Business & Finance - Top Blogs Philippines

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Philippine Road Infrastructure VS Developed Nation Road Infrastructure

Roads lay a city's groundwork. Without roads and streets there would only be barren, empty land.

Let me just share an observation I had when I came back here:

Developed Nation road system:
- 2 lanes, going opposite directions
- 2 parking lanes on either side for street parking
- 1 bike lane , may include this feature
- gutters/strip of grass
- 1-2 sidewalks

Baranggay ** road system:
- 2 lanes, --- magsiksikan na kayo jan lahat!!!! Pedestrians, street parking, passing cars, no designated stops for public transportation, construction equipment

Thursday, July 31, 2014

How Much Worth of Shares Do You Actually Need to Own to Sustain P5 Million worth of Dividends Per Year?

Making some computations...


To have P5M a year in dividends, for a security paying 5.50% dividend payout rate, you must own P100M worth of shares to get that P5M a year. For securities with less dividend rates, you need more than P100M to maintain that P5M a year. If you want to have a portion of it reinvested and inflation factored in, you have to even more than that to maintain P5M a year in cash dividend withdrawals.


How do you make P100M.


Tuesday, July 15, 2014

"Low wages are one sign of 'significant slack' in labor markets." -Janet Yellen, US Federal Reserve

A Rich Man's Wealth

"A rich man's fortune is rarely accessible to him because his wealth is tied up in land, buildings, equipment, machinery, inventories and anything invested in his business, contrary to popular belief, that he can spend his money as he pleases.


He knows that wealth which serves no constructive purpose has no real justification for its existence."


-J.Paul Getty


Monday, June 30, 2014

GDP = Best Economic Indicator? What could be? Lessons from Civilization Game

GDP: Total goods and services produced by a country in a period of time. 


I'm starting to think GDP is something like the #production output per city as represented by shields in the turn-based strategy game #Civilization


"Gross Domestic Product or GDP is the total market value of all goods and services produced in a country over a period of time. When an economy is healthy, you will see:

High GDP growth

Low unemployment

Wage increases 

As businesses demand the labor to meet the growing economy."




Well we certainly have high inflation and high unemployment and underemployment, low foreign direct investment.

Where then does this increase in productivity comes from?


Economists like Manuel Lopez says, our high GDP growth was due to:

Increased private consumption

Election spending

Low interest rates

Falling commodity prices, things that are not permanent.



Watch the entire report here by Melissa Gecolea On The Money:

https://anc.yahoo.com/video/does-gdp-truly-reflect-standard-104446208.html


Apparently, the Civilization game concept of shield is based on production capacity,

But GDP does not only focus on capacity, but how much goods and services were produced, as affected by DEMAND, and not necessarily reflecting an increase in productive capacity.


I think a good scale would be something that would measure, not only the output i.e. how much goods and services that were produced in a certain period of time but rather, the production capacity over a period of time.


And this measure of productive capacity is what will sustain GDP, as stated in the video as "sustainable GDP" as brought about by:

Increased MANUFACTURING

Increased SERVICES provision

Increased infrastructure spending to efficiently deliver goods and services.




Thus the growth of the economy boils down to not to GDP, or and definitely not wholly, but in part by infrastructure, but the bottom line is increasing our productive capacity and the DEMAND for this capacity, as in manufacturing, and provision of services and the Filipino people buying these goods and services.


And nothing increases productive capacity but successful LOCAL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES that people will buy and CAN buy, so wages must also increase.



I am now looking for the best economic indicator that indicates the bottom line mentioned above, or the productive capacity.

And I think it is the one of the most watched indicators in the US, since the "Great Recession" of 2008, and that is the

JOBS DATA REPORT. Have jobs incereased or decreased in the past year? I think that constitutes whether the POPULACE, and the nation as a whole is getting MORE PRODUCTIVE, or less. Are there new businesses? Are established businesses expanding to meet increased demand from foreign or local markets? After all, people, who are productive, are also the ones who spend and buy goods and services, and it is the regular, productive citizen who drives the economy and virtous cycle of money.



JOBS DATA REPORT and GDP in good part, offers the best measure of a nation's productivity.

Indeed, it is the people who have jobs who produce and also consume the country's GDP.



But the jobs report must also be related to population growth, because a healthy economy must have enough productivity to support the new members of the population. Whichever way you look at it though, an expansion in the jobs report, means an expansion or addition of new businesses, and more productive capacity or more production, and an expansion of the economy nonetheless.



Our goal to help the economy and the Filipino people: increase jobs. Increasing jobs will increase productivity. But we must also do so profitably, since: 


"It is not the employer who pays the wages -- he only handles the money. It is the product that pays wages." -Henry Ford


Unemployment rates do not show whether there are an increase in jobs or not, but rather it is indirect, and shows only a portion of the population who is employed. Although a boom in business expansion and new jobs will reduce unemployment rates, unemployment rates do not QUANTIFY the number of jobs created and the productive capacity or production of a nation.


The goal is to create jobs, that make members of the population productive, and make products that the average Filipino person will like to buy, making the nation more productive and expanding the economy. Jobs. Create. Jobs.


Such a central view of business, gives investment its entirely basic role, and that is for expansion of business, provide capital funds to initiate new jobs, and make more goods and services.


To what extent do you believe in the fundamentals of a company?

A trader once remarked in a popular stock market group in Facebook:

"Kasi ang stocks kahit gaano kaganda ang fundamentals kung wala namang gusto bumili, hindi yan aandar."


My arguments as follows...


1) Eh pag tumaas yung dividends, wala pa rin bibili? So akin na lang lahat ng mataas na dividend yields ganun? 


2) Pag maganda fundamentals, at tumaas ang book value or net cash position, at nagliquidate or na acquire ang company, hindi ba mas marami ka rin makukuha?


3) Kung maganda ang fundamentals, ibig sabihin, mabenta rin ang mga produkto nila sa taong bayan, at kung mabenta ito at maraming gumagamit ng kanilang produkto, hindi ba ito sisikat din sa merkado?


What do you think?

Saturday, June 28, 2014

How Often Do You Want Interest Compounded: The sooner the cash, the better

How Often Do You Want Interest Compounded?

How does the schedule of interest payments affect your compounded returns?
Well according to this website, the sooner you get your interest payments and have it work for you, the better.

All credits to the owner of the article, featured below, which has been taken from:
 http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/how-often-interest-compounded.aspx
ARTICLE:
How often do I want interest compounded?
By Dr. Don Taylor, Ph.D., CFA, CFP • Bankrate.com



Dear Dr. Don,
Is it better to have interest compounded on your money daily, monthly or quarterly? Which gives you the most for your money invested?
Thanks, 
                -- Jan Juxtapose 
Dear Jan,
With all else being equal, the more frequent the compounding, the better the return on your savings. More frequent compounding has interest being credited to your principal balance more often, allowing the interest to start earning its own interest sooner. The miracle of compounding is all about interest earning interest. The "all else being equal" just means that we're comparing accounts with the same nominal yield and the same term, or time period, on the deposit.
The nominal yield is the stated yield on the deposit and is used to compute the interest earnings. It's not to be confused with the annual percentage yield, or APY, on the deposit, which takes into account how more frequent compounding increases the effective yield. By comparing APYs, you can find the financial institution offering the highest effective yield on the deposit. The Truth in Savings Act (Federal Reserve Regulation DD) requires that financial institutions provide the APY on deposits, so savers can make easy comparisons. You earn a yield on your investments, but you pay a rate on your loans. That's how you differentiate between an APY and an annual percentage rate, or APR, on a loan. You can sort deposit yields by APY using Bankrate's Compare Rates feature.

APYs assume you're reinvesting the interest earnings. If you have those earnings transferred to your checking account, you won't see the interest compounded there -- at least not at the yield on the original deposit.



Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/how-often-interest-compounded.aspx#ixzz34HL4i8ds 
Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on Facebook

On Earnings

Earnings: What they do not pay us in dividends should be reasonably expected to produce capital growth, hence, price / earnings ratio should summarize what we get in capital growth, and depending on dividend policy, what we get in dividends.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

J. Paul Getty's Stock Market Investment Strategies

A couple of weeks ago I chanced upon J. Paul Getty's book "How to Be Rich" in his very own art museum in Los Angeles, California, USA.



J. Paul Getty is an American industrialist / oil magnate who was the founder of multinational oil company, Getty Oil. At one point, J. Paul Getty was the richest man in the world.

In his book, he shared his stock market "secrets" in Part Four: The Art of Investment in a chapter called "The Wall Street Investor".
And having the same investment style as he, I couldn't agree more with the points that he put forth. Getty is more of an investor, rather than a speculator or trader.

What is the difference, you may ask?
In Mr. Getty's own words: 
"For as long as I can remember, veteran businessmen and investors - I among them - have been warning about the dangers of irrational stock speculation and hammering away at the theme that stock ownership are deeds of ownership in business enterprises and not betting slips."

Mr. Getty believes that "Get-rich-quick" schemes just don't work, otherwise everyone else would be a millionaire. He adds that this is true for the stock market, as well as any form of business activity.

Getty believes in growing with the business by buying low and holding on. It is possible to make money and a great deal of money in the stock market but it can't be done overnight. In his words: 

"The big profits go to the intelligent, careful and patient investor, not to the reckless and overeager speculator. Conversely, it is the speculator who suffers losses when the market takes a sudden downturn."

"The seasoned investor buys his stocks when they are priced low, holds them for the long-pull rise and takes in-between dips and slumps in his stride."

Very much similar to the value investors of today, J. Paul Getty believes in finding bargain, low priced stocks relative to measurable values of the business, and holding on for the long-term. He warns of investors, not to be fearful of bargains.

"Sound stocks, purchased for investment when their prices are low, and held for the long pull, are very likely to produce high profits through dividends and increases in value."

Another of Mr. Getty's tips is that no investor should buy a stock without knowing as much as possible about the company. One should not bank into companies he does not understand, and in his example, Mr. Getty mostly invested in oil stocks, because he is after all an oilman and this is what he knows best.



Another important tip from Mr. Getty is that it is not only enough to look at "individual firms, but also entire industries must be judged as to their ability to keep pace with the needs of the future. The investor has to be certain that neither the products of the company in which he invests in, nor the particular industry itself will become obsolete in a few years."

Finally, as brushed upon earlier, Mr. Getty mentioned 3 important, measurable values that determine whether a company is cheap or not:
1. Net realizable assets (per share)
2. Earnings
3. Dividends

Many would consider these metrics antiquated, but these are the basics nontheless, indispensible to common stock investing. These big 3 metrics have also been discussed in detail by Benjamin Graham, the mentor to Warren Buffett.

In Getty's words, "There are innumerable fine buys on the market today. Among them are many stocks with net realizable assets two, three, four and even more times greater than the stock exchange value of their issued shares."

I think, Getty's "Net Realizable Assets" is synonymous to the book value or net worth of the shares. This means, all the business assets (land, machinery, cash, inventories etc.) less the liabilities (bank loans, bonds, late payments).

To learn more about the easy way of calculating a company's book value or net worth, visit this link in one of our older posts:



Aside from these 3, J. Paul Getty mentioned other quantitative and qualitative questions and characteristics that an investor must satisfactorily answer before investing sums of his money, a copy of these questions reproduced here:

"1. What is the company's history: Is it a solid and reputable firm, and does it have able, efficient, and seasoned management?

2. Is the company producing or dealing in goods or services for which there will be a continuing demand in the forseeable future?

3. Is the company in a field that is not dangerously over-crowded, and is it in a good competitive position?

4. Are company policies and operations farsighted and aggressive without calling for unjustified and dangerous over expansion?

