1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Performance Update 4 of 50: Awesome April!

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My main goal is to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 in 1500 days, starting from 1/1/2013. Every month, I provide an update on my status. My goal for 2013 is to get my portfolio up to $672,750, from a starting point of $586,043. Time to look back on the month of April.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that my first quarter was a pretty bad one. Despite a blazing market, my over-allocation in Apple dragged me down. However, things looked good in April as my portfolio went from $600,301 to $617,495 for a gain of $17,194. Woo! This is my best month so far. Here are the big numbers:

  • Days elapsed: 119
  • Days remaining: 1381
  • Overall gains: $31,452
  • Left to go (2013): $55,255
April
This thing is finally starting to look better

 

May is typically a brutal month for the markets, so I’m not holding my breath for a repeat performance. Also, the markets have been on such a rampage, I think we’re due for a correction. However, things are looking up and I’m eager to see what the rest of the year has in store.

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Comments

    • Hi Mrs. PoP! Hmmm, you know more about Apple than than the average bear (Yogi, not investment bear!).

      Apple is a tough fruit to figure out. It definitely isn’t something that I want to hold long term. No moat as WB would say (Apple actually was mentioned twice in yesterday’s meeting). However, I think that they’ll be fine in the short term (next 2 years).

      I’ve wondered about the Ron Johnson thing a lot myself. I always thought it was a bit nuts that he went to JC Penny. Ron Johnson is a smart cookie, basically inventing the Apple stores, but big box retail couldn’t be more different. I bet he comes back, but they do it slowly, kind of like when Jobs came back. He wasn’t CEO immediately.

      The coming correction was probably the most frequently asked thing in the meeting yesterday. I’ll have a full write up on it, but in typical Buffett/Munger fashion, the answer was “We don’t care. We buy strong companies and don’t pay attention to day to day ups and downs. However, we’ll be ready to deploy capital to help out good companies that need it like we did with Harley and GE in 2009.”

    • Yep, a correction will come, especially when the government stops the bond buying program. It will just be a blip when we look back in 10 years. I’m a strong believer in not trying to time the markets.

    • I actually think it will be OK. Samsung sells more phones, but they are the cheapo ones that are given away with a 2 year contract.

      It makes me a bit sad actually. Apple invents all this stuff (tough based phone, tablet) and then everyone else blatantly rips them off.

  5. Nice gains this past month! Certainly market timing is nothing to ever be worried about as Buffet said! I definitely experienced this within the past week with my OKS purchase. Picked it up on sound financials and a good projection for the next 3-5 years and boom, 10% drop on a missed earnings report! C’est la vie! Not worried about value as much in my dividend growth portfolio!
    writing2reality recently posted…Trades – ONEOK Partners LP (OKS) Additional BuyMy Profile

  6. I’m looking forward to a market correction. Since my salary doesn’t really change and I always invest the same amount I could buy shares at a discount price. I wish I had been into investing during the peak of the last recession, but I know it won’t be the last one.
    Johnny Moneyseed recently posted…A meet and greet with Johnny MoneyseedMy Profile

    • Corrections are good, healthy and we’re due. We’ll get a pretty big one once the government announces a stop to the bond buying program, but that may be a couple years off. This was a frequent topic of conversation at the Warren Buffett meeting actually. More on that later.

    • Thanks! Sometime soon, I’ll post my portfolio. I’ve made some really dumb moves too.

  9. The fact that everyone has been waiting for a market correction is the very reason we haven’t had one yet. Well that plus the Fed’s commitment to keep pumping. I was expecting a correction as well but now I’m not sure when we will see one.

    I’m long Apple since April 11th @437. Rode it down and now I’m expecting to hold on to it for a long time.
    Zach @ Dividend Ladder recently posted…The Benefits Of Investment BloggingMy Profile

    • I’m just glad Apple didn’t shit the bed and has rebounded.

      Hilarious! Yeah, it seems some sanity has returned. I’m still thinking they’ll have a strong second half. Product margins will probably continue to go down, but I’m not too concerned. Analysts worry about a cheaper phone, but if it gets people to buy an Apple product who would not have previously, that is a win.

  13. These are great to read in retrospect. Really hammers home how no one ever has any idea how the market will do

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