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Dividend King of the Week [TGT][9]

After a tariffic week, five of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: GRC, PPG, QCOM, SJW, and TGT.

TickerAccount Value
GRC2,899.62
PPG2,776.20
QCOM2,931.58
SJW3,370.50
TGT2,488.72

The lowest amount belongs to TGT which last traded at $95.72, a level first seen in August 2019 and last seen during the pandemic. I will acquire 3 shares of TGT on Monday morning. See the 2025-03-22 post for a slightly deeper dive into TGT’s recent performance. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

Dividend King of the Week [TGT][8]

This week, six of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, GRC, PPG, QCOM, SJW, and TGT.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB3,980.00
GRC3,143.48
PPG3,008.32
QCOM3,512.56
SJW3,376.80
TGT2,383.95

The lowest amount belongs to TGT which last traded at $103.65. I will acquire 3 shares of TGT on Monday morning. See the 2025-03-22 post for a slightly deeper dive into TGT’s recent performance. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

Dividend King of the Week [TGT][7]

This week, five of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, GRC, PPG, SJW, and TGT.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB4,012.00
GRC3,131.91
PPG3,100.44
SJW3,238.83
TGT2,081.20

The lowest amount belongs to TGT which last traded at $104.06. I will acquire 3 shares of TGT on Monday morning. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

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Dividend King of the Week [TGT][7]Read More »

Dividend King of the Week [GRC][8]

This week, four of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, GRC, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB4,040.00
GRC3,081.56
PPG3,177.16
SJW3,407.67

The lowest amount belongs to GRC which last traded at $37.58. Therefore, I will acquire 7 shares of GRC on Monday. See the 2025-03-01 post for a high-level look at GRC’s recent performance in the context of the last 16 years. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

Rolling a Covered Call [VZ]

VZ had climbed over our $42 strike price a couple of weeks ago and then went on a tear, reaching $47.36 only yesterday. Then, this morning at Deutsche Bank’s Media, Internet & Telecom Conference, Chief Revenue Officer Frank Boulben said Q1 subscriber growth will probably be “soft”. And down goes Frazier! Apparently, Frank’s comment was worth a 10% drop. I am taking advantage of today’s volatility by rolling the outstanding call up and out.

In the same, two-legged, GTC option order:

Buy to Close: (1) April 17, 2025 $42.00 Call Option [Symbol: VZ250417C42]

Sell to Open: (1) October 17, 2025 $44.00 Call Option [Symbol: VZ251017C44]

Limit Order Price:  Credit of $0.45 per share

I was lucky enough to get a $0.45 credit, but even $0.40 would be acceptable. After commissions, this resulted in $43.97. That’s a nice roll credit for lifting the strike price $2.00 higher and above the current price of $43.28.

Dividend King of the Week [BDX][2]

This week, six of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: BDX, FMCB, GRC, PPG, SJW, and TGT.

TickerAccount Value
BDX1,377.24
FMCB4,120.00
GRC3,140.60
PPG3,233.44
SJW3,494.61
TGT2,301.60

The lowest amount belongs to BDX which last traded at $229.54. Now, in addition to the usual $250+ of weekly investment, there is an additional $278.09 in uninvested income at my disposal. Therefore, I will acquire 3 shares (2 from the normal weekly installment and 1 extra, leaving some uninvested income on the table) of BDX on Monday. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

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Dividend King of the Week [GRC][7]

This week, three of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: GRC, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
GRC2,860.50
PPG3,170.16
SJW3,318.21

The lowest amount belongs to GRC which last traded at $38.14. Therefore, I will acquire 7 shares of GRC on Monday. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

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Dividend King of the Week [GRC][7]Read More »

Are Daily ‘Dividends’ Possible with 0DTE Options?

I love the concept of probability. Likelihoods, percentages, ratios. They influence my thoughts and behaviors in so many facets of life. He’s a 70% free throw shooter, what are the odds he makes ’em both? Are they going to bunt this time or hit into another double play? Will WalMart have everything, or am I gonna have to hit Lowe’s? Will this flight cost more or less in a month? It’s snowed 16 days in a row; has that ever happened before? Do we have time to eat dinner out before the game? Meta just went up 20 straight days – can that continue?

A bit closer to home is option trading. A healthy understanding of probability and its relationship with risk is critical to success with options, but certainly no guarantee.

If you read on, there’s a 98% chance you’ll acquire a better understanding of probability and the inherent risk in a simple ODTE option strategy which addresses the question you’re all undoubtedly asking, “Can 0DTE options be used to generate a safe and reliable source of income?”

Well, that is what we’ll try and find out.1

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Coronation! [RLI]

I was about 35 years old when I finally caved in and got myself some glasses. I hate wearing glasses, but not because of how they look. It’s the constant pushing them back up my nose. It’s the irritation above the ears from the constant use. Before I needed bifocals, I certainly had the option of buying contact lenses, but I chose not to. They cost more than glasses – and I already disliked having to spend any money at all on the matter.

In the 1960s, the cost of replacing a pair of contact lenses was about $200. Many of the younger cohort inclined to wear contact lenses found this replacement cost to be prohibitive. But of course, the cost wasn’t about to stop them from choosing contact lenses over glasses and so, contact lens insurance was born. One of the first contact lens insurers was founded by Gerald D. Stephens in 1965 and it became one of the largest of its kind in the United States.

Over time, the demand for the insurance diminished with the emergence of more affordable, disposable soft lenses. In order to remain competitive, Stephens began offering other types of insurance, including commercial property and liability insurance. The company eventually got out of the contract lens insurance line altogether and thrives in the property and casualty industry today. In fact, on 2025-02-13, they announced a dividend increase making this the 50th straight year of doing so. We have ourselves another Dividend King in the Royal Dividends Empire.

All hail RLI Corp!

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No Purchase This Week [33]

This week is the final of three ‘off’ weeks intended to restore the $250+ per week pace of investment which became necessary with the acquisition of another share of FMCB. Read on to find out which position would have been most worthy of new money.

This week, four of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, GRC, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB4,084.00
GRC2,935.50
PPG3,214.40
SJW3,323.25

The lowest amount belongs to GRC. There is nothing precluding further investment in that position, other than it being an ‘off’ week.