In my book I explain how I use a covered call strategy to get the kind of return that I want for my portfolio. By comparing it to a rental property, I show how I like to use dividend stocks and trade around them with options to increase my overall yield. When you buy a dividend buying stock it is like buying a rental property with one tenant. You’ll collect that income from them each quarter, year after year, just like rent.

I like to buy big blue chip dividend companies with a 3-5% yield. If we continue like the past, good dividend companies increase slowly over time and when they have extra profit they increase the dividend payment to their shareholders. It’s similar to how housing prices have increased along with rental prices.

Now when I write covered calls on the position, I then add another tenant to my rental. I now have two sources of rent. One source from the call and one from the dividend. I go from getting a 3-5% yield to getting twice that amount when you write these covered calls every other month.

Using this strategy of buying blocks of big blue chip stocks and trading options around them gives me a much better yield. And with this increased yield I will re-invest the money to keep growing my portfolio. It has been working very well for me right now. In my book I explain how I do this and get a third renter by selling puts too!

Keeping my strategy in mind, I’ve come across an entire basket of Horizon’s AlphaPro covered call options ETFs! This takes my strategy and makes it crazy simple for everyday investors. You don’t have to write the calls each month, and you don’t have to worry about replacing the stocks that get called away. There are all of my favourite sectors, like Energy, Financials, and Gold. Plus they’ve just launched a US Equity (CDN $ headged) covered call ETF that helps diversify the portfolio.

The ETFs will sell covered calls on the basket of stocks every 1-2 months at about 5% over the current stock price. In any market other than a crazy bull market, this strategy has been shown to outperform. The fund management fees are only 0.65% too.

Here is what I would do for sector break down:

20 % HEE – AlphaPro Enhanced Income Energy

20% HEF- AlphaPro Enhanced Income Financials

10% HEP- AlphaPro Enhanced Income Gold

25% HEX – AlphaPro Enhanced Income CDN Equity

25% HES.UN – AlphaPro Enhanced Income U.S. Equity (It converts to an ETF soon)

This portfolio currently has over a 10% yield thanks to the extra income from writing the calls. It also writes calls on non-dividend paying companies in the index to generate income on stocks that otherwise wouldn’t have some. The ETFs are available in a DRIP (Dividend Re-investment Program) so that the juicy monthly yield buys more units. Right now HEE is paying a 16% yield and we all know how I love big yield. All we need now is an AlphaPro International Equity covered call ETF!

I heart Horzon’s new covered call ETFs,

Dave

 

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In my book, I Heart Money, I have an income strategy where I buy large positions of Canadian blue chip companies and write (or sell) calls on the positions every few months.  When I do this I collect the dividends each quarter and then get another stream of income from collecting the premiums from the sold calls.  If you have no idea what an option is you have to buy my book!

There are many pluses to this strategy.  Firstly, you increase your yield from only the dividend income by adding the income from the options.  Secondly, the income is tax preferred.  Compared to money from bond income, dividends and the option premiums are tax preferred.  Thirdly, if the options aren’t exercised, the holder keeps the upside of the stock.  Only 20% of options are exercised. Lastly, when markets are bearish the sold options will collect even more premium because of higher volatility levels.  Win win for income investors like us!

It’s kind of like having a rental property and having two floors rented out.  You gain the income from the dividends and then another stream from the selling of the options.  I hold my stocks like the rental property and collect these two streams over the long term, just like how a rental property works.

This strategy takes time to manage.  I constantly need to monitor my option positions and re-write them when the positions expire every few months.  To my delight, BMO has come out with the BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks Exchange Traded Fund or ETF.  It performs everything I described above on our 5 big banks, BMO, TD, ROYAL, NATIONAL, CIBC and SCOTIA, but it can be bought and sold as an Exchange Traded Fund, symbol ZWB.

Currently it has over  a 9% yield and has still appreciated over $1 to $16 from it’s $15 launch price in Jan 2011.  Being a common reader you know that I love yield and for a measly .65 Management Expense Ration it is very cheap to hold for a long time.  Most mutual funds are over 1% Management Expense Ration and are half as sophisticated.

