[quote]tedro wrote:
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Exxon Mobil, AT&T, Merck, Verizon, Western Union, and Kimberly Clark. Heavy on the JJ, Exxon, Western Union.
Throw in some bullion and some Newmont Mining and Agnico-Eagle (mining stocks).
Too stodgy? I’m in my 50’s btw.[/quote]
All about the divvy aren’t you?
Is this a taxable account or are these in your retirement accounts? What do you like about WU? I’ll admit I’ve never taken a close look at the company, but I’ve kind of considered that (ignorantly perhaps)a dying industry.
Without knowing your goals for these stocks it’s hard to offer much. It doesn’t seem real diversified, but I don’t stay diversified in my taxable account either. I’d say you are pretty low risk as far as stocks go. You have a pretty strong presence in health care, but that’s probably not a bad thing today. XOM is obviously subject to some volatility, but I wouldn’t have any major long term concerns about it.
I’d keep a close eye on T and VZ. If I had to pick one stock to own for the rest of my life, it would be Ma Bell, but the coming years will be very interesting. Between the T-Mobile/Metro PCS deal and Softbank/Sprint the tide in cellular could certainly shift. Also a lot of talk of Dish getting into the game. The cellular industry will grow by leaps and bounds over the coming years as data usage multiplies and there may be fights for spectrum. A significant change in market share is a real possibility, but I don’t know that any of the other companies can compete with T over fiber, so that will provide a solid backbone should something major occur.
Full disclosure I’m also long S.[/quote]
Right now, I let the dividends buy more shares and pay taxes out of pocket on the income.
I actually plan to never sell any of these stocks. When my wife retires (she has a very secure pension, as a univ prof), I’ll start taking the dividends in cash, for travel and for charity (like my daughter’s orphanage in China).
Western Union is a very simple company to run, pays a 4% dividend, PE of 7. I like stocks with low PEs and good dividends. Its an old crusty company but seems pretty adept at churning out the dollars.
Thank you for the very thoughtful reply!