I am now at 90 275.29$

My investment portfolio is now at a beautiful 90 275.29$ and I have to say that I am very please. Hitting a first 90 000$ in assets is quite special to me. Especially on this month because I will be celebrating my 30th birthday.

I hit the 90 000$ because of today TSX gain. My overall portfolio had follow the TSX gain and here I am, at more than 90 000$. I was surprised to see Corby Distilleries Limited (CDL.A) at less than 15.30$ today. Otherwise, everything else is looking great, if not that Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN) that had slide to less than 6$ per unit. I had been lucky, at the time, I had purchased YLO.UN under 5$ per unit but I wouldn’t invest again in Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN).

As for my next investment, I was thinking about 100 units of Davis + Henderson Income Fund (DHF.UN). I currently hold 100 units only of Davis + Henderson Income Fund (DHF.UN), so it will be nice to add up an extra 100 units in order to benefit from the DRIP, even just a bit.

Otherwise, I want back to work on Monday and it went well. I am just trying to do my best but I kind of lost the speed a bit. Very strange isn’t, especially knowing I had doing what I am doing for more than 2 years now lol. Anyhow, I am back on track and surprise, I won’t have to work full-time to cover up on a co-worker who wanted to switch to a part-time shit. This is very nice because working there 6 hours per day at that job is pretty much what I can handle right now. I plan to discipline myself a bit more on my online projects with the free time a 6 hours daily shift is giving me and also focus more on my frugal living. I purchase a Second Cup coffee on Monday and today I buy myself some sushi. So I am cheating all the way here but my objective is to spend less, not to stop spending.

My stock investment portfolio in date of August 3, 2010

Savings:
1 000$

Non registered Investments:
Stocks and Units investment portfolio
Sprott Inc. (SII): 1 761.30$
Timminco (TIM): 118$
Blue Note Mining (BNT): 40$
Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS): 5 504.08$
Hanwei Energy Services (HE): 129$
Methanex Corporation (MX): 2 411.23$
Fortis (FTS): 3 117.46$
Pembina Pipeline Income Fund (PIF.UN):
7 881.12$
Just Energy Income Fund (JE.UN): 9 926.48$
Yellow Pages Income Fund (YLO.UN):
2 578.50$
Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund
(BA.UN): 2 562$
Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGF.UN): 2 094.56$
Enbridge Income Fund (ENF.UN): 4 364.60$
Corby Distilleries Limited (CDL.A): 3 010$
Davis + Henderson Income Fund (DHF.UN):
1 757$
Premium Brands Holdings Corporation (PBH):
2 650$
Cash: 0.32$

TOTAL: 49 905.65$

Tax-free savings account (TFSA):
RBC O’Shaughnessy Canadian Equity Fund:
2 658.85$
The Consumers’ Waterheater Income Fund
(CWI.UN): 1 872.72$
Sprott Canadian Equity Fund:
5 036.64$
Dumont Nickel Inc. (DNI): 388.13$
Cash: 60.78$

TOTAL: 10 017.12$

RSP investment portfolio:
Claymore Gold Bullion ETF (CGL): 3 616.60$
EnCana Corporation (ECA): 3 149$
Emera Incorporated (EMA): 5 369.16$
Cash: 30.26$

CIBC Dividend Growth Fund: 501.18$
CIBC Emerging Markets Index Fund: 420.27$
CIBC Monthly Income Fund: 996.48$

Energy and Base Metals Term Savings (Indexed term savings):
503.46$
Natural Resources Term Savings (Indexed term savings):
502.06$

GIC National Bank: 1 192.64$
GIC Plus: 500$

TD Canadian Bond: 116.01$
TD Monthly Income: 105.45$
TD Emerging Markets: 82.52$
TD Energy: 82.12$
TD Precious Metals: 106.68$
TD Latin American Growth: 95.63$
TD Entertainment and Communications: 106.51$
TD Dividend Growth: 197.19$
TD U.S. Mid-Cap Growth: 98.66$

Maritime Life International Equity Fund
(Templeton): 627.89$
Manulife Simplicity Growth Portfolio: 847.46$
Maritime Life CI Harbour Seg Fund: 989.79$
Maritime Life Fidelity True North Seg Fund: 946.39$
Maritime Life Trimark Europlus Seg Fund: 589.37$