Check out the product at the link below.  I don’t own it yet but It’ll be added shortly for sure.

BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks

Keep loving your money and it’ll love you back with a great yield,

Dave

 

BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF Objective

BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF seeks to provide Unitholders with exposure to the performance of a portfolio of Canadian banks and monthly distributions while mitigating downside risk. Currently, the investment strategy of BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF is to invest in and hold the securities of Canadian banks, Units of BMO S&P/TSX Equal Weight Banks Index ETF or a combination of these. In addition, depending on market volatility and other factors, BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF will write covered call options on these securities. Under such call options, the fund will sell to the buyer of the option, for a premium, either a right to buy the security from the fund at an exercise price or, if the option is cash settled, the right to a payment from the fund equal to the difference between the value of the security and the exercise price.

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If you read my last blog on oil you hopefully topped up on oil stocks and had a bit of a lift when oil rocketed to $106!  Oil has come back down for the moment but over the long time it’ll keep going higher.  I had a bunch of requests asking how I pick my stocks so here are my big tips.

What I do is look for stocks that pay a sweet sweet dividend and have some upside.  I like larger companies that have been around for a while.  I buy the stock and keep it through the ups and downs as long as the story continues (oil needs to keep going up).  I don’t watch the day to day value as much as I focus on the dividend increases each year.

1.  Use an ETF to pick the largest stocks in the industry.  The ishares ETF XEG is a great way to find out which oil stocks are the largest on the TSX.  IYE will tell you the largest in the US.  This brings the cream to the top of the list.

ishares.ca XEG

SUNCOR ENERGY INC. 18.88%
CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LTD. 14.35%
CENOVUS ENERGY INC. 7.53%
ENCANA CORP. 6.79%
TALISMAN ENERGY INC. 6.57%
CANADIAN OIL SANDS LTD. 4.18%
NEXEN INC. 3.73%
IMPERIAL OIL LTD. 3.65%
CRESCENT POINT ENERGY CORP. 3.45%
PENN WEST PETROLEUM LTD. 3.42%

ishares.com IYE

 

EXXON MOBIL CORP 23.74%
CHEVRON CORP 11.96%
SCHLUMBERGER LTD 6.60%
CONOCOPHILLIPS 5.96%
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP 4.55%
APACHE CORP 2.72%
DEVON ENERGY CORPORATION 2.48%
HALLIBURTON CO 2.46%
MARATHON OIL CORP 2.34%
ANADARKO PETROLEUM CORP 2.32%

2. Scan each one for yield.  I like to grab a 3% or higher.  I own Penn West from this group and it’s been great over the last few years from the XEG.

3. Look to see how they performed on a chart of the last few months.  When we had the crisis and oil shot up what stocks performed the best.  You can also check out the return over the last year.  The trick is to get a great yield with lots of upside from the stock!

4. Review what other analysts are saying about the stock.  You can check this out on CNBC.com or Yahoo Finance.  Just see how many anaylysts rate it as a buy vs. hold or sell.  That’ll give you a feel for what the market expects from your stock.

5. Now don’t buy an ETF – buy the stock in an online discount broker and keep it until the story changes.  You’ll pay $7 or less and then have that stock, moving up with the market and paying each quarter sweet sweet dividends.

Love your money and it’ll love you back with stocks that go up and pay you on the way!

Dave

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When I take a look at my statements and view my Mint.com spending trends, I always review my expenditures to see if everything on the list TRULY added to my happiness.  How much did I spend on “keeping up with the Joneses” and what did I spend on what REALLY contributed to my ultimate life?  Those Joneses are quick like bunnies and keeping up with myself is the only race I want to be in.

Make a list of everything that you’re spending and then ask yourself the following:

- Did this expense contribute to my overall happiness?

- Did this expense make me a bigger person?

- Was this expense a “Want” vs a “Need”?

- Would I have felt more satisfied if I allocated this money somewhere else?

Write down what really makes you happy.  What would your day-to- day events be?  What would you want to do more- travel, spend time with family, more sports events or continue your education?

