Reaching a New Milestone in Dividend Income in my Investment Portfolio!

In my non-registered portfolio, Pembina Pipeline Corporation (PPL) holds a significant position. It's worth mentioning that Pembina Pipeline was once recommended by Derek Foster in his first book, "Stop Working." Since then, I have held onto Pembina, utilizing the dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) to accumulate more shares of this fantastic company. Recently, I received the latest dividend distribution from Pembina Pipeline Corporation (PPL), and thanks to the additional shares obtained through DRIP, my dividend income has reached a new milestone. Soon, I will be earning approximately $890 per month in dividend income from my non-registered TFSA portfolio. This amount is particularly noteworthy as it exceeds my monthly expenses for rent ($730), cell phone bill ($29), and Internet/TV bill (approximately $110, although I recently made some changes to include BNN, so the exact amount eludes me). I am being left with $21 for groceries...

When it comes to groceries, I strive to maintain a reasonable approach, but I've noticed that I rarely purchase meat. Given my hearty appetite and need for satisfaction, abstaining from meat doesn't suit me well. Ideally, I would like to include meat in my diet at least three times a week, as it's something I need to work on. However, this would inevitably increase my grocery expenses. Last week, my grocery bill amounted to $109.97, excluding any meat purchases except for hot dogs. I still have a lot of food left so I probably won't have to purchase much next week. Although hot dogs are more of a processed food than actual meat, they are enjoyable to have during the summer. Lately, I've been dining out more frequently and indulging in a drink or two while enjoying Montreal's free festivals. It's a fantastic time to be in the city, especially now during the Jazz Festival. If you're interested in learning more about my experiences in Montreal, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

Apart from the numerous free activities and festivals Montreal offers, another advantage of living here is the availability of quality grocery shopping. During the months of October 2022 to May 2023, when I was in New Brunswick, I must admit that I didn't have access to as much fresh fruit. Blueberries, strawberries, clementines, and peaches are among my favorites, and I have the opportunity to enjoy them more while in Montreal. When it comes to grocery shopping in Montreal, one of my go-to places is Segal's Market, conveniently located at 4001 St-Laurent Boulevard. 

During my recent visit to Segal's Market, I picked up a variety of items. The cherries, although a bit pricey, were definitely worth it.

Even if you don't reside in close proximity, I believe it's certainly worthwhile to visit Segal's Market due to the abundance of discounted items they offer. Personally, I've noticed significant savings by choosing to do my grocery shopping at that particular store. Additionally, it's worth mentioning that they even carry a selection of ferns, adding to the variety of products available.

Picking ferns was one of the final activities I enjoyed with my father before leaving New Brunswick. Early spring is the optimal time for fern picking. We gathered ferns from the forest along the St. John River. However, after a few days, I completed my fern picking adventure.

Here are a few pictures of my fern picking in 2023.

My dad from far away :-)

Navigating Debt and Expenses: A Journey Towards Financial Freedom

I hope you haven't encountered any issues with TD's recent difficulties regarding direct deposits and other matters. Speaking from my own experience, I didn't bother checking my bank account for my pay because I knew that discovering it missing would have caused unnecessary distress, even considering TD's ongoing problem. However, I did verify it yesterday and happily received my paycheck, confirming that everything is now in order. Rest assured, things are back on track.

In my perspective, it's essential to acknowledge that such issues can potentially arise with any financial institution. It's important to address any imaginative scenarios that may have crossed your mind: situations where you can't access your funds, your cards aren't functioning, inability to withdraw money from ATMs, payment rejections using credit or banking cards, unexplained disappearance of funds from your account, difficulties with e-transfers or direct deposits as seen recently, and even the threat of cyberattacks. While there's no need to panic, it's prudent to recognize that any of these scenarios could potentially occur.

