Earlier this year I decided to try my hand at dividend re-investment plans directly through my online broker. They worked pretty slick and the only thing I had to do on my end was call up my broker and tell them which stocks to DRIP. The whole process would take about a week after the dividend payment date to see the extra shares appear in my account. DRIPs are a very efficient way to invest if you don’t have a lot of capital to spend on fees and commissions but that’s not really a concern for me.
What gives?
So why did I decide to stop dripping my dividend shares? For the most part is was just personal preference. I like having the full dividend payment deposited into my account and purchasing shares at the most opportune moment. When using DRIPs you have no control over when the shares are purchased. In fact, a majority of the stocks that I dripped over the 6 month period were purchased at or close to their 52 week highs. Sure most DRIPs allow you to purchase shares with a slight discount, but I’d rather be able to pull the trigger myself. That way I only have myself to blame!Never surrender
A lot of you may think that I didn’t give it a chance and that 6 months isn’t long enough to see the true benefits. Well you are right. The only problem is that DRIPs are not right for me at this point in my investment timeline. I need to diversify my portfolio some more before I start re-investing in companies I already own. Once my portfolio is established, I may start dripping the All- Stars of my portfolio. Until then, I need more consumer staples in my portfolio so I need to start looking in that sector.So now what?
For now I plan on sitting on the sidelines and building up my pile of dividends to strike when the time is right. I have my sights set on Saputo as well as a few other grocery chains on my watchlist. Everyone has to eat and brush their teeth, so why not invest in companies that provide these products. I sure wish there were more Canadian companies in the consumer staples sector, so I may have to pick up some U.S stocks in my RRSP account to make up the difference.What are your thoughts on DRIPs?
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