Is Couche Tard a Buy Right Now?

Just another promising Monday market start that soon fizzled out. Futures were up significantly in the morning but the Dow and TSX managed to puke it all up by day's end.

Of course this is only bad news if you index your portfolio. Fortunately I don't. I would further suggest as Buffett does to buy quality companies, hold for the long term and ignore the stock market.

I bought Couche Tard (ATD.B) (speaking of quality) last week for the second time in my trading history and is one of those stocks I never should have sold. It is a high quality Canadian growth story and a major player in the convenience store/gas station space.

Just go hang around the outside of one on a Saturday or Sunday and check out the foot traffic and people pumping gas. The Globe and Mail recently published a story on how it should be a buy on most growth oriented investors watchlist. I have purchased it for my Gambling Portfolio. Here are some of the numbers;

Beta: 0.61

ROE: 24%

Forward P/E: 16.2

EPS Growth: 25%, $66.22 per share

Revenue: $56.3B, per share =99.70

Debt: $8.6Bl
Forward Dividend: 0.61%
Payout Ratio 10%

Price Paid: $65.85

52 week high: $67.96

Couche Tard is a growth by acquisition story. That's how they get big and make money eventually. Outside of Quebec they are known and branded as 'Circle K'.

In their latest earnings report they made $3.5B selling merchandise and gas. That was an increase of 27.6% over the previous year. They use this to pay debt and hunt for more bargains. 

Why I Like It

It operates 12,740 convenience stores that generates $1B a yer in free cash flow. It then allocates that cash by buying more companies and re-branding them. They are diversified around the Globe in North America, Scandinavia, the Baltics, Russia, China, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, UAE, Mexico, Malaysia and Viet Nam. 

Is It Risky?

Has traded in a range of $52-$68 during the past 52 weeks so there are times when it has experienced a significant drop. With a beta of below 1 it is a medium risk story. Stock has traded mostly sideways for the past 3 years and analysts are forecasting a breakout over $68 in the next 6-12 months. We'll see, so I'm holding.

In Sum

This is a low yield high growth stock. I plan on holding through the next earnings quarter and see if the company can breakout to the upside. I also do believe this stock is highly suitable in your retirement account to just set it and forget it.

If you have smokers in your family they are always going to the store. Our local Couche Tard gas station offers the cheapest gas in the area so lines are long and people usually are tempted to buy something else while at the counter waiting.

This company has already provided investors with above average returns and to me still looks cheap with a low p/e of 16 and predicted to grow earnings by 15% for the next 3 years. Sounds like a good place for an investor to park some money.

I NEVER USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO TRADE IN AND OUT OF STOCKS. I VERY SELDOM SELL THEM UNLESS MANAGEMENT GETS STUPID!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews with these top money mangers using a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

Would you buy Couche Tard or do you own it?

Stock Trades and Portfolio Stragglers 7 September

Just a short post on how the day went on the markets and how some of the trades I made during the week panned out.

I sold my entire 130 shares in CGX yesterday and the stock continued to sell off for the remainder of the day and fell a further 2.7% today. I saved myself $130 by selling when I did. Sold @$32.45, closed today @$31.46.

Trevali Mining was another good dump decision. It has fallen a further 4% since I sold it saving an additional $150 on the trade.

Sometimes you just get a feel that something isn't right. I have no idea what it is with CGX but it seems to have reversed trend. It could be that it went ex-dividend and this is just a short term blip. I just didn't want to further erode my small $176 gain.

Gambling Portfolio

ACB 9%, ATD.B 0.3%, LNR 4.6%, OTEX 0.8%, QSR 0.2%, TOY 0.35%

The portfolio is off in nominal terms by $569.00

I have $24,010.19 invested here including fees. I limit the size of my positions to 4K so I don't get burned too bad if things go sideways and as stated I have a 7-8% loss rule that I'm pretty strict with. I am holding ACB even though it's down 9% because during the day it recovered somewhat so it is more volatile. Of the $569 PF loss, ACB represents $365 of it. So, it's a big chunk. I believe it will recover and compared to the other cannabis stocks, it is cheap and on sale  right now.

My Other Growth Stock Plays

CSU 1.6%, DOL 1%, MTY 2.5%.

These are early days for these trades that's why the percentage gains/losses are so low. MTY had a great day today, it set a new 52 week high. I thought it was maybe a little too expensive when I bought it but the market seems to have loved it's new Sweet Frog acquisition. All these companies are safely tucked away in RRSPs and I will only add to them and hold for at least the next 10 years.

Portfolio Stragglers

Even in these retirement accounts some of these decisions leave you scratching your head. As an example I thought Shaw (SJR.B) would be a great add to the RRSP. It's down 8% already in just a couple months. Should I sell it. Will it come back? I only hold 200 shares and it pays a monthly dividend. If this keeps up it will take a year for the dividends to recoup the capital loss.

Enbridge 

just sucks ballz. It really does. I'm down 11% in one account and 3% in another. What you might consider value doesn't always represent that way. I thought it was a great buy again @$46.36 when I added it to my wife's portfolio. It has been a loser everytime I buy it. It along with TRP will continue to struggle until we get this pipeline controversy settled. Only in Canada, SHEESH!

BCE 

is down 6%. Another perennial TSX dog company. It's no wonder with all the negative talk and the whole country complaining of high prices, cord cutting and data charges. Should I even be invested in the telecom sector? Well I am for now in both RRSPs as it pays a 5.5% dividend. It's just an income stock now and perfect for income/retirement investors. I would love to see some capital growth someday like Rogers has been showing. I sold my Rogers last year thinking Bell was the better company.

I ONLY USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO BUY STOCKS. I VERY SELDOM SELL THEM UNLESS MANAGEMENT GETS STUPID!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews with these top money mangers using a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

What companies did you buy or sell today, if any?

Have a great weekend!

Stock Trading Thursday and Portfolio Update 6 September

Just a short post this morning on some of the trades I made during the market session on Thursday.

SELL 130 shares of CGX @$32.45 = $4,208.51 (after fees)

I bought CGX on 10 August @$30.92 = $4,029.59

Total Profit = $4,208.51 - $4,029.59 

= $178.92

Why sell CGX now? During the day the stock continued to go down so I wanted to lock in my 5%. I guess I just have a hard time believing in the theatre chain business with all the streaming and online demand options available for consumers. I saved a further $16 by selling it when  did. Big deal I know.

I then re-deployed the money from the sale of Trevali Mining and Cineplex into;

BUY 60 shares of ATD.B @$65.85 
BUY 80 shares of TOY @$50.51

Gambling Portfolio Update

I now hold 6 positions in this account;

ATD.B

ACB

LNR

OTEX

QSR

TOY

ACB and LNR at the moment are down 8% and 5% since I bought them. My FOMO cannabis trade has so far landed with a thud. If we get a NAFTA deal by Friday or at worst 1 October, then I believe LNR will take off. I will hold patiently until we see some sort of a resolution. Are these all great companies and worthy of a hold or a trade? I don't know exactly, that's why I speculate and gamble on some stocks.

We now own one of the biggest convenience store/gas station operators in the world that just reported outstanding earnings so I bought that news. I like to buy companies with revenues and earnings increasing year over year. ATD.B is doing that. It is just a matter of time before it busts out to new highs and the market assigns a new rating based on it's latest report.

Long term I also like software developers, fried bread and burgers (I don't eat them) and an outstanding children's toy manufacturer and entertainment company. The last two companies are trading well off their highs.

"If you want to buy stocks why do you want them to go up in price?"

- Warren Buffett

My RRSP

Today I initiated a small 40 share position in Dollarama (DOL).

Why? It's on sale and everyone I talk to says it's done.The Americans and Chinese are going to kill this company with tariffs and maybe a move North by another chain of stores selling cheap junk.

That might happen but I like the company and it just seems to keep spitting out cash. Where do you go to buy gift bags, Hallowe'en junk, envelopes and other assorted odds and sods for the house or birthday parties? Yep, Dollarama. Most people love these stores and I highly doubt they're going away anytime soon or that consumers are going to stop shopping there. My problem is trying to get through the cash and lining up because of all the people in the way.

I'm a bit of a contrarian so I ignore all that negative talk and bought a few shares because I love the company. I put it in my RRSP and will continue to add to it to compliment all the DG stocks I own. I need to balance my retirement account with some high quality growth stocks. DOL helps me accomplish that.

My Wife's RRSP

I bought 35 shares of MTY Food Group (MTY) for my wife's retirement account.
I probably paid too much for the company, that's why I stuffed it into a RRSP. I will be less likely to get shaken out of the position by holding it there.

I love this company and I have to constrain myself from falling in love with it. It owns 70 quick service restaurant banners consisting of over 5,469 locations. Most of their banners are in food courts in all the major malls across the country. I myself don't mall shop much but when I do I eat at the food court. We all do. MTY just makes money and then invests that free cash flow into gobbling up other franchises. 

