Building by portfolio one share at the time

I am currently waiting for my Fortis (FTS) dividend; I still didn’t receive anything yet, since I registered to a DRIP. In the meantime, I start working on another blog of mine, Advertisement for blogs. I had a hard time to find a nice template, but I am quite happy with my final choice.

The month of May should be, again, lucrative for my dividend earnings. For the month of May, it’s 129.36$ that I will earn in dividend income. I am still proud of the whole result, even if Livingston International Income Fund (LIV.UN) had announced yesterday that they had suspend the distributions to their “unitholders”. And I am one of them.

Back in March 7th, I had wrote about Livingston International Income Fund difficulties and on the fact that they should cut off their distributions instead of hurting their employees with hours cut. Seem like what I wanted to happen have… happen lol. But it’s not a huge surprised and I was expecting a dividend cut from LIV.UN.

I am fortunate enough not to have invested massively in LIV.UN. My overall dividend earnings for the year of 2009 won’t be too much affected.

But for sure, I won’t invest anymore into LIV.UN.

Dividend Joy in April… and it’s not over yet!

I was very happy to received 75$ in dividend from Sprott Asset Management. But great news – the dividend earnings for April is not over! In the upcoming weeks, I am expecting a 51.20$ from Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGF.UN), 13$ from Pembina Pipeline Income Trust, 4.28$ from Livingston International Income Fund (LIV.UN) and 49.49$ from Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS).

Which mean its make almost 200$ I will earn in dividend earnings for the month of April. Very great!

I now have a 1 300$ sleeping in my bank account but that’s money is taxes money. I did my taxes – all by myself – and it wasn’t too difficult. But very exhausting and very long, but the software I use is quite good and I plan continue to work on my taxes declaration this weekend and finish it up and move on.

I was entering the data and I was getting anxious while entering my T4 for my 3 jobs because once they were all enter – it was making almost 4 000$ I had to pay extra in taxes! From that point I told myself, I will continue to do it by myself and if I see I still that much to pay, I will make someone else do it for me. But at the end, once I enter my RRSP amounts for 2008, everything turn out well, as I only have to pay 1 800$ in taxes. Which of course, it’s a lot of money, but in 2008, by running everywhere, I make a bit more than 44 000$. After 41 000$, I get into a higher level for the taxes and from my point of view, the whole thing make sense.

But at the same time, I am quite disappointed in having to pay almost 2 000$ in taxes because I really wanted to purchase 100 units of Energy Savings Income Fund (SIF.UN), like next week or so. But it’s seemed it won’t be before next month. Life sometime is boring like that.

My first vote as a shareholder of Methanex Corporation

I previously vote as a shareholder of Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) a while ago. Now it’s the turn of Methanex Corporation (MX). Actually, my vote for Bank of Nova Scotia was my first vote as a shareholder. I wasn’t prepared to vote for another company any time soon and I was quite happy to have the opportunity to vote for another company… that I own lol. Most hilarious part is that I had received the voting package… in English lol. Very funny. But I understand English enough to take "clearly" decisions or what I believe will be a good decision.

I didn’t begin the reading of the document yet. I am way too exhausted on what had happen to me lately. I am going to explain it all. But for now, my portfolio is taking form and it’s beginning very interesting to be… an investor lol!! No matter how bad the economic situation is, companies like Bank of Nova Scotia, Fortis, Pengrowth Energy Trust, Livingston International Income Trust, including Methanex Corporation among other, continue to pay dividend to their shareholders. And this thing is real. I had received a little more than 300$ in dividends money and I cannot wait to earn more.

If small investor were doing the same thing as me, we could boost the Canadian economy. But unfortunately, it’s not something I can do by myself alone, me and my little thousands of dollars here and there. But the whole investment thing begins to be more and more interesting. The portfolio I own at a broker now worth an average of 20 000$ in value right now and I expect to see it’s growing over the next couple of months. If only the TSX could reach 15 000 points again, my overall value could reach 75 000$ and maybe even more. And what I like about the stocks market is that there is no discrimination of what so ever. You invest in a company, it give you automatically the right to vote for it, to earn dividend and so own. And nothing is done to stop the process by anyone among the way.

And there’s no more powerful tool than the stocks market. I saw it from my own eyes. In a day, I could had make close to 500$ or so by selling some of my investments. This is fantastic.

