Stoplight's Account Talk

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PessOptimist said:
Sounds like great plans! So much for the kids lesson plan for her class on Monday:laugh:

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

PO
Click to expand...

PO,

LOL !!! Yeah...we'll probably screw up ALL of the Kid's lesson plans for the weekend !!! OTOH, here's our comment back to the Kid :

"Perhaps we will be a "curiosity", and your Students (and Parents !) can practice their English on us !!! [and their Spanish on [Wife} Susan !!!]...that will be fun, as will a Monday visit to your 4th grade class...right up Susan's alley !!! [Dean's Note : Wife Susan is a retired 4th Grade Teacher !]

It'll ALL be fun !!!


Stoplight...
 
All,

With all this market turmoil, and end-of-month dividend postings (not done yet...), I was mucking around in Quicken today....

Just curious to see what "buy-and-hold" stocks in my and the Wife's portfolio had the best ROI (per Quicken) so far, since our buy-in...

The winners are :

My IRA

Dr Pepper/Snapple (DPS) Buy-in 11/7/12 ROI 87.5 %
Brooks Automation (BRKS) Buy-in 12/17/12 ROI 44.9 %

Wife's IRA

Seagate Technology (STX) Buy-in 3/26/12 ROI 106.1 %
Con Agra Foods (CAG) Buy-in 3/26/12 ROI 71.1 %


GEEZ !!! Looks like I was on a roll in 2012 !!!

OTOH, I'll post my stinkers, that I still hold, once I gather up the courage to view THAT screen... :eek:


Stoplight...
 
UGH...

Okay...so I'm leaving out my "mad money" and premium service trades, and the likes of NUGT/DUST and UVXY trades, so my stinkers are my "buy-and-hold" stocks...ROI Losers are :

My IRA

Terra Nitrogen (TNH) buy in 4/1/13 -35.5%
TAL International (TAL) buy in 12/17/12 -27.1

Wife's IRA

BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (BPT) buy in 10/18/13 -29.1

So I sucked at picking winners in 2013 !!! :smile:

OTOH, dividends were pretty cool...year to date, per my Excel spreadsheet calcs... ?

THN +4.2%
TAL +8.3 %
BPT +8.0%

Althought their stock prices have crapped, these guys are keeping my investments ahead of my 4% withdrawal rate via dividend payments...go figure !!!


Stoplight...
 
All,

Like I posted in Ravensfan's thread, I spent some time today, updating our spreadsheets with current stock prices, dividends, and looking at the "Big Picture"...so far, we're okay ! :smile:

As I noted (as have MANY others on this Board !)...ya gotta have a "Plan", and stick to it !!! :D THAT'S the hard part !!!

FWIW, as of 1 Sept, our allocation looks like this, as a percentage of our total balance :

Individual stocks : 43%
Bond Mutual funds : 16%
"Income" Mutual Funds : 9%
"Stock" Mutual Funds : 2%
Cash 29% (includes $$ in PRULX and USGNX ; "G" funds ???)
"Mad Money" (trading) 0.5%

Pretty conservative...allows me to withdraw as needed, NOT trade on margin, and weather a few years of downturn and withdrawals before I have to "Sell low..." :smile:

Anybody want to offer opinions and/or suggestions for changes ??? I'm "all ears" !!! :D

Hope YOUR "Plan" is doing okay, too ! :smile:


Stoplight...
 
As for me ? Well, the Wife has offered to grill some steaks and asparagus, while I float around in the pool on a hot day !!!

Can't say "No" to THAT !!! :D


Stoplight...
 
All,

OMG !!! So we're back from our Peru trip...what a FANTASTIC visit to Lima, with the Kid, and taking her with us, to other places in Peru, that she hasn't had a chance to see !!! The Kid ran us ragged !!! :D Oh...to be young again !!!

Larcomar...an upscale mall in Lima...NOT "typical" !!!


Larco Mar.jpg


Machu Picchu


Machu Picchu 2.jpg


Machu Picchu 1.jpg




Stoplight...
 
Hi Stoplight! Looks likeyou had an awesome time... Those pics are great!!!! Mountains look so beautiful! Glad to hear you had a fantastic time! And yes... Your niece running you and your wife ragged is a wonderful thing. Welcome back!! :smile:
 
weatherweenie said:
It is amazing how huge, labor intensive and precisely constructedthese sites were. The other thing is, how many more are there still hidden?
Click to expand...


WW,

You're an engineer, aren't you ?? :smile: As a civil engineer, I kept thinking the same thing...how did they DO that ??? Yet now, in Lima and other places...they have no healthy clean water, or a decent sanitary system ??? Yikes !!!

