date dividend total is now $825.54 and my forward 12-month dividend total is $2,412.60.

Dividend Increases: I was pleased to see a dividend increase announced for one of my stocks (click on the stock to see my post about the increase):
  • VOD: 7.0% increase
There was a possibility that a dividend increase might be announced early by INTC (last year's increase was announced in May), but that did not happen, so I will have to wait until their next dividend is declared in late July. Thus far this year, there have been dividend increases for 17 of the 28 stocks in my portfolio. The mean increase has been 9.6%.

Savings: This month I saved $1,117 (38.4%) of my net job income, which is lower than in previous months. The decrease was mainly due to payment of the deposit for my new apartment and an uptick in discretionary spending -- I bought new shoes for everyday use (my current pair is worn out) and a few household items in advance for my new apartment. Excluding those expenses, my savings would have been similar to the previous two months. Thus far this year, my mean monthly savings has been $1,394 (48.0%).

Transactions: None

Portfolio: My portfolio (taxable account and Roth IRA together) currently consists of 28 stocks and has a market value of $84,625.90 (including cash), which is a 0.3% decrease over last month's value. Interestingly, I was sitting on an increase until the last day of the month, when there was a sizable dip that pushed my portfolio down. The decrease was due to a moderate sell-off in defensive stocks (e.g., consumer staples and healthcare) during May, which are weighted heavily in my portfolio.

Seeking Alpha: This month I did not publish any new articles on the investing website Seeking Alpha. However, I received $20.80 from page views of my previous articles, increasing my Q2 total to $273.82 and my year-to-date total to $707.77.

Looking Ahead: In June I will receive well over $200 in dividends, which will be nice. I expect dividend increases to be announced by MDT and UTX*. My savings rate is difficult to estimate for June, given my big move at the end of the month. I will be incurring some moving expenses at that time, although I will be reimbursed for a portion of them later. In preparation for my move I have been sifting through stuff to determine what I no longer need and can either sell or donate. I managed to get $100 by selling a bunch of books, CDs, and DVDs to second-hand stores, and I donated a large box of books to my local public library (it has been a great free resource for me, so it is nice to give something back). As I continue to be financially conservative for my move, I will not be adding any new capital in June, so I do not anticipate any transactions. Thus, I will likely continue sitting on the sidelines.

*Edit: I forgot that UTX usually increases its dividend every five quarters, so the next announcement might come in September. Thanks to an anonymous commentator for bringing this to my attention.

19 comments:

  1. All things considered, with the market going as gangbusters as it has this spring, sitting out probably hasn't hurt you too terribly depending on whatever holes you are looking to fill in your DG portfolio!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. w2r: Indeed, I don't feel that I've missed out on anything, which has made sitting on the sidelines easy to do.

      Delete
  2. I think I might sell my DVD collection too. I'm tired of lugging them around and rarely even bother to watch those movies anymore. I gave up buying DVDs long ago, but I still receive them as gifts. Haha I've actually asked for KO or MCD stock as Christmas gifts before. I guess my parents couldn't figure it out.

    Anyways another fruitful month, looking forward to see how you do in June!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice gift ideas! Maybe I'll start putting those on my list as well. As for your DVD's, sell'em! I was a big Anime DVD collector for several years in college. I finally woke up when I googled around and realized they were all worth maybe 25% of what I paid for them. The ones that I really really liked or had become collectors items I kept (maybe 6 DVDs total) all the rest I sold on Craigs List. Felt great!

      Delete
    2. CI: I still have most of my DVDs, but if I go through them again I bet I'll find a few more that I don't need. I've sold off almost my entire CD collection. Looking back over the past few years, the majority of my music purchases have been digital, so there really isn't much need for physical copies anymore.

      Kechi One: Similar to what you did with DVDs, I am keeping some CDs that are hard-to-find or special in some way (e.g., signed by the band). The only collection I have now is my short-story anthologies. Several years ago I got into reading short fiction and I like it a lot, so I've built up a collection of about 50 books in that area, some of which are out-of-print copies I acquired from used bookstores.

      Delete
  3. A 44% YOY increase in fantastic! I look forward to seeing more of your purchases after these fixed costs are over with. I'm also anxiously awaiting the next INTC dividend raise, they had a nice pop today after news their chip is in a new Galaxy Tab. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AAI: Thanks! I also look forward to when I can get back to regular investing. By mid-July I should have all of my moving and start-up expenses out of the way, so I'll have a better sense of my financial position. Regarding INTC, it's nice to see the stock getting reappraised by Mr. Market, perhaps in anticipation of Haswell being well-received.

      Delete
  4. I think we all now suffer from dividend stocks sell off is some are worried about FED increasing the interest rates. That's what I have read. If it is true, it is the weirdest reason for dumping dividend stocks I have ever read. The rates are still low and they are not increasing yet, but some idiot are already panicking. Well, I am happy for it. I will gladly buy their shares.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martin: It's said that the market is forward-looking, but I agree that some folks are likely jumping the gun and overreacting with respect to interest-rate worries. However, if such worries drive down dividend-paying stocks, then I'll be a happy buyer.

      Delete
  5. Best of luck with the upcoming move. Looking forward to see how the rest of the year turns out for you. Moves are always exciting, at least they are for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stoic: Thanks! I tend to be a person who doesn't like change, so moving gives me more anxiety than excitement. However, I'm doing it for career advancement and a better life, so I think the transition will be worth it.

      Delete
  6. DGM,

    Another great month of dividends. You did excellent on the savings rate considering it was an 'expensive' month for you. If you can save about 10x the national average when you're busy putting down deposits on an apartment you're doing well! :)

    Best of luck with the upcoming move.

    Take care!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DM: Thank you! My savings rate turned out to be slightly better than I expected, considering my expenses during the month. I'm interested to see what my savings rate will be once I'm settled in my new place. By the end of this year I'll have a few monthly numbers that should give me a reasonable estimate.

      Delete
  7. You have an impressive saving rate! I'm close to that rate myself and I live pretty frugal (no cell phone even). Considering the savings rate of the rest of the country I'd say were far ahead of the curb. Good work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CD: Thanks! Savings are a prerequisite for building long-term wealth (you need money to make money), so the more we can save and invest now, the better off we'll be down the road.

      Delete
  8. Nice work. Love dividends as well.

    http://www.myownadvisor.ca/dividends/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Why do you expect UTX to raise its dividend this month? In the past they have often gone 15 months between dividend increases. Since they last increased the dividend in June 2012, a fifteen month wait would put the next increase in September.

    Not saying you're wrong. Just wondering why you expect the increase this month.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous: Good point -- I forgot that UTX usually increases its dividend every five quarters. Thus, I guess I'll have to wait until September.

      Delete