Earning New Dividends

I just received new dividend from Livingston International Income Fund (LIV.UN) and Methanex Corporation (MX). I earn one extra stock of LIV.UN and another one of MX. And I earn an extra 14$ in cash to pay off my credit line. I really can pay off the interest of a 5 000$ credit line following Derek Foster strategy as he explains in his latest book Money for Nothing. Now, knowing that, will I be able to follow his strategy regarding optons?

I previously wrote that I began to understand the "options strategy", but really, I find it still difficult. I once call the Options department of TD Waterhouse. I spoke to an Indian I believe. Cute accent, good explanations. But in date of today, I find it still difficult. Would I be able to live from my dividend one day? And no siminar are being offer regarding options in the Montreal area. So what do I do now? :)

About Livingston International Income Fund and why I am getting tired of it

I really dislike Livingston International management at this time. I just get through the reading of a press release in date of February 27 – which kind of old now, but it’s better now than never I guess.

In that press release, LIV.UN management explains what they had decided to do in order to face the crisis. The 3 major measures being the following: "Company-wide salary and hours reduction", "Elimination of salary increases", "Voluntary resignation incentive".

I am ok with the "Elimination of salary increases" and with the "Voluntary resignation incentive". But what I am way concern about is the salary and hours reduction. Like wow. Before cutting on the hours of their employees, it will be so much more intelligent to just cut completely off the dividend until things came back to a more normal state.

Because anyway, from 100 units, I will only earn 4.20$. Since the return is so little, I will way find it more professional from them to just announce a dividend cut instead of cutting the working hours of their employees. But life is like that. For me, it's sound almost like LIV.UN is close to bankruptcy.

And it’s in time like those that I am happy to just have purchase 100 units of LIV.UN.

Dividends update

LIV.UN : 100 x 0.504 = 50.40$
PGF.UN : 500 x 2.70$ = 1 350$
SII : 500 x 10 cents = 50$
MX : 101 x 0.769 cents = 77.669$
BNS : 101 x 1.96$ = 197.96$
FTS: 100 x 1.04$ = 104$
= 1 830.029$

Last time, when I calculate my dividend earnings, I forget about FTS..... I know PGF.UN might not pay 2.70$ this year in dividend, but as a strong believer, I prefer to believe the dividend will be 2.70$... And here I am, with 1 830$ income for life, every year of my life. I am just missing little to reach the goal in 5 000$... But it will be preferable if I could just completely pay off my credit line and get a better job ;)

Working to make it happen

This past week had been quite awful for me. Other than the RRSP at RBC part, I invest in Livingston International (LIV.UN). I purchase the stocks at 5.99$ or 6$. I purchase 100 of them. The annual dividends was supposed to be at 1.70$ or so, but now its down to 50 cents. Facing dividends cut is very sad, but its look likes its part of the game. I don’t regret the purchase any way. And it might be the reason why the stock price false down to less than 6$. Facing dividend cuts like taking away the dream of financial freedom. But still, the overall portrait is not looking that bad for now.

I take a review of my futures dividend earnings, and it should be something like this:

LIV.UN : 100 x 50 cents = 50$
PGF.UN : 300 x 2.70$ = 810$
SII : 500 x 10 cents = 50$
MX : 100 x 0.62 cents = 62$
BNS : 100 x 1.96$ = 196$

Total Dividend earnings with stocks I have so far: 1 168$

Which I am quite happy with. I just can’t wait to see the money coming or seeing it « dripping » - if only it can. I enroll in an automatic DRIP. I gain one MX stock that way back in December. I hope to gain enough money in 2009 to continue to purchase stocks from time to time. What I wish for is a low market so I can continue to purchase stocks at cheap price. Investing in stocks is very addictive and the more I buy, the more I am being additive.

Other than the RRSP part, I have 2 horrible news. At my daytime morning job, they are facing lack of work, which mean I probably won’t be able to make my 22.5 hours per week every weeks. This is quite awful for me. And also, at my weekend job, even if I call to confirm my weekend schedule, its seem like I am not on the schedule for next weekend, so I have to call this Monday. And even for tomorrow morning, I do not know if I am working for sure, as I totally forget to call at the end of the day on Friday… It’s getting more and more complicated and I just can’t wait to leave the workplace forever! It’s driving me crazy.

For now, I just have to complete the very complicated RRSP part. After what, I will see next if I return job searching again. My life is pretty exhausting.

And another bad luck of mine, like if I needed another one, the zipper of my winter coat is broken!! I cannot just put on my coat probably. I might need to purchase a new one. The coat is so old and looks a bit old; it just doesn’t worth it to get just the zipper change on it. I guess I will purchase a new one. Just like if I needed an other bad luck…