To safeguard yourself against these unforeseen circumstances that are beyond your control, it's advisable to have some cash on hand. While it may not be ideal, I won't disclose the exact amount I keep, but I recommend having a reasonable stash of several hundred dollars in $20 bills and some $10 bills. This way, you'll have a backup in case of emergencies.

Almost a year ago, on July 7, 2022, you may recall the significant Rogers outage that left millions without internet and cellular services. This outage had far-reaching effects, impacting government services, payment systems, and even emergency services like 911. One of the major issues during the Rogers outage was the disruption of payment systems. While I don't recall if credit cards were still functional at that time, using Interac was certainly not possible.

In addition to keeping cash on hand, I maintain multiple banking accounts with different institutions as a precautionary measure. I allocate a portion of my savings across these accounts, prioritizing accessibility over potential interest gains. This way, I ensure that I have funds readily available when needed.

This month of June is an exciting one as it brings three paychecks, which is always a welcome occurrence. While I haven't made any recent new investments, I have focused on reducing my margin debt due to the current interest rate of 8.25% on my margin account. I've significantly paid down my margin debt, which now stands at $37,921.01. Although it remains a substantial amount, it's far from where I once was. In the past, when interest rates were lower, my margin debt had surpassed $100,000. While I don't take pride in that fact, it serves to highlight that I had utilized margin and benefited from it. However, the increased interest rates have changed the landscape, limiting my financial freedom. I can no longer make unrestricted decisions with my money. Although this higher interest rate keeps me grounded, it's not necessarily a negative outcome.

I am approaching my 43rd birthday, and as I grow older, I find myself longing to eliminate my margin debt. While I do declare the interest earned on that margin as a financial fee on my tax income, the returns are not substantial. Therefore, the urgency to pay off my margin debt persists, despite any reluctance I may have. Currently, I can only afford to make a $200 payment towards my margin account, primarily due to unexpected expenses like two recent dentist appointments, which cost me over $760 out of pocket. There is a possibility that I may require jaw surgery in the future, although nothing is certain at this point. Health professionals diligently perform their duties, but being of Acadian descent comes with certain genetic peculiarities, including some visible defects. Unfortunately, the issue with my jaw falls into this category of uncertainties. In various aspects of my life, I tend to be fortunate in my misfortunes, and my jaw situation is just another example. Hopefully, it turns out to be nothing significant, but I am still required to pay $450 for a necessary medical procedure, which is completely unacceptable. Fortunately, apart from a mild case of asthma, I don't have any major health problems.

It's not a tragic situation, but my initial plan was to make a $1,000 payment towards my margin debt instead of the smaller $200 payment, which brings it down to $37,721. I believe I can reduce this debt further to $27,000 by the end of the year, with the possibility of paying off the remaining balance in 2024. This would make me debt-free just in time for my 45th birthday in... 2025. My primary focus now is to diligently pay off my margin account debt while cutting down on expenses.

Since my arrival in Montreal, I have spent a considerable amount of money. After spending a couple of months in New Brunswick, I indulged in some shopping, dining out, and various activities upon my return to Montreal. I recently made a payment of over $2,000 on my credit card, but I had anticipated these expenses when I came back. Additionally, now that I live alone, I no longer share the grocery bill with my old folks. I must admit I like the calmness of my apartment. When I am at home, it's like we are 10 people living together always so noisy and full of life, while we are just 3. I must admit, I miss them from time to time.

The Story of Dollarama's Strawberry Jam

You would already know this if you had the privilege of following me on Twitter: For the first time in a very long time, I significantly paid down my margin debt! My margin debt now stands at $37,938. I have the Bank of Canada to thank for that! Starting probably tomorrow, the interest rate on my margin account debt will be 8.25%, which is quite high. Every year, I declare the interest earned as financial fees on my taxes, but I don't get back much. My salary isn't super high, and it's challenging to receive a substantial return due to overtime and dividend income. In 2022, my income reached $80k. It will probably be less in 2023, around $70k or close to it. But even at that salary, its hard to get something back from the taxes.

