June 2017 - Investment No 18

I did quite a lot of buying and selling during 2016-17, and now I have left it to the end of the next quarter before doing another investments.  It has often been difficult finding extra cash to add to my portfolio, but as it grows and starts to become the portfolio I want, I just have to find the cash to keep it going.  Easier said than done, but I really just have to do it.

This month I add £925.00 to my dealing account.   Since the end of the UK tax year I have received the following dividends :

GlaxoSmithKline £16.56
Antofagasta £21.71

I can see my dividend income starting to grow, and I have 3 shares which paid over 5% last year.  These are GlaxoSmithKline; Royal Dutch Shell 'B' and Scottish and Southern.  I already topped up on Scottish and Southern, so I have decided to top on Royal Dutch Shell 'B'.  My existing 43 shares is showing a small loss of about 5%, so I am able to purchase and additional 46 shares, bring my total shares in Royal Dutch Shell 'B' to 89 shares.  Of course I have missed the last ex-dividend date in May, but that could also be a factor in why the shares are slightly lower than they could be.

http://www.shell.com/

April 5, 2017 - UK Tax year end

I have now reached the 3rd full year since this portfolio was started.  Despite Brexit, and all the bad news and negative reports about it, and I will not mention what happened in the US, I have seen a lot of changes in my share portfolio.

Before I give you the facts, I need to mention that before the tax year end I received 4 more dividends.

Royal Dutch Shell 'B £16.61
BP Plc £17.86
Persimmon Plc £19.50
and one that I have not mentioned before : Dyson Group  £8.03

Dyson Group (not to be confused by Dyson UK, which is a completely different company) was not mentioned previously because theses were shares I purchase a long, long, long time ago, which were subsequently de-listed and had not had any value and were no longer traded on any stock market. 
Receiving this dividend was a surprise, as it was greater than the actual value of the shares.
 

The Facts:
Total new money invest during the year:  £3,775.00
Total new money invested since starting the portfolio: £11,000.00
Total dividends for the year:  £420.01
Dividend Income : £35.00 per month
Total dividends since starting the portfolio £761.95

If I sold the shares on the 5th April 2017, I would have had £13,136.04 in cash in my SelfTrade dealing account. Overall a 19% profit on my original cash. This is quite a change from the previous financial year when I was showing a overall loss of 8%.  That is a total improvement of 27%.

 As I say each year, that is the thing about shares.  They can go up and they can go down.  My regular income is increasing as last year it was £15.17 pm, and this year is is now £35.00 pm.  I still have a long way to go, before it is enough to live on, but I have to start somewhere.

My handbag collection for special occasions?

I have never been one for labels or handbags.  On a day to day basis, I now carry a backpack, as it is practical.  I used to have one good quality leather handbag, with many compartments in which I carried my life. Over time it would slowly disintegrate, despite my attempts at keeping it alive by moisturising the leather, but the inside would slow tear or the stitching come away.

The only issue with the one good quality handbag was it was not practical to use for special occasions. In fact, it was so out of place, I would end up carrying nothing, which in turn caused its own issues.  I realised I had to do something, but for many years I did not have a solution.

I found a website where I could purchase different bags, starting with clutch bags of different colours and shapes. I could purchase 4-5 bags for a fraction of the amount I use to purchase my 1 good quality bag, so have returned on a regular basis and will continue to add more.  Interestingly I have developed favourites.  My current favourite is Pink Satin Hard case Evening Clutch Bag with lace which currently is one of the most "expensive" at £14.99!  I always hated Pink, but it is so pretty, can my phone, keys and a few "notes" fit perfectly. It does not take up much room on a table either!

As you can see from the image I currently keep them lined up on an old bookshelf in the spare room, so all I have to do is pick the one I need for that evening or event.  It is so easy and I am never caught short without having a suitable bag to take to any event. I don't know why I never did it before or why no one else I know does the same.  I can only recommend you think about doing the same.

And where is this wonderful online retail shop?   Its www.belindeashandbagsandaccessories.co.uk

March 2017 - Investment No 17

I did not intend to purchase another share, but I am not very good at leaving cash in my dealing accounts as it does not pay any interest.  I do think putting it into a share which produces a regular dividend works better for me, and this is my long term aim.

Since the last investment the following things happened:

1.  BT Group Plc  paid a dividend of £13.53

2.  I sold my holding of  185 shares in HSBC for £1,225.91
- This produced a profit of 23%, and although the share had also given a dividend return of 7%, HSBC was in the news too often over being fined another 1.1bn due to not doing enough to stop Money Laundering

3. SSE paid a dividend of £36.99

4. I sold my ARRIS Intl Plc shares for £714.96 as they are in profit. The profit is only 7%, but this share is listed in the US, so not part of the profile of my existing portfolio, and a profit is still a profit.

This was what was left of my Pace plc shares originally purchased in April 2014 - Investment No 2, and then taken over in January 2016. Details of this can be found in my March 2016 - Investment No 9 post.

So I find I have just short of £2,000 to invest just before the financial year end. A lovely situation to find myself in.  My BP shares are showing a 7% loss, so I decided to purchase 430 shares in BP, so my holding is now 649 shares.

https://www.bp.com/