OPTIMUM STOCK INVESTING

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The purpose of this website is to present one investor's approach to investing in stocks utilizing a conservative, value-based strategy that relies upon dividends as the foundation, yet seeks to capitalize upon volatility for timely acquisitions and sales. Further, the author discusses how options can be cautiously used to improve the overall return. I (John D. Thomason) am not financially accredited, certified, ordained, or anything else, so consider that before acting upon any information presented. To share via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google Plus, click on the appropriate button. To see my profile on Seeking Alpha (SA), click on the SA Logo (will open in a new window). To subscribe to my Daily Blog RSS feed, click on the image RSS.

A summary of the above selections is as follows:

Daily Blog - Weekly since 12/9/2013, presents the author's musings and observances, any trades attempted or made, and any current articles (by other authors) I have found interesting and especially relevant to dividend investors. An entire month will be available, in descending date sequence. Each section is clearly tagged as to the date/time of posting. Archived Daily Blogs are available for prior months.

Published Articles - Provides links to articles authored by myself that are available on Seeking Alpha, an investor forum and compilation of financial articles. As of 11/2012, I have expanded to publishing on other sites as well. 

Background - Starts with a couple of essays written in the dark days of 2009 outlining the value philosophy of Ben Graham and the relevance of the experience of the 1930's to today's market. An additional article on evaluating dividend stocks was added in early 2012, as was an article on the author's options philosophy. This section is oriented towards a general (i.e. non-financial) audience. Additional articles will be added from time to time.

Approach - Explains the author's approach to investing in five detailed essays. The first is an overview of the approach. The remaining articles go into the approach in depth.

Forms - Provides snapshots and descriptions of several forms developed by the author as referenced in Approach. A zip file of all forms is available for downloading. The forms can then be customized as desired for your use. Effective 6/15/2012, a separate zip file of my new Detailed Stock Analysis form is available from this page. 

Stocks - Presents four watch lists, dubbed Tier1, Tier2, Tier3, and Tier4. The author believes: that Tier1 stocks are a little safer than Tier2 stocks; that the stocks on both the Tier1 and Tier2 lists are safer than most other stocks; that the Tier3 stocks, which are mostly ultra-high yielders, plus some capital gain speculations, are highly speculative, and are more risky than most other stocks; and that Tier4 stocks are stocks that should have been avoided,and are no longer recommended, mostly because they delivered terrible results. Occasionally a stock that was acquired will be on Tier4 until it goes away, since it is also no longer recommended, but will be tracked until it disappears. Thus, all Tier4 stocks will continue to be tracked for as long as they exist, along with the stocks on the other three lists. Note that the author believes that ALL stocks, including those on all of the lists, especially Tier3 & Tier4, present RISK of LOSS of INVESTED CAPITAL. Tier4 stocks (with the exception of firms going away only because they have been acquired) are case studies of what can happen with poor stock choices. On these lists are the stocks the author either owns now, has owned in the past, or is considering for purchase. Stocks are continually added or deleted as the author's perceptions change. In the interest of full disclosure, note that the author also owns stocks not on these lists, either as "speculative" plays, or as "legacy" holdings. Legacy holdings are defined as stocks I bought "back when I didn't know what I didn't know" about investing in stocks.  In 2019, a new list was added for Closed-End Funds (CEFs).  

Connections - Provides information about the author's presence on various networking websites and provides several alternative methods of commenting / interacting with the author and other investors on the topics presented here.

Personal  - Added in 2019, this section provides information about the author's personal interests other than investing. Some photos are presented. The intent is to show a different side of myself. I'm actually not such a dull guy as you might have thought!

If over time you find this website to have value, I invite you to occasionally "buy me a beer" by making a small donation by clicking DONATE below. Donations are facilitated through my PayPal account. My goal is to eventually garner enough through donations to pay for the cost of web hosting.