Rather safe than sorry

The robbers have changed their MO.

In the past they have dressed in stolen work clothes from various freight forwarders to now be very well dressed to trick people into opening their front door. When the front door is opened, several cronies come forward and force their way into the home.

In the past, we have told the offspring not to open to people dressed in different uniforms from forwarding companies. Now we have changed it to the fact that he is not allowed to open the front door for anyone who rings the doorbell.

It feels terrible to have to take these steps but I would never forgive myself if the offspring was the victim of an armed robbery in our home. I hate how our society has become.

All months would end as March

That March exceeded the forecast is all the special and supplemental dividends we received. Without them, the final result would most likely have been much closer to the results for January and February 2023.

If any of our holdings were to decide to increase their dividend for 2023 in contrary to the NEWT, I will not change the spreadsheet. The possible increase will contribute to the air cushion I need for exchange rate differences, brokerage and DRIPS.

Tomorrow we will most likely buy more Realty Income Corporation Common Stock (O), W. P. Carey Inc. REIT (WPC) or make our first acquisition in National Retail Properties Common Stock (NNN).

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Assume nothing

Then all dividends for March have been credited to our accounts. The month's total was about 5% higher than the forecast I have adjusted for new acquisitions and dividend changes such as NEWT.

We are still below target in the forecast where I have not taken changes into account. When the year started, I thought that forecast would beat the target every month, not miss it!

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Why can he and not me?

In a sleeping contest, even Sleeping Beauty wouldn't stand a chance against the world's most perfect husband. Young Master Dewlar being able to sleep 24/7 is a no-brainer since he is a teenager.

That my husband has been able to master this "ability" to perfection at the age of 55 is less charming. It's pure jealousy, I want the ability.

I am impatient but not foolhardy

Yesterday we received several dividends including NewtekOne, Inc. Common Stock (NEWT).

The only dividends missing for the spreadsheet to be complete for the month of March are those credited to my better half's account.

He is more of an evening person than I am so both he and the offspring are still sleeping. Waking my husband up to ask him to log into his account is definitely not an option as his morning mood leaves a lot to be desired.😉

In total, we have received 1/4 of April's estimated dividends so far.

Lean times await

Today, Sweden's inflation figures for the month of March were presented. Both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy (CPILFESL) also known as Core CPI was lower than the market expected.

Unfortunately, Riksbanken's (Sweden's equivalent to the Fed) expectations were not fulfilled by the consumer price index with a fixed interest rate (CPIF), which is the value they attach the most importance to. In Riksbanken's latest report, there was an expectation of 7.8% for March, while the real outcome was 8%.

This most likely means that Riksbanken will raise the key interest rate by 50 basis points at the next monetary policy announcement on 26 April 2023.

Even though we have hopefully passed the inflation peak, Sweden's borrowers most likely still have at least one interest rate increase left before the policy rate levels off and stabilizes.

How many borrowers can handle this (these?) upcoming interest rate hikes remains to be seen.

This kind of robbery didn't exist when I was young

I aged 5 years during the evening young master Dewlar was at the concert. As a parent of a teenager today, one's main concern has shifted from being worried that the teenager will try drinking alcohol, smoking a cigarette, etc. to being mainly worried that they will be abused, robbed and even stabbed.

The fact that young people today are not only robbed of money, iPhones, airpods, etc. but also of clothes has changed how the offspring are allowed to dress in certain situations. Having to ask Junior to change from the clothes he had chosen for his first concert visit was awful. He also had to leave airpods, house keys, etc. at home. The only thing he was allowed to bring was his iPhone.

The last thing we said before he left without counting that we love him was the quote "if someone robs you of something, don't resist" unquote. That YMD would be robbed of something material is uninteresting. It is what a possible robbery does to his freedom and safety that is our only concern.

THIS IS NOT FUN

When I, as a 24-year-old, met my husband, who was then 27, I was very clear that I neither cleaned, cooked nor wanted children. He was completely on board and for the next 13 years we worked 90-100 hour weeks and traveled to exotic locations.

A few months after the world's most perfect husband turned 39, he tentatively said that he thought we would regret it if we didn't have a child. I can still hear his words ringing in my ears quote "it's going to be fun" unquote.

I got pregnant right away and 3 weeks after my husband turned 40, our son was born. Right then and there I fundamentally changed.

I wish someone had warned me that the price of experiencing absolute love is worry. A price I'm paying right now, and which I'm guessing will become even more "expensive" in the years to come.

I'm a bundle of nerves!

After many days without a single dividend, we will receive several this Friday. We have some cash left over from recent dividends so hopefully the next purchase will make a clear impression in my Google Sheet.

With my son at a concert, I find it hard to focus on taking in information or on anything really except worrying. If I make bad acquisitions in the next few days, I can always blame the offspring.

I can't even bring myself to worry about tomorrow when I have to fix a tooth that has broken due to me grinding my teeth. All I can hope for is that the concert is so bad that he and his friends decide to go home instead. Otherwise I have 3 long hours ahead of me...

And so it begins

This week is spring break in Sweden. The most perfect teenager in the world is going to a concert for the first time in his (and our) life.

I feel total panic at this while the offspring's feeling is at the exact other end of the emotional spectrum.

I certainly don't want to scare junior but at the same time I have to make him realize that there are people who have evil intentions.

My concern is certainly not exaggerated or ridiculous. Yesterday there was a robbery in which a 12-year-old girl was stabbed when she was robbed of her mobile phone. The robbery took place on one of the city's municipal buses.

It annoys me

Speaking of Alecta, I received an annual summary of the pension insurances I have with Skandiabanken.

Unfortunately, Skandiabanken has not succeeded in its mission in 2022. According to their specification, the value of the two pension insurances I have with Skandiabanken has decreased by over 30%.

