End-of-Year Investing Notes and a New Investment Idea From Sprott: Sprott Physical Copper Trust (COP.UN)

Back on December 2, I invested in a few stocks inside my RRSP portfolio. I forgot to add those new investments to my portfolio update, but I’ll include them next time. The investments I made that day quickly registered some great gains:

• Urbana Corporation (URB): +28.37%

• Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium Trust (SPPP.U): +18.27%

• Thor Explorations Ltd. (THX): +7.87%

• Hamilton Gold Producer YIELD MAXIMIZER™ ETF (AMAX): +6.51%

• Linamar Corporation (LNR): +6.42%

• Royal Canadian Mint – Canadian Gold Reserves Exchange-Traded Receipts (MNT): +3.94%

• Keyera Corp. (KEY): +3.71%

• Mineros S.A. (MSA): +2.11%

• United Corporations Limited (UNC): +1.36%

• Laurentian Bank of Canada (LB): +1.05%

I found most of these new investments on Stockopedia, with the exception of Hamilton Gold Producer YIELD MAXIMIZER™ ETF (AMAX). I already hold another Hamilton ETF in my portfolio: Hamilton Enhanced U.S. Covered Call ETF (HYLD). I was looking for another Hamilton ETF with a high yield, so I decided to go with AMAX.

As for Laurentian Bank of Canada (LB), I decided to buy some shares following the news of its acquisition. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see any LB shares in my portfolio. Laurentian has suffered from years of very poor management, and I’ve never been a fan of the bank. Still, I like investing in individual shares from time to time.

Sprott ETFs are no strangers to my portfolio either. I already hold Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS) units in my RRSP portfolio. PHYS has been in my RRSP for quite some time and has registered a gain of +120%. In just a matter of weeks, Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium Trust (SPPP.U) gained +18.27%, and I was quite happy with those quick gains.

Another Sprott product that I find interesting, but that doesn’t seem to appear on Stockopedia so far, is: Sprott Physical Copper Trust (COP.UN). COP.UN is fairly recent; it only started trading on the TSX in 2024. Like PHYS and SPPP.U, COP.UN doesn’t pay a dividend distribution, but I still think it’s a nice way to add diversification to a portfolio.

I know I already hold many stocks, across many sectors, but I never shy away from investing in a new find. I’ve made many great discoveries using Stockopedia. Urbana Corporation (URB), Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium Trust (SPPP.U), Thor Explorations Ltd. (THX), Linamar Corporation (LNR), Royal Canadian Mint – Canadian Gold Reserves Exchange-Traded Receipts (MNT), Keyera Corp. (KEY), Mineros S.A. (MSA), and United Corporations Limited (UNC) were all investment ideas I found while scrolling on Stockopedia.

I started investing in stocks shortly before the 2008 market crash, and when the crash finally happened, I knew it was my chance, I stepped in. I was still worried, of course, but overall I felt confident I was doing the right thing. There are many things you might feel you need to learn while investing, but the number one thing is that capitalism tends to keep moving forward. Despite recessions, market corrections, and wars, no matter what’s going on in the world, money is always at the center of it all. That’s why, if you invest across different stocks, in different sectors, and in high-quality assets, you can survive a lot. And over time, your net worth can grow.

You won’t register gains every single year, but overall, if you have a good 20 to 30 years before you retire, you have time to build a strong investment portfolio that can serve your interests.

It took me a long time. I don’t invest large amounts every year, but never in my life would I have expected to surpass the half-million net worth mark. I truly didn’t expect it to happen. You can start small and, two decades later, end up with more money than you ever imagined, but you need to give yourself a chance. Invest regularly, no matter how small the amounts are. Let your investments stay in your portfolio. Set up a DRIP whenever possible. And watch your assets grow over time.

This past year, I really felt the weight of my biggest holdings. In my non-registered portfolio, my largest holding happens to be Pembina Pipeline Corporation (PPL). And it hasn’t made things very easy for me, because from time to time, I really feel it whenever PPL pulls back, even if it’s a small pullback. It can slow down my progress. PPL has a very big impact on the value of my non-registered portfolio.

I don’t feel the need to sell PPL, but that said, I do feel the need for diversification. I feel the need to invest more and increase my dividend income. Right now, my obsession is to reach the equivalent of $1,000 in dividend income from my TFSA and non-registered portfolios. And I’m really not far away from that goal, so the obsession isn’t going away anytime soon.

Whether it’s my non-registered, TFSA, or RRSP portfolios, I have a few major holdings that my financial health relies on. But beyond that, I don’t see any harm in adding a few new discoveries here and there, especially when they come from Stockopedia. I’m not saying you need to invest in every stock that I invest in, but I personally find it rewarding to watch new additions in my portfolio register strong gains. The idea is simple: you can add a few “extra” positions around your big core holdings—like a spicy touch around the stocks that form the foundation of your net worth. And you can do that by investing as little as one share. The amount doesn’t matter as much as building the habit and staying engaged.

Personally, I’d like to invest next in some units of Sprott Physical Copper Trust (COP.UN). So see you soon.