Friday, September 25, 2009

10 tips for creating wealth from the stock market

1. Do not spread your money too thin.

My friend has a little over $200,000 invested in the stock market through 27 different Mutual funds. In my opinion, 27 Mutual funds is 27 too many collecting load fees, management fees, commission fees, operating and advertising fees. Diversity is important, but just as important is over-diversification. Also, in my opinion, $200,000 should not be put into more than 12 stocks, let alone 27 different Mutual funds.

2. Do not pay commission fees to purchase a stock.

If you are going to invest your hard earned dollars into a company, the least the company could do is provide you a way to invest in their company commission free – and they do!

3. Only purchase those companies that pay a dividend.

The same company that you invest in commission free should also offer you another incentive for you to invest – a dividend for the use of your money.

4. Only purchase those companies that have a history of raising their dividend every year.

The same company should continue rewarding you for your faith in their company by increasing the amount of their dividend every year. Rising dividends are also the proof that the company is dong something right.

5. Dollar-cost average into each stock position.

By dollar-cost averaging (buying the same stock at different prices through the years) you’ll never pay too much for the company’s stock, even if the initial purchase is at a 52 week high. Have all the dividends from each company rolled back into more shares of each company, until retirement. The companies you invest in should do this for you, automatically, commission free.

6. Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided from your stock portfolio.

That’s right! Forget making a profit. The burden is now lifted - no more pressure on making a buck in the stock market (Instead of trying to bend the spoon, that is impossible, instead just think of the spoon as – omigosh! - I’m in the Matrix). When you focus on the amount of money your holdings are providing in dividends – and when those companies selected have a history of raising their dividends each year – a lower stock price allows the dividends that are being rolled back into the stock to accelerate your income. The total value of your portfolio may go lower, but your income from that lower priced portfolio would increase dramatically. Profit by income!

7. Make every stock purchase with the intent that the purchase will be a long-term investment.

Do not trade in and out of your holdings. There have been many up and downs in the stock market. The down markets only accelerate your income. GE has raised their dividend for 28 years in a row. Why sell it? 100 shares of GE ten years ago has turned into 1200 shares today due to stock splits, and that is not counting how many shares you would have now if the dividends were being rolled back into more shares of the stock through those years.

8. Understand that a lower stock price, after your initial purchase may be a blessing in disguise.

The income from your stock holdings should grow every quarter, no matter what the total amount of your stock portfolio is worth. (If your Mutual fund declines in price from one year to the next and if your income is not increasing (accelerating) from that fund, why are you in that fund?) A company pays their dividend not on how much their stock is worth in the market place. For example, a company pays a quarterly dividend of 50 cents a share. A company has little control on how much its stock price is worth in the market place on any given day. You will receive 50 cents a share per quarter whether the stock price is at 50 dollars a share, or drops to $40 a share or goes up to $70. While the stock is down at $40 a share your dividend reinvestment is loading up on more shares.

9. Develop a savings plan to add to your holdings each quarter to help your dividend reinvestments to accumulate more shares on a dollar-cost averaging basis.

The savings could be as little as $5.00 a week. Why put that savings in a savings account at 1.2 percent, when there are so many companies out there that are paying a 4 to 5% dividend yield and increasing their dividend every year? And since none of the companies you are investing in charge a commission, all of that $60.00 a quarter you saved and invested would help your dividend reinvestments to dollar-cost average into your holdings. Every cent you save and invest would work toward your ROI (Return on Investment).

10. Read my book ‘the Stockopoly Plan’ soon to be released by American Book Publishing.

I believe it will profit you and your family for the rest of your lives.

For more excerpts from the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’ please visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com



By : Charles M. O’Melia
Charles M. O’Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. Author of the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’, soon to be released by American Book Publishing.

Friday, September 11, 2009

How To Create Wealth In The Stock Market

First and foremost, an opportunistic strategy for creating stock market wealth is needed. And the opportunistic strategy for creating wealth in the stock market must have two ingredients, a plan and a goal. The plan must be a definite, concrete plan of investing that would profit you and your family for the rest of your lives.

