IndependentCandy14’s Investing Journal

Howdy!

Welcome to all those who may read this thread. I decided to create this investing journal, or thread, because sometimes prior trades and positions get fuzzy in the brain with all the everyday work, business, clients, family, and friends things going on.

I have been following and investing in the US Stock Markets since 2006. My investing was on and off from 2006 to 2011 as I was a High School, and College Student with not a lot of money during that time. During that time, I was actually investing pieces of my allowance from my parents. But during that time, I learned a lot about the markets, and the ups and downs that can happen in a matter of a short period of time.

During 2008-2010 I really became fascinated with the teachings, theories, philosophies (whatever you may choose to call it) of Mr. John “Jack” Bogle, the Founder of Vanguard. My research and studies of Mr. Bogle turned me into a true long term investor. I was worried about the stock market as being a safe investment because in a matter of two to three years, equity values were for some, cut in half.

I am a Long Term Investor, but I am Not a true Boglehead theory investor i.e. Three Fund Portfolio, Asset Allocation, Rebalancing etc. I do not have a specific asset allocation (though that may be changing: more on that later) and I Never rebalance.

I buy and hold Individual Equities, ETFs and Mutual Funds. I rarely sell and I try to buy what I think is the best company in that sector with growth potential. Obviously we all will not agree on what we think is the best. But that is why everyone’s investing thesis, and journey are different; and more importantly their returns.

Do not take the prior statements in the wrong way. I do trade from time to time, and I do open positions that I have no intention of holding for the Long Term. For Example: in the past few weeks after their earnings call, RH (Restoration Hardware) was a good swing trade for me. Earlier this year, I “played” CMG (Chipotle Mexican Grill) earnings too. The amounts used for day, and swing trading are not material to me. The positions can go to zero and it will not affect me at all. For swing trades, I only buy full shares. I do not buy fractional shares offered through some brokerage houses like Fidelity.

I think that My time in the markets is essentially unlimited.

In my early 20’s I thought I would diligently need to save for retirement and I was worried about downtrends in the market because of the feeling of “losing money” even though no losses were realized because nothing of material value was sold. As I grew older and learned more and more about Financial concepts (rule of 72, time in the market not timing the market etc.) I became less worried about market downturns.

Now in my 30’s my mindset is changing yet again. I take the market downturns, like we are in now, as a buying opportunity. If the next ten years go alright, I may never need to touch my investing portfolio for a single penny and it will all be inherited by my heirs. Because of this, I am probably taking on more risk that what a Financial Advisor will recommend. And I am totally okay with that because even if I need to tap into my equity portfolio, I have plenty of time ~25-30 years from now.

More to come on this thread.

Please do not hesitate to reply in this thread or personally send me a message. I encourage, and want feedback from others, especially for those that have been in the markets long before me. Good Constructive Criticism is always welcomed by me.

Remember: Nothing in this thread is meant to be Investment or Financial Advice. This is my journal of my investing life. Do not take my suggestions for any particular investments as YMMV. Just because I post something doesn’t mean it will turn out to be profitable. I am sure you all are aware of this already. LoL. Please do your own research and due diligence.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Outlined below are some more details about my Portfolio, how my Capital is Allocated, and which Equities, ETF's and Mutual Funds I am Invested in.

Below is my Total Portfolio by Weight as of Market Close on Friday, April 8th, 2022.



My Portfolio is ~55% Individual Equities, and ~45% ETF’s and Mutual Funds. This year, I have decided that I want to bring the overall allocation of my Portfolio closer to 40% Individual Equities, and 60% ETF’s and Mutual Funds. I do Not Rebalance. I will undertake this task with new contributions. Contributions are made at the very least once a month. Most Months, multiple Contributions are made on Market Down Days. Windfalls, bonuses, proceeds from sales are Fully Invested in a Lump Sum on the very next “best investing day” that I think

As stated above, My Portfolio Consists of ~45% ETF’s and Mutual Funds. This ~45% is broken down as follows:



~83% of this weighting is in USA ETF’s and Mutual Funds. The biggest portion of this slice is invested into VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund). Other notable investments in this slice include VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund), QQQ (Nasdaq 100), and an assortment of other Mutual funds; both large, mid, and small cap funds, and dividend funds.

