The Stoic Investor

I have a post-it note on my microwave that reads, practice gratitude daily!! (yes it even has the little smiley face).  It is one of the first things I read when I start my day and often I read it several times a day.  It is a constant reminder of how fortunate I am at this time in my life.  Despite working in a job I’m not overly excited about,  everything else is going well.  I have good health, a network of friends that I’m working on becoming closer with, deeper family ties, financial security, and the gift of merely existing.  Life is good.

Most of what I’m enjoying today is the result of some heavy financial lifting I did a few years ago.  I’ve been thinking of how grateful I am to my former self and thought I would write him a letter letting him know how much I appreciate what he did and how the choices he made have allowed me to get closer and closer to my conception of the good life.  What you read below is that letter. Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a lot of activity in The Stoic Portfolio for the month of May and before I get too far behind I thought it a good idea to get caught up on my investing activity.  I’ve been fairly dormant this year in regards to investing in stocks due to the ongoing bull market of 2013.  Vodafone (VOD) is the only purchase until now. Read the rest of this entry »

With the bull market of 2013 continuing its run I’ve found limited opportunities to invest the large cash position I currently have.  I’ve made one purchase this year and that was VOD.  I’m hoping to see a few more opportunities come about later this month, but until then I will do what I do best; wait.

With not much to discuss on the investment front I’ve been turning my eye to expenses and how to reduce the ones that don’t really increase my quality of life.  I’m ok with spending, but spending consciously is extremely important to me.  What I’ve become aware of in my own life is many expenses end up being a product of habit, a certain way of doing things that are reinforced with time.  In this post I’m going to discuss my habits of energy consumption and methods I am using or plan to use to decrease the costs associated with energy use.  I have two forms of energy I rely on currently:  electricity and gasoline. Read the rest of this entry »

Although my writing lately has been dealing with expenses and other non-investing subjects don’t think that I have abandoned my interest in investing.  I still follow the markets daily and continue to search for new companies I would like to add to The Stoic Portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »