WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2017

The latest World Happiness Report rankings have been released, and the Nordics dominate the top 10. What will move the needle?

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness (in America) (src: bloomberg.com)   

Some Lessons For Living From Older Generations

"No one – not a single person out of a thousand – said that to be happy you should try to work as hard as you can to make money to buy the things you want.

No one – not a single person – said it’s important to be at least as wealthy as the people around you, and if you have more than they do it’s real success.

No one – not a single person – said you should choose your work based on your desired future earning power."

(src: http://awealthofcommonsense.com/2017/03/some-lessons-for-living)

Investing in Clean Energy - Hannon Armstrong (80 shares, $105 dividend income)

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HASI) is a REIT that provides debt and equity investments to the energy efficiency and renewable energy markets in the US.

Clean and renewable energy is a tricky investment under the TRUMP administration's new EPA which appears not too politically motivated to tackle climate change seriously. However as global communities start to face increasing air and water pollution, we will not have a choice but to adopt clean energy. This company is positioning itself in that clean future and I'm eager to participate especially with almost ~7% dividend yield ! :))

This purchase will add $105 annual dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 950M   EPS:$0.32 Dividend: $1.32 (6.95%)

Buying Tesla

Tesla, Inc., (NASDAQ: TSLA) makes electric vehicles namely the Model S sedan and the Model X sport utility vehicle (SUV). I cannot afford either models so I bought a few shares of the company instead. It always feels better to invest money you have on hand than spend what you don't have by taking a loan, advance, etc..

I first bought this stock during it's IPO price of $18-20 a few years back and sold it after it soared to $30. I've regretted that sale ever since so I back in it for good this time so let's go to MARS ! :))

Invest in branding ?

Stock Purchase - Welltower Inc. (15 shares, $51 dividend income)

After my recent addition of New Senior Investment Group (NYSE:SNR) in the healthcare REIT sector, I began looking for another investment in this popular sector and came across another attractive REIT with a good yield (5%), namely Welltower (NYSE: HCN).

Welltower Inc., (NYSE: HCN) is one of the largest REIT that invests in senior housing, assisted living and memory care communities, post-acute care facilities, and medical office buildings together with hospitals and other healthcare properties in US, Canada and UK.

Unlike New Senior Investment Group which is more of a high yield risky bet (10+% yield), Welltower is very established with a long dividend history and I'm confident this one will be a long term holding, so called "SWAN" (sleep well at night) stock :))

This purchase will add $51 annual dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 23B   EPS:$1.72  Dividend: $3.44 (5.20%)

Stock Purchase - SNR (100 shares, $104 dividend income)

New Senior Investment Group Inc. (NYSE: SNR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with over 105 independent living properties, 44 assisted living / memory care properties and 5 continuing care retirement communities properties nationwide over 30 states.

There is no doubt in my mind that this nation's aging population and longer lifespans will surely drive this company's business for the long foreseeable future. I hope and expect their revenues to grow,  improve and be lucrative enough to be sustainable.

As long as they maintain that crazy 10+% yield and don;'t screw up badly, I'm in it ! :))

This purchase will add $104 annual dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 826M   EPS:-$1.10  Dividend: $1.04 (10.25%)

Microbeads - The Story of Stuff Project

The richest 1% of Indians now own 58.4% of wealth (link)

Stock Purchase - APLE (80 shares, $96 dividend income)

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE), Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in lodging properties operating under the Hilton® and Marriott® family brands. The Company’s portfolio consists of 236 hotels, with over 30,000 guestrooms nationwide.

Despite a short dividend history (~ 1 year), I do like that this company holds an impressive portfolio of properties with only well-known brands. That makes a difference I think in their competitive market place. Their recent earnings was a beat on revenue and if the US economy remains strong (no recession), the lodging business looks promising.

Their monthly dividend of $0.10/shr is a nice feature and I hope to collect that 6%+ annualized dividend for many years to come.

This purchase will add $96 annual dividend income to my dividend stock portfolio

Basic info:

Market CAP: 4B   EPS:$0.48  Dividend: $1.20 (6.75%)