~16% of my ETF and Mutual fund slice of my Portfolio is Invested into International Funds, and ~2% in fixed income. I have spoken to my Financial Advisor about my thoughts about International Markets, and Fixed Income, and he repeatedly suggests to remain diversified. So every dollar I Invest on my own strictly is limited for the great companies of the USA.

My Individual Equity Slice is Illustrated Below. I have 13 holdings of material value. I have another 10 holdings of what I consider to be a value that is not material. Most of these non material holdings were bought during the 2020 Covid “Flash Crash”, and have substantial gains. I am no rush to sell them and create a tax event so I am simply holding on to them for now. Of my ~55% Capital in Individual Equities they are invested into the following Sectors/Industries (note: the naming of these sectors might not be the naming of the 11 sectors you are used to. I just use this nomenclature to make it easy for me)



The following holdings are what I consider to be Material:

ABNB (Airbnb, INC.)
APA (Apache Corporation)
AAPL (Apple, INC.)
DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) I am aware that this is an Industrial Sector Stock, but I put it my travel slice.
XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
F (Ford Motor Company)
KSS (Kohl’s Corporation)
LOW (Lowe’s Companies, INC.)
NCLH (Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, LTD.)
PLTR (Palantir Technologies, INC.)
PARA (Paramount Global)
SPG (Simon Property Group, INC.)
SOFI (SoFi Technologies, INC.)

Some of the, in my opinion, Non Material Holdings, that are included in the pie chart above include:

AMAT (Applied Materials, INC.)
AXP (American Express Company)
AGNC (AGNC Investment Corp)
BAC (Bank of America Corporation)
CCL (Carnival Corporation & PLC.)
HLT (Hilton Worldwide Holdings, INC.)
MS (Morgan Stanley)
NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation)
RCL (Royal Caribbean Cruises, LTD.)
TM (Toyota Motor Corporation)

I am not a Big Tech Heavy Investor. My rational behind this is that with my ETF and Mutual Fund Purchases, I am already buying a boat load of the famous Big Tech and FANG stocks: i.e. MSFT, GOOGL, AMZN, TSLA, FB (which I wish wasn’t included in such a large chunk) etc. And as stated above, especially during this market volatility and uncertainty, I plan on only making future contributions for the foreseeable future (rest of 2022) to VTI, and VOO. Maybe a little QQQ if it happens to decline back into the $330s.

I will be updating my allocation graphs from time to time as they see changes and will be posting my potential day/swing trades. Like I stated in the first post, I usually buy and hold and rarely cash out on what I think are lifelong, long term investments.

Thanks for Reading!

-IndependentCandy14

 

As a side Note.

I DO NOT PLAY OPTIONS.

Even on my day/swing trades, I buy full shares, and I try to purchase equities in companies that I do not mind getting “stuck” in. If the trade doesn’t go my way, I try to be invested in a company that I do not mind holding on to. Sometimes you have to cut your losses though. The facts about trading the equity markets.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Travel Stocks Kept me alive against the S&P Index today. Got a Beat by 0.25%.

The “Power” of analysts in this market is Absurd!

Two Notable Movers in my portfolio today:

DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) was upgraded by an analyst and Roared (4%) whilst NVDA (NVIDA Corporation) was downgraded by an analyst and was Silenced (-5.2%).

DAL is my First Company to Report their Earnings for the past quarter on Wednesday Morning.
My best guess is with a decent Market tomorrow we Rise into Earnings.
Probably something about Increased Fuel Costs and, or Labor Shortages might Kick it Back Down Post Earnings.
Who Knows in this Market.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Beat the S&P by 0.23% Today. Still a Red Day but I’ll take it.