Great-West – various: 1 753.62$

RBC Canadian Dividend Fund: 508.61$
RBC U.S. Mid-Cap Equity Fund C$: 1 721.83$
RBC Global Resources Fund: 845.11$
RBC O’Shaughnessy International Equity Fund:
598.35$
RBC O’Shaughnessy All-Canadian Equity
Fund: 1 027.64$

GIC Canadian Market: 1 000$

TOTAL: 29 227.94$

Social Capital at Desjardins Membership share
for 3 accounts: 40$

Savings + Stocks, units, mutual funds + Tax-
free Savings account + RRSP + Online Income
(84.58$):
90 275.29$

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) dividend bringing summer fun

This is very nice: I received 51.94$ in dividend from Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)! It’s actually very sweet to come back from work (I was working today at my weekend job) and log in to my laptop and see that I am richer of 51.94$... I am quite happy because this brings the stocks I hold with Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) to 107. Once Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) will exceed the 51.94$ or around, I won’t be able to get any new stock from the DRIP. But until that happen, I am enjoying the DRIP. This is actually looking very great for my dividend income of July. It’s at its highest ever, at 397.37$! This is getting interesting! My non registered portfolio (for stocks + units) had close Friday at 49 549.78$. Not so bad at all! Those are just little things that help me keep going even if my job situation is not the dream. So I am going to get back to work Monday at my daytime work with a big smile in my face and no one will know the reason why I am smiling. Except if you know who I am… lol... So thank you Bank of Nova Scotia, too bad you had to refuse my RSP loan because I rock. Show me the money baby and show me the love.

DRIP marketing discount offer by some Canadian companies: bonus on top of the dividend

I just notice 2 dividend payments: 15.33$ from Davis + Henderson Income Fund (DHF.UN) and 21.81$ from the Consumers’ Waterheater Income Fund (CWI.UN). This bring my dividend earnings to a total of 345.43$ for the month of July 2010. Today is my last day of my summer vacation, it was pretty relaxing since I slept in a lot and did almost nothing at all… But it was just what I needed, just to have nothing to think about. I had received my vacation pay. Again, I have a nice little very tight budget for the month of August. I hope to be able to invest again in September or October. I am not very sure of what my next stock trading will be made of. We’ll see. For the month of August, I plan to save around 1 100$ in cash. Nothing major for my online savings account, but it’s the best I can do with my current labor employment situation.

Yesterday was very beautiful day in Montreal so I took a long walk all the way to Montreal Old Port. After what I stop by the Chapters and take a look at a financial planning book I had seen before but never read: Debt-Free forever by Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Very good book about how to get out of debt. I find Debt-Free forever very inspiring and it actually reaches me in many ways. She talk about credit card balance transfer (the fun stuff!!!), about destroying credit card with a pair of scissors (awesome part!!!) and so on… Personally, I went through many things that Gail Vaz-Oxlade describes in her book. I went through them in order to not pay off debt, but to invest. I actually like the part where she suggested getting a second, and why not a third job as a clear debt solutions… This is me! She also openly talks about getting laid off of jobs before currently doing what she’s doing….. That’s definitively me… Thanks to BMO Bank of Montreal, I know what’s laid off is all about. She also talks about staying at home while taking vacation….. That’s actually how I spend my vacation: at home! lol!! Anyhow, I think I had discovered something very special with Gail Vaz-Oxlade writing and I will stay tune to her Web site.

I slowly begin to see the rewards of my online investment portfolio and my debt(s). Just Energy Income Fund (JE.UN) is slowly growing to reach the 14$ per unit, Pembina Pipeline Income Fund (PIF.UN) had exceed the 18$ per unit, etc. At a point, in the last couple of days, my non registered portfolio almost reach the 50 000$ by itself. The value of my portfolio is relatively stable and I am very happy about it. One investment after the other had bring more and more value to my online investment portfolio and I am pretty sure that one day, my 15 000$ investment mistake will just disappeared by itself, without leaving any traces.

I call TD Waterhouse broker just to find about a question that been posted under my blog entry: Switching to a cheaper online broker: Scotia iTrade. Some companies offer a discount to enroll on a DRIP. The question was if brokers were offering that discount. In my case, I deal with TD Waterhouse broker. I heard about discount before but I wasn’t really sure if I had accessed to the discount while being with TD Waterhouse broker. With TD Waterhouse broker, I have 3 types of broker account: non registered (in Canadian dollars), TFSA and RSP. I am registered to a DRIP in all 3 accounts. So I was curious to find out if I had accessed to the discount or not.