5. Will the corporate balance sheet stand up under the close scrutiny of a critical and impartial auditor?

6. Does the corporation have a satisfactory earnings record?

7. Have reasonable dividends been paid regularly to stockholders? If dividend payments were missed, were there good and sufficient reasons?

8. Is the company well within safe limits in so far as both long- and short-term borrowing are concerned?

9. Has the price of the stock been moved up or down over the past few years without violently wide and apparently inexplicable fluctuations?

10. Does the per share value of the company's net realizable assets exceed the stock exchange value of common stock share at the time the investor contemplates buying?"



To close, J. Paul Getty always believed that selected - and he emphasizes the word selected - common stocks are indeed, excellent investments.



 



Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Unilever PLC (ADS) DRIP

(All trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners.)

When choosing companies that will likely to be around 20-30-50 years later, first that comes to mind are consumer staples and big brands that we're all used to. Nothing screams this like P&G and Unilever.

Now Unilever is not an American company, and the company exists in two versions: one in London called Unilever PLC and the other in the Netherlands called Unilever NVD. 

In the US, foreign shares denominated in US dollars are traded in the US exchanges, and these are called American Depositary Shares or American Depositary Reciepts. The stock symbol of the Unilever ADRs traded in the NYSE is "UL:US". In this case of the ADRs, 1 Unilever PLC ADR = 1 Unilever PLC share.

The transfer agent for this is Citibank. Unilever PLC does not sponsor nor endorse this ADR.

As said earlier, these ADRs are deomonated in US dollars, as well as their dividends, which you can elect to reinvest fully or partially. Dividends are given QUARTERLY.

For people who do not hold Unilever PLC ADR shares yet, you may mail an enrollment form and an enclosed cheque to the transfer agent with a minimum investment of $250.

I believe these ADRs are available to foreign investors as well, but please call to make sure.

Here are useful links to the Unilever website, as well as the link to the official Unilever DRIP prospectus:
http://www.unilever.com/investorrelations/shareholder_info/plc_adrs/
http://www-us.computershare.com/Content/Download.asp?docId=%7B73ACB055-C5BB-49D6-8FAD-3C80B5152188%7D&cc=US&lang=en&bhjs=0&fla=0&theme=cpu

Construction Updates on Philippines' New Infrastructure

For stockholders of infrastructure companies, it is of special interest to monitor the progress of construction regarding their company's projects. These include San Miguel's Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation who is now constructing the NAIA Expressway and the Skyway Stage 3 Project that will link the North and South Luzon Expressways.

For Filipinos living abroad, you may visit Dmitrivalencia's Youtube Channel for videos and construction updates of these projects in SMC's pipeline, HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/user/dmitrivalencia

Here's one of his construction updates for the Manila Skyway Stage 3:




Saturday, June 21, 2014

More Business Ideas and Overcoming Inertia



Recently I've read a book where it talks about inertia in nature and in business. Starting a business is like overcoming inertia at rest. In overcoming inertia, as in nature, greater energy must be spent to put forth an object at rest into motion. The same could be said in starting a new venture or small business. It is always hardest to start, especially when you are a novice player and there are many things you need to learn, and lack the skills, connections and experience that you may need.

This short article proovides some easy business ideas and a usefulnp resource that might assist you in setting up your first business.

Business ideas may include:
Cleaning jobs 
Clean buildings, neigbor's garages and basments
Foreclosure cleaning
Parking lot cleaning
Landscaping
Grass cutting
Pulling weeds
Selling crafts
Flea markets
Selling fixed junk from old garages

Check out the U.S. Small Busines Administration for more ideas and articles:
http://www.sba.gov/thinking-about-starting



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham's railroads, that "Move a Nation"



Railroads, one of the main catalysts of industrialization, once popular in the early 20th century, still proves to be the most economical choice for hauling large quantities of freight coast to coast.

No astute nation aspiring to be fully industrialized has overlooked going on rails and wheels.

Recently I have been acquinted with the Freight Railworks and Association of American Railroads through their TV ad, and realized that more than 100 years since Cornelius Vanderbilt, and as evidenced by railroads criscrossing the country, that railroads still move the world's largest economies.

Incidentally also, I have come across a recent article why Warren Buffett still loves railroad stocks.
Read about it here:

With my recent discovery of the DRIP investment vehicle to bypass stock brokers and commissions and reinvestment fees that utilizes fractional shares, it would be a good way to accumulate these railroads that have been around for more than a century.


Visit the Freight Rail Works Organization HERE: 

One of my favorite and leading railways in Canada and the US are:
BNSF
Union Pacific
Canadian Pacific
Canadian National Railroad

Buy any two of these railroads and you're sure to have a substantial interest in North America's railroads.



Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Inflation



My understanding of inflation is that inflation is affected by the supply and demand of products. When there is too much money circulating in the system, people are inclined to spend, and demand for limited products go up, and prices are pushed up, hence higher inflation.

When there is lower demand, such as in developed nations where baby boomers are retiring, and demand for goods and services other than healthcare go down, and this thought to decrease the velocity of money in the system. The lower demand for goods and services result in lower prices and deflation.

This also correlates to the strategy of central banks to control the flow of money circulating in the system. Low interest rates cause more money to flow in the circulation. Hence, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas watches inflation to guide it's interest rate policies. As long as inflation is down, the BSP can continue to keep rates low that causes more money to go into the system, which causes people to increase spending, and the demand for products should continue to go up or stay high. 

When there's too much money in the system, too much demand and too little products and services, prices begin to go up, and hence inflation goes up, and the BSP will start raising interest rates to tighten the money flow and reduce the flow of money in the system, and hence, reduce buying power, demand and reduce prices, and curb inflation.

However, there are other factors, that might influence inflation or the rate of increase of products. World crude oil price patterns may affect the cost of goods sold, and hence the prices could go up if crude oil prices go up. Natural calamities may also lower agricultural output, causing supply to go down relative to demand, causing prices to go up and hence inflationary pressures. When the economy slows down, lower output of goods might cause prices to go up hence higher inflation, or the populace may choose to be more conservative in their spending, and prices may plummet causing deflation.

