Master Successful Personal Habits by Zig Ziglar

DISCLAIMER -  I am not a Financial Advisor and do not work for any Brokerage Firm. The opinions given are my own and are not to be used as professional advice.  These are my findings and can help you to make informed decisions on investing.  Consult a Broker or Lawyer before making any investment. 
 
Master Successful Personal Habits by Zig Ziglar is a great book about thinking right and getting good habits.   Few people in the world are better known than Zig Ziglar.   He has authored dozens of books but is known more as a great motivational speaker, particularly in the arena of sales.   I am currently reading his book “See You at the Top”, and it is super also.  I picked up both books at Hoopla-Digital.  If available from your library, Hoopla Digital is an inexpensive way to read books for free.   We did an article a few months ago on saving money reading books.  Click here to read saving money reading books.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM: Master Successful Personal Habits

First and most importantly, this book is way more than a book about habits.  It is about living a successful and prosperous life.   There are dozens of great stories, and I can only include a few in a 5-page review.   So read the book and be blessed.

Hope is the Foundation of Quality Habit Changes.

1. You have a choice.  You can make it better or worse.
2. It is not what happens in the world that makes a difference in your life.
3. It is not what your parents did or are doing.  You must do something to change your life for the better.
4. It’s not what happens to you, but how you handle what happens.  One mistake does not ruin us.  Just learn from each mistake and don’t repeat failures.

Zig Ziglar says many will never change due to the “PLOM” disease.   He says this means “Poor Little Ole Me”.    I would change, but poor little ole me can’t.    You can.    Don’t fall for this failure trap.

There is no limit to what we can do when we are determined.  There is great power in Hope.  Hope is the foundation.  Without hope, we are lost.   There is no power if hope is in the future or the past.  POWER OF HOPE is NOW.  In the present, we must make our changes.

Money is important, but it has limitations.   Zig says he likes a lot of things money can buy, but money can only buy things.  Many more important things are not able to be purchased with money.

Money can buy you a nice house, but not a home.   Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep.   Money can buy you a companion, but not a true friend.  Money can buy a good time, but it won’t buy peace of mind.

The book is full of examples of people who refused PLOM disease. (poor little ole me malady).   Many overcame great circumstances.

Vince Roberts only finished the 5th grade.  He got a job driving a taxi, and he purchased a 15 lb. Webster's dictionary.  Each day he would learn the meaning of a few more words.  As he waited for someone to take his taxi, he got smarter and smarter.   By reading his IQ went up.  He learned how to invest in the stock market.  

Over time, he made enough money to buy out the ’19 Car Taxi Service” in his town.  He never quit investing, and today he is a very wealthy man.  He travels all over Canada telling others how to be successful.   Is he an isolated case?  Not at all.   There are thousands of Vince Roberts who have migrated from foreign countries and become wealthy.   They see the opportunity all around us in America.

To get ahead, it takes 6 things.

1.  You must have a healthy self-image.   Believe in yourself.
2.  You must see the value and worth in other people.
3.  You must develop a Strong Goal Orientation.
4.  You must have the right mental attitude each day.
5.  Be willing to work hard.
6.  You must have a burning desire to excel.

Zig Ziglar gives a set of affirmations that we should all seek to emulate.  He suggests reading this every day, and making it a part of your daily routine.  I have done this and it has made me more steady and consistent.   It has been easier to stick to more core values by living right and trying to glorify the Lord with my life.   Try it and I think you will be a better person reminding yourself of how you should and will be.

Zig Ziglar encourages us to speak positive words to ourselves.  He says we should start each day by stating the following:

I am a compassionate, respectful, encourager who is a considerate, generous, gentle, patient, caring, sensitive,  personable, attentive, fun-loving person.  I am a supporting, giving and forgiving, clean, kind, unselfish, affectionate, loving, family-oriented human being, and I am a sincere and open-minded, good listener, and good-finder who is trustworthy.  These are the qualities which enable me to build good relationships with my associates, neighbors,  mate, and family.

I'm a person of integrity with the faith and wisdom to know what I should do and the courage and convictions to follow through.

I have a vision to manage myself and to lead others.  I'm authoritative, confident, and humbly grateful for the opportunity life offers me.  I am fair, flexible, resourceful,  creative, knowledgeable, decisive, and an extra-miler with a service attitude who communicates well with others. I am a consistent, pragmatic teacher with character and a finely-tuned sense of humor.

