Optimism #68 - October 24, 2023

Good day,

My wife has me taking vitamins, and one of them is biotin. She says it delays hair loss. I’m not so convinced. 
When I glance quickly at the container, it looks like I’m eating bitcoin.   Life is funny.  I’m glad we steered clear of that crypto mess.

Stock prices are temporarily down.  It’s like good real estate. It doesn’t always go up, but smart to own over the longer term.

In my inbox this morning.  RBC dividend distribution reminder.  The effect is nearly Pavlovian. 

Emera and Fortis recently increased their dividends.  We put solar panels on our roof, so now Fortis pays us more than we pay them.  Life is grand.

Recent insider buying at Petyo (natural gas), Baytex Energy, Superior Plus, Maple Leaf Foods and Telus to name a few.  It’s always a good sign.

Some of us are just not wired to make logic driven financial decisions.  Terrific article (Word file) in the Globe about going through a short list of questions as a process for better outcomes.

In September, the IAFP (governing boy of my Registered Financial Planner (R.F.P.) education body met for a few days of learning.
A speaker presented on the uncomfortable but important subject of how we want to be treated in our final days.  Ventilators and all medications available or warm emotionally supportive natural palliative means to an end?
It’s a difficult discussion for ourselves, but also brings challenges for our loved ones who are often forced to make difficult decisions on short notice, that they don’t really understand well themselves.  There is considerable medical vernacular, making it more challenging. 
The solution seems to prepare for it.
Here is a form that may be completed, helping medical professionals understand our wishes, made when we have had time for a sober second thought.
It’s a valuable conversation to have with our physicians. If your region differs, there may be a different version, but here is a link to the form for BC Interior Health.  

We have sent out an email for fall reviews. It’s not necessary, but the goal is to find little things that are worth discussing, as well as reconnecting. It’s also nice to update your net worth summaries and see your bottom lines grow over time.

We lost a really wonderful client. Sad.  He passed away far too soon.  Almost everything was in joint names or had beneficiaries listed.  We missed the safety deposit box.  It had a lot of cash in it, forcing the need for probate filing and tax.  Darn.  We could have avoided it all together if the box was in joint names.

I follow a person on Twitter (now called X).  The name listed is ‘Canadian Dividend Investing’.  He notes what a delight it is to hold Canadian Tire shares.  In 2017, there were 68.7 million shares outstanding, today only 59 million.  It’s like cutting pizza. If you slice it into 6 pieces instead of 8. Each piece is bigger.
And the dividend per share rose during the same period from $2.85 per share / year to the current $6.80.

From Tom Connolly’s blog:  Skimpy Dividends in the first few years is why you need patience.  I can attest it will be worth it. 
Here is one example:  BNS’ dividend in 1996 was 32 cents per year.  Now it's $4.24.
Stephen Jarislowsky attests too:  “ The crux of your success will be selecting leading companies and then holding on to them for many years.”

According to JP Morgan, if you upload your own 30 second track to Spotify, then program your phone to listen to it on repeat 24 hours per day, you will receive about $1,200 a month in royalties. 

Have a fun Halloween.
Derek Moran