Stock Purchase - Iron Mountain (50 shares, $77 div income)

Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM) is a REIT involved in the storage and information management business with more than 156,000 customers throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. They store valuable historical artifacts, cultural treasures, business documents and medical records in various secure facilities worldwide.

With a respectable dividend streak of 6 years, Iron Mountain is an attractive stock pick for income investors looking for decent yields. Recent market volatility provided a nice lower entry point to add this stock so hopefully this will pay off  even more longer term.

This purchase will add $77/yr to the dividend income portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 5.5B   EPS: $0.60   Dividend: $1.97 (7.18%)

2015 Winner & Loser (My Stock Picks)

My best 2015 pick is Starbucks (NASDAQ : SBUX) (+40%).
I hope the coffee/beverage business will continue to perform and make 2016 another "Grande" year !

My worst 2015 pick is Seadrill (NYSE: SDRL)  (-80% to date OUCH !).
I crossing all my fingers and toes that the energy sector improves somewhat in 2016 !? :)

Lead Contamination of Tea

What scheme !? (KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)

KaloBios Pharmaceuticals files for bankruptcy in wake of Shkreli arrest (Reuters)

Oil Bottom (or Not)

Crude oil prices started falling since summer 2014 and it has been a long painful process.
Ouch, I caught some really sharp falling knives like (NYSE: KMI), (NYSE:BBL) and (NYSE: SDRL) just to name a few.

Today I'm hoping to see light at the end of the tunnel ? Is this the bottom ? ("double bottom" to be exact) I'm keeping my fingers crossed !@#$

Stock Purchase - NYCB (50 shares, $34 dividend income)

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: NYCB) is a bank holding company serving New York and New Jersey area with branches in Florida, Arizona, and Ohio.

Stock Purchase - HCP (25 shares, $56 dividend income)

HCP, Inc. (NYSE: HCP) is a REIT that specializes in the healthcare sector such as senior housing, life science, medical office, hospital and skilled nursing. 

The much anticipated fed rate hike has been weighing heavily on the whole REIT sector and this is providing an excellent opportunity to buy some well run companies at discount prices. No one knows how low stock prices for these companies may go and I am not trying to time the bottom. I do know and am confident in the longer term, it will not matter much as the dividend income generated by this investment is worth the risks. 

HCP is a member of the coveted S&P 500 dividend aristocrates, companies that have increased their dividend payouts for 25 consecutive years. With the nation's population living longer and millions of the baby boomer generation retiring, the need for healthcare services will be strong for many years to come. HCP business will thrive in this future and I want to own a piece of it.

This purchase will add $56/yr to the dividend income portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 15B   EPS: $0.50   Dividend: $2.26 (6.14%)

Debt to GDP Ratio %

2015 Southeast Asian haze

Buying Cheap Stuff - Walmart (10 shares, $19 dividend income)

Walmart is one of the world's largest chain of brick and mortar discount department stores with 2+ million employees. I do not know a state or any decent size town in the US which does not have a Walmart store in its vicinity and prices at all their stores are very competitive by most retail standards.

However in recent years especially with the popularity of online only stores and free shipping, it has been increasingly challenging for this retail giant to compete effectively. Their cost of doing business has increased especially with worker compensation increases and tighter profit margins from increased competition such as Target, Costco and Amazon.

I believe the retail sector is big enough to support a few major players in both the online and brick & mortar space and Walmart will slowly transition to find a balance in both medium. Currently it is at its 52-week low which makes it an attractive dividend payer of 3.4% with a good chance of appreciation. I'm adding some shares here and will wait for their company business to turn around while collecting decent steady dividends.

Related Market Commentary: Market still not giving Walmart enough credit (Morning Star)

This purchase will add $19/yr to the dividend income portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 185B   EPS: $4.79   Dividend: $1.96 (3.41%)