Margin Account Debt: $4,716.98 at 7.75%
Annual Interest: $365.57
Because life is all about money and a bunch of other things
Margin Account Debt: $4,716.98 at 7.75%
Annual Interest: $365.57
Last week, I was on vacation. Today is my last vacation day, which means tomorrow I will be back to work. We had a mix of sunshine and rain, and today, it was raining. Later this week, we should get some warmer days for the weekend. I’ve been working remotely from New Brunswick, and I’m still deciding whether I’ll return to Montreal before Christmas. I don’t mind spending time in New Brunswick, but after a while, I start missing my calm and quiet apartment in Montreal.
While enjoying my last official vacation day, I thought it would be a good moment to reflect on my investment portfolio. It feels like I haven’t written such a post in a while. After realizing that I should be able to pay down my margin debt by the end of the year, I feel it's time to address some of the weaker investments in my portfolio.
The reality is, I can pay off my margin debt by the end of 2024—but only if I stay in New Brunswick. I tend to spend more money when I’m in Montreal. Living expenses such as groceries are higher, and I love indulging in daily espressos. Add to that the costs of entertainment, shopping, and various activities, and it becomes easy to bust a tight monthly budget. However, here in New Brunswick, I’m more isolated from places where I can spend money. There are no coffee shops nearby, and there’s simply less temptation to spend. This makes it easier to save, but on the flip side, I rely on my parents for transportation and other needs, which takes away some of my independence.
The only major downside of staying in New Brunswick until the end of December is that I won’t be able to return to Montreal until at least March. There’s no bus service between Rivière-du-Loup and my hometown, and I certainly won’t ask my parents to drive me in the middle of winter. Living in a small community definitely has its challenges, and it can make things difficult at times.
That said, I’ve been holding on to some "difficult" assets in my investment portfolio. By difficult, I mean volatile stocks. In the past, I referred to these as "troublemaker stocks." One of them is definitely New Flyer Industries Inc. (NFI). It's been a tough stock to hold, but right now, it’s up by +37.15%, which is fantastic, especially considering it was in the red not too long ago.
In my US portfolio, my biggest troublemaker is Pfizer Inc. (PFE). Fortunately, I only have a small amount of money invested in Pfizer, so it hasn’t had a significant impact on my overall portfolio.
In my RRSP portfolio, my top troublemaker is Ovintiv Inc. (OVV), formerly known as Encana. I’m currently down $2,000 on this stock alone. Thankfully, other investments in my portfolio have performed well, helping to balance out these losses. But overall, I do hold on to some pretty volatile assets.
In my next post, I’ll dive deeper into the performance of some of my other investments and explore how I plan to manage my volatile stocks moving forward.
And here we are—it's already Thanksgiving. I'm still in New Brunswick and plan to stay here for the next couple of weeks. We had a beautiful day today; the sun was out, and the weather wasn’t too cold. A long weekend is always the perfect time to check my financial numbers. I discovered that in November, I’ll be receiving three paychecks. After doing my calculations, I realized that I should have enough to completely pay off my margin debt by the end of the year. This made me quite happy because paying off debt was my only financial goal for 2024. Even after paying it down, I’ll have a small leftover amount of around $860.
One issue I keep dealing with over and over is my lack of savings. I have a net worth of close to $460,000, but I have almost no savings because I essentially live paycheck to paycheck. For the past couple of months, I’ve put all available extra money towards paying down my margin debt. Living with almost no emergency savings comes with a few inconveniences, which don’t make much sense considering I’m nearing a $460k net worth. One of these inconveniences is having to pay banking fees. Currently, I pay close to $10 per month in fees. Once I build up some savings, a major advantage will be that I won’t have to pay any bank fees or fees for Interac transfers.
Also, when planning ahead for a vacation or making payments for a major purchase, it can sometimes be quite difficult for me to pay my credit card in full. If I could set aside just a couple of thousand dollars, it would make my life a lot easier. Strangely, I’m not the type to get stressed about money, but I wouldn’t say no to being a bit more financially sensible—especially at my age (I’m 44!).
I spent the day in New Brunswick's woods. Today was quite special because we saw a female moose with her baby.
I rarely see moose, mainly because I only go hunting a few days during the whole hunting season. When I arrived home and saw that the TSX closed today's session at 24,471.17 points, I was truly amazed. I knew I had to update my investment portfolio, and so I did. Unfortunately, I am not able to view the current value of my CIBC mutual funds in my RRSP, as that part of CIBC's system is currently under maintenance. I used the same value as on October 4, 2024, for my CIBC mutual funds. I closed today's session with a net worth of $456,916.94. It's quite impressive considering I started 2024 with a net worth of $379,670.38. I first had to reach $400k, and for some reason, $450k came quite quickly. Let's just say I am enjoying the momentum while I can because I know a correction could happen at any time. The TSX can't stay in gain mode forever without a correction eventually happening. That's the main reason I update my investment portfolio on my blog whenever I see significant gains. At this point, I think I may be able to close the month with a net worth of $460k.
