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Sunday, July 19, 2015

Hello again New Brunswick?



For some reasons, I now had become a Quebecker. I had switched my New Brunswick medical card and driver license to a Quebec one. While living in Quebec province, its just a matter of formality, but I had to do the switch. Strangely, now that I did, my mom find a job posting for something in my area. Cool, but I will have to move again, and buy a car... And the job is located in a very small place, close to nothing. So I just wonder what to do in the present time, but the answer quietly present by itself. 

My Montreal job is not a fun one. I don't get any kind of recognition, I am not very much respected there. So yeah baby, if I have a chance to leave Quebec behind trust me, I will do so. I hate Quebeckers from the bottom of my heart. I hate Quebec province, but I like Montreal. But only the city.

Going through some very rough stock market conditions - while a lot of volatility is in the air and everything seem to dominated by stress and bad news - that make it the very perfect time to check out my investment portfolio very closely. Greece is on good track to resolve their problems, but its not at all anytime soon that the problem with fade away. Greece Prime Minister seems to be a bit too much revolutionary for my taste and unconscious, but it seem like he's doing what the international authorities are expected from his country.

This past Friday, when I saw that the TSX had lost closed to 100 points, I was desperate, I didn't want to face a non-registered portfolio down under $130 000. But nope, surprise, my non-registered portfolio closed to $131 266.03. I am slowly getting back on track. And I can afford to move in the middle of no where and I can afford to buy a car. F Quebec.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Your spending habits may ruined your investing dreams - or maybe not

How? Well, its pretty easy to understand. The more your spend, the less you have available to invest. And I am currently experiencing something similar to that, for several reasons.

From what I had experienced so far, the more I earn money, the less easier it is to actually save money. But shouldn't be exactly the opposite? Not in my case. I do not work at several jobs like I used to do. I make a similar salary than before by holding on - or trying to - one job + my dividend + my sometimes online income. But other than that, I don't have many sources of income, I work less, but I spend more. Why is that?

I have more free time. And having more free time on hands mean that I have more time to spend money. I don't do extravagant things, I go the movies, I usually go to all of the Montreal festivals you could imagine, I go out a lot, I drink a lot, I eat a lot outside, I shop, I buy clothes, jewellery, makeup, diet pills... yeah, but read it right, DIET PILLS. lol.

Generally speaking, I do spend more than what I used to. Now that I hold more or less 100k in net worth, I got very lazy, but I would say that I invest on a regular basis anyway and I am still good on shooting out good investments. Not including my RRSP money, my dividend income is at $6 200+. I expect to hit on the $12 000 income in the next 4-5 year or so. The overall picture is not that grey despite my current spending little nature.

Among my spending habits, ones are daily spending and other are what I name as generic spending if not over drive spending. I guess you never heard of that type of spending flare. Like you stop by a drugstore and buy a new lipstick but you really don't need a new one - see what I mean?

And comes the more or less daily expenses that I could live without, or maybe not. I cannot live without my daily coffee, a $2.60 in the morning, and an Americano in the afternoon, $3. And I really often buy 2 coffees per day. I discovered a new pleasure in life - be ready reader - aha - manicures and pedicures. Both cost $55 every 3 weeks. I have thin curly hair, but a lot of hair - and I need a hair cut every 8-6 weeks as the roots get dry and messy. That's a $28 right there. I also do my coloration at home, $14 a box - every 6 weeks or so because I had been coloring my hair since my mid twenties and I look better that way. And I start having white hair one or 2 years ago. I sometime wake up late to get to work - I take a taxi, its $10 to $14 the ride depending of the traffic. If I don't organize my lunch week during the weekend, forget about it, I will have to buy something to eat. I also really often finish work after 5 pm, what to you thing happen when I do so? I go get something to eat.

Not to turn into a wild beast, I go visit New Brunswick at least 4-5 times a year. Ticket is $175 + other expenses. I spend money on my folks for Christmas, Easter, birthdays. And I am very generous. Its $500 that do for Christmas. Certainly a $100 on Easter. And $100 on birthdays in not a bit more. My rent had been increased of $10 recently, its now $635 - but I am closed to everything including work, no need for a metro pass that might be close to $90 a month now...

Despite all of this dramatic degeneration, I had a bill of $985 on my credit card last month. Its not too bad knowing that it included my Internet and cell phone bills. I like putting everything on my credit card because it help me managing my expenses. For last month, my expenses were about $1 700, but I still had left $800 in free cash for savings - and that does not included the money earn in dividend. So life is all good. Why should I say no to manicures and pedicures???

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Meet my new favorite stock: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP.UN)

I knew that my non-registered portfolio wasn't going to look good, but I was curious. I found a disastrous tiny little $126 454.80. It doesn't look good at all, but I am thinking of it as temporary situation. In those very rough time, better to invest in stocks that can stand without falling. By this I mean, its better to invest in stock that haven't lose in value much instead of running over some bargain stock. Its not like we are going to get out of this mess anytime soon. A recession had been announced and our Financial Minister is just too stuck up to see clearly what's going up.

CNR could be a good bet, but I have a new favorite, its Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP.UN). I had been holding into BIP.UN inside my TFSA for the past couple months, and it already gain 7% in value! This is quite spectacular knowing how bad are the stocks market right now. BIP.UN almost pay 5% in dividend distribution, which is very great.

My idea is to stop buying clothes and makeup and to invest another 1 to 2 thousands in Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP.UN). I think I had found my new gold mine.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Greece acting like gansters crew. The no to the referendum: revolutionary or a dumb show?

I didn't post anything in quite sometime, I had been busy, got a few vacation days and now I am getting back to the usual. I had been away, but I kept an eyes on what was going on. It was with no surprise that I learn that the No had won the referendum in Greece. Its a poor country and its residents are desperately trying to the get out of hell. Imagine having to live with the fear of not being able to access to your very own money. Not to be able to withdraw money without having to face long waiting lines and, even worst - having to face the lack of available cash.

Greece debt shouldn't be erase, but I hope the Euro zone will take in consideration all of the craziness that those people have to endure. There's no way out, but a long term solution need to be taking and Greece need to make commitments and have an in deep control of their finances.

With all that activity, my non-registered portfolio is down to $128 365.67 - far from the old 135 something... I really hate it when the stock market get so volatile. There's just no way out and there' seem to be no proper way to do things, no investment seem to be stable and strong enough to face the eventuality of a stock market crash.

The strangest thing ever is to actually have money, but the problem is: in what to invest in, is now a good time to buy? At this point, in the hot summer heat, after a cold winter, I do not really care and the strangest thing ever is actually not doing nothing with my money, for the really first time of my life. Like a big f off to the whole universe.
 

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