Inflation is only the result of demdpand and supply of goods, products and services.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Refinancing versus Recapitalization and some tips in Value Investing



The term refinancing is usually used when a person or corporation wishes to replace an old debt with a new one, such as when a person refinances his or her house. The person still has a mortgage, but gets a new loan from one bank, usually with interest expense, to pay off the mortgage with the previous bank with a higher interest expense so the person can save on interest expenses.

Recapitalization is most oftenly used by businesses and corporations to change their debt or equity mixture, usually exchanging one security for another, such as preferred shares to debt. Or issue more stock to pay off debt increasing the proportion of equity capital to debt capital. This is done to provide more stability to the capital structure, or ward of hostile take-overs, minimize taxes or exit strategy for venture capitalists.

When a company decreases its debt in proportion to equity, it's leverage decreases, and so earnings would decrease but the company would be less risky since the shareholders will have fewer debt expenses before they see profits and less senior securities to pay in case of liquidation.

P.s. Thus in value investing, it is important to not only look at the stated book value of the company, but also take a look at the composition of the assets themselves, whether these assets actually have value when sold or liquidated, or look at the asset's market value.


Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/recapitalization.asp



Floating Rate Bank Loans



Floating rate bank loans adjust their coupon rates when prevailing interest rates change.

According to Ridgeworth Investments, floating rate bank loans have the following features:

> Protection against rising interest rates: Generally, fixed income securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise and vise versa, but since floating bank rate coupons reset as interest rates change, these generally hold their value when interest rates change. These are typically tied to a base rate such as the short-term benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR.

> Debt Obligation Seniority: "These bank loans typically hold higher position in the issuers' capital structure, hence it takes precedence over other debt claims if the borrower is unable to meet its obligations."

> high yield, high risk: Issued by investment or commercial banks to provide capital to companies with below investment-grade rating. These are short term, higher risk, high yield investments.

Source:
https://www.ridgeworth.com/includes/files/assets/files/1377803872_BankLoanWhitePaper_final.pdf

Bahay Bonds 2

I didn't know they sold CDOs or Collaterlized Debt Obligations to investors in the Philippines, particularly mortgage backed securities.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Choosing My First Foreign Investments through DSPPs (Direct Stock Purchase Plans) and DRIPs (Dividend Reinvestment Plans)

My criteria for picking:
Which brands do you buy? Which company has most of these brands?
What company will most likely still be around in 50 years?
Economic moat / durable competitive advantage

I discovered DRIPs in Canada, but I found out that more companies in the USA offer  more DRIPs! So I applied what I learned in Canada here!
And the good news is that almost all of these DRIPs are available to non-citizens or foreigners!

My chance and dream to invest in US companies have come true!
I can effectively become a shareholder with one share, and by this one share, it will multiply and yield more shares! It is cost-effective, and small foreign investors serious in their investing  could take advantage of this.

2 of my most favorite things in investing, has come together in this great invention:

1) compound interest - Customarily used in loans / bonds, compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe according to Albert Einstein.
2) equity - ownership in business corporations, yielding dividends and capital appreciation

They say stocks are hedged against inflation. If this is true, stocks, in the long run should be a better holding than money, which gets eroded in value due to inflation. Now, aside from being hedged from inflation, the percentages we get can actually be reinvested, like money, but better than money, to take advantage of compound interest! What a deal! So we save from commissions, taxes, and now inflation while taking advantage of compound interest!

I found a map of brands in the internet and found it very useful to decide which companies to invest in. As a foreign investor, I did recognize some of the brands but did not know which company they beloed to, so the "brand map" was a great overview and useful tool to select the company I'm interested in.

 

Our own PSE could use something like this.

The link to the brand map can be found here:
http://www.convergencealimentaire.info/map.jpg

Using this "brand map", the direct investing website, computershare and various transfer agent website, the various companies' corporate websites, plan brochures and prospectuses and the Bloomberg app to get quick historical price chart movement and fundamental values, I was able to come up with the following companies I am interested in investing in, as my FIRST foreign investment outside my country:

Unilever PLC
Reason: Dove, Vaseline, Selecta, Axe, Pond's (5)
DirectInvesting purchase: $108.862 
TransferAgent Purchase: $250 + $15 (Computershare)
P/E 18.95
P/BV 6.4173
Div Yield 3.86%
5 yr div growth 8.54%
Reinvestment Fee: 10c per share

JP Morgan and Chase BUY
Reason: JP Morgan brand and investment bank, Chase bank, but poor customer reviews, bailed out, dividends per quarter, highest paid investment bank in 2013 in the world
DirectInvesting purchase: $123
Transfer Agent Purchase: $250 (Computershare)
P/E 9.07
P/BV 1.054
Div Yield 2.81%
5yr div growth 5.02%
Reinvestment Fee: none

Procter and Gamble BUY
Reason: Head and Shoulders, Tide, Downy, Gillette, Bounce, Crest, Oral-B, Pantene, Crest, Vicks (10)
DirectInvesting purchase: $148.033
Transfer Agent Purchase: $250 (Computershare)
P/E 19.62
P/BV 3.1769
Div Yield 3.22%
5yr div growth 8.34%
Reinvestment Fee: none

Pepsico
Reason: Quaker, Aunt Jemima, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC,  Tropicana, Ocean Spray, Pepsi, Dole, Doritos (10)
DirectInvesting purchase: $156.767
Transfer Agent Purchase: $500 (Computershare)
P/E 19.86
P/BV 5.8743
Div Yield 2.98%
5yr div growth 6.45%
Reinvestment Fee: $0.03 first 100, more than 100 5% to $2 per share

