Weekly Investment Activity - Dividend Stocks and TSP

Hi everyone,

The market has been hectic to say the least, as wild swings in both directions have been daily occurrences, which means some opportunities are presenting themselves to us investors.  I really wish I had a wad of cash to throw down on some stocks, as the energy sector has been hit very hard, along with numerous other attractive dividend stocks.  I’ve been saving up for one big buy for the month, but not quite there with the total I would like to invest at a time to minimize trading fees with the broker.  However, I did add to some of my positions through my direct investment plans and my Loyal3 account.  Also, I contributed to my 401K plan, which is the Thrift Savings Plan ( TSP ).  Overall, I put $834.00 to work in my investments, spread between my TSP account and my Dividend Growth portfolio. 

This posting will detail last week’s investment activity, as I invested capital in my TSP account, Loyal3 account and by direct investing.  I did not add any positions, but rather added to existing positions as I continue to grow them one penny at a time.   

Dividend Growth Investing:

Loyal3:

I invested $70.00 in my Loyal3 account for the week.  I added to my positions with McDonald’s Corp. and The Coca-Cola Company.  Although I do not consider KO cheap at the moment, I want to continue adding small amounts to my position on a monthly basis to slowly accumulate shares.  If the price dips significantly, such as sub-40s again, I will add a larger amount of my capital.  I do like the current valuation of MCD, as it’s very attractively priced at the moment with a very good Yield on Cost (YOC).  I will keep adding to MCD on a weekly basis, as long as the price stays down. 

I ended up investing $70, which was spread out between two companies.  I invested the following: 

McDonald's Corp. ( MCD ): $50.00 invested at a share price of $90.58

The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ): $20.00 invested at a share price of $42.68

Direct:

I ended up throwing some extra capital into my monthly direct investment plans.  Energy stocks have been beaten down lately, and presented some good opportunities to allocate some additional funds this month.  In total, I put $351.00 towards additional monthly purchases this month for my holdings in COP, XOM and LMT.  The summary of my purchases are:

ConocoPhillips ( COP ):  $35.00 invested at a share price of $68.51

Exxon Mobil  ( XOM ):  $250.00 invested at a share price of $90.19

Lockheed Martin Corp. ( LMT ):  $66.00 invested at a share price of $175.07

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP):

I had a bi-weekly contribution to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account.  I invested $413.00 in total, which was spread out 60% in the C Fund, 20% in the S Fund, and 20% in the I Fund.  My TSP account was hit very hard so far in the month of October, as the market has plunged.  However, it just means it is better time to buy for me! 

Summary:

This week was a wide ride for sure in the market.  I ended up investing a total of $834.00 of small purchases and in my TSP.  I’m still saving for a larger buy this month, and have a few select dividend stocks on my radar.  I’m really hoping the market stays low for the time being, but after the Friday rally, who knows?!   This coming week I’ve already allocated some purchases in my Loyal3 account, which should go through on Monday and Tuesday.  Of note, my last weekly post, I noted that my dividend income is at $135.09.  After the new purchases, it now stands at $148.73.   It goes to show you that these small purchases really can make a difference.  I am now getting closer to my 2014 goal of $200 in forward dividend income, which is awesome!  Slowly but surely racking it up!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment!