Southern Comfort

SO- why do I own it.

A while back, while shifting into the dividend investor mode, I bought the newsletter Utility Forecaster. I continued to get it until the editor changed, and a after a few editions of the new editor, I didn't like the content as much and let it go. I had already purchased Duke a long time back, and began adding some utilities.  I learned a bunch over the years; regulated versus merchant power, water, gas, electricity, alternative energy. I bought SO as it appeared to be one of the 'best in class' in a part of the country experiencing lots of population growth. It has behaved just as expected: big dividend, with small yearly increases, modest capital growth, for an overall package of a little over 10% total return per year. I look at this one as another foundational holding. Utes have to figure out how to integrate solar/wind, how to integrate distributed generation from rooftop solar, but SO is as big as they get and has had positive relations with regulators, so I think it will perform well for a long time to come.

T is pretty obvious; part of the duopoly of cellular behemoths, big 5% dividend, growing slowly, but with the DRIP I have over 12% per year, over 50% cumulative total return. A cellular price war won't help, but the big dogs tend to win these things as they have deeper pockets than the discounters. I'm not too worried here

TEI- another of those emerging market bond funds I got back then. I have 50% return in under 6 years, it's paying me close to 10% YOC...hasn't hiccuped yet. I think I'll stay in it.

TGP- Liquid Natural Gas shipping- 100% return over 7 years, over 10% YOC now- this is a "secular trend"...we have tons of natural gas, countries like Japan, European countries need it and don't want to be beholden to Russia for it. This will be a great investment for a long time to come.

TUP- my mother bought tupperware. I use tupperware. People around the world need to store food. the original model probably doesn't work all that well in the US, but elsewhere in the world, the home sales model probably works just fine. It has a nice dividend and I don't have anything else quite like it in the portfolio.

USB- formerly an Oregon bank. I like Oregon companies...after all, I live here. Even though they are now based elsewhere, they are one of those super-regionals who minded their knitting and didn't get into the speculative trouble that the big dogs did. They get a lot of income from processing transactions. They got hurt in the downdraft like all banks, but they are performing well, pay a decent and rising dividend and have returned 30% in the 2 years I have owned the stock.

VZ- the other half of the cellular duopoly- probably outperforming T, but why not own both. T pays the bigger dividend, VZ is growing faster, both are great DRIPs. They are the telecoms of the 21st century- VZ has paid me 50% total return over 4 years. I can't see a reason to sell it, ever.

WFC- My only really big bank. WFC  managed to dodge the big crisis fairly well. I bought it low, rode it up, like the dividend and expect it will grow.  over 50% total return in the 2 1/2 years I've owned it. 

WMT- My other retailer- people love to hate Walmart, but just look at the chart and the dividend growth over the last decade. They will capture tons of business overseas, even if the US stagnates.
There are other retailers I could add, but two seems like plenty at the moment. 40% total yield over 3 years, fair dividend with steady dividend growth; fits the mold and is decidedly non-sexy; just my kind of foundational holding.

ZBB- my other plunge into battery storage. pure speculation, could pay off big, or just be another lesson in the dangers of emerging technology.