​I am an honorable person and am balanced in my personal, family, and business life, and have a passion for being, doing, and learning more today so I can be and do more tomorrow.

These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be.  Tonight I'm going to sleep wonderfully well.  I will dream powerful and positive dreams.  Tomorrow I will awaken refreshed, and it's going to be an absolutely magnificent day.

Power of Words

Zig Ziglar says that we have no idea how much power words have over people.   So many think they have accomplished all their life goals by themselves.  No one has done it all by themselves.

Zig says that if you see a turtle on top of a post, you know he didn’t get there by himself.   The same can be said of each of us.   No matter how high or how low you are on the ladder of life, others have helped you along the way.
​
He says his two favorite college teams are Penn State and Notre Dame, but probably not because they are so successful.  It is because they don’t allow the player’s name to be on the jerseys. You have a number and you are just a ”part of the team”.   You watch and almost yearly these 2 teams are in the top 20 NCAA teams, if not in the top 10.

If you don’t think words are important, think about these examples.

Patrick Henry said “Give me Liberty or give me death,” and it caused a nation to unite and fight for its independence.   Churchhill said “There will always be an England”, and the country was lifted by its bootstraps.  FDR said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, and the Depression Era got a glimpse of hope.  Martin Luther King said “I have a dream,” and it made many people get great dreams they had never before dreamed for a better country.

In his book, Zig Ziglar says that 58% of people never read a meaningful book after graduating college.   But the ones who made the “Who’s Who” typically read at least 20 books per year.   In 5 years, they have read 100 books and are totally up on current trends and business leadership.

He points out that if you will read just 30 minutes per day when you are young and stay with it all through life, you will read over 1,000 books in your lifetime.  That is the equivalent of 5 Four Year Degrees from college.  You won’t get the degrees, but you will get the knowledge.

He said he always carries a paperback book with him everywhere he goes so in down times or times waiting, he can use the time constructively.   With cell phones, Kindle, Hoopla Digital, ePub, and online Library books, there is no limit to what we can carry in our cell phones.

80% of character is developed by the time we are 5 years old.   90% is developed by the time we are 7 years old.   So is it important to speak positive uplifting things to our children?   You can not know how much difference it will make.   Many in prisons today were told by their parents “You keep that up and you will wind up in jail one day.”   Many Olympians were told, “Keep up that hard work and one day you will be in the Olympics.” We move to what is in our minds.  Fill your mind with positive uplifting thoughts.

Someone once asked Helen Keller what would be worse than being blind?  Without hesitation, she said “It would be infinitely worse to have perfect eyesight and no vision than the other way around.’

Consistency is imperative to be successful in life.   Your word should be your bond.  There are dozens of stories in this book about people who started small and grew large in their chosen fields.  

I highly recommend this book.  It is a great book on being motivated to live right and see things with a proper perspective.  Do yourself a favor and read some Zig Ziglar books.  Developing good habits is not easy, but this book will get you on the right track.

 
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New Dividend Aristocrats for 2023

DISCLAIMER -  I am not a Financial Advisor and do not work for any Brokerage Firm. The opinions given are my own and are not to be used as professional advice.  These are my findings and can hopefully help you make informed investing decisions.  Consult a Broker or Lawyer before making any investment. 

Some of the better investment stocks that consistently pay dividends are in two lists called Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Kings.  I did articles on both of these several months ago.

Dividend Aristocrats
Dividend Kings

The two lists sometimes overlap, but the rules to be in each are different.     Read the articles above to get all the details.

In summary, here are the rules for each list:

Traits of a Dividend Aristocrat

1. At least 25 years of consecutive dividend payments with a higher dividend per share each year.

2. The company maintains a minimum market capitalization of 3 Billion dollars. 

3. The stock averages at least 5 million dollars in daily trading.

4. The stock is part of the S&P 500 stock market index and is publicly traded.

Dividend Kings have just one trait, but it is a good one.
 
Traits of a Dividend Kings

1.  They have increased their dividend per share payout for 50 or more years.

 
This year in 2023, we have 3 new members of the Dividend Aristocrats.   While just making the list does not guarantee these will do great in the future, but they definitely warrant a look for your dividend portfolio.   Since these companies have raised their payouts on dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.

