Can You See Clearly?
One of the advantages of having good bifocals is that I can see details that are close up, and I can also look up through the window and see the big picture. When I am taking a picture with my iPhone, I think about both the object or person and then about the background. The same is true with investing. There are so many choices that it can become overwhelming. There are many questions. Some examples of questions are, “Which investments should I choose? What types of investments should I buy? How can I compare this investment with similar investments?”
Seeing the Details and the Big Picture Using Seeking Alpha
There are many helpful tools on the Seeking Alpha website. One recent addition is the ability to upload a CSV file of potential investments into a custom portfolio. Because I am helping one of Cindie’s cousins with some investment decisions, I decided to use the new tool to build a sample portfolio. The portfolio was created in Excel and saved as a CSV file. The CSV file can then be imported into Seeking Alpha as a unique portfolio. The beauty of this is that I am then able to export a very helpful spreadsheet that gives me the information I need to understand the 10-year growth of each investment, the dividend characteristics of the investments, and the dividend growth of those investments.
The following images illustrate the steps at a high level. If you have questions about the process, don’t hesitate to ask. If you have decent computer skills and know how to use Excel, I suspect that you can quickly figure it out on your own.
Help From Wayne
If, on the other hand, you don’t have the skills or patience to do this on your own, reach out to me. We can discuss how I might be able to help you. This doesn’t take much time, so I can quickly create a portfolio if you supply me with some basic information in a Word document or in an Excel spreadsheet.
About Seeking Alpha
“Our mission: Power to Investors. We empower investors to make the absolute best investing decisions by leveraging our independent and balanced stock research, fundamental analysis tools, crowdsourced debate, reliable news, and actionable market data.
Our research is created by investors, for investors. It is carefully vetted by in-house editors, then read and debated by millions of people. Our stock coverage is wider and deeper than any other. We provide diverse opinions on each stock so that investors can weigh the bull and bear case and make an informed decision.
Our news enables investors to understand why the market and the stocks in their portfolio are moving or are about to move. Investors read our financial news to gain insight into stocks’ future earnings and price trajectory, and to find new and exciting opportunities.
Our data places professional-caliber tools in the hands of every investor. Our factor grades and quant rating summarize each stock’s characteristics, and SA analyst ratings provide a snapshot of our Analysts’ qualitative opinions.
Our community includes everyone from new investors to fund managers. By helping them to invest successfully, we help them to achieve life goals such as buying their first house, sending their children to college, and securing their retirement.” – Source: Seeking Alpha
Know Your Flocks & Herds 