This opportunistic investment plan you begin should not profit anyone else – not a stockbroker, a mutual fund or a financial advisor. This means you have to have confidence in yourself and in your own judgment as to whether the investment plan you begin has merit. And this means that the investment plan would and should have already been proven to you!

This definite, concrete plan you begin for creating wealth through opportunities in the stock market must also have a goal. The goal should be clear and specific, and once your have made up your mind to achieve that goal, then go forward and make that goal a reality.

What are the opportunistic traits of a strategic investment plan built on concrete that would actually allow the shareholder to profit through all the turmoil of an up and down stock market? The secret for creating wealth in the stock market; no matter what direction the market is heading?

As in what appears to be the most difficult investment question of all to answer, the answer lies in simplicity itself – investing in those companies that have a historical record of raising their dividend every year. Whether or not you can take this statement of fact to heart is your own judgment call. But it is this opportunistic trait that can and will create wealth for you and your family for the rest of your lives.

A company’s ability to raise its dividend every year, coupled with stock appreciation is a very powerful wealth creating formula!

I’m going to provide you with two examples, though there are many more, some with even better results. The two examples are from my book, soon to be published by American Book Publishing – The Stockopoly Plan (where an investment plan and a goal are written in stone).

The first example would be a stock purchased in 1990, Comerica (CMA). What led to the purchase of CMA? – In 1990 CMA had a 21 year history of raising their dividend every year. Today’s CMA has a 35 year history of raising their dividend every year. This opportunistic trait in CMA stock has garnished a little better than a 15 percent return a year, compounded annually (just by having the dividends reinvested back into the stock each quarter through those years – I prove this to you in The Stockopoly Plan), for the past 14 plus years. Today’s CMA stock just recently touched a new high at $60 dollars a share, with a dividend yield of around 3½ percent. In April of 2003 the stock was selling around $37.50 a share, paying a dividend yield of around 5% a year. Am I tempted to sell my position in CMA? Do I care if the stock drops from this lofty price back to $37 a share? Why should I? If the stock drops back to $37 a share, my dividends being reinvested back into the stock each quarter purchases more shares, and my dividend income from CMA simply and dramatically accelerates. I am also already prepared that if a buy-out offer is ever made for the company to reap the profits of owning the stock (as well as the possibility of another stock split).

The second example is (unfortunately) in my book, also. I say unfortunately because my book is in the final copy edit stage, so no one has had a chance to read and benefit from it, and since a buy-out offer was made for the stock last week or so, the stock will no longer exist (this means a rewrite for me, before publication). The company in question is the Rouse Co. (RSE), which was just purchased by General Growth Properties (GGP). Oddly enough, you’ll find GGP in my book, also – if you bother to pick it up. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there - RSE, on the takeover bid jumped over $16.00 a share in one day! Whew! Why couldn’t they have waited a couple of months until my book was released? RSE had the opportunistic trait of raising their dividend every year since 1993 and I was quite content with its performance through the years.

Well, that last paragraph blew my train of thought on this article. All I can think about at the moment is my rewrite.

I would like to take this time to explain something to you. I have never considered myself a writer nor am I a stock market professional. I am simply a man with 39 years of experience and a passion for the stock market, trying to share what wisdom those years have given me. When I sit down to write an article, I seldom have an idea on what I’m going to say. It was the same way when I sat down to write my book. I just meant to put down a few words on paper for my 18-year old son so he would have a sound, concrete plan for investing in those companies that make up the stock market (quite frankly – I didn’t want him to blow his inheritance). Whether you find merit in what I say, I have no idea. What I do know is that life is just too short to learn everything you need to learn by yourself, without the help of others.

There, now I’m satisfied with that ending!

For more excerpts from the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’
visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com



By : Charles M. O’Melia
Charles M. O’Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. Author of the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’, soon to be released by American Book Publishing.
 
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