The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 09-05-2014 "But there is no FUN in Mudville"

Back in mid-July when Mattel (MAT) had its second straight quarter of disappointing results, the stock had dropped by $2.57 per share (6.5%). I remained hopeful the company would bounce back, but the price continued to slide and the reports I read didn't have a lot of positive things to say about Mattel's chances. When the price dropped almost another $2.00 over the course of a month, I knew it was time to sell.

In the meantime, I did some research and thought I found the perfect stock to replace MAT.  Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (FUN - see what I did there in the post title??) was a company that owned and operated a variety of amusement parks, including Valley Fair in Minnesota. The stock price was a little higher than MAT, but the dividend was $.70 per share. I could easily purchase enough shares to get more than one reinvested share per quarter and increase my annual dividend payments. 

I logged onto the former Sharebuilder site (now owned by Capital One) and sold my stake in Mattel. When I tried to execute my trade for FUN, I received a message that Sharebuilder does not allowed trades for Limited Partnerships, which Cedar Fair is. I was forced to go with my second choice, Connecticut Water Service (CTWS). The stock price was about equal to MAT, but the dividend was about a third less. I had more confidence in utilities with the success I've been experiencing with Xcel Energy (XEL) and I liked the tie-in to my childhood home. Since I waited until after the ex-dividend date to sell, I will get the MAT payout along with the CTWS payout in September.

In other news with my portfolio, Waste Management (WM) continues to become more profitable, so much so that the price has outgrown my dividend rate to get a full reinvested share per quarter. In the past, I have sold my stakes in stocks that didn't give me a full share, but I want to take a different approach now. The total value of my Kraft Foods Group (KRFT) stock would allow me to get back into Paychex (PAYX) at a level in line with my growth strategy as well as invest in shares of RR Donnelley (RRD) and increase my stake in Waste Management. This will accomplish three things for me: 1.) Get the full reinvested share with WM every quarter; 2.) increase my annual dividend payments; and 3.) bring to eleven the total number of stocks in my portfolio. I just need to wait until after the ex-dividend date of 10/9/2014 for KRFT before selling and I get its dividend payment.

Here are the results of my current stocks as of 09/05/2014:

First Month of Quarter Payers
B&G Foods (BGS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$4.90
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.75

Kraft (KRFT)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$2.60
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.50

Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$6.31
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.25

• Reached new 52 week high price and profit level

Crown Crafts (CRWS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:               -$0.06
Annual Reinvested Share Pace:  7.00


Second Month of Quarter Payers
PetMed Express (PETS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$0.89
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  18.75

• Reached new profit level

NutriSystem (NTRI)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$4.05
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  10.00

AT&T (T)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                -$0.14
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.00


Third Month of Quarter Payers
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$1.34
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

Connecticut Water Service (CTWS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$0.23
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

Waste Management (WM)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$14.01
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  3.75

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 08-17-2014 "Heading To Full Strength"

I should have made this post on Friday, August 8, when all of my stocks ended up for the day for the first time in months. Unfortunately, these modest upticks didn't come close to making up for the the YTD declines my stocks were experiencing.  Both Mattel and B&G Foods laid eggs for the second time in as many quarters, while Kraft and Nutrisystem had sizable dips, from which they eventually recovered.

On the activity side, Paychex had grown to the point where it could no longer provide a full share every quarter in reinvested dividends (my growth strategy), so I sold my stake to purchase shares in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) and AT&T (T). The combination of stocks actually put me ahead of my dividend earnings pace with Paychex.

Recently, Darden Restaurants had sold its Red Lobster business, much to the dismay of an activist investor group, and the stock started to tumble. I sold my stake at a loss in the middle of he decline. The stock has since returned to a level above where I sold it. I exchanged those shares for ones in PetMed Express (PETS) and increased my holdings in Nutrisystem to outpace the dividends from Darden. 