In my non-registered account, I only have two stocks that are in the red: BCE Inc. (BCE) and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD). For BCE, that's quite common these days, but for TD, this downturn is a new development. The reason behind it isn't a mystery. In the U.S., Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) was fined $3.1 billion due to anti-money laundering issues. But that's not the whole story. TD's growth in the U.S. is now restricted, as the U.S. has imposed a cap on the bank, limiting its ability to operate as it wants. This will make it harder for TD to recover from the massive fine. Today was actually the first time I noticed a negative return on my TD investment.
I hold some Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) stocks in my non-registered, TFSA, and RRSP portfolios. At this point, I still have significant gains on TD in my TFSA and RRSP portfolios. I'm seriously considering selling all of my TD stocks. TD messed up badly, and it's not the kind of stock I'm willing to hold onto. Plus, I have a $4,778.82 margin debt that could use the funds to pay it down. TD's problems go beyond the $3.1 billion fine. As a result of this mess, TD will be selling several billion dollars in U.S. assets—$50 billion, if I read correctly—and this will impact TD's value. I'm also not happy with the current situation TD is in. I could either partially sell the TD stocks I hold or sell them all. It's a tough decision, but at the same time, it isn't. My mind isn't made up yet on what to do next, but ultimately, the decision is mine.
2024
2023
2022
Total in assets: $364,072.52/Net worth: $315,407.64: July 26, 2021
Total in assets: $358,867.59/Net worth: $311,858.22: June 15, 2021
Total in assets: $354,774.64/Net worth: $307,559.30: June 10, 2021
Total in assets: $348,042.77/Net worth: $300,799.45 - FIRST TIME I EVER REACHED 300k in net worth, on May 26, 2021
Total in assets: $346,583.88/Net worth: $298,486.93: May 20, 2021
Total in assets: $349,651.45/Net worth: $298,435.31: May 7, 2021
Total in assets: $347,002.53/Net worth: $297,614.64: April 16, 2021
Total in assets: $338,188.16/Net worth: $287,914.75: March 11, 2021
Total in assets: $333,970.92/Net worth: $283,675.99: March 9, 2021
Total in assets: $328,881.12/Net worth: $279,611.57: February 10, 2021
Total in assets: $326,670.02/Net worth: $278,758.37: February 8, 2021
Total in assets: $324,891.52/Net worth: $276,979.87: February 4, 2021
Total in assets: $322,236.52/Net worth: $274,318.36: February 3, 2021
Total in assets: $327,639.01/Net worth: $274,298.23: January 19, 2021
Total in assets: $316,192.85/Net worth: $268,180.14: January 7, 2021
Total in assets: $313,003.95/Net worth: $264,915.22: January 6, 2021
Total in assets: $310,587.36/Net worth: $262,498.63: January 5, 2021
2020
Total in assets: $310,392.38/Net worth: $259,661.24: December 31, 2020
Total in assets: $307,812.05/Net worth: $259,070.79: December 24, 2020
Total in assets: $306,444.25/Net worth: $258,948.73: December 4, 2020
Total in assets: $304,701.39/Net worth: $257,331.58: November 27, 2020
Total in assets: $300,956.84/Net worth: $253,587.03: November 24, 2020
Total in assets: $298,903.01/Net worth: $251,533.20: November 23, 2020
Total in assets: $296,643.60/Net worth: $249,158.71: November 20, 2020
Total in assets: $294,514.87/Net worth: $247,145.87: November 11, 2020
Total in assets: $291,172.40/Net worth: $243,802.59: November 10, 2020
Total in assets: $287 803.13/Net worth: $240 433.32: November 9, 2020
Total in assets: $277,872.92/Net worth: $226,678.26: August 5, 2020
Total in assets: $276,627.27/Net worth: $227,745.47: June 6, 2020
Total in assets: $263,304.63/Net worth: $211,395.63: April 29, 2020
Total in assets: $241 461,13/Net worth: $194 558,29: March 13, 2020
Total in assets: $282,640.61/Net worth: $235,284.72: February 21, 2020
Total in assets: $304,955.72/Net worth: $257,187.44: February 12, 2020
Total in assets: $296,200.07/Net worth: $250,595: January 16, 2020
Total in assets: $292,715.58/Net worth: $244,970.41: January 9, 2020
2019
Total in assets: $288,237.52/Net worth: $239,582.44: December 31, 2019
Total in assets: $278,823.27/Net worth: $230,902.04: September 17, 2019
Total in assets: $271,896.19/Net worth: 226,137.05: June 24, 2019
Total in assets: $269 950.21/Net worth: $222 942.87: April 5, 2019
Total in assets: $251 634.94/Net worth: $206 278.84: January 18, 2019
Total in assets: $238 656.07/Net worth: $191 009.83: January 4, 2019
2018
Total in assets: $270 679.86/Net worth: $204 306.57: November 16, 2018
Total in assets: $332 750.88/Net worth: $232 609.15: August 3, 2018
Total in assets: $331 413.83/Net worth: $232 280.40: June 20, 2018
Total in assets: $326 085.75/Net worth: $226 801.92: June 3, 2018
Total in assets: $322 479.23/Net worth: $222 850.15: May 4, 2018
Total in assets: $319 644.86/Net worth: $217 246.23: March 16, 2018
2017
Total in assets: $318 544.64/Net worth: $221 989.65: December 29, 2017
Net worth on the date of November 17, 2017: $211 430.89
Net worth on the date of October 27, 2017: $212 633.39
Net worth on the date of September 29, 2017: $206 352.49
Net worth on the date of April 24, 2017: $204 277.66
Net worth on the date of March 31, 2017: $200 325.69
Net worth on the date of March 29, 2017: $198 299.73
Net worth on the date of March 18, 2017: $193 969.21
2016
Net worth on the date of December 30, 2016: $184 074.35
Net worth after debt on the date of January 1, 2014:
$101 172.99 (yes, finally, IN NET WORTH!).
