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Get dividends while preserving or growing capital.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Hi AK,

I'm new to your blog.

In searching for passive income in the past it was all about property and I never really considered REITS, stocks or funds in general. However I'm slowing accumulating these instruments in recent years to both diversify and bolster my passive income stream.

Too many investment and UT performance reports assume you will keep reinvesting dividends to take advantage of compounding and show wonderful returns. Unfortunately for retirees who cannot afford to roll their dividends back to their investments these numbers do not hold true.

REITS often make cash calls and one can see even the holdings that you've mention like AIMS, LMIR, Cache, Sebana over the past 3 years have lost capital for their investors (assuming you don't reinvest).

If you look at income-focused UT reports purely on a NAV basis most head south. I've seen advice by other investors that say we should look for even higher returns, spend a portion of that and reinvest the rest (eg, get a 10% dividend, spend 8% and reinvest the rest) but that also usually entails taking on much higher risk. Another talks about a hybrid between income and value & growth investing.

So if you're an investor starting out today that needs dividends as income but wants to preserve or grow his capital you're really in a hard place.

How would you advice someone in this situation?

Regards
V




Hi V,

Welcome to ASSI. :)

If we entered at a high price, it is unlikely that we are going to do well. It is not just REITs but the same with everything else, including ETFs.

If we want to invest in REITs, for example, it would be more meaningful to compare within the REITs sector to see which ones have performed better. Why did I choose to stay significantly invested in AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REITs instead of Sabana REIT, for example?

In the current day environment, if we want to preserve our capital (i.e. zero risk and volatility) and yet want to receive income, investment grade bonds or fixed deposits are the best bets. Even so, the risk is not zero.

Grow our capital (and I take this to mean appreciating prices) and yet want some income? I am sure there isn't anything that can provide such certainty although if we have a very long term investment horizon, the chances will improve if we invest in a basket of well run companies that pay dividends.

Best wishes,
AK


How high a dividend yield is worthwhile etc.?

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Hi AK!

Reading your recent post on your 1H 2016 income is very inspiring and I hope one day to be able to reach your level. I have a few questions that I hope you can help me with in planing my portfolio

1) How much of your portfolio do you allocate to growth stocks and how much for income stocks?
2) If looking at income stocks aka dividend yield, what % and above do you deem it worth your while to invest in?
3) Whats your average yield for your whole portfolio currently?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Lewis


Remember the pyramid?


Hi Lewis,

Such blog posts are meant to inspire readers to embark on their own journeys towards financial independence. They are not meant to instruct. I am glad you are inspired. ;)

Allocation would depend on a person's motivation. Since I am more interested in income, I allocate more resources towards investing for income, for example.

When investing for income, a higher yield is always attractive but we have to bear in mind that other factors must be considered too. Always ask how is that income generated and also if it is sustainable (for how long)? We might not always get it right but if we ask these two questions, we should get it right most of the time.

One objective of investing for income is to beat inflation. If a stock is able to generate a yield that beats inflation rate or at least equals it, I might consider.

I never tell people what is my portfolio's average yield since I have revealed my annual passive income in absolute dollar value. However, this does not stop some readers from doing some CSI in my blog to get an estimate. ;p

Gambatte!

Best wishes,
AK

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