Anyway, I eventually came to the conclusion that I should reduce that margin debt. It would make more sense, especially since I am getting "older." Eventually, being debt-free would be nice. I just can't remember the last time my margin debt was lower than $40k. You can check my collection of little debt reports by clicking on my "debt situation" label. There are over 130 posts with that label. I also have another $6k that I could use to make a payment on my margin debt, which comes from some savings. I don't consider selling stocks to pay off my margin at this time.

Following TMX Group Limited (X) stock split announcement, I decided to invest in a few additional shares of X for my TFSA and RRSP portfolios. I may invest again in a few shares of TMX within my TFSA, as I still have contribution room left. I believe TMX Group Limited (X) can be an interesting long-term investment that may yield an annual return exceeding 8%, or 8.25% if you prefer. It's difficult for me to pay down my margin debt while keeping an eye on TMX, but sometimes, there are opportunities that are worth it.

For the past couple of days in Montreal, the weather has been cold, and there is heavy smog in the air. I think it's fortunate that the weather is cold, as it makes the smog more tolerable. I have a mild case of asthma and only have an old inhaler that my father gave me a long time ago. My throat was killing me before my work meeting this afternoon, but when I kept quiet, I felt alright, haha. Apart from that, I'm not suffering from the surrounding smog. We received rain this evening, which should help. Even with the rain, Montreal is still beautiful.

Now that I am back in Montreal, I am trying to control my expenses. Currently, I really want to get a haircut, even though I had one shortly before leaving New Brunswick. I also want to get some highlights to cover up the few white hairs that unfortunately stand out under the bathroom lightbulbs. I can afford it, but at the same time, if I want to invest in a few more shares of TMX Group Limited (X), the money needs to come from somewhere, and it definitely can't come from my margin anymore! The good old days when I could use my margin money to invest whenever I wanted are gone. I don't have the same freedom as before, and it's a little sad. I feel crushed and pushed down by the system, and I hate it.

Today, Dollarama announced some very good profits, which comes as no surprise. With this inflation, consumers are seeking cheaper options, and Dollarama is one of them. Usually, I only shop at Dollarama for my cleaning supplies, but recently, I've expanded my purchases to include food. I bought bread, some noodles (why not?), and strawberry jam...

In New Brunswick, that's the jam that my old folks usually buy. So it really made me laugh when I recently bought that same strawberry jam for myself. But the fun stops right there. Dollarama's strawberry jam is very high in sugar; I don't recommend it.

All the Reasons Why I Love My Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) Stocks in My TFSA and Other Financial Stories

I left New Brunswick for Montreal last week. I was welcomed by an apartment that needed a deep clean after spending several months away and the weather was terrific. Montreal is as fun as always. Here, spring is well-advanced and the colors are truly magnificent.

Party with the Portugueses! :-)

I have been quiet here on my blog for the past several weeks, but that's because I have been very busy decluttering the stuff I had in New Brunswick. I have been living between Montreal and somewhere in New Brunswick for several years. Actually, I have been living between New Brunswick and other places my whole life. New Brunswick has always been my safe place where I would leave behind my most precious possessions: my books, my academic notes, papers, and more papers (of all sorts). I had about 5-6 big heavy plastic bins, as well as a suitcase packed with papers which was also extremely heavy, not to mention all the other things displayed behind closed drawers and in my very large wardrobe, and not to forget, my bed drawers... Many places to carefully hide away some stuff. I did a big declutter, which left me with only a few things including my books and a few binders which I eventually want to bring all with me to Montreal. I should be able to do so next time I go back home.

It was a big task to go through, but I am glad I did. My old folks are talking about selling the house. I didn't want my stuff to be in the way, all of those heavy things. If they eventually move away, I will only have their things to take care of, and not mine, which will make the moving process a lot easier for them as well as for me, if it has to happen. Something of that nature will eventually happen.