Let’s jump into the 3 new members.  J.M. Smuckers (SJM), Nordson (NDSN) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) are all entering the foray of companies who pay consistent dividends.   Let’s talk a bit about each company:
​
J. M. Smuckers

Market Value:  $11.7 billion
Dividend Yield:  2.5%
Analysts’ consensus:  Hold
​
CHRW – C.H. Robinson Worldwide provides Freight transportation and logistics services to industries around the world.  It also delivers reliable increases to its quarterly dividends.
It’s most recent dividend paid in 4th quarter of 2022 was 51 cents per share which was a 10.9% increase over the prior quarter.

CHRW has outperformed the past one and 3 year periods, but lagged on 5 year.   In 20 year period, it has annualized total returns beating the S&P 500 by more than 2 points.
The consensus on the street that this is just a ‘hold’ stock currently.

These may or may not be good choices to add to your portfolio this year.   However, remember that dividend-growth stocks tend to hold their value better in periods of rising rates which we are currently experiencing in the United States.   While just Aristocrats dividend returns may not seem great, the combination of it and their growth in stock value can provide some great total returns.   I personally did not add any of these 3, but continue to put money in my selected Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Kings weekly.

Seeking Alpha pointed out some of the best yields this year on Aristocrats including VFC, TROW, ESS, FRT, AMCR, ABBV, O, IBM, MMM, WBA averaging 4.38%.    I own most of these in my Schwab portfolio.

They also predicted the highest broker-estimated price upsides.  They were WMT, KO, CVX, SYY, GD, CB, APD, ROP, ADM, and NEE averaging a projected 16.41%.   I don’t own them all but do have most of them in my Schwab portfolio.

I truly believe that some of your most consistent year in and year out returns come from carefully chosen Dividend-Growth stocks.   They and some carefully chose Real Estate Trust ETFs make for a great combo.

Info on Real Estate trusts: 
More information on Dividend-Growth Stocks
  
 
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Positive Affirmations by Zig Ziglar

I have recently been reading a book by Zig Ziglar, and he is one of the most dynamic people I have encountered when it comes to having a good outlook on life and making the very best of each day.

In his book, he encourages us to think about these things daily and to repeat them out loud.   Doing so, it has had a profound effect on me.   Today I want to share those things he wants every person to have.
  
In Zig Ziglar's book which I will review later, he encourages us to speak positive words to ourselves.  He says we should start each day by stating the following.

I am a compassionate, respectful, encourager who is a considerate, generous, gentle, patient, caring, sensitive,  personable, attentive, fun-loving person.  I am a supporting, giving and forgiving, clean, kind, unselfish, affectionate, loving, family-oriented human being, and I am a sincere and open-minded, good listener, and good-finder who is trustworthy.  These are the qualities which enable me to build good relationships with my associates, neighbors,  mate, and family.

I'm a person of integrity with the faith and wisdom to know what I should do and the courage and convictions to follow through.

I have a vision to manage myself and to lead others.  I'm authoritative, confident, and humbly grateful for the opportunity life offers me.  I am fair, flexible, resourceful,  creative, knowledgeable, decisive, and an extra-miler with a service attitude who communicates well with others. I am a consistent, pragmatic teacher with character and finely-tuned sense of humor.

​I am an honorable person and am balanced in my personal, family, and business life, and have a passion for being, doing and learning more today so I can be and do more tomorrow.

These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be.  Tonight I'm going to sleep wonderfully well.  I will dream powerful and positive dreams.  Tomorrow I will awaken refreshed, and it's going to be an absolutely magnificent day.
 
 
Checkout the great article by Hayley Grace on why she quit social media and why you should to.
I Quit Social Media
 
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Understanding Preferred Stocks

DISCLAIMER -  I am not a Financial Advisor and do not work for any Brokerage Firm. The opinions given are my own and are not to be used as professional advice.  These are my findings and can hopefully help you make informed investing decisions.  Consult a Broker or Lawyer before making any investment. 

One of the better investment vehicles available to investors is the equity class called Preferred Shares or Preferred Stock.  Not much is said about them, so I am going to try and shed some light on the topic and teach a bit about the basics involved in Preferred Stock.
 
Many Preferred Stock shares pay excellent dividends, and some pay above 10%.   Many can be purchased well below their par value which is normally $25 per share.

Preferred Stocks (or Preferred Shares) are simply a class of equity stocks.  They hold a senior position over common shares.   One of the big differences (which is of little significance to small investors) is that Preferred Shares do not hold voting rights.

In concept, they are much like a bond, but they are not a debt.   In case of bankruptcy, bonds being debt would be paid first, then Preferred Shares, and if any money was left, the rest would be paid to the common stock shareholders.
 
