May 18, 2016

Rents for 2-bedroom apartments are expensive in these 15 US cities

The minimum salary you need to afford to rent 2 bedroom apartment in these 15 cities (MarketWatch)

Looking to rent in San Francisco or New York ? Goodluck !
Some landlords are NOT that strict about that "28% rent-to-income" ratio so this is why it is tricky to save and retire comfortably for most with such high cost of housing in the bay area.


May 16, 2016

The Fruit That Could Save Millions From Starvation

The Fruit That Could Save Millions From Starvation (wimp.com)

Wow, I actually grew up in a farm with at least a dozen jackfruit trees surrounding the property producing succulent jackfruits year round !


May 12, 2016

US Consumption in Real Time

Source: Couponbox.com

Is Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB) a buy ?

Hmmm, as a shareholder of Kimberly Clark (NYSE : KMB), I guess this is a good bullish sign (?)

Sales of adult incontinence garments in the U.S. could equal those of baby diapers in a decade.



May 11, 2016

Stock Buy - Chatham Lodging (50 shares, $66 dividend income)

Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE: CLDT) is a real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of upscale hotels with almost 6000 rooms. Some of their hotel brands include extended-stay types such as the Residence Inn by Marriott, Homewood Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, the Hampton Inn, the SpringHill Suites, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Hyatt Place. Additionally, the company owns interests in over 130 hotels totaling over 18,000 rooms/suites.

Hotel Portfolio by CLDT

Chatham is a small cap company under 1B with a low dividend payout ratio (~53%) and healthy profit margin so I'd expect the company to keep growing revenues and their dividend to be sustainable. The recent volatility in the hotel REIT sector is providing an attractive entry to this stock and I will put the almost 6% dividend to good use by reinvesting it to get more shares for a long time to come.

This purchase will add $66 dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:
Market CAP: 860m     EPS:$0.86   Dividend: $1.32 (5.95%)




May 3, 2016

Stock buy - GILD (12 shares, $20 dividend income)

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) is a biotechnology company that specializes in antiviral drugs for HIV, hepatitis B, influenza and pulmonary diseases.

I first bought 10 shares of Gilead in March 2016 but the price has pulled back off considerably. After a recent weak quarter result, Gilead's stock price is now at a level which I think is even more attractive. However for the next few months, the whole biotech sector will still be challenging because of election politics. I predict this weakness will blow over eventually and I'm willing to wait while earning almost 2% dividend.

This purchase will add $20 dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:
Market CAP: 119B     EPS:$11.69    Dividend: $1.72 (1.93%)