Notable Movers Today:

KSS (Kohl’s Corporation). Buyout Rumors have been Swirling for Months. Today they received Bids for $69-70/share placing it at roughly $9B Market Cap. This Rocketed the Share Price Today (5.35%). Will Management Succumb to the pressure? Only Time will Tell.

The Energy Sector also had a Positive Impact Today. APA Corporation and XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation) both had +2% days.

Earnings Early Tomorrow Morning for me.
DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) reports, and I’m excited to see their Outlook on the Travel Industry.
I am looking for Positive Guidance and a Reduction of Debt.

I Made a Contribution Today of which 100% was invested into VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund).
Market Time: 15:36
Price: $220.32.

Two More Days Left in this Short Market Week. Hoping to get out of this Past Two Day Slump and End the week Positively.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Good Morning Fellow Stockaholics,

DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) Reported their Quarterly Results Early this Morning.
Beat on Revenue, and Earnings Per Share.

As of this writing, the Share Price has “Gapped UP” 5-6% in Pre Market Trading.

I haven’t yet delved into the details, but will later today.

Hopefully we all see some Green Today, and a nice Boost in Our Portfolio Values. Pre Market, things are looking Swell. But as we Know, Pre Market Does Not Mean Anything.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Howdy Value543!

No Offense Taken. Here is my Rational…

I am a Long Term Investor, but I am Not a Passive Investor.
I Read the Financial News and Follow the Markets Everyday.
I Set It And Forget It for my Long Term Convictions. But I still Like to see How they Perform on a Day to Day Basis, and I always Buy them when I Think They are on “Sale”.
You can Call me Addicted, or A Stockaholic! LoL.

I Just Hate Seeing Red!
Seeing my Account Green is Always Rewarding, and Like us All, I Wish Everyday Could Be Green! But We Are All Smart and Wise and Know that Everyday being Green is Never Going to Happen.

-IndependentCandy14

 

It seems that ever since I started this Thread (albeit it has only been three days) my Portfolio Has been Performing Well!

Another Beat on the S&P Index by 0.82% Today.

Travel Stocks Out Performed Today Tremendously!

ABNB (Airbnb, INC.) and DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) Soared Today; 7.33% & 6.21% Respectively. NCLH (Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, LTD.) was No Slouch Either having a 6.19% Day.

My First Earnings Report Today, DAL, Started off with a Bang!
My Next Material Company to Report is F (Ford Motor Company). This is Estimated on April 26th, 2022.
In the Mean Time, A Lot of Companies including Big Banks, and Some Tech Stocks will Report Their Earnings.
Hopefully They Beat, and Trend the Market Upwards.

-IndependentCandy14

 

I Got Beat Today by the S&P. Minimal Loss Against the Index. 0.08%.

DAL (Delta Airlines, INC.) Kept me Up Again Today gaining 3.27%. What a Week it has had, gaining +14%.


*Chart Source: Yahoo Finance App iPad as of the Time and Date Stamp on the Top Left Corner.

Other Notable Movers today in the Portfolio on the Down Side were QQQ (Nasdaq 100) losing (2.29%) and the Semi-Conductors.
I will Consider Adding to My NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation) Position Next week if this Market Continues on the Downward Trend.
This ongoing Market Volatility Has Stopped me from Investing in QQQ. Most New ETF Contributions are Invested in VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund).

MS (Morgan Stanley) Reported Earnings this Morning. They Beat. I have a Very Small Position in MS, but nevertheless, It is Always Nice to See a Company You Own, and Follow to Beat Earnings Estimates.

The Long Weekend Started Today. No USA Equities Market Action for us Tomorrow.
I Will be Keeping and Eye on SOL.X (Solana) in the Crypto Currency Markets Tomorrow.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Speaking of Crypto, I Just Realized I Haven’t posted About that Yet.