Just yesterday they announced the purchase of Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt for $35mil. Sweet Frog consists of 332 restaurants and generated $92mil in sales during the last 12 months.

They paid $32 mil for a chain of frozen yogurt restaurants in the US that generated sales of $92 mil last year. SAY WHAT! Outstanding buy for MTY and increases their international presence and cash flow. Let's look at some numbers;

Beta: 0.75

ROE: 21%

Forward P/E: 20

EPS Growth: 12.5%

Revenue: $295M, per share =13.2

Debt: measly $292mil
Forward Dividend: 0.99%
Payout Ratio 12%

Price Paid: $61.20

52 week high: $61.49

Using Cash on Growth Stocks

This is a blog on investment strategies to grow money. Lately I've been buying and supplementing all my accounts with nothing but low yield growth stocks. I now own CSU, OTEX, QSR, DOL, MTY, TOY, ATD.B, LNR and ACB.

I have others on my radar that I provided here.

I ONLY USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO BUY STOCKS. I VERY SELDOM SELL THEM UNLESS MANAGEMENT GETS STUPID!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews with these top money mangers using a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

What companies did you buy or sell today, if any?

Invest in Companies not The Stock Market

I just read a recent Buffett interview where he stated once again what his investment style is. He does this over and over again so that more people can understand his message.

When the world's third richest man and it's most successful investor speaks, we should listen.

"The stock market is there to serve you and not to instruct you. That is the key to owning a good business and getting rid of the risk that would otherwise exist."

Here are some other words of wisdom from the master;

• volatility is nonsense, it doesn't matter to real investors
• its impossible to do well if you go to bed every night worried about price
• the actual business is what actually determines risk
• understand the economics of the business
• risk is heightened because you don't know what you're doing
• know who is running the business
• pay a sensible price for the business and risk is lessened
• when you own an index you don't understand businesses
• for most investors index funds with a 90/10 split is appropriate

Lots of investors right now are selling all their funds and ETFs because, like White House employees they live in fear of a market crash. It is that same fear that has allowed some people to just sit on the sidelines in cash during this last 10 year bull market.

Think of your money invested as businesses and NOT stocks to be bought and sold. Focus on long term returns.

"The fretful disposition is the enemy of long term performance" - Charlie Munger

Get to know what and more specifically who runs your business. What business are they in and do you understand how they make money?

The stock market is just one big pricing machine where you go to buy a business.

We can't all be Warren Buffett, I get that. We can learn and heed his teaching and not be scared out of our positions.

In our retirement accounts I never sell what we own unless that business is really under performing. I don't worry about it, nor do I look at the portfolio more than quarterly to blog about results.

Each quarter I survey the cash in the account either through deposit or dividend income. I then look for buying opportunities from a watchlist of businesses I would like to own.

Businesses NOT Stocks

Using that theme here are some businesses I don't own, would like to own and will own as more money flows into our accounts.

Would you like to be in the children's toy and entertainment business? If so check out Spinmaster (TOY). The stock is now on sale 20% off it's 52 week high. Do you think it's a good business?

Beta: 0.42

ROE: 36.7%

Forward P/E: 24

EPS Growth: 22%

Revenue: $1.6B, per share =16.2

Debt: measly $33mil
Dividend: 0

Price: $50.46

52 week high: $61.76

All they do is make money in this area of the market. With the holiday shopping season soon upon us, you ask yourself, is this a good business for me to own? This is a Canadian success story that not many people know about. I am in no hurry to own it but it is a strong BUY for me and sometime by year's end I will buy it. NOT advice for you to do the same as I don't know your personal situation.

Let's look at one more great business and Canadian Success story. Do you think convenience stores/gas stations are good businesses? Are they going to disappear with the advent of electric cars? I'll worry about that when all those highway rest stops have been converted. For now Alimentation Couche Tard (ATD.B) is a great business.

Beta: 0.61

ROE: 24%

Forward P/E: 18.4

EPS Growth: 47%

Revenue: $51.3B, per share =91

Debt: $9B
Dividend: 0.64%

Price: $63.15

52 week high: $67.96

Financials were just released and the company hit another home run. Everything is up and the company just continues to spit out cash. 

If you don't already, think of your investments as businesses and not stocks. You will be less likely to sell them at the first sign of bad news.

Don't listen to mainstream TV business gurus or professional money managers. They get paid to trade stocks for fees. We don't. We buy businesses and hold  for the long term or until management decides to blow up the balance sheet.

