May 2013 Net Worth Update -1.17% - Another loss

Another loss this month but quite a respectable one considering everything that took place.
I decided to enroll in the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) to see whether I really want to pursue a career in personal finance or finance in general. I've just completed my first exam and should have the course completed by the next update. This course was $1,100 so a $417 loss during the month doesn't seem so bad now. One day I will write a post about the course and my experiences with it.

I also sold all of my company's shares this month for a nice profit, but will still be buying shares monthly through the employee stock purchase plan.

I expect next months results to be positive again, assuming I don't have any surprise expenses to deal with.
Still slowly moving along.

May 1, 2013

TD Waterhouse e-series TFSA - $28,396.30 +24.04%

TD e-series RRSP - $2,814.62 +0.02%

Company stocks - $298.64 -99.86%

(stocks purchased this month  = $298.64)

Chequing - $3,663.21

Total: $35,172.77

Gain: -1.17% or  -$417.27


"The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

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My TD e-Series TFSA - 1 year later

It was a year ago in April 2012, that I finally transferred my whole TFSA to TD Waterhouse to purchase their e-Series funds. The initial process was a real pain in the ass but looking at the gains a year later I think it just may have been worth it.

On my original contribution of $20,347.37, I have posted a year over year gain of 12.0% amounting to $2,445.24 and including $448.72 worth of reinvested dividends.

Initial Contribution:
$20,347.37

Market value as of April 10, 2013:
$22,792.61 (including reinvested dividends)
+12.0% or +$2,445.24

The Canadian funds posted marginal gains while the US and Intl funds performed impressively well by  posting gains of 17.7% and 18.2% respectively.

Here's a further breakdown of the funds I hold and their results.

TD Canadian Index - e (TDB900): +7.0% or +$431.55
TD Canadian Bond Index - e (TDB909): +4.6% or +$188.40
TD International Index - e (TDB911): +18.2% or +$749.05
TD US Index - e (TDB902): +17.7% or +$1,076.22
Total Dividends reinvested: $488.72


I'm looking forward to topping up my TFSA contribution this year and hopefully seeing further gains.


More info about TD e-Series Funds and their MER's as of June 30, 2012.

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April 2013 Net Worth Update -1.7% - A temporary loss

April 1, 2013

TD Waterhouse TFSA e-series - $22,892.65 +1.25%

Stocks - $10,897.32 +1.4%

(stocks purchased this month  = $298.64)

RRSP - $2,814.18 +0.11%

Chequing - -$1,014.11

Total: $35,590.04

Gain: -1.7% or  -$614.26

There's not a lot to say for this month except that I clearly mismanaged my expenses and income. It was mostly bad luck due to a number of expenses occurring in the same month and my paydays not falling on helpful dates. As I write this today, on April the 7th, those negatives numbers have improved as I received another paycheque on Friday.

I have found that I am struggling because I have a very low amount of cash on hand at any one moment. Almost all of my assets are tied up in investments that I don't want to touch for the foreseeable future. Rather than "house poor", I suppose I am "investment poor". 

Another reason I am struggling is that I am trying to eat, ie. not budget extra for, a $230 payment each month for my Invisalign. It basically means I am attempting to spend $230 less each month to account for this payment. It will be quite an achievement if I am able to go the whole payment schedule without pulling money out of somewhere else to help pay for it. The total cost that I am trying to eat works out to around $1,800.

 

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2012 Year in Review / Goals for 2013

 *I actually started this post on Jan 6th and never got around to finishing it...procrastination at its finest.

Happy 2013 and welcome to my 2012 year in review. It has been quite a year for me as I look back at it. A number of highs and achievements, but also stagnation and an enormous and tragic personal loss. My mother died, (not passed away) in late October, one month before her fifty seventh birthday. I know it has forever solidifed how I view life and how I want to spend my own. Being nice to others and spending time with the people you love is what we all can and should strive for. There are few things in life worth being angry over. I am very much influenced by this quote of Carl Sagan's from his book, Pale Blue Dot..

"There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

In January of 2012 I moved out on my own to my first apartment and it has been a rewarding and interesting experience. I enjoy the extra responsibility but it has also made the loneliness more acute at times.

Financially this year for me was mediocre at best. I was not able to find a new job and so I have just been scraping by month to month. The majority of my gains this year can be attributed to automatic purchases through payroll of my company's shares. This form of forced savings is a great way to build up a small amount of money. It is amazing what you can do when you are forced to get by on a set amount of money each month.

On a personal level, an old friend from ten years ago has reentered my life and all the old emotions have come back to me. In fact she has always been more than a friend to me and I know I could love her if she let me. She is in a complicated situation however, so we will have to see what happens.

Goals for 2013
Financial
-top up TFSA by $5500
-move ING RRSP to TD e-series
-find a new job and one that is a career starter
-if new job - find new apartment (better location and amenities)

Personal
-see if this girl will love me (Update: Fail)
-improve fitness to the next level
-be more sociable
-improve wardrobe


Below are some numbers for the year

Net Worth:
Jan 1, 2012
$27,637.98

Jan 1, 2013
$33,346.94
Gain: +20.66% or $5,708.96

Total Page views:
9162

Adsense Earnings:
$5.43 <--Depressing isn't it.

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March 2013 - Net Worth Update +5.83%

Well this was a surprise. I've managed to post a 5.83% gain which works out to almost $2,000 for the month. For the second month in a row my company's shares have performed outstandingly well and are responsible for most of the increase. Seeing as the stock price is now at an all time high I am beginning to question whether now isn't the right time to unload them. At the moment I am split 50/50 between holding and selling. On one hand the price is at an all time high but on the other I think there is still room for the company to grow and I could see it taking off to the point where it becomes a major player in the industry. It's a tough one. Meanwhile, my RRSP is still stuck in a useless ING account waiting to be transferred to an e-series account with TD. Looking at my TFSA, the funds posted a moderate gain which was surprising considering all of the bad press surrounding the sequester situation that the Americans have got themselves into.

When I started out this month I had hopes that I might break the $35,000 mark. Little did I know that I would crush that target and cross $36,000 instead. I think this goes to show the volatility and unpredictability of stocks. While I benefitted this month, I can only shudder to think of how I would be feeling if it had gone the other way instead. Having to weather substantial losses can test the best of us even with our minds set firmly on the future and the long term.

Anyways, a good month for me and now I can set my sights on the $40,000 mark.
Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

March 1, 2013

TD Waterhouse TFSA e-series - $22,610.65 +1.94%

Stocks - $10,746.40 +15.57%

(stocks purchased this month  = $298.64)

RRSP - $2,810.96 +0.11%

Chequing - $36.29

Total: $36,204.30

Gain: 5.83% or  $1,994.20

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