I had Fun with BitCoin back in 2016 when it First Started Surging and Getting Popular.

Recently I have Been “Playing” with DogeCoin (Last Year), ETH (Etherum), ADA (Cardona) and SOL.X (Solana).

None of My Crypto Positions are material; they could Go to Zero and I would Care Less.

I am More into Precious Metals; Silver, Gold, Platinum.
I Only Buy Physical, and They Are Not an Investment for Me.
It is for my Family to Pass Down Generation to Generation.

What’s the “Better Hedge Against Inflation” Gold or Crypto?
As of Now, I am a Precious Metals Buyer.

Just my 0.02 Cents. LoL.

-IndependentCandy14

 

The Case of the I-Bonds; Currently Paying 7.12% soon to be Almost 10%!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-safe-investment-that-will-soon-yield-almost-10-11649769505

HYSA (High Yield Savings Accounts) Do Not Pay close to the Interest I-Bonds Pay, and I-Bonds are Liquid Enough to Tap into in a True Emergency.
If you only have a six month Emergency Fund, then I-Bonds may Not be Ideal because if something Happens Tomorrow you are Out of Luck.
You must Hold I-Bonds for 1 year at a Minimum, and You Forfeit the Last Three Months of Interest if You cash in Early; before Five Years.
However; If your Family tends to Hold 18-24 Months of Cash, then I-Bonds can Be Attractive for a Piece of your Emergency Fund.

If you are an Individual who Does Not Like to take Much Market Risk, the Current Rate of Return on I-Bonds is Unbeatable when Compared to a Traditional CD (Certificate of Deposit), or a HYSA.

The Link to the Article Above was Referenced in this Article from Today:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-boost-your-tax-refund-with-a-guaranteed-great-return-11649990169

In My Opinion, this a Great Way to Save your Income Tax Refund for Those who Already Have Emergency Funds in Place, and Do Not Want to Invest their Refunds in the Equity Markets, or are just Looking for a Guaranteed Rate of Return on a Fixed Amount of Contributions.

Note, The limit Per Person for I-Bonds is Currently $10K per year per person.

-IndependentCandy14

 

I came across this little article, or Q & A, this evening, and boy does it Grind my Gears. LoL.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/credible-money-coach-do-we-have-too-much-home-equity

The “Financial Broker” or Advisor is Hunting for More AUM (Assets Under Management) to gain their 1-2% Fee.

My Understanding is that when You are Nearing Retirement, You Want to be Debt Free.
Why on Earth would Anyone Leverage their Main Abode and go into Debt just because they have “too much equity”.
It Just Does Not Make Sense to Me.

The Couple in this Article are Doing Well. They will have Upwards of $4M in Net Worth by the Time they Retire.

Does anyone think it is a good idea to do a Cash Out Refinance on their Primary Abode just because you have a lot of Equity?

I Certainly Do Not Think So.

Personally, to me, Having a Paid for, Debt Free Main Abode is the Greatest Financial Security One can Achieve.
Once the Main Abode is Paid Off, a Couple could “Flip Burgers” and still pay for Utilities, Taxes, Insurance, and Drive a Decent Car.

Clearly “Financial Advisors” Have their Own Agenda. LoL.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Happy Easter fellow Stockaholics!

Two of my Small Positions will Report their Results This Week.
Both Holdings are in the Financials Sector.

Monday BAC (Bank of America Corporation) will Report their Quarterly Results, and Friday AXP (American Express Company). Both will Report during the Pre-Market Session.
Below I have Linked One of the Articles I read Today Regarding the Financial Company’s Earnings:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/credit...onsumers-glum-view-of-the-economy-11650063685

Consumer Spending is Rising, Partly due to Inflation, and it seems that People are Spending More on Travel, Meals, and Entertainment. The Enjoyments and Experiences They Missed in the Past Two Years.