Couche Tard and Spinmaster are just great businesses to own in my opinion.

Here are some others for you to study and research using the same metrics as above; DOL, TFII, MTY, OTEX, DSG, SHOP, CSU, KXS and PLC.

I NEVER USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO TRADE IN AND OUT OF 

STOCKS!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews based on a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

What businesses do you own and would never sell?

Stock Market Trades and Speculation 5 September

I can never make money on trading penny stocks. I just don't have the stomach to tolerate plunging prices and then hang on for the recovery that may never come.

I had to sell Trevali Mining (TV) today after losing 8.6% and $359.99 after fees. I can take the money left in my trading account, turn that into a 13% winner and I have my money back.

TV is just too volatile and speculative for me to even want to hang in there. I'm sticking to large and mid-caps on the TSX only. Lesson learned, stay with big board stocks showing momentum.

It was also an awful day for the stocks I bought yesterday who went red after turning green after my purchase. ACB is down 2.5% and QSR is down 1.1%.

I'm still up on CGX and OTEX.

LNR still getting hammered with the trade talks down a total of 5%.

My Buy/Watchlist

Lots of stocks getting beaten down so keeping a list of potential buys is always prudent and fun. Some worthy of study are;

TFII, GIB.A, WCN, PLC, RBA, DSG, MTY, ATD-B, TOY, TC, DOL, SHOP and KXS.

These are all high quality growth stocks here in Canada. I find it too difficult to short term trade US stocks and the costs involved and the longer settlement times on my trading account.

It was a good day in my RRSP accounts as they were all up. Only my spec stocks took a hit. Tomorrow is another day to make it all back.

I NEVER USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO TRADE IN AND OUT OF 

STOCKS!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews based on a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

What stocks did you buy or sell today, if any?

Stock Trading Tuesday and Portfolio Update 4 Sept.

As predicted last week, the first trading day of September proved to be a downer. With more threats from the US on the NAFTA negotiations and Trump boasting about not needing Canada to make a deal, our dollar sold off and so did markets.

I did find the time and money to make a couple buys for my short term gambling portfolio. Looking for more value I stepped in and bought QSR and ACB.

Here's how it went down;

BUY 55 shares QSR @ $74.45 = $4,094.75 + $9.99 trading fee = $4104.74

BUY 450 shares ACB @ $8.91 = $4,009.50 + $9.99 = $4,019.49

So why these stocks and why now?

Ever since my premature sale of Aphria I've been looking to establish a position in a Cannabis stock. ACB has been as high as $15.20. But look at what WEED.TO has done today, up an astonishing $7. It was way overvalued $20 ago according to every Bay Street expert on TV. As I've said tens of times, be a student of the market, look at the charts and fundamentals and ignore everyone else.

This is what the focus should be so that you are sure of your buying decision and you won't get shaken out of your position prematurely. Listening to professionals who get paid to generate fees for trading is NOT something you should act on.

Will ACB deliver these kinds of returns? I don't know, I might have bought the sector laggard. Time will prove me right or wrong.

QSR has been beaten down to a level where I find this company on sale. There is great consternation between the parent company RBI and some of it's franchisees. Everything from breach of code of conduct rules to complaints of exploding coffee pots that franchises are on the hook for. It has traded as high as $88.36. That is almost a 20% savings from it's high. This is a great time to buy, and I did. 

Gambling Portfolio (4 September)

ACB 0.50%

CGX 6.5%

LNR 3%

OTEX 1.8%

QSR 0.6%

TV 6.4%

It's not too often I buy stocks that finished the day higher than when I buy them. Well, today it happened with ACB and QSR.

Linamar (LNR) is suffering since the tweet storm against a new NAFTA deal including Canada. The last 2 trading days have taken it's toll on this trade. That makes the PF 3/3 since adding to it. 4/6 even pay dividends.

The stock giving me the most short term grief is TV. It is hovering around my 8% loss rule. Because it is a penny stock, I may raise my SELL ceiling to 10%. This of course will depend on how my emotions get to me and if I can control them.

On a day when all the markets are selling off, including gold and oil and the fear trade and risk appetites are low, 4/6 of my stock picks are finishing higher on the trading day.

On Wednesday talks are set to resume on NAFTA. If we get some positive news on that front, I truly believe LNR will explode higher. If not, I will be selling on Friday as it will continue to trend down. I will look for other opportunities with my money.

Sellers Remorse

One reason I write a blog is so I have a record of my investments and keep a log of what I was thinking at the time.

