Well… this is awkward.
For the first time ever, I don’t really have any economic news to rant about this week. No surprise data drops, no emergency Fed meetings, no “experts” tripping over themselves on TV.
Honestly? I’ll take it.
So instead of forcing a macro take that doesn’t exist, we’re doing something far more useful: talking dividends, yield protection, and some very intentional end-of-year portfolio cleanup.
Because even when the news is quiet, your portfolio still needs adult supervision.
📰 Economic News
Umm… I’ve got nothing this week.
No, seriously. This might be the first time that’s ever happened.
Enjoy the calm while it lasts.
💸 Top 10 IINvestments Going Ex-Dividend Next Week
This week’s list comes directly from the latest livestream, so if you were there, this will look familiar.
A couple important notes before anyone YOLOs into something shiny:
⚠️ About TIGO & BNS
Both TIGO and BNS look fairly valued based on P/E and historical yield — but I think they’re overvalued at current prices.
These are watchlist stocks, not “back the truck up” stocks.
Why?
They don’t offer enough yield protection if you get the entry price wrong. Let me explain what I mean by that…
🛡️ Yield Protection & Why It Matters
Take SAR as an example.
- SAR yields roughly 13%
- Let’s say SAR is trading at $23
- You overpay slightly and it drops to $22 before stabilizing
That’s about a 4% price loss.
BUT — SAR throws off roughly $3.00 in annual dividends.
So even if SAR:
- Trades sideways all year
- Ends 2026 at $22
You’d still walk away with about a 9% net gain after dividends.
That’s yield protection.
Now compare that to TIGO or BNS yielding ~4–5%.
If you overpay there, the dividend does not bail you out.
So for now:
- Watchlist TIGO & BNS
- Wait for a pullback
- Let the price come to you
No rush. Cash is a valid position.
🧠 What’s On the List This Week
This week gives us solid diversification, even if it’s not screaming “buy everything”:
- 2 BDCs: MAIN, SAR
- 1 Land REIT: MRP
- 1 Internet: OPRA
- 1 Consumer Staple: GIS
- 1 Retail REIT: BRX
- 1 Wireless / Mobile: TIGO
- 1 Telehealth Preferred: LFMDP
- 1 Bank Holding Company: CHBH
- 1 International Bank: BNS
If you’re not feeling compelled to deploy cash here — that’s fine. Next week should offer better vehicles.
We currently only hold OPRA from this list.
🔄 Portfolio Updates
We’re officially in end-of-year housekeeping mode, and yes — that means making some uncomfortable but necessary moves.
1️⃣ Cutting Some Dead Weight
In the vanning portfolio, we sold:
- CONY
- FIAT
- MSTW
All at losses. Never fun.
But the reverse stock splits on CONY and FIAT crushed their income potential, and MSTW has been a disappointment the last couple of months.
Our capital is better utilized elsewhere.
2️⃣ Where That Money Went
- FIAT & MSTW proceeds → TSLW
- Added 11 shares
3️⃣ Reallocating CONY Capital
- CONY proceeds → LFGY & WNTR
- Added 38 LFGY shares
- Added 26 WNTR shares
Higher income, better positioning.
4️⃣ One BDC for Another
We swapped:
- Out: SPMC
- In: MSIF
SPMC’s first three earnings reports were… let’s be honest… kind of ass, and the stock price reflects that (down ~20%).
MSIF is run by the same management team as MAIN, which is an absolute banger of a BDC.
No guarantees MSIF becomes MAIN — but it sure as hell has better odds than SPMC.
5️⃣ Keeping an Eye on TRIN
One thing to watch:
TRIN moved from a quarterly dividend to a monthly dividend.
- Still pays $0.51 per quarter
- Now broken into $0.17 per month
Sometimes this works out great. Sometimes… not so much.
Good news: we’ve already recouped our initial investment, so this is all profit.
But I’ll be watching this closely and keeping you posted.
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