On the date of February 16, 2011, the TMX hit 14 000+ points, and I exceeded the 150k in assets! (Not net worth yet).
On September 9, 2010, I reached $100,000 in assets! (not in net worth yet).
On the date of August 5, 2009, I reached my investment goal: I reached $50 000 worth of assets! (NOW, net worth).
On the date of December 5, 2009, I had exceeded $60 000 in assets! (not in net worth yet).
Cold cash: $2,182.47
Stocks and Units investment portfolio $CAN
Others: $1,159.90
NBI Income Fund: $1,316.61
On date of October 11, 2024
Margin Account Debt: $4,778.82 at 7.75%
Annual Interest: $370.36
I am now in New Brunswick for the hunting season. I arrived a few days ago. If you follow me on Twitter/X, you’ll know that I spent one night in Rivière-du-Loup this past Friday. I enjoyed the hotel’s pool and did some shopping. Rivière-du-Loup is a really nice place. There are many charming small communities all along the St. Lawrence River, like Cacouna. This is what the St. Lawrence River looks like on the Cacouna side.
While being away on vacation, I noticed that the TSX closed again within the 24,000-point range, so I updated my investment portfolio this past weekend. That’s when I realized I had reached a net worth of $450,000 and even exceeded it. I closed the October 4 session with a net worth of $451,890.80. Today, the TSX closed at an impressive 24,302.26 points. I believe my net worth is currently around $453,000. My monthly dividend income is now $959, excluding the dividends earned from my RRSP.
All of these positive developments are happening while Floridians are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. I remember when the Tōhoku Pacific Coast Earthquake happened in 2011 in Japan. It was a highly traumatic event, but it barely had any impact on the TSX. It feels similar this time, as though nothing significant is happening. Aside from assessing how natural catastrophic events worldwide affect the TSX, I’ve been closely following the news and sincerely hoping for a quick recovery, with water receding swiftly from all affected areas.
Recently, TransCanada Corp (TRP) became South Bow Corporation (SOBO). I made the name change in my latest investment portfolio update. For me, this is just a name change. However, a more significant event that was recently announced is that Toronto-Dominion Bank has agreed to pay fines totaling US$3.09 billion to various U.S. regulators after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to deficiencies in its anti-money laundering program. Ever since I started investing in Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD), I thought it was one of the safest investments I could make. To me, TD was a very progressive bank. They were among the first banks to extend their opening hours to more reasonable times, allowing regular people to benefit from extended business hours. Their brokerage platform also seemed quite advanced. But now, things feel quite different.
I switched from TD Waterhouse to National Bank Direct Brokerage a while ago, and overall, I’m satisfied with National Bank Direct Brokerage. I don’t pay any commission fees for buying or selling stocks with them, which is a great benefit. I have a margin account with them, carrying a debt of about $4,500. I’ll do my best to reduce it as much as possible by the end of the year, but I know I likely won’t be able to pay it off completely by then. Reducing my margin debt was a goal I set for 2024, but since my net worth is currently over $450,000, I don’t mind if I carry a little margin debt into 2025. On that note, I sincerely believe I have a good chance of reaching a $500,000 net worth in 2025.