Another investment method not well known also are Closed-End Funds.   We did an article on those at the link below:
https://lifecanbesimple.net/blog/what-are-closed-end-funds
 
Preferred Stocks typically always sell at $25 which is par value.   If you pay over $25 a share, you are paying a premium.  Under $25 means you are purchasing at a discount.    The dividends are paid on the value of $25 even if you purchased it at a lower rate, meaning you can get substantially higher returns than the stated rate if you buy at a good discount.

There are several terms, characteristics, or properties that you need to understand when buying Preferred Stocks.  You need to try and buy those that are Cumulative, Redeemable, Perpetual, and Fixed.

Cumulative means that all dividends must be paid.  If a company is low on funds and suspends the dividend, then later reinstates it, that means the prior dividends must be paid.  A Non-Cumulative share will not be paid on missed dividend payments.

Call Date is the date that the company can buy back the shares.   They must be bought back at par value. (Normally $25 per share.)

If a share is past its call date, then it becomes what is called Perpetual.   Once past the call date, it could be called at any time.   But perpetual means it will continue to pay dividends on an ongoing basis each quarter until called.

Perpetual shares exist forever until called.

Non-Perpetual shares mean that they retire at a specific date which can be after the call date.

Redeemable preferred shares can be called.   If redeemable, they will pay the par value per share when called. (Normally $25 a share.)

Fixed Dividend payments mean that no matter what price you pay, you will receive the same fixed dividend payment.  So an 8% payment based on $25 would net much higher if you purchased the stock at under $20 per share.   The lower the price per share, the higher your net yield.

Do not purchase the Floating Rate preferred as the dividend rate can vary.
 
My good friend Joshua King has written some good articles on Preferred Stocks.  

You can find that article here:
https://militaryfamilyinvesting.com/2021/03/17/preferred-shares-101-getting-started-with-preferred-shares/

In his article, he tells of a website that can explain what code to use to pull up preferred shares on various websites.  It has a lot of information about income investing.

https://quantumonline.com/
 
Preferred shares pay normally by the quarter, and they are consistent much like interest received on bonds.  They are steady income producers and can be very useful in setting up a good portfolio. 
 
I purchased a preferred stock today that meets all of the requirements we have mentioned.  It is KREF/PA which is the preferred stock shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust.

Coupon Type:  Fixed
Rate:   6.5%     nets 8.40% at the purchase price of $19.34
Cumulative:  Yes
Perpetual:  Yes

​Here are the characteristics from the Fidelity Website:

From the graph below, you can see the price per share has varied and dropped, but the payments have been consistent on these shares.
​

If the shares are eventually called, each share will pay $25 meaning a gain of almost $6 a share.    Since this stock is perpetual, it may never be called, but the 8.40% net is still a very good dividend.
 
One of the best websites to find information on Preferred Stocks is the Preferred Stock Channel.

https://www.preferredstockchannel.com/

When you signup for their weekly emails, they will send you good stocks to review that are paying some of the highest returns.   Be sure to pay attention to the rules we listed as all types of Preferred stocks are recommended.

Another site that has information on Preferred Shares is Yahoo Finance.  

You can find information from Fidelity Investments at:
​
https://digital.fidelity.com/prgw/digital/research/

A better screener on Preferred stocks is at Schwab Investments:
Note:  you must be a Schwab customer to use this service.

https://client.schwab.com/app/research/#/tools/stocks/preferredscreener

So in summary, Preferred Shares/Stocks can be great income producers.  

Review for the following characteristics of the stock:

1. Call Date
2. Fixed Rate (Not floating rate)
3. Cumulative (meaning suspended dividends must be paid when dividends resume)
4. Perpetual – continues paying dividends after the call date.
5. Look for the good financial condition of a company. (P/E ratio, current company ratings, etc.)
6. Selling price below par value (Normally $25 per share)

 
If you prefer to buy ETFs and not study the individual stocks, several good ETFs deal only in Preferred shares.   Here are 3 that I have purchased that pay consistently good dividends.   (6 to 10% yearly)

• PFF – I-Shares Preferred Income Securities ETF
• PREF – Principle Preferred Securities ETF
• PFFA – Virtus InfraCap US Preferred Stock ETF

Few people understand Preferred Stocks; they are a great method to increase your earnings.   You can take advantage of the many Preferred Stock offerings with just a little effort.    
 
Review the Preferred Stock Channel for many offerings:
https://www.preferredstockchannel.com/
 
  
 
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