Straight Talk Investing

This chapter was last updated on Jan 5, 2024.

At my StraightTalkInvesting Newsletter, we do a portfolio review with significant equity ETF changes in early February, early May, and again at the end of October. My buy and sell recommendations are clearly stated, such as, “buy this ETF for 10% of your equity portfolio, and sell that dividend-payor, etc”; and I never use vague weasel-words.

Momentum ETFs make up one part of our recommended equity portfolio: these change three times per year. (See Ch 5.5).  The other part of our equity selections are dividend achievers, which are held for as long as they perform; often several years. (See chapter 5.3 for how and why dividend achievers are important). We typically recommend 20 Dividend paying stocks and REITs, and between 5 and 10 higher risk/reward ETFs, and sometimes individual technology or new economy special situation stocks.

I always invest 100% of my family’s portfolio in the manner advocated in each newsletter.

The track record for my newsletter’s equity recommendations is:

2002   10%

2003   35%

2004   5%

2005   25%

2006   24%

2007   .5%

2008   minus 10%

2009   24%

2010   13%

2011   minus 13%

2012   11%

2013   15%

2014   17%

2015     1%    

2016   14%

2017      8%

2018   minus 5%

2019    22%

2020     9%

2021     19%

2022       1%

2023        8%

for a yearly arithmetic average of  11% per year on our equities.  (Remember though that equities should comprise only a part of most nest-eggs, together with lower returning but safer Income generating investments).

You can sign-up for an introductory 2-issue subscription for $50, including GST. To receive a trial subscription, just send a cheque payable to Dale Rathgeber, 44 Coopers Heights, Airdrie Ab T4B 2S1, or an e-transfer to Dalerathgeber21@gmail.com.  Please put your email address on the cheque, and give us the name of your broker, so that we can be assured that you have a discount broker who will not charge you exorbitant fees for implementing our strategy. (See the list of good discount brokers in Chapter 2.1. Note again that if you need to switch to a discount broker, they will do all of the paperwork, and that you need not confront your present broker or advisor). The regular yearly fee for my newsletter is $400, and you can cancel at any time without hassle.

Part 3 of this manual continues with equity investing.