Make a week of your ULTIMATE life and then compare it to what you’re spending now.  See if you’re trying to get a quick fix on things that don’t contribute to your best life vs. spending or saving towards things that you really want.

It is amazing how we live these lives and many times don’t do everything that we truly want to do.  We’re here just once so living our ultimate life is what we need to do.  Now that you know what you really want, support it with your spending- be it writing a book, learning to sail, opening your own business, having a TV show or getting a new career that supports your values.

Here is what you need to ask yourself….

–How do I achieve this? What is my first step?

–If I had no chance of failing, what would my next step be?

–What would make me feel most comfortable with this decision?

–If I did know the solution right now, what would it be?

See where your money is going and if it isn’t supporting your best life – change it!

Love your  money and it’ll love you back with your best life,

Dave

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Fuel is on its way up and I wanted to share my strategies to save on this necessity.  Not only will it take the pinch out of the pumps but it’ll get your portfolio going.  Vroom vroom!

1. Buy a car that is fuel efficient – this will be more important as fuel breaks $100 a barrel  this year.  I love cars but I also love my money so I got the most fuel efficient but performance driven car.  I have an Audi A5 but with the turbo engine instead of the V6.  Not only is it a driver’s car but I get really good fuel economy.  That is smart for my pocket book and the environment.

2. Get a fuel cash back card and use it.  There are many cards on the market.  I use the BMO Mastercard and fill up at Shell getting 1.5% back on my fuel. Then I pay cash when I’m in the US because you save .10 a gallon.  That is around $1.50 a fill up or $78 a year.

3. Find a cheap gas station a little out of the way and make a route to hit it once a week to fuel up.  In Toronto my place is the Shell on Dupont between Lansdowne and Dufferin.  It’s always $0.05 a litre cheaper and I get my cash back when I use my BMO Mastercard.  In Silver Lake I use the stations at Melrose and Vermont.  They are always $0.10- $0.20 cheaper a gallon than anywhere else in Hollywood.

4. Buy a basket of energy trusts and collect the dividends – not only will you get the stream of income, most of the time monthly, from the royalty or energy trusts you will get all of the upside.  I have 30% of my portfolio in oil or gas stocks and as oil increases in price, it will offset the increase in gas prices.  Oil is only going up from here until we move to a new resource – and I can’t see that happening for a good 20 or more years.

5. Walk or use transit whenever possible.  It’s good for your body and wallet.  You want to keep both firm and fully packed, right?!

Love your money by being smart with oil stocks and it’ll love you back with free gas and a pumped up nest egg,

Dave

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Hi Kids,

What is a better gift to give than the gift of financial success!  It’s available at these fine retailers!

US Edition in book and Kindle format – amazon.com

Canadian Edition:

Book City

348 Danforth Ave, Toronto

1430 Yonge St, Toronto

1950 Queen Street East, Toronto

Nicholas Hoare

45 Front Steet East, Toronto

Ben Mcnally

366 Bay Street

Books For Business

120 Adelaide Street

Indigo / Chapters:

Montreal (St. Catherine St.)

Woodbridge

Yorkdale

Yonge and Eglinton

Bayview Village

Thornhill

Square One

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Hey Everyone,

Since my first print run in May I’ve already almost sold out of my first edition!  Thanks for everyone who has bought a copy. I really appreciate your support.

I’ve heard from the book store managers that the first print edition appreciates the most.  So my advice this week is to run out and get one of the last copies for the holiday, friends, kids, Nana and Papa! There are very few left so grab a first edition and profit!  :)

Here is where to still get a copy.  The second print is coming in two weeks!


Book City

348 Danforth Ave, Toronto

1430 Yonge St, Toronto

1950 Queen Street East, Toronto

Nicholas Hoare

45 Front Steet East, Toronto

Ben Mcnally

366 Bay Street

Books For Business

120 Adelaide Street

Indigo / Chapters:

Montreal (St. Catherine St.)