On Friday, I received my first dividend payout from PetMed, which turned into more than four reinvested shares.  Here is how my portfolio looks today:

First Month of Quarter Payers
B&G Foods (BGS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$3.94
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  6.00

• Increased dividend to $.34 per share starting in April

Kraft (KRFT)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$0.52
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.75

Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$4.86
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.50

Crown Crafts (CRWS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:               -$0.08
Annual Reinvested Share Pace:  7.00


Second Month of Quarter Payers
PetMed Express (PETS)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$0.37
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  19.50

NutriSystem (NTRI)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$3.81
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  10.00

AT&T (T)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                -$0.55
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.00


Third Month of Quarter Payers
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$0.99
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.50

Mattel (MAT)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$8.85
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  6.00

Waste Management (WM)
Profit/Loss Per Share:                +$12.81
Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.00

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 02-20-2014 “Then There Were Nine”

Since my last SitRep in July, there have been few changes to my stock portfolio.  I bit the bullet and reduced my stake in Kraft by 16% to take an early disbursement, which is always galling.  The last major move I made was to sell my share in Pitney Bowes (PBI) as the stock price was exceeding the level where I would get one re-invested share per quarter with the dividend; in spite of PBI cutting the dividend in half in June.

I used that money to re-re-invest in Crown Crafts (CRWS) and Town Sports International Holdings (CLUB).  I learned what a mistake that was over the 34 trading days of 2014.  All indications were good with CLUB at the beginning.  The stock just instituted a $0.16 per share dividend and the price was low enough to get well above my one re-invested share per quarter threshold.  By the end of 2013, I had made $1 per share profit.  The stock price started to drop in the early days of 2014, but the entire market was seeing a downturn at the time, so I figured CLUB was just “one of the boats on a sinking tide.”  The high for the year was on 1/3/14 at $14.37.  On 2/5/2013, the price hit a 2014 low of $10.36.  Still, I held onto it, hoping the pricing would start to bounce back and I wanted to reach the ex-dividend date to at least get some payment from my investment.  I did select to have my dividends put into a money market fund, rather than reinvested, and put a Stop Loss order at $10.

Yesterday, CLUB reported it missed Q4 EPS by $0.06 and YOY Revenue was down 0.3%, which was an improvement of $230K from expectations.  This announcement occurred after the market closed, but I knew the implications as I suffered a couple big hits with B&G Foods (BGS), Mattel (MAT), and Waste Management (WM) when they missed EPS.  Sure enough, CLUB tanked 17-18% to start the day.  My Stop Loss order triggered at the opening price of $8.48.  I took that money and increased my stake in NutriSystem (NTRI) so that I would get over two re-invested shares when the stock pays in March.

Here's how the Dirty Dozen looks like now:

First Month of Quarter Payers

B&G Foods (BGS)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$8.09

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  6.50

• Increase dividend to $0.33 per share in January

Kraft Foods (KRFT)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               -$1.00

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.75

Xcel Energy (XEL)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +4.07

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  6.50

• Increased dividend to $0.30 per share for April

Crown Crafts, Inc. (CRWS)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$0.49

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  6.50

Second Month of Quarter Payers

Paychex (PAYX)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$18.64

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.00

NutriSystem (NTRI)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$4.08

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  8.75

• First dividend payout is in March, then again in May

Darden Restaurants (DRI)                           

Profit/Loss Per Share:               -$0.13

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.50

Third Month of Quarter Payers

Mattel (MAT)

Profit/Loss Per Share:              +$9.56

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.75

• Increased dividend to $0.38 per share in January

Waste Management (WM)

Profit/Loss Per Share:               +$8.17

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 07-11-2013: I Killed Lee Marvin!

I read somewhere it's important for an investor not to get emotional when buying and selling stocks in his portfolio.  Perhaps naming my portfolio "The Dirty Dozen" and identifying my stake in Hershey Company (HSY) as the Lee Marvin of the group made it hard for me to pull the trigger on my recent stock moves.  However, once I did the math and saw the increase in my dividend income, it wasn't that hard to pull the plug.  Sorry, Lee.

I made two big moves recently with my portfolio.  I sold my stake in HSY, which was 25% of my portfolio.  I also sold all of my shares of Bristol-Meyers-Squibb (BMY).  Both of these stocks' prices grew higher than the quarterly dividend income I received.  This prevented me from getting one full share every quarter, which is my investing goal.  I took those proceeds and invested in Kraft Foods (KRFT) and Darden Restaurants (DRI).  I was able to buy more shares in each than I had with HSY and BMY; plus, Kraft pays $.08 cents more per share than Hershey in dividends, while Darden increased its dividend to $.55 per share - $.20 more per share than Bristol-Meyers-Squibb.