CitiGroup BUY
Reason: one of the biggest banks in US, everybody uses Citibank, bailed out, price hasn't recovered 2009, virtually zero dividend, dividends per quarter
DirectInvesting purchase: $113.823
Transfer Agent Purchase: $ not available (Computershare)
P/E 9.87
P/BV 0.7386
Div Yield 0.08%
5 yr div growth -61.77%
Reinvestment Fee: none

Morgan Stanley
Reason: diversified investments across the globe, profitable as long as there is capitalism, bailed out, price hasn't recovered, dividends per quarter, MSCI divested from it :(
DirectInvesting purchase: $95.145
Transfer Agent Purchase: $ not available (Computershare)
P/E 14.91
P/BV 0.9866
Div Yield 1.25%
5yr div growth -22.19%
Reinvestment Fee: none

General Electric
Reason: bailed out
DirectInvesting purchase: $
Transfer Agent Purchase: $
P/E
P/BV
Div Yield
5 yr div growth
Reinvestment Fee:

Bank of America
Reason: turn around, very small dividends, bailed out
DirectInvesting purchase: $
Transfer Agent Purchase: $
P/E
P/BV
Div Yield
5 yr div growth
Reinvestment Fee:

General Mills
Reason: Haagen Dazs, Yoplait, Pillsbury
DirectInvesting purchase: $
Transfer Agent Purchase: $ 
P/E 
P/BV 
Div Yield 
5yr div growth 
Reinvestment Fee: 














Thursday, June 5, 2014

Dividend Reinvestment Plans or DRIPs for Foreign Investors (US tax free! Broker commission free!)

A couple of months ago, we delved into dividend reinvestment plans of companies in the US and Canada that are available for investors.

Read about it here:

http://pilifinance.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-miracle-of-dividend-reinvestment.html
http://pilifinance.blogspot.com/2014/03/direct-investment-or-direct-share.html



Unfortunately, most of these firms offer the DRIP plans for US or Canadian citizens only. 

I have recently discovered that there are US companies that offer the DRIP plans to foreigners or non-US citizens. And these will be tax free from the US standpoint, this you will need a W-8 form so that taxes will not be withheld from dividend distributions.

Read more here:
http://www.directinvesting.com/foreign/

This is the list of companies that offer DRIPs to foreigners / foreign investors (source:http://www.directinvesting.com/foreign/):

Companies available to foreign investors:








CompanySharesCompanyShares
3M Company151job Inc.1
A.M. Castle & Co.1A.O. Smith Corp.1
AAR Corp.1Abbott Laboratories1
AbbVie Inc.1Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc.1
Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc.1Aberdeen Chile Fund Inc.1
Aberdeen Emerging Markets Telecomm. Fund Inc.1Aberdeen Global Income Fund1
Aberdeen Indonesia Fund Inc.1Aberdeen Israel Fund Inc.1
Aberdeen Latin America Equity Fund Inc.1ABM Industries Inc.1
Acadia Realty Trust1ACE Limited1
Acuity Brands, Inc.1Adams Express Co.1
Advantest Corp.1AEGON N.V.1
Aetna Inc.1AFLAC Incorporated1
Agilent Technologies Inc1Agilysys Inc.1
AGL Resources Inc.1Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.1
Agree Realty Corporation1Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.1
AirMedia Group Inc.1Aixtron AG1
AK Steel Holding Corp.1Akzo Nobel NV1
Albemarle Corp.1Alcoa Inc.1
Allegheny Technologies Inc.15Allergan, Inc.1
Allstate Corp.1Alon Holdings Blue Square-Israel Ltd.1
Alto Palermo SA1Altria Group Inc.1
Alumina Ltd1Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd.1
AMCOL International1Ameren Corp.1
America Movil SA de CV Series A1America Movil SA de CV Series L1
American Capital Agency Corp.1American Electric Power1
American Express Co.1American Water Works1
Ameris Bancorp1AmeriServ Financial, Inc.1
Ametek, Inc.1Amgen Inc.1
Anadarko Petroleum Corp.1Anglogold Ashanti Limited1
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV1Annaly Capital Management Inc.1
Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation1Aon Corp.1
Apache Corp.1Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc.1
Apollo Residential Mortgage Inc.1Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.1
Aqua America Inc.5ARCADIS NV1
Arcelor Mittal1Arch Coal, Inc.1
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company1ARM Holdings plc1
Arrow Financial Corp.1Artesian Resources Corp. A1
ASA Gold & Precious Metals Limited1Ashland Inc.1
ASML Holding N.V.1Associated Banc-Corp1
Associated Estates Realty Corp.1Astoria Financial Corp.1
AstraZeneca Group plc1AT&T Inc.1
Atmos Energy Corp.50Avery Dennison Corp.1
Avista Corp.1Avon Products, Inc.1
AVX Corp.1AXA SA1
Badger Meter Inc.1Baidu Inc.1
Baker Hughes Inc.1Ball Corp.1
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA1Banco de Chile1
Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A.1Banco Santander SA1
Banco Santander-Chile1BanColombia SA1
Bancorp Of New Jersey, Inc.1BancorpSouth, Inc.1
Bancroft Fund Ltd.1Bank Mutual Corp.50
Bank of America Corp.1Bank of Hawaii Corp.1
Bank of Ireland1Bank of Montreal1
Bank of New York Mellon Corp.1Bank of South Carolina Corp.1
Barclays plc1Baxter International Inc.1
BBVA Banco Frances SA1BE Semiconductor Industries1
Beam Inc.1Becton Dickinson & Co.1
Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc.1Best Buy Company Inc.1
BGC Partners, Inc.1BHP Billiton Limited1
BHP Billiton plc1Black Hills Corp.1
Block (H&R) Inc.1Blyth, Inc.1
Bob Evans Farms1Boeing Co. (The)1
BOK Financial Corp.1BorgWarner Inc.1
Boston Beer Co. (The)1Boston Properties, Inc.1
Brady Corp.1Brandywine Realty Trust1
Braskem SA1BRF-Brazil Foods S/A1
Briggs & Stratton Corp.1Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.1
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc1Brookline Bancorp, Inc.1
Brown Shoe Company Inc.1Brown-Forman Corp. A1
Brown-Forman Corp. B1Brunswick Corp.1
Bryn Mawr Bank Corp.1BT Group plc1
Buckle Inc.1C & F Financial Corp.1
CA Technologies Inc.1California Water Service Group1
Callaway Golf Co.1Camco Financial Corp.1
Camden Property Trust1Campbell Soup Co.1
Canon Inc.1Capital City Bank Group1
Capital One Financial Corp.1Capital Southwest Corp.25
Carlisle Companies Inc.1Carnival plc1
Carpenter Technology Corp.1Carver Bancorp, Inc.1
Casey's General Stores Inc.1Caterpillar, Inc.1
Cathay General Bancorp1CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.1
CCFNB Bancorp, Inc.1Cecil Bancorp, Inc.50
Cedar Fair L.P.50Cedar Shopping Centers Inc.1
Cemex S.A.B. de C.V.1Center Bancorp, Inc.1
CenterPoint Energy1Centrais Electricas Brasileiras S.A.1
Central Europe and Russia Fund Inc.1CenturyLink, Inc.1
CH Energy Group, Inc.1Charles Schwab Corp.1
Chase Corp.1Chemed Corp.25
ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.1Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile Inc.1
Chemical Financial Corp.1Chemung Financial Corp.1
Chesapeake Utilities Corp.1Chevron Corp.1
Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. N.V.1China Eastern Airlines Corp.1
China Life Insurance Co. Ltd.1China Mobile Ltd.1
China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd.1China Techfaith Wireless Communication Technology Ltd.1
China Telecom Corp. Ltd.1China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd1
Chubb Corp.1Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd.1
Church & Dwight1CIGNA Corp.1
Cincinnati Financial Corp.1Cisco Systems Inc.1
Citigroup Inc.1Citizens Holding Company1
Citizens Inc. Class A1Citizens Republic Bancorp1
City Holding Co.1Clearwater Paper Corp.1
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.1Clorox Company (The)1
CMS Energy1CNB Financial Corporation1
CNH Global N.V.1Cninsure Inc.1
CNOOC Ltd.1Coca-Cola Company (The)1
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.1Coca-Cola Femsa S.A.B. de C.V.1
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company SA1Codorus Valley Bancorp, Inc.1
Colgate-Palmolive Company1Collectors Universe Inc.1
Colony Financial Inc.1Columbus McKinnon Corp.1
Comcast Corp. Class A1Comcast Corp. Special Class A1
Commonwealth Bankshares, Inc.1CommonWealth REIT1
Community Bank System, Inc.1Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao1
Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo1Companhia Paranaense de Energia1
Compania Cervecerias Unida SA1Compania de Minas Buenaventura1
Con-Way Inc.1ConAgra Foods, Inc.1
Conoco Phillips1Consolidated Edison Inc.1
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company1Core Laboratories NV1