I sold 300 shares of APH @ $11.66 on 14 June 2018.

Closed today @ $18.44

Money left on the table = $2,034

That is just in a little over 2 months. That's a nice trip to the Caribbean or wherever you want to treat yourself. This is what I look for in all the picks I make. Just hit a few singles and let your batting average slowly climb.

I truly believe with the stocks bought today and held for a few weeks have the potential to deliver the same types of gains.

Sellers Surprise

Just for balance I want to highlight a stock I sold afte. Ther triggering my 8% loss rule and how much more money I saved by selling it at the right time when I did. The company just released news that it's mining license has been suspended by the government of Guatemala.

I sold 600 shares of Tahoe Resources (THO) @$6.67 on 14 June.

Closed today @$3.61

Money saved by selling = $1,836

You have to watch commodity stocks like a hawk because you can lose 20% in a day. I hope that didn't happen to many retail investors today.

I NEVER USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO TRADE IN AND OUT OF 

STOCKS!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews based on a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!

What stocks did you buy or sell today, if any?

Retired and UnBalanced

There is so much financial pornography on the internet to sift through if you do a lot of reading. I'm always curious to have a look at what other people and professionals are suggesting to grow your money.

I use a hybrid approach but 95% of all our money is invested in individual Canadian dividend growth stocks.Mostly banks, telecoms, utilities, pipelines and railroads.

I keep a gambling portfolio of a few positions to try and generate some capital gains. I do this with money we can afford to lose and only hold for short term gains.

In a recent article by Ian McGugan in the latest edition of Report on Business magazine he highlights the investment returns of two hypothetical investors over the course of three business cycles encompassing the 1960's-1990's.

He highlights the unforeseen events and the meagre returns these people achieved. If you invested all the money you had in 1962 in a S&P index fund with dividends re-invested your return was a little more than 0% 20 years later. How brutal is that for an index investor? This is why I don't buy ETFs or index as an investment thesis.

Another investor does the same thing between 1980-2000. Her return was 15.6% a year. She did substantially better because she got the timing right. Can you? How do you time the market so you get the better results?

What the data really tells me is that even though these investors were invested in an index with over 500 stocks, they were NOT protected from bad news or market meltdowns caused by high inflation and the tech bubble burst.They were not protected because they were diversified.

The Balanced Portfolio

This 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds is constantly flogged by mainstream investors, advisors and bloggers alike. Truth is they don't know what YOUR return will be until the 20 years is up, do they?

It's a sales pitch to get you to follow them instead of yourself. During the 90's, you would have an 11.4% annual return, but that same balanced portfolio lost 1.1% during the 70's.

The Bad Age Advice

This gets me every time. As you get older you need more bonds for safety. Bonds ARE NOT safe. They lose value over time ad most never get their money back. Why is that? Most retail investors are sold Bond ETFs and the distributions NEVER keep up with the capital erosion of your money. Here are a few other things they suggest;

• under 40, 3/4 of your portfolio in stocks
• 40-55, 60/40 blend of stocks and bonds
• over 55, fewer stocks more bonds, no specific mix is suggested

The theory spewed here is more bonds will insulate you from danger. I would submit the danger is running out of money with assets like bonds that don't grow. I have sold all my bond ETFs for this reason.

Read Warren Buffet's latest letter to shareholder's from someone who knows how to invest.

" As an investors time horizon lengthens, equities become progressively less risky than bonds."

I try and look at investing like Buffett. We buy companies and NOT stocks. Look at your portfolio as a collection of stocks that will rise in value over time.

Diversification, bonds, preferred shares will not add value or save you from a market downturn. Just forget modern portfolio theory and invest in great companies you know something about and do it yourself.

I NEVER USE MY RETIREMENT MONEY TO TRADE IN AND OUT OF 

STOCKS!

Looking for Saving Ideas so You Can Invest? 

If you are looking at ways to save money this new book The Cashflow Cookbook can help you find some savings to then use to invest.

If you are having trouble getting your financial house in order and organized then you need to read Worry Free Money. 

If you are further looking for portfolio ideas then you might find my review of The 6-Pack Portfolio a way for you to get started on your investing journey. All of our retirement money is invested in this manner. We just hold more than 6 positions.

If you want to read more about the theory and methodology of some of Canada's professional investment/portfolio managers then you need to pick up a copy of the book 'Market Masters'. Robin Speziale conducts interviews based on a set of pre-arranged questions. This will give you a real insight into how others invest money and how they think. A must read!