Here is the breakdown of my portfolio, still two stocks short of being The Dirty Dozen:

First Month of Quarter Payers

B&G Foods (BGS)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$13.56

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       4.75

·      

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

Kraft Foods (KRFT)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$0.45

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       5.25

Xcel Energy (XEL)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$3.61

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       6.00

Crown Crafts, Inc. (CRWS)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$0.38

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       13.00

Second Month of Quarter Payers

Paychex (PAYX)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$12.06

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       4.00

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment
• Just increase dividend to $0.35 per share

NutriSystem (NTRI)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    $2.88

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       6.75

• Reduced my stake in this stock

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    -$0.27

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       6.25

Third Month of Quarter Payers

Mattel (MAT)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$20.94

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       4.00

• Achieved highest profit on investment

Waste Management (WM)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    +$9.34

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       4.00

Pitney Bowes (PBI)

Profit/Loss Per Share:                                    -$0.47

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:                       5.25

• Cut dividend in half

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 03-31-13 "The Replacements"

The stock market has been performing surprisingly well since the Sequester first kicked in a few weeks ago.  I have had a cynical view of this success.  I’m sure there are numerous Wall Street types who are left-leaning Democrats, but I imagine most are staunch Republicans.  Now that government funding for public works and support programs are starting to dry up, I envision these One Percenters are exacting their revenge, as if to say, “since my tax dollars aren’t going to help others, I can finally put my money back to work for me.”  Fortunately, this solidly middle-class, part-time blogger has a decent cache of cash in the stock market to also reap the benefits.  I can’t say all my profits will be used to support Democratic causes, but I will donate to them as resources allow; a personal “screw you” to the Koch brothers.

I made one change to my portfolio since the last SitRep.  Out of 267 trading days of owning TECO Energy (TE), I was in the black for nine of them; and the highest profit I saw was $26.64.  I received almost $90 in dividend income from the stock, and if I don’t consider these funds as an out-of-pocket investment, I did make some money when I sold the stock.  As a replacement, I purchased shares of NutriSystem (NTRI).  The price was about half of TE, but offered a Dividend Yield three percentage points better.  I purchased enough shares to receive over 16 more shares over the course of a year in dividend reinvestment and increase my dividend income by $15 every quarter.

I will be making one more replacement after the market opens again on April 1.  My stake in H&R Block (HRB) has been steadily increasing over the last few months, to the point where my investment will not pay me a full reinvested share every quarter.  This is my goal with every stock purchase I make.  On Monday, HRB will pay a dividend, which will be reinvested in the stock.  My plan is to sell HRB and invest in Pitney Bowes (PBI).  The stock is much cheaper and has a 10% dividend yield.  I will be able to purchase enough shares to get 2 reinvested shares from the dividend and increase my dividend revenue another $11 every quarter.  Plus, I will have enough money to invest in another stock.  I could go back to TECO, but I will do some research to find a good paying stock that pays in the first month of the quarter.

Here is an update to how my current portfolio is performing:

First Month of Quarter

B&G Foods (BGS) – Small staple foods manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$9.03

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  5.25

H&R Block (HRB) – Chain store tax preparers

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$13.29

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  3.5

• Reached new 52-week high

Xcel Energy (XEL) – Local power company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$5.47

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Achieved highest profit level on investment 

Crown Crafts, Inc. (CRWS) – Baby cribs and accessories manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$0.14

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  13.25

Second Month of Quarter

Paychex (PAYX) – Small paycheck processing company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$8.28

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

NutriSystem (NTRI) – Weight loss company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    -$0.10

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  17.25

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) – Large pharmaceutical manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$12.30

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  3.50

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

Third Month of Quarter

Hershey Company (HSY) – Large chocolate manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$37.54

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  2.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

Mattel (MAT) – Large toy manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$18.10

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Achieved highest profit on investment

Waste Management (WM) – Large recycling and waste removal company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                   +$6.65

Annual Reinvested Shares Pace:  4.25

• Reached new 52-week high and achieved highest profit on investment

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 01-18-13

A lot has changed since the last time I made a post regarding my Sharebuilder IRA account (The Dirty Dozen).  What finally ended up being a set of twelve stocks grouped by dividend payout per month in a quarter, has dwindled to ten; but still grouped to receive decent dividend income every month.  Here are the stats for the stocks in my portfolio, including the profit or loss I’ve experienced with the stock and the number of shares I will gain in a year with reinvested dividends.