A good resource to find out about DRIPs and discount being offer in Canada is on the Web site Canadian Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs). In my online investment portfolio, the following top dividend paying stocks are offering a discount to their stockholders:

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS): 2% discount
Emera (EMA): 5% discount
Just Energy Income Fund (JE.UN): 2% discount
Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGF.UN): 5% discount

The discount is being offered on the DRIP shares. In my case, for all investment I hold, I only deal with small sum of money, but it still worth it to enroll on a DRIP. In my online investment portfolio, 4 companies I hold are offering me the discount.

I got the answer to my question from a TD Waterhouse broker representative. But the person who answers me wasn’t really nice. I find sometimes TD Waterhouse broker rep to be really rude and arrogant. But it’s not the case with every single representative, but still. I got a couple of bad experiences, always with French representative. I explain the rudeness because I talk to a bilingual representative. TD Waterhouse broker has a customer service call center located in Montreal. Overall, I am not being impressed at all by TD Waterhouse broker services and it’s very too bad that Bank of Nova Scotia didn’t approve my RSP loan because I would have switched to their iTrade discount broker. I just hate it when a TD Waterhouse broker representative say something to me, just like it happen today, of this nature: “As I just explain it to you” bla bla bla….. If I need clarifications, I should be able to ask without anything else being add. After all, I am kind of a successful investor and if I need to ask questions, I will ask them. All of them. But shouldn’t be surprise by bad customer service offer by Quebeckers. While living in Quebec, I am living outside Canada. It’s in Quebeckers real nature anyway to treat people like shit. Just take a very close look to their wonderful educational system and health care and see what’s going on. Quebec province is slowly dying on itself and I am very hoping for a wonderful long and peaceful death.

Money saving tip for debt management solution: my plan to save an extra 2 588.85$ per year

I am enjoying my last couple of days left of vacation. I work online a bit, made a few pennies which was enough to make me happy, but nothing in term of real big bucks lol. However, my vacations had been relaxing. I am waiting for my vacation paycheck tonight. I am just very curious to see if I am going to actually receive it or not……lol. Anyhow, I went saw Salt yesterday with Angelina Jolie. Salt might be the best movie of Angelina Jolie so far, if not ever. Nice summer blockbuster if you like action movies! Real soon Salt will become available among the other blockbusters dvd rental. Angelina Jolie is very great in Salt. It’s Angelina Jolie at her best.

I started to use my travel rewards credit card BMO Bank of Montreal MasterCard again. This specific card is an Air Miles MasterCard and the master card credit limit is of 4 000$. For a while, I was waiting for my credit card balance transfer to be completed and I didn’t have any credit card left to use knowing that I have a balance on my cibc visa card at a low interest rate of 3.9% until September. Once I have a credit card with at a low interest rate for a credit card balance transfer, I usually stop using that card, in order to not mess up with the low interest rate and the usual interest rate, often something around 19%.

This month, my credit card balance transfer was from my rbc visa card to my td visa card. It is now completed, I am now good for another 6 months at 4.9% on a 7 950$ balance. This will drive me until January. I am very grateful to TD Canada Trust for this low interest rate. I am good for another 6 months. This will make a one year at 4.9% for my visa credit card limit of 8 000$. My credit card minimum monthly payment for the 8 000$ balance is reasonable, less than 50$ each month. So I can easily manage this payment. It always needs to be done on time, before the due date. If not, I will loose the low interest rate of 4.9%. That’s basically the major thing that needs to be respected in credit card balance transfer. Another rule would be also to not exceed the visa credit card limit. Mine is 8 000$ for that specific td visa card. I had a headache for a while because my 4.9% was about to expired somewhere in October. On my late invoice, when I saw the offer was still on I didn’t wait. I proceed with a credit card balance transfer from my td visa card to my rbc visa card and than after from rbc visa card to td visa card. And here I am, all good until January! It actually really worth it to read your visa credit card statement! I did, and I find a quick and easy online debt solution to a credit card debt problem. I want the 100 000$ for 2010 even with a 37 000$ worth of debt. With my 89 000$ value in assets and 37 000$ in debt, I am not in a huge debt problems.