Woodbridge

Yorkdale

Yonge and Eglinton

Bayview Village

Thornhill

Square One

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From my experience with people and money I’ve decided we’re just fancy monkeys.  We respond by positive re-enforcement successfully and not very successfully to negative ones.  Negative re-enforcement will work for a short period of time but I can guarantee you that a banana will get you a monkey to do something faster than a finger wagging.

When we need to go somewhere in our lives financially we need to set the course and then anchor ourselves with what we will truly have when we get there.  If you want to save $500 a month into your RSP this year then there are some steps you need to take.

1. Visualize how amazing you want your retirement to be.  Greek Islands?  Turkish Coast?  Maybe NYC brownstone?  Get the excited feeling when you think about it.  Butterflies single that you’re there.

2. Set up the $500 automatically to come out of your account so you don’t have the chance to stop it.  Be sure to set up the auto investment part too so that you are buying good investments that will pay you a dividend to get you there faster.  Dividends are the key to my hart to by lots.

3. This is the best part.  What are you going to get if you do it?  You could get hit by a tractor and not be able to enjoy it so how do you still live for the now while saving?  What kind of banana do you want?

If you invested $500 a month into an registered retirement plan you would get some tax back at the end of the year.  Allocate that money towards a trip, motorcycle or scuba diving lessons that would truly motivate you to keep up the saving.  You get an amazing retirement and get to live for today too.

Love your money and it’ll love you back with delicious bananas,

Dave

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I’m on a book tour and I’d love for you to come out to one of my event dates to meet me and talk money.  I’ll be signing my new book I (Heart) Money at the following Chapter and Indigo locations.  Hope to see you out and keep loving your money!

August 7th – 1pm -5pm

Chapters Bayview Village

2901 Bayview Ave Unit 132

North York, Ontario

M2K 1E6

August 21st 1pm-5pm

Chapters Woodbridge

East Woodbridge Centre, 3900 Hwy 7 West, Unit 1

Woodbridge, Ontario

L4L 1A6

(905)264-6401

August 28th 1pm – 5pm

Indigo Richmond Hill

8705 Yonge Street

Richmond Hill, Ontario

L4C 6Z1

(905)731-8771

September 25th 1pm-5pm

Chapters Woodbridge

East Woodbridge Centre, 3900 Hwy 7 West, Unit 1

Woodbridge, Ontario

L4L 1A6

(905)264-6401

Indigo Yonge and Eglinton – Coming Soon!

Chapters Square One – Coming Soon!

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I find the psychology around money fascinating!  The way that you treat your money reflects your underlying positive or negative feeling towards it.  Naturally people who invest time and effort into their relationship will benefit just like if you invest time and love into a human relationship it will flourish.  Treat your money like any other relationship you have in your life.  

Here is a list of ways that you can enhance your money relationship.  Ask your self how you can treat your money better to enhance your commitment to it?

1. Do you always get the highest level of interest from idle money?  Making sure that your money is always getting the highest return is a way to treat it properly.  If you have money sitting in an account and not making a good interest return search for the best premium rate savings account and transfer that money!

2. Are you being charged for having too many bank accounts? Do you go down a block to save other ATM fees?  Do you pay a monthly fee when there is a way to keep a minimum deposit to save that amount?  If you’re charged 8.95 a month in your bank account and it  takes a minimum monthly balance of $1,500 a month to wave that fee – that is a $107.40 savigngs a year equivalent to a 7% return on $1,500.

3. Do you always scan your statements to make sure that you aren’t “dinged” any extra charges?  I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by doing just this to every bill that comes through my door.  It shows that you love your money if you’re always watching out for it.  

4. Do you know what your net worth is right now?  If you don’t add up all of your assets and minus your liabilities.  Knowing how much you are worth will help you make big picture purchases and investments.  It’ll help you keep moving towards your net worth goal! 

5. How much interest are you paying on all of your debts?  Can you lower your interest rates right now and save loads of money?  Put in the time and call your credit card company, bank or loan company.  See how much you can save by lowering your interest rates, increasing your payment amount or payment frequency.  On mortgages these changes add up to a ton of cash. Treat your money like any other relationship and benefit!  

Have a great week,

Dave

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