First Month of Quarter

B&G Foods (BGS) – Small staple foods manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$10.54

Reinvested Shares Pace:              5

H&R Block (HRB) – Chain store tax preparers

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$4.47

Reinvested Shares Pace:              5

Xcel Energy (XEL) – Local power company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$2.83

Reinvested Shares Pace:              4.75

Second Month of Quarter

Paychex (PAYX) – Small paycheck processing company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$7.82

Reinvested Shares Pace:              4.75*

* Paychex paid its 1^st & 2^nd quarter dividends at the end of 2012 to assist shareholders with the expected increase in the tax rate for dividend income

TECO (TE) – Tampa Electric Company, power company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    -$1.12

Reinvested Shares Pace:              5.25

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) – Large pharmaceutical manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$5.69

Reinvested Shares Pace:              4.25

Third Month of Quarter

Hershey Company (HSY) – Large chocolate manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$30.46

Reinvested Shares Pace:              3.25

Mattel (MAT) – Large toy manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$12.63

Reinvested Shares Pace:              4.25

Waste Management (WM) – Large recycling and waste removal company

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    +$2.78

Reinvested Shares Pace:              4.75

Crown Crafts, Inc. (CRWS) – Baby cribs and accessories manufacturer

Profit/Loss Per Share:                    -$0.92

Reinvested Shares Pace:              16.25

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 11-06-11

The thought occurred to me that the stock market is a lot like a car driving on a damp road in the winter.  It appears to make cautious progress then BAM!  It hits a patch of black ice and fishtails while overcorrecting.  Oddly enough, I use the same language in both situations.

Even though I no longer have a position in Boston Beer (SAM), I like to keep tabs on it.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the stock price went up over $12 a share to close at $99.01.  I had to grit my teeth as I thought of the missed opportunity, but remembered the stock was at around this price this time last year and the last 52-weeks were a roller coaster.  Plus, the stock doesn’t pay any dividends.

Polaris (PII) announced its next quarterly payout (good), but it was half of the previous dividend before the stock split (bad).  I made a comment on other stock post about how I wished I took my analysis of the stock a step further and bought 20 more shares than I did.  These additional shares would only have helped me if the dividend stayed at $.45 a share.  So, I wasn’t as smart as I thought or could have been.

However, Polaris reached a new 52-week high and I was about $1600 in the black for only owning the stock for 60 trading days.  In order for me to get a full share every quarter I would need to buy an additional 193 shares; and at $64.61 per Friday’s close, that’s a whopping $12K+ investment.  I’ll have to be satisfied with my 1/3 of a share on November 15.

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 10-12-11



Today marks the second full year of having my Dirty Dozen IRA account with Sharebuilder.  All in all, I’m pleased with the progress of my portfolio, but there are still changes I would like to make.  I will probably make my next moves tomorrow, or Day 1 of my third year with the portfolio.

Paychex, Inc. (PAYX) announced its next quarterly dividend with additional good news.  They will be increasing the dividend payout by $.01 a share.  The ex-dividend date is 10/28/11 and the pay date is 11/15/11.  Factoring in the shares I could receive with reinvestment, this equates to over $5.00 in additional dividend revenue over the next four quarters.  The stock has performed well since the announcement and reached the best profit level since I first purchased shares mid-January of this year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) continues to see its stock price increase and achieves new 52-week High prices just about every other day.  If the stock price can keep from growing by $.95 by November 1, I will receive another full share and have another $.33 in cushion for the next quarter.  If the stock continues to grow like it is, I won’t be able to get a full share every quarter, which really isn’t a bad thing in the long-term.

In other good news, Mattel (MAT) reached its highest profit level in the near full year I have owned the stock.  Similarly, Polaris Industries (PII) has reached its highest profit level.  A. Schulman Inc. (SHLM) has also achieved its highest profit level, but only since the August retool.

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 10-08-11

For someone who claimed he wouldn't recommend people follow his stock market advice, I’m certainly speaking a lot about it of late.  I like the system I’ve worked out from the couple years of study and trial and error and I like patting myself on the back.

I acted on the tactic I spelled out a couple weeks ago regarding selling a portion of my A. Schulman (SHLM) stake to purchase more shares of Paychex (PAYX).  I sold more shares of the former and purchased less than the latter so that I could get the proper position of a new dividend stock.  I’ve abandoned my plans to repurchase shares of Boston Beer (SAM) as I am more focused on collecting dividends.  Plus, SAM suffers from a roller coaster of price fluctuations that is hard to stomach.  I was able to find a small cap stock that filled in my First Month of Quarter dividend group (M1Q).  I now have four stocks for each month of the quarter.

