CLF ~ Claymore 1-5 Year Govt. Laddered Bond ETF

Right now bonds are expensive, as they are trading at premium with low yields. Bonds are also very complex instruments.  So for most people buying bonds directly in a record-low interest rate environment means you are overpaying for the bond, with a reduced yield below the coupon rate.  However loading up a portfolio with 80% or 90% dividend yielding stocks is not prudent either. We only have to look back at the market crash of 2008 to see how equities did – but bonds and bond funds did well. Bonds are a necessary component of any portfolio, since they create …

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Index Investing ~ Canadian Couch Potato

At heart I’m a dividend investor.  Nothing is more exciting to me than to buy a quality stock at its lows, watch it go up in value, and then sit back and collect my dividend income. To me the reward of patience, persistence, and the desire to invest for myself is the ultimate reward.  Since I’m into good quality stocks that pay me for owning them, I’m not overly concerned with market movements.  When the market goes down, that gives me the chance to buy a quality stock for a bargain price.  And ultimately the choices I make in my …

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Don’t Buy Mutual Funds, Buy the Company!

In one of his books Derek Foster has a wonderful quote. He says “Don’t buy the bank’s products, buy the banks!” Well the same can be said for Mutual Fund companies as well. The sad fact is that buying a mutual fund is far less profitable, than actually buying the company that provides the fund. I’m excluding Bond and MMKT Funds  in my example. I’m also exluding high-risk  sector funds – a lot of people lose money on those. I’m sure there are other exceptions, but lets look at one of my recently purchased holdings AGF.B ~ AGF Management. Back …

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Dividend Investing (In The Beginning)

Here I am on the road to securing my future, through the world of Dividend Investing and sharing my journey. I’m already in my 40’s, but the sad truth is I have a larger investment portfolio than a lot of people I know. Best of all I am debt free ! At my age I’m starting late, so I don’t have the advantage of time and decades of compounding. But what I do have is humility, knowledge, and the ability to invest in stocks myself. I have already learned that mutual funds are a waste of time, and Dividend Stocks …

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