While spending a lot of my time decluttering in the past few weeks, I haven't spent much time watching my stocks, but I notice a few things that are worth talking about. Recently, many bank stocks increased their dividend distribution. I just couldn't believe it! Currently, my dividend income coming from my non-registered and TFSA portfolios is at an annual $10,600, which is not far away from the equivalent of $900 a month. If I include the dividend income earned inside my RRSP portfolio, that amount hits $12,700, which is really not bad at all.

Today, the TSX closed again below the 20,000-point mark, at 19,739.70. It looks like we are slowly entering something like a recession phase or somewhat of a correction, which is worrisome, even if it's not fun to see my wonderful stocks trading lower. It's a good time to save whatever you can so that later on you can invest smartly in quality stocks trading at bargain prices. I think the TSX can go lower. I am not investing at this time. My non-registered portfolio closed today's session at $134,542.67, my TFSA portfolio at $131,464.46, my RRSP portfolio - stocks-only - at $65,561.37, and my US portfolio at $5,443.16 US. One interesting fact is that my non-registered portfolio is almost the same value as my TFSA one.

These days, one stock that I am totally obsessed with is Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD), which I hold in my TFSA portfolio. In my TFSA portfolio, Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) is one of my major holdings. Originally, my investment in BYD exceeded $5,000. Back in the day, Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) used to be - if I am not mistaken - a Derek Foster stock. I usually have a good memory of where I pick my stocks from, so I think I am not wrong when I say that BYD used to be a Derek Foster stock. One thing I am almost sure of is that Derek Foster no longer holds any BYD stocks in his portfolio. So that got me worried, and that's the main reason why I have been closely watching BYD.

A stock like Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) is totally my vibe. I really like to hold a stock that is not trendy, that is not popular, and that I am basically the only Canadian blogger to write about. Investing in high-quality, super mysterious stocks that I seem to be the only one to know exist on the TSX is my very own personal obsession. Over the years, Stockopedia is a platform that I have used that definitely helped me in that field. An example of a low-profile stock that I found using Stockopedia - among others - is Park Lawn Corporation (PLC). When it comes to BYD, I invested in that stock back in June 2016.

Another reason why I like Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) so much is because of its sector - which I consider to be an industrial stock. My sector is the industrial sector. I love stocks that are industrial; it's my vibe, it's what I like, and it's my favorite sector. Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD)'s overall stock is very impressive. I don't know much about finance, but I know - at least - how to read a chart. And a chart like this - which is the "overall" chart of my precious BYD - screams to me: INVEST!

For the past year, the chart of Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD) has been impressive:

While looking at charts, it's important that you check different variations and not only the overall chart, so you can get a picture of how things are going for that stock. You can look at the past year, the past 5 years, the past 3 years, etc. Another reason why I have been actively checking my BYD stocks, even while I was extra busy decluttering my precious things or shit, is the reason for its price. Currently, BYD stocks exceed $249, which is a lot of money for a single stock. And I somewhat feel that when a stock is at an expensive price like that, it makes it much more volatile, but I guess it's not exactly true. True or not, one thing is for sure, my position in BYD is super great because I am exceeding +15% in profit.

I know BYD is super expensive, but I think it is worth the investment, even if it's only for a few shares. In light of my current success with Boyd Group Services Inc. (BYD), I don't think we'll be facing a recession. We could hit the recession status, but I don't think we'll be facing anything major. I really hope so.

While checking my portfolio, something I notice is my good results with Goodfellow Inc. (GDL), on which I am experiencing a +17% gain. GDL could be a good option to consider if you are afraid of BYD. Another stock that I am very proud of is Vitreous Glass Inc. (VCI), another mysterious stock. That one came from me, resulting from my searches on Stockopedia a little while back.

I think we are in for more posts in the days to come. I like to watch my stocks and write about them, and now I have more time to do so. We have a lot of catching up to do!