Hot Topic, Inc. (HOTT) is a specialty retailer for teenager clothing.  I asked my daughter about the store and she turned up her nose.  Hot Topic seems to have a lot of clothes for the Emo/Skater demographic.  Be that as it may, the dividend is $.07 per share and the minimum shares I needed to cover the 52-week High price were 125.  The ex-dividend date is 10/14/11 and the dividend payout will be on 10/31/11.  I sold 70 shares of SHLM, purchased 20 of PAYX, and used the remainder for HOTT.  My moves improved my estimated yearly dividends by almost $20. 

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 09-20-11

Not much to update here. 


Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) reached a new 52-week High of $31.64 to close at $31.49.  Also, they announced the next quarterly dividend payout for November 1.


Xcel Energy (XEL) also reached a new 52-new High of $25.59 to close at $25.25, which is a little more than a dollar below the dividend payout I will receive at the end of October.

The Dirty Dozen: SitRep 09-16-11

Two stocks reached new 52-week High prices and Pedro Jiminez (played by Trini Lopez in the movie and Boston Beer Company in my portfolio) has broken his neck during the jump.

Hershey Company (HSY) had a new intra-day, 52-week High price of $59.85 and closed at $59.42.  I’m less than $.30 away from my December dividends matching the closing price.  Thank goodness I received that full share yesterday.  I’m tracking a new price level; this one rounding my fractional shares to a full share.  If Hershey doesn’t squirt higher than $63.75 by December, my total position will be a round number and another full dividend.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) reached a new 52-week High with the closing price of $30.53.  I’m essentially 10 shares above where I need to be to receive a full share in reinvestment, so I have a good cushion until I’m paid in November.

Due to some personal expenses, I decided to sell my stake in Boston Beer Company (SAM).  I won’t take the full amount in a disbursement and will have some free cash in my portfolio.  After I make some moves at the end of October, I hope I can purchase a smaller stake in this stock again.

One item I didn’t discuss in my previous post about stocks was the ex-dividend date.  For the uninitiated, the ex-dividend date is the date you need to purchase a stock by in order to be eligible for the dividend.  If you sell the stock after this date, you will still receive the dividend.  This is how I received one or two shares of a couple stocks after the huge retooling last month.

My plan is to sell 50 shares of A. Schulman, Inc. (SHLM) after its ex-dividend date and purchase 25 shares of Paychex (PAYX) before its ex-dividend date.  I have about a week between the two dates.   This will give me more cushion as the closing price approaches the dividend payout and my total dividend income remains the same.  There should be some funds leftover that I can add to what’s left of the SAM selloff to repurchase some shares.

Investing in The Dirty Dozen

I nicknamed my portfolio “The Dirty Dozen” for the 12 stocks in which I have invested.  I don’t want to go any larger than that because it wouldn’t fit well into the spreadsheet I created.  Eleven of the stocks pay dividends, which were selected based on when the dividends are paid so that I would have some income every month.  The twelfth is a nod to my New England roots and favorite beer, Sam Adams, from Boston Beer Company (SAM).

I’m a dilettante when it comes to investing and I wouldn’t insist people follow my advice.  In fact, I have another spreadsheet titled “Stupid Investor” that I bring with me when we visit our accountant every April.  I first got involved in stocks through a Sharebuilder account.  I haven’t tried any of the other online trading Web sites, but I like Sharebuilder and have stayed with it for the last couple years. 

My first big purchase was in shares of Oshkosh Truck (OSK) after the stock lost about 66% of its value in a day.  OSK was a customer of Ziegenbein Associates, the company I was working for, and I knew it was doing a lot of work with military vehicles and had subsidiaries that built fire trucks, emergency vehicles, and refuse vehicles.  I was pretty sure the stock would come back again, and after a while it did.  When I finally sold all my shares, I made about $1,600.

I have recently inactivated that account, but had opened a second one after receiving my pension and profit sharing check when I was laid off from Ziegenbein Associates in July 2009.  I steadily improved my analytics of stocks to create a strategy with which I’m comfortable.  With the recent havoc of the debt ceiling debates in July and August, I had an opportunity to retool my portfolio.