2024
2023
2022
Total in assets: $364,072.52/Net worth: $315,407.64: July 26, 2021
Total in assets: $358,867.59/Net worth: $311,858.22: June 15, 2021
Total in assets: $354,774.64/Net worth: $307,559.30: June 10, 2021
Total in assets: $348,042.77/Net worth: $300,799.45 - FIRST TIME I EVER REACHED 300k in net worth, on May 26, 2021
Total in assets: $346,583.88/Net worth: $298,486.93: May 20, 2021
Total in assets: $349,651.45/Net worth: $298,435.31: May 7, 2021
Total in assets: $347,002.53/Net worth: $297,614.64: April 16, 2021
Total in assets: $338,188.16/Net worth: $287,914.75: March 11, 2021
Total in assets: $333,970.92/Net worth: $283,675.99: March 9, 2021
Total in assets: $328,881.12/Net worth: $279,611.57: February 10, 2021
Total in assets: $326,670.02/Net worth: $278,758.37: February 8, 2021
Total in assets: $324,891.52/Net worth: $276,979.87: February 4, 2021
Total in assets: $322,236.52/Net worth: $274,318.36: February 3, 2021
Total in assets: $327,639.01/Net worth: $274,298.23: January 19, 2021
Total in assets: $316,192.85/Net worth: $268,180.14: January 7, 2021
Total in assets: $313,003.95/Net worth: $264,915.22: January 6, 2021
Total in assets: $310,587.36/Net worth: $262,498.63: January 5, 2021
2020
Total in assets: $310,392.38/Net worth: $259,661.24: December 31, 2020
Total in assets: $307,812.05/Net worth: $259,070.79: December 24, 2020
Total in assets: $306,444.25/Net worth: $258,948.73: December 4, 2020
Total in assets: $304,701.39/Net worth: $257,331.58: November 27, 2020
Total in assets: $300,956.84/Net worth: $253,587.03: November 24, 2020
Total in assets: $298,903.01/Net worth: $251,533.20: November 23, 2020
Total in assets: $296,643.60/Net worth: $249,158.71: November 20, 2020
Total in assets: $294,514.87/Net worth: $247,145.87: November 11, 2020
Total in assets: $291,172.40/Net worth: $243,802.59: November 10, 2020
Total in assets: $287 803.13/Net worth: $240 433.32: November 9, 2020
Total in assets: $277,872.92/Net worth: $226,678.26: August 5, 2020
Total in assets: $276,627.27/Net worth: $227,745.47: June 6, 2020
Total in assets: $263,304.63/Net worth: $211,395.63: April 29, 2020
Total in assets: $241 461,13/Net worth: $194 558,29: March 13, 2020
Total in assets: $282,640.61/Net worth: $235,284.72: February 21, 2020
Total in assets: $304,955.72/Net worth: $257,187.44: February 12, 2020
Total in assets: $296,200.07/Net worth: $250,595: January 16, 2020
Total in assets: $292,715.58/Net worth: $244,970.41: January 9, 2020
2019
Total in assets: $288,237.52/Net worth: $239,582.44: December 31, 2019
Total in assets: $278,823.27/Net worth: $230,902.04: September 17, 2019
Total in assets: $271,896.19/Net worth: 226,137.05: June 24, 2019
Total in assets: $269 950.21/Net worth: $222 942.87: April 5, 2019
Total in assets: $251 634.94/Net worth: $206 278.84: January 18, 2019
Total in assets: $238 656.07/Net worth: $191 009.83: January 4, 2019
2018
Total in assets: $270 679.86/Net worth: $204 306.57: November 16, 2018
Total in assets: $332 750.88/Net worth: $232 609.15: August 3, 2018
Total in assets: $331 413.83/Net worth: $232 280.40: June 20, 2018
Total in assets: $326 085.75/Net worth: $226 801.92: June 3, 2018
Total in assets: $322 479.23/Net worth: $222 850.15: May 4, 2018
Total in assets: $319 644.86/Net worth: $217 246.23: March 16, 2018
2017
Total in assets: $318 544.64/Net worth: $221 989.65: December 29, 2017
Net worth on the date of November 17, 2017: $211 430.89
Net worth on the date of October 27, 2017: $212 633.39
Net worth on the date of September 29, 2017: $206 352.49
Net worth on the date of April 24, 2017: $204 277.66
Net worth on the date of March 31, 2017: $200 325.69
Net worth on the date of March 29, 2017: $198 299.73
Net worth on the date of March 18, 2017: $193 969.21
2016
Net worth on the date of December 30, 2016: $184 074.35
Net worth after debt on the date of January 1, 2014:
$101 172.99 (yes, finally, IN NET WORTH!).
On the date of February 16, 2011, the TMX hit 14 000+ points, and I exceeded the 150k in assets! (Not net worth yet).
On September 9, 2010, I reached $100,000 in assets! (not in net worth yet).
On the date of August 5, 2009, I reached my investment goal: I reached $50 000 worth of assets! (NOW, net worth).
On the date of December 5, 2009, I had exceeded $60 000 in assets! (not in net worth yet).
Margin Account Debt: $4,781.96 at 7.75%
Annual Interest: $370.61