IMO, More Importantly, Consumer Credit Card Loan Balances are Rising Too.
Scary.
Are the Low and Middle Income Family’s going to be able to Weather this Period of High Inflation and a Cut Off of Federal and State Stimulus?
Only Time will Tell.

But there was Some Hope in the Article for the “Security” of these Big Banks and Finance Company’s.
According to Jaime Dimon, Net Charge Off Rates are Low. He said “as a matter of fact, way better than they should be.”

Another Company I will Be Watching this Week is NUE (Nucor Corporation).
The Basic Materials Company will Report its Quarterly Results on Thursday; in the Pre-Market Session.
The Steel Behemoths Stock has been Soaring the Past Week.
Hitting New Highs Practically Every Day.

It is Just Fun Watching a Company Hit New All Time Highs. At Least Something is Preforming Well in the Market. LoL.
I’m Excited to Follow NUE Earnings, and see if it Will Keep on Hitting New Highs, or if it will Pull Back and Give me a Short Term Entry Point.

-IndependentCandy14

 

Happy Tax Day 2022 for the 2021 Filing Season my Fellow Stockaholics!

Hopefully everyone got their Income Tax Returns, and or Extensions Filed On Time!
(You Have till Mid-Night, LoL)

I Made Two Contributions Today into Two Separate Accounts.
Both Contributions were 100% invested into VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund).

The Details for the Two Contributions are:

Market Time: 14:54
Price: $220.84

Market Time: 15:47
Price: $219.48

I will have to Wait a Few More Hours to See how my Portfolio Performed Against the S&P Today.
I Wish that Mutual Funds Would Update right at 16:01. LoL.

-IndependentCandy14

 

BAC (Bank of America Corporation) Reported their Quarterly Results Early this Morning.
They Beat Top (Revenue), and Bottom (Earnings per Share) Line Estimates.

This Carried the Stock Upwards Today by 3.41%. The Best Performer in my Portfolio today.
Nevertheless, the Stock is Still Down ~13% YTD.

This Short Article Summarizes their Quarterly Report:

https://www.barrons.com/articles/ba...rnings-lending-51650283748?st=kgu37wq11kpik9f

Loan Balances are Rising, Commercial Lending is Rising, and Net Interest Income is Rising.
This Little Quote from the Article Above Puts the Fed Rate Hike Effects into Perspective for these Big Banks and Financial Companies:
“The bank noted that a one percentage-point increase in both short- and long-term interest rates would increase its net interest income by $5.4 billion over the next 12 months.”

More Income, and Shareholder Value Soon to be Added by Simply Doing Nothing, and Without Spending Additional Capital and Resources.
I am Excited to see where Big Bank Earnings go as we Progress Through this Year.
Hopefully the Big Banks are “Vetting” Customers Properly to Ensure Net Charge Off Rates Remain Low.

We Certainly Do Not Want Another 2008 Financial Crisis. LoL.

-IndependentCandy14

 

The S&P Index Beat me Today.
By 0.36% to be Exact.

Travel Stocks gave Back some of their Gains from Last Week which Caused a Negative Day for Me.

“Black Gold” (aka Oil and Energy Sector) Had a Terrific day, as did Real Gold. LoL.

APA Corporation Hit a New 52 Week High During the Intra-Day Session; however, It Was Not Able to Hold its Gains Throughout the Day.

Real Gold’s Spot Price Hit $2,003.00 today per Ounce.
That Puts US Mint American Eagles in 1OZ Pure Gold at about ~$2,150.00!
Pricey Indeed.

It Seems to me that Precious Metal Investing has Gained Steam Since the COVID-19 Pandemic.
We Have seen the Spot Price of Gold at Above $1,700.00 since March of 2020. It Does Not Seem as if Gold is Likely to Cool Down Anytime Soon.
I would Love to see the Days of 2016-2019 when Gold was Back at a Spot Price of ~$1,400.00 per Ounce.

