The Dividend Guy’s May Dividend Portfolio Review
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The four most expensive words in the English language are, ‘This time it’s different. — Sir John Templeton. With oil prices inching higher and higher and the stock market blasting up during most of May, it becomes easy to forget about all the subprime mess, the high valuations of still many stocks, and the financial crisis the global financial system is still in. However, I am comforted by one thought that no matter what the media says, this time is not different and in time things will normalize and this period of time will be a blip in history. You can certainly accuse me of being too idealistic here, but I am comforted by the Callan Periodic Table of Investment Returns (click on image to open the pdf document from their site):
As this table shows, certain assets are going to perform differently during different years. The stock market moves up and down. Some sectors are out of favor when others are excelling. That is the way the stock market works and as investors we all need to get comfortable with this fact. Even though it is difficult at times, I continue to invest through these markets and think long-term, knowing that with my 25+ year time horizon the probabilities of my portfolio being higher are strong.
My own personal portfolio had not a bad month, as I continue to beat the S&P 500 based on year-to-date results. The financials and Pfizer continue to be a drain on my portfolio, however the consistent dividends from these companies is certainly helping with my overall returns. I am just waiting to see if Bank of America decides to cut its dividend or not.
I have started to include my vested employee stock option value in my portfolio as you will see below. This is something that I have just started to do for two reasons. The first is that this is the first time in a couple of years that my options have been in the money. The second, which is related, is that I view stock options as an overall part of my portfolio so they must be factored into my asset allocation. If these shares continue to be in the money and continue to rise, then keeping my Canadian holdings in line with my target allocation will be very difficult. I will need to act on bringing these value in line. Although I am not banking on it in any way, my plan for these stock options is to pay down my home mortgage so there is a possibility that in the future my overall portfolio value will take a hit, although my net worth will stay the same because of an action like this. I will cross that bridge when (if) I get there.
In addition, you will notice a couple of new holdings in my portfolio that have not been there before. In an effort to expand and diversify my stock holdings, and to diversify my stock selection methods I have initiated a small component of my portfolio into the “Magic Formula” process as written by Joel Greenblatt in The Little Book That Beats the Market
With those updates in mind, here is a look at my portfolio, asset allocation, and sector allocation.
The Portfolio
Click to EnlargeMy Asset Allocation
Click to EnlargeMy Sector Allocation
Click to EnlargeNote: Ooops – I just noticed the date on the portfolio chart – it should read May 23rd.
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5 Comments on this post
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Bob Evans said:
If BAC cuts their dividend it will kill a stock that is already trading around 52 week lows.
Hopefully the people that would be making that decision would weigh the impact a cut would have on the price.
At a 7.50% yield and 20 years of dividend growth I am still making my direct purchase of $100 to $150 a month since they pay all of the fees.What ever happen I’m looking at the 15/20 year long range plan so hopefully I can still pick up shares at a bargin price for a few more months.
May 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pm -
Dividend Growth Investor said:
You don’t want to be selling right after the news of a dividend cut. If you wait a little bit after horrible news, you might get better exit price. But if you own a diversified portfolio with more than 30 dividend growers, and you are really into buying and never selling, then you could simply hold on. One of the current dividend aristocrats (ED) cut its dividend in the early 1970′s. It’s done pretty well since the cut..
May 27th, 2008 at 7:34 am -
A said:
I used to be pretty gong-ho about investing in the stock market. Back in 2004 where most of the world and North America experienced double-digit growth, you really can’t go wrong with investing. Now however, it feels like the massive credit expansion during the past period has finally caught up and we are now finally experiencing the pain. The stock market seems to have a mind of its own and not truly reflect what is happening. If you guys are curious as to if BAC will cut its dividends, I suggest you read Mish’s Blog (google Mish). Dividend growers may be good over the long haul, but you certainly don’t want to buy anything on the way down if a “depression” is in the picture!
May 27th, 2008 at 10:22 am -
Dividend Growth Investor said:
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June 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
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