5%+ Dividend Yield Portfolio: Playing Offense, Not Running Scared (October 2018 Review)

Outlook
‘Well that was unpleasant,’ says basically any market participant of October 2018. With all major markets in/flirting with correction territory, there was no place to hide from a decline. However, not all declines were of equal magnitude as a 2X4 was taken to the formerly high-flying tech stocks but defensive stocks and REITs performed much better.
October 2018 was an opportunity for my portfolio to shine as my holdings only fell -4.1% versus the -7.8% for the S&P 500. However, seeing your holdings move lower is not fun for anyone (even if my decline was far less than most). But paper losses and realized losses are two entirely different things.
Stock investing is like a roller coaster. You don’t get hurt unless you jump off.
- Anonymous
Well, my friend anonymous is a bit more cocksure than I am, but there is a kernel of truth in the statement as only the people who sold while in the red actually lost any money. As for me, I sold nothing in October, but instead deployed half of my trading cash reserves to pick up quality assets that were suddenly cheaper.
Whether we're talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.
- Warren Buffett
I picked up additional positions in 6 different stocks that I had been eyeing for months now -- but was not willing to pay the (until recently) higher prices. Unfortunately, I did not pick up any of these positions at their October bottoms;... Read more