Aside from my Gold (“Black” and Real) Rant Above, LoL, I Mentioned NUE (Nucor Corporation) Yesterday.
NUE Hit a New All Time High Once Again Today During the Intra-Day Session.
Looks Like it Wants to Continue Running into Earnings which are This Thursday during the Pre-Market Session.

Just Look at this YTD Chart; it is a Thing of Beauty Compared to the S&P Index YTD during this First Half of 2022.


*Chart Source: Yahoo Finance App iPad as of the Time and Date Stamp on the Top Left Corner.

We Saw a Big Wave in the Markets Today; Struggling for Direction. Let See if the Upcoming Earnings reports this Week Lower this Volatility a Little and Lead us in an Upwards Path.

-IndependentCandy14

 

I Beat the S&P Index Today.
By 0.37% to be Exact.

Everything in the Portfolio Performed Well Today Except for One Holding.
XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation) Was in the Red Today. It was Expected as Crude Oil Took a Big Hit Today.
Not Everything was a Lost Cause Today in the Energy Sector.
APA Corporation Hit a New 52 Week High Today, and Had a Modest Gain of 0.93% to End the Day.

The Travel Sector also Preformed Well Today.
A Notable Standout was the Small Postion that I have in HLT (Hilton Worldwide Holdings, INC.).
HLT Hit a New All Time High Today, Gaining 4.20%.

Speaking of New All Time Highs: NUE (Nucor Corporation) is at it Again.
Another Day, Another New All Time High! It Just Continues Running Up to Its Earnings Release this Thursday in the Pre-Market Session.

It is Rewarding to See that Even With the S&P Index Down YTD, and Major Equities Struggling, There are Still Solid Companies Around Hitting All Time, and or 52 Week Highs. It was Nice to See a Positive Green Day Today after the Markets Being Cool for the Past Two Trading Days.

Hopefully the Abysmal Netflix Earnings Won’t Kill the Markets Tomorrow.

-IndependentCandy14

 

I Got Beat by the S&P Index Today; By a Big Percentage Too.
To Be Exact, 0.76%

The Two Big Laggards in the Portfolio were PARA (Paramount Global) and SOFI (SoFi Technologies, INC.), Dropping 8.60% and 6.21% Respectively.

The Following is My Rational on the Drops Today for these two Companies:

PARA Suffered Losses as Netflix was Absolutely Shattered due to its Earnings Report Yesterday.
It Looks Like the Entire FinTech Sector was Underperforming Today Due to an Analyst “Down Grade” on PayPal’s Stock.

As Always, this is all Just Noise, and Does Not Effect the Long Term Trajectory of these Companies.
PARA was Actually a Good Day Trading Stock Today. At one Point it was Down ~12% and then Recovered back to about 6% Loss.
A 6% Return in a Matter of a Few Hours is Pretty Sweet! But I am No Day Trader, so I Have No Clue what the Typical Day Trader Expects.

PARA Reports Earnings in about Two Weeks.
I was Trying to Stick to Only Purchasing VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) but if PARA Falls to Less than $31.50 per Share, I will Probably Start to Add More to my Position.

The Travel Sector is Getting a Nice Boost in the Post-Market Session Today.
UAL (United Airlines Holdings, INC.) Reported their Quarterly Results this Afternoon. Despite a Miss, the Stock is Rallying in the Post-Market Extended Trading Hours Session by 7.59%. I haven’t gone into the Details just Yet, but it Seems as if they have delivered Solid Forward Guidance, Expecting a Profit in 2022.

The Travel Sector should See a Nice Boost in Thursday’s Session.

HLT (Hilton Worldwide Holdings, INC.), and NUE (Nucor Corporation) Both Hit All Time Highs Again Today in the Early Trading Hours; however, Both Companies Gains Fizzled Out.
I am Assuming HLT gets a Bump Again Upwards tomorrow if the Travel Sector is Up, and NUE Reports Tomorrow Morning so its Trend Tomorrow will be Based on its Earnings Report.

-IndependentCandy14