CoreLogic Inc.1Cornerstone Strategic Value Fund, Inc.1
Corning Inc.1Corporate Office Properties Trust1
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.1Credit Suisse Group1
Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A.1CRH plc1
CSX Corp.1Ctrip.com International Ltd.1
Cummins, Inc.1CVS Caremark Corp.1
CYS Investments Inc.1DCB Financial Corp1
Deere & Company1Delhaize Group1
Delta Natural Gas Co., Inc.1Delta-Galil Industries1
Desarrolladora Homex SA de CV1Deutsche Telekom AG1
Diageo plc1Diebold, Inc.1
Dollar General Corp.1Dominion Resources5
Donaldson Company Inc.1Donegal Group Inc. A1
Dover Corporation1Dover Motorsports Inc.1
Dow Chemical1Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.1
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.1DRDGOLD Limited1
DTE Energy Co.1DTF Tax-Free Income Inc.1
Duke Energy1Duke Realty Corporation1
DuPont (E.I.)1E-House (China) Holdings Limited1
E.W. Scripps Co. A1Eastern Company (The)1
Eastern Virginia Bankshares1Eaton Corp.1
Ecolab Inc.1Ecopetrol SA1
EDAP TMS SA1Edison International1
Education Realty Trust Inc.1ELAN Corp., plc1
Eli Lilly & Company1Ellsworth Fund Inc.1
Elmira Savings Bank, FSB1eLong Inc.1
Embotelladora Andina S.A. Class A1Embotelladora Andina S.A. Class B1
Embraer SA1EMC Insurance Group1
Emerson Electric Co.1Empire District Electric Co.1
Empresas ICA, SA de C.V.1Energen Corp.1
ENI SpA1EQT Corp.1
Equifax1Equity Residential Property Trust1
ESB Financial Corp.1Essex Property Trust, Inc.1
Estee Lauder Companies Inc.1European Equity Fund Inc.1
Exelis Inc.1Exelon Corporation1
Exxon Mobil Corp.1F&M Bank Corp.1
Farmers National Banc Corp.1FBL Financial Group, Inc. A1
Federal Realty Investment Trust1Federal Signal Corp.50
FedEx Corp.1Female Health Company (The)1
Ferro Corp.1Fiat SpA1
Fibria Celulose SA1Fidelity Bancorp, Inc.1
Fidelity D&D Bancorp Inc.1Fidelity Southern Corp.1
Fifth & Pacific Companies Inc.1Fifth Third Bancorp1
First American Financial Corp.1First Bancorp1
First Business Financial Services, Inc.1First Commonwealth Financial1
First Defiance Financial Corp.1First Financial Bancorp25
First Financial Service Corp.1First M & F Corp.100
First Merchants Corp.1First Midwest Bancorp, Inc.1
First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.1First Niles Financial Inc.1
FirstEnergy1FirstMerit Corp.1
Flamel Technologies S.A.1Flowserve Corp.1
Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV1Ford Motor Company1
Formula Systems (1985) Ltd.1Four Oaks Fincorp, Inc.1
Franklin Resources, Inc.1Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.1
Fresenius Medical Care AG1Fulton Financial Corporation1
Gabelli Convertible & Income Securities Fund, Inc.1Gabelli Dividend & Income Fund1
Gabelli Equity Trust Inc.1Gabelli Global Deal Fund1
Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust1Gabelli Healthcare & WellnessRx Trust1
Gabelli Utility & Income Trust1Gabelli Utility Trust1
Gamco Global Gold Natural Resource & Income Trust1Gamco Natural Resources, Gold & Income Trust1
Gannett Company Inc.1GATX Corp.1
GenCorp Inc.1General Electric Company1
General Mills1Genetic Technologies Ltd.1
Genworth Financial Inc1Gerdau SA1
German American Bancorp Inc.1Glacier Bancorp, Inc.1
GlaxoSmithKline plc1Glimcher Realty Trust1
Global Payments Inc.1Gol Linhas Aeras Inteligentes S.A.1
Gold Fields Limited1Goodyear Tire & Rubber1
Gorman-Rupp Company1Government Properties Income Trust1
Graco, Inc.1Gray Television B1
Great Plains Energy Inc.1Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.1
Greene County Bancorp Inc.25Grupo Aeroportuario Del Centro Norte SA de CV1
Grupo Aeroportuario Del Sureste SA de CV1Grupo Casa Saba SA de C.V.1
Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A.1Grupo Televisa SA1
Guangshen Railway Co. Ltd.1Guaranty Federal Bancshares Inc.50
H.B. Fuller Company1Halliburton Company1
Hanwha SolarOne Co.1Harford Bank1
Harley-Davidson Inc.1Harleysville Savings Financial Corp.1
Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd.1Harris Corp.1
Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc.1Harsco Corp.1
Hartford Financial Services Group Inc1Hasbro Inc.1
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.1Hawthorn Bancshares Inc.1
HCP Inc.1HDFC Bank Ltd.1
Health Care REIT1Healthcare Realty Trust1
Hellenic Telecommunication Organisation1Herman Miller, Inc.1
Hershey Company (The)1Hewlett-Packard1
Highwoods Properties Inc.1Hill-Rom Holdings Inc.1
Hillshire Brands Company1HMN Financial, Inc.1
HNI Corp.1Home Depot (The) Inc.1
Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc.1Home Properties Inc.1
Honda Motor Co. Ltd.1Horizon Bancorp10
Hormel Foods Corp.1Hospitality Properties Trust1
HSBC Holdings plc1Huaneng Power International Inc.1
Hubbell, Inc. A1Hubbell, Inc. B1
Huntington Bancshares Inc.1ICICI Bank Limited1
ICON Plc1IDACORP, Inc.1
Idaho Independent Bank1Illinois Tool Works, Inc.1
Impala Platinum Holdings1Imperial Oil Ltd.1
Independent Bank Corp. (MA)1Industrias Bachoco S.A.B. de C.V.1
Infineon Technologies AG1Infosys Technologies Limited1
ING Groep N.V.1Ingersoll-Rand1
Ingredion Inc.1Integrys Energy Group Inc.1
Intel Corp.1Intercontinental Hotels Group plc1
International Business Machines1International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A.1
International Flavors & Fragrances1International Paper1
Internet Initiative Japan1Interpublic Group of Cos.1
Invacare Corp.1INVESCO Ltd.1
Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.1Investors Real Estate Trust1
IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones SA1iStar Financial Inc.1
Itau Unibanco Holding S/A1ITC Holdings Corp.1
ITT Corp.1J.C. Penney Company Inc.1
J.M. Smucker Company (The)1Janus Capital Group Inc.1
Jeffersonville Bancorp1Johnson & Johnson1
Johnson Controls Inc.1Juniata Valley Financial Corp.1
Kaman Corp.10KB Financial Group Inc.1
Kearny Financial Corp.100Kelly Services, Inc. A1
Kemper Corp.1Kennametal, Inc.1
KeyCorp1Kilroy Realty Corp.1
Kimberly-Clark Corp.1Kimco Realty Corp.1
Kohl's Corp.1Komatsu Limited1
Konami Corp.1Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV1
Korea Electric Power Corp.1Korea Fund, Inc. (The)1
Kraft Foods Group Inc.1Kubota Corp.1
Kyocera Corp.1Laclede Group, Inc.1
Lakeland Financial Corp.1Lancaster Colony Corp.1
LATAM Airlines Group SA1LCNB Corp.1
LDK Solar Co.Ltd.1Libbey Inc.1
Liberty ALL-STAR Equity Fund1Liberty ALL-STAR Growth Fund, Inc.1
Lincoln National Corp.1Linktone Ltd.1
Lloyds TSB Group plc1LM Ericsson Telefon1
LNB Bancorp, Inc.1Lockheed Martin Corporation1
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation1Lowe's Companies, Inc.1
LSI Industries Inc.1LTC Properties, Inc.1
Luby's Inc.1Luxottica Grp. SpA1
M & T Bank Corp.1Macerich Company1
Mack-Cali Realty Corp.1MacQuarie Infrastructure Company LLC1
Magyar Telekom Communications plc ADS1MainSource Financial Group, Inc.1
Makita Corp.1Manitowoc Co.1
ManpowerGroup Inc.1Marathon Oil Corporation1
Marathon Petroleum Corporation1Marcus Corp. (The)1
Marriott International, Inc. A1Martin Midstream Partners LP1
Mattel Inc.1Maxcom Telecomunicaciones SAB. de CV1
Mayflower Bancorp Inc.1MB Financial Inc.1
McCormick & Company Inc. (Non-voting)1McCormick & Company Inc. (Voting)1
McDermott International Inc.1McDonald's Corp.10
McGraw Hill Financial Inc.1MDU Resources Group Inc.1
Meadowbrook Insurance Group1MeadWestvaco Corp.1
Medallion Financial Group1Media General, Inc. A1
Medtronic, Inc.1Mercantile Bank Corp.1
Merchants Bancshares, Inc.1Merck & Company, Inc.1
Meridian Bioscience, Inc.1Meritor Inc.1
Metso Oyj1MGE Energy Inc.1
Microsoft Corporation1Mid Penn Bancorp Inc.1
Middleburg Financial Corp.1Middlefield Banc Corp.1
Middlesex Water Company10MidSouth Bancorp, Inc.1
Mindray Medical International Limited1Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.1
Mobile Telesystems OJSC1MOCON Inc.1
Modine Manufacturing Co.1Molex, Inc. A1
Mondelez International Inc.1Morningstar Inc.1
Motorola Solutions Inc.1MTS Systems Corporation1
National Bank of Greece SA1National Fuel Gas Company1
National Grid plc1National Health Investors1
National Retail Properties Inc.1Natuzzi S.p.A.1
NBT Bancorp1NCR Corp.1
Nelnet Inc.1Nestle SA1
NET Servicos de Comunicacao S.A.1Netease.com Inc1
New America High Income Fund, Inc.1New Germany Fund (The)1
New Jersey Resources Corp.1New York Community Bancorp Inc.1
NewBridge Bancorp1Newport Corp.1
NextEra Energy Inc.1Nice Systems Ltd.1
Nidec Corp.1Nike, Inc. B1
Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Co. Ltd.1Nippon Telephone & Telegraph Corp.1
NiSource Inc.1Nokia Corp.1
Nomura Holdings Inc1Nordson Corp.1
Norfolk Southern Corp.1Nortel Inversora SA1
Northeast Utilities1Northrop Grumman Corp.1
Northwest Bancshares Inc.5Northwest Natural Gas Co.1
Northwestern Corp.1Novartis AG1
Novo Nordisk A/S B1Novogen Ltd.1
NTT DoCoMo Inc.1Nucor Corp.1
Nutraceutical International Corp.1NV Energy Inc.1
OceanFirst Financial Corp.1OGE Energy Corp.1
Old National Bancorp1Old Point Financial Corp.1
Olin Corp.1Omega Healthcare Investors Inc.1
Omnicare, Inc.1Omnicom Group, Inc.1
Omnova Solutions Inc.1ONE Gas Inc.1
ONEOK Inc.1Orange1
Orrstown Financial Services, Inc.1Otter Tail Corporation1
PAB Bankshares, Inc.1Pall Corp.50
Panasonic Corporation1Parker-Hannifin Corporation1
Parkway Properties Inc.1Partner Communications Company Ltd1
Paychex, Inc.1Pearson plc1
Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc.1Pennsylvania REIT1
People's United Financial Inc.1Peoples Bancorp Inc. (OH)1
Peoples Bancorp of NC1Pep Boys1
Pepco Holdings Inc.1PepsiCo Inc.1
PerkinElmer Inc.1PetroChina Company Ltd.1
Petroleo Brasileiro1Petroleo Brasileiro Class A1
Petroleum & Resources Corp.1Pfizer Inc.1
Pharmaxis Ltd.1Philip Morris International1
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.1Phillips 66 Company1
Piedmont Natural Gas Company1Pier 1 Imports Inc.1
Pinnacle West Capital Corp.1Pitney Bowes Inc.1
PNC Financial Services Group1PNM Resources, Inc.1
Polaris Industries Inc.1PolyOne Corp.1
Popular, Inc.1Portland General Electric Co.1
Portugal Telecom1Posco1
Post Properties, Inc.1Potlatch Corp.1
PPG Industries Inc.1PPL Corp.1
Prana Biotechnology Ltd.1Praxair, Inc.1
Procter & Gamble Company1Prosperity Bancshares Inc.1
Protective Life Corp.1Prudential plc1
PT Indosat Tbk1PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia1
Public Service Enterprise Group1Quaker Chemical Corp.1
Quanex Building Products Corp.1Questar Corp.1
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.1RAIT Financial Trust Inc.1
Randgold Resources Ltd.1Raven Industries, Inc.1
Rayonier Inc.1Raytheon Company1
Reed Elsevier NV1Reed Elsevier plc1
Regency Centers Corp.1Regions Financial Corp.1
Reliv International, Inc.1ReneSola Ltd.1
Repsol YPF S.A.1Republic Bancorp Inc.1
Resource Capital Corp.1Reynolds American Inc.1
RGC Resources Inc.1Ricoh Company Ltd.1
Rio Tinto plc1River Valley Bancorp Inc.1
RMR Real Estate Income Fund1Robbins & Myers Inc.1
Rockwell Automation1Rockwell Collins, Inc.1
Rostelecom1Royal Dutch Shell Class A1
Royal Dutch Shell Class B1Royce Focus Trust, Inc.1
Royce Micro-Cap Trust, Inc.1Royce Value Trust, Inc.1
RPM International Inc.1Ryanair Holdings plc1
Ryder System, Inc.1S&T Bancorp, Inc.1
Safeway Inc.1Sanderson Farms, Inc.1
Sanofi-Aventis1Sappi Ltd.1
Sasol Ltd.1SB Financial Group1
SBT Bancorp Inc.1Schawk Inc.1
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc.1Scripps Networks Interactive1
Select Income REIT1Selective Insurance Group, Inc.1
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.1Sempra Energy1
Senior Housing Properties Trust1Sensient Technologies Corp.1
Sherwin Williams Company1Shire plc1
Siemens AG1SIFCO Industries, Inc.1
Silicon Motion Technology Corp.1Simcere Pharmaceutical Group1
Simon Property Group1Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical1
SJW Corp.1SL Green Realty Corp.1
Smith & Nephew plc1Sonoco Products Company1
Sony Corp.1Sotheby's1
Source Capital, Inc.1South Jersey Industries, Inc.1
Southern Company1Southern Copper Corp.1
Southwest Airlines Company1Southwest Bancorp Inc.1