While thinking about my overall financial situation, I try to find new ways to save up some money. Those won’t make that of a difference on a short basis, but they will definitely help on a long term basis.

1-Stop dying my hair
I had been dying my hair for about 5 years in a row now. I went through several colors, from blond, brown to red. I really like myself in dark red and find it was the perfect color for me. But my latest coloration didn’t stay in my hair for very long and my natural hair color started showing up. I didn’t want to dye my hair again and so I told myself: why not stop? I didn’t see my natural hair color for about 5 years now and I don’t remember what I look like with my real color. I decide to give it a try. I didn’t dye my hair for the past 2 months or something like it and I decide to stop definitively.

Monthly money saves: 14$

2-No more monthly metro pass
I didn’t purchase a monthly metro pass since May, 2010. I like the experience. It wasn’t so bad during the hot summer time. I plan to continue living without a travel card for the upcoming months. I just wonder if this will work during winter time…..

Monthly money saves: 65$

3-Stop buying new shampoo products when I have many unused
This is a habit I have. Buying bottle of shampoo after bottle of shampoo, just to try new hair products. I purchase a new bottle when the one previously is not even finish. I have a full bag of shampoo products like that… So I won’t be purchasing new shampoo products for the upcoming months.

Monthly money saves: 6$

4-Using air miles reward program to purchase Second Cup coffees
At 2.21$ for a medium coffee, my daytime treat at Second Cup is costing me a fortune on an annual basis…

Check it out:
2.21$ x 5 times a week x 49 weeks (52 weeks – 3 weeks of vacation) in a year = 541.45$

I always bring some tea bags with me at me at work, but nothing is tastier than a Second Cup coffee. And most of the time, I find myself going to the Second Cup anyway, cheating on my nonexpenses goal like crazy.

With AirMiles, a 20$ Second Cup coffee card worth 170 AirMiles.

541.45$ / 20$ = 27 coffee cards……..

27 x 170 AirMiles = 4 602 AirMiles

Can I possibly satisfy myself with Second Cup coffees for one year without spending a penny?
Currently, my airmiles mastercard of BMO Bank of Montreal give me 1 air miles reward card per trench of 20$ in spending. Let’s say I spend around 350$ per month (overall). I earn 17 AirMiles per month…… 17 AirMiles x 12 = 204 new AirMiles accumulated annualy….. On top on this we can add 30 AirMiles earn per month by using AirMiles search engine. Which bring in 360 AirMiles.

I currently own 809 AirMiles… 809 + 204 + 360 = 1 373 AirMiles / 170 =
8 Second Cup coffee cards……

The trick would be to drink a mix of coffee and tea at work……. And not spend more than the 160$ giving by the Second Cup coffees card.

Monthly Money saves: 45$

5-Bring my lunch to my weekend job
Despite my low salary, I never bring or barely ever bring a lunch at my weekend job. I usually go at that nice bakery called Les Copains d’Abord located on Rachel… That’s where I spend at least 20$ each weekend lol.

20$ x 49 weeks = 980$

Monthly Money saves: 82$

6-Waive the service banking fee by keeping the minimum required in my checking account
I do my banking with Desjardins, so I don’t have to worry about major banking fees like the ones charged by BMO Bank of Montreal. At Desjardins, I am currently paying 3.95$ per month for 12 transactions. With this package, the minimum required for service charge exemption is only of 1 500$. Maybe not now but in the future, I may keep a 1 500$ in emergency fund. This will allow me to save 47.40$ annually in banking fees.

Monthly Money saves: 3.95$ (a bit more than the cost of a medium coffee at Second Cup!)

Those are some of my tips I will try to apply in order to save a couple of hundreds of dollars per month.

Frugal Vacation Living in Montreal: special even tonight at Lafontaine Park

It’s a rendez-vous tonight at 9pm at Lafontaine Park in Montreal! Never notice the theatre of Lafontaine Park? I did several times, but it’s seemed to be always close. But tonight, the theatre, which name Théâtre de Verdure, will be open this evening for the projection of Xavier Dolan movie J’ai tué ma mère. It’s being show during Gay Festival Divers/Cité starting this week.