Despite their failure, I still have to pay their fees they charge me. Unfortunately, I cannot take over the management myself, but must let the agreement run until it is time for them to start the payments to me.

There are approximately 1,500 companies in Sweden with Chinese ownership

I and like-minded people have been saying for decades that we will not have to worry about a Chinese military invasion. China will conquer us economically, and now our politicians have finally understood the danger.

The Swedish government now wants to be able to stop foreign investments in companies with security-sensitive operations.

Chip manufacturer Silex has Chinese owners and is part of a group with ties to the regime. Their products are included in defense equipment, among other things. With the changes the government wants to make next year, the acquisition of Silex might not have been allowed.

Time will tell if it's all talk and no action.

They are dissing themselves without realizing it

Today, the pension company Alecta announced that they are resigning their CEO with immediate effect. Their loss regarding the acquisition of the niche banks SIVB and others amounts to almost 1.8 billion dollars.

A representative of the company validates that $1.8 billion is an incredible amount of money for an individual, but still claims that it will hardly be felt at the individual level because savers have many years left (up to 20 years) before they start withdrawing the money.

I personally question if Alectra's management of nearly $1.8 billion over 20 years does not result in the investments increasing in value enough to make a noticeable difference to an individual saver, why would I want to let them invest my hard earned money!?!

Being the opposite is worse

For full transparency, I really don't like paying taxes because I think the government wastes an incredible amount of it. That said, I'm certainly not a person who practices what I preach.

In Sweden, among other things, both school and medical healthcare are financed through various taxes, income tax, VAT, excise taxes, etc.

Even though we have access to tax-funded (not free as some people say) school and healthcare, we have chosen to let the offspring attend a private IB school. We have also chosen to pay for private healthcare for both ourselves and him.

We are not allowed to make any deductions for these costs on our tax return so in effect we are paying for his schooling twice. This is a conscious choice on our part so I'm not complaining at all.

What I object to are those who claim it's cool to pay high taxes and like to complain about people like us who choose private options. Especially when it is discovered that it is usually the same people who like to cheat on their tax payments.

A bit on the way but not there yet

The aggregate net dividend for the first quarter of 2023 is almost exactly 75% of our net salaries. Had not several of our holdings crashed during the pandemic, I think we could have retired by now.

As we deliberately had gigantic risk-taking in our portfolios before the pandemic, we are grateful that more holdings did not disappear completely. Since there is still 1/4 of our net wages missing plus we still have 5 terms of school to pay before the world's most perfect  teenager in the world starts college or university I guess we will be working for many many more years….

A (perhaps) unpopular opinion

For full transparency, I don't have a transgender person in my life, I'm biologically female and I don't do elite level sports.

After researching myself, I can say in all seriousness that I have full respect for all people and address them in the way they wish. However, there are two areas where I cannot deny that there are basic biological differences.

I am against biological women competing against transgender women. The difference in the basic physics is obvious, which shows itself around the world in different sports.

In addition, in healthcare we must somehow separate the biological sexes, for EVERYONE's sake. The symptoms of, for example, a heart attack differ between the sexes. For biological women, they are much more "masked" than for biological men. If I were to suffer a heart attack, I want all hospital staff to immediately identify me as biologically female so I get the absolute best help to survive. Statically speaking, every single person on earth should have at least one biological woman that they love and care for, such as mother, sister, wife, daughter, aunt, aunt, mother-in-law, niece etc.

Happy Easter

Today I'm eating nothing but candy if you ignore the lunch we're having with my in-laws.

After Easter, me and the world's most perfect man have agreed that I will stop eating sweets, while he will stop drinking beer. Our age with impaired metabolism is an unpleasant guest that we must evict. Before I look like an Easter egg myself.

Happy Easter!

March was good after all

Right now, NewtekOne, Inc. Common Stock (NEWT) is the gift that just keeps on giving, but not in a good way. Unlike previous years, when they had March as the payment month, NEWT, like the icing on the cake, has moved the payment date forward to April.

Given that we will hopefully sell off our entire holding in NEWT in 2023, I will not change my spreadsheet. The acquisitions we made in 2023 along with all the special and supplemental distributions for March mean that we will almost reach the original mark for March.

When we get the dividend from NEWT (March 14) there will be about $250 missing which can be considered good considering the loss.

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This too shall pass

Inflation and interest rate increases are now beginning to be felt in society. According to reports, 2/3 of all mortgages are tied up and due for renegotiation in 2023 so I think we, as a society, have a tough time ahead of us.

On a personal level, the past two weeks have been disturbingly quiet in our shop. Given that the schools in Sweden have Easter break next week, I suspect that the coming week will be just as horrible.

Since I always put the money to work, I have to withdraw the excess cash from "their workplaces" starting next week to get me through the next few weeks. An action I really detest, but as they say "This too shall pass". However, sooner rather than later.

Mission impossible

Ever since NewtekOne, Inc. Common Stock (NEWT) changed its business orientation and therefore had to reduce its dividend, it has mostly been about trying to reduce the damage NEWT caused.

Our upcoming dividends must be perfect positioned to generate more than $3000 in dividends in turn to cover the loss of NEWT, exchange fees and exchange rate differences before the end of the year.

A black hole is more manageable than the hole NEWT created in our dividend portfolio.

It finally came, my tsunami of money

We received a large sum of money during the very last day of March. The combination of tax refunds and dividends gave us almost half a month's salary in one day. If all the months were like Mars, dividend-wise, I'd stop working.

We increased our holdings primarily in Ares Capital Corporation Common Stock (ARCC).

Even though we have reinvested the majority of all the money, we are far from the final goal for the full year 2023.