A funny story : In Machu Picchu, we saw a couple who had a private tour guide...while the guide was explaining mundane stuff about the water flow to the Wife, the Guy was intently studying the inside of the roof, and pacing off the distance between the supports ! I said : "Well, you're either an architect, or an engineer !" :D

He said : "No ! I'm a steel-worker ! It looks like these supports are 24" on-center !!! I wondered HOW they anchored the roof to the building !!!" :D OMG !!!


Stoplight...
 
All,

Going back in time a little, from what I posted before...pix from places in Lima, not Cusco and beyond...

Visit to the "Magic Waters" Park in Lima


Magic Fountains.jpg



Coolest Pic I've Ever Taken !!! The Kid and the Wife !


Coolest Pic.jpg


Wife and the Lamb


Susan and Lamb.jpg


So the Kid teaches English to her school Students...the entire trip, she was drawn to groups of school kids ! She kept saying, she missed her "Kiddos" ! :smile:

Ran into a batch of school Kids, who were in the square ! Of course, the Kid HAD to engage them all !!! They didn't speak much English, but they were learning !!! Sonja had a GREAT time, translating what they were saying, for us Gringos...it was obvious...the kids LOVED her !!! :D


Sonja and Kids.jpg



Stoplight...
 
This one's for you, Kona !!!

Well, I kept an open mind...was gonna try "cuy" (guinea pig)...I tried beef heart, but couldn't bring myself to try the cuy...Had a cage of them, on one of our lunch stops...they were all squeaking, and had a sign on their cage..."Tips" !!! Sooo...I tip the guinea pig I'm about to eat !!! :eek: I don't think so !!! I don't tip the lobster in the seafood tank, either !!! :D

Yes...I had a guinea pig as a pet, when I was a Kid...

Sorry...I kept thinking...this is like eating my "Big Dog" and "Little Dog", although they do THAT in other countries, too !!!



Stoplight...

Big Dog


Book.jpg


Little Dog


Gretchen.jpg
 
I DID try the alpaca, too...!!! A little chewy, but lots of "beef" flavor !!! :smile:

No...it doesn't taste "just like chicken" !!!


Stoplight...
 
A shirt in Cusco

20150909_095330.jpg

Stoplight said:
This one's for you, Kona !!!

Well, I kept an open mind...was gonna try "cuy" (guinea pig)...I tried beef heart, but couldn't bring myself to try the cuy...Had a cage of them, on one of our lunch stops...they were all squeaking, and had a sign on their cage..."Tips" !!! Sooo...I tip the guinea pig I'm about to eat !!! :eek: I don't think so !!! I don't tip the lobster in the seafood tank, either !!! :D

Yes...I had a guinea pig as a pet, when I was a Kid...

Sorry...I kept thinking...this is like eating my "Big Dog" and "Little Dog", although they do THAT in other countries, too !!!



Stoplight...

Big Dog


View attachment 35494


Little Dog


View attachment 35495
Click to expand...
 
WW,

LOL !!! We saw variations on the Beatles theme, all over Peru !!! "Let It Be" T-shirts, etc etc...Not sure WHY they have this sudden fascination with the Beatles, but it's there !!! Even the Kid noticed it, but could not explain that one ! :eek:

Geez...looking back at my posted pix, it looks like my "Little Dog" thinks she's ABOUT to be eaten !!! :D Should've picked a more flattering shot for her...


Stoplight...
 
All,

A break from Peru pix...

Today I made a move in our "buy-and-hold" portfolio...The Wife's IRA has held some Seagate Tech (STX) since my initial buy, in 2012. It was a small lot, with our first venture out into the world of stocks and dividends. Today, I spent most of her cash balance to pick up some more shares. We've had a great run-up on stock price since our buy-in, and the dividend has been around 7%, against my buy-in price. They still look to be paying > 4% (my threshold). The stock was on sale today, down 13% ! :eek: "Buy the dips"... I figure...all these messages, posts, and pix, have to be stored SOMEWHERE, on SOME hard disk drive !!! :D

Guess I didn't mention it before, either, but I dumped some of MY IRA free cash into more USAA High Income Funds (USHYX ; high yield bonds ; pays monthly ) This may be short-term play, but it pays way better than just leaving the $$$ in Money Market Cash ! :D That's assuming I don't get nailed for trading this fund too frequently...but I don't see a need for this money for at least 30 days, and, as Birch would say, I have some "sacrificial lambs" to sell, as well...

Geez...I shouldn't say "sacrificial lambs" after that pic of the Wife with that cute Lamb !!! Yes...it WAS alive, and real !!! :smile:


Stoplight...
 
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