Welcome to the January update of Plan 5 Picks. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for December:

Plan 5 Monthly: March 2016 Results

Two of this month’s picks showed a modest gain, but that was more than balanced out by the others, most especially Netflix’s 8.11% drop, and Pegasystems’ 7.16% slide. The overall loss of 3.61% was further than the S&P 500’s 1.87% loss.

There are two substitutions this month, with Nuance Communications and Pegasystems being replaced by NVIDIA and SINA. Here are the January 2016 Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: January 2016 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here. Or, even easier, you can try out the Balance Calculator tool that will do the math for you.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how the current picks are doing two months in. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: February-March 2016 Progress Report

Plan 5 Quarterly is so far doing pretty well this quarter, with its 4.93% gain easily beating the S&P 500’s 1.77% loss. Four out of five picks have showed a gain so far. Xoom, which completed its purchase by PayPal in November, locked in its small 0.32% gain by finishing at a value of $25 per share. We’re not done yet though; there’s one more month to go until the current Plan 5 Quarterly period will be over, and it will be time for a new set of picks.

Finally, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of January with the next update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the March update of Plan 5 Picks. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for Febraury:

Plan 5 Monthly: February 2016 Results

All five picks saw a loss over the past month. The overall loss of 7.35% exceeded the S&P 500’s slim loss of 0.24%.

There are two substitutions in this month’s new set of picks. Here are the March Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: March 2016 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how last month’s new picks are doing. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: February 2016 Progress

Over the past month Plan 5 Monthly has had the same set of five picks as Plan 5 Quarterly, and so Plan 5 Quarterly’s loss mirrors that of Plan 5 Monthly. This Plan 5 Quarterly period is still just getting started, so there’s still plenty of opportunity for a turnaround.

Lastly, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

I’ll be back at the end of March with another update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the February update of Plan 5 Picks. It was a rough beginning to the new year for the market, and Plan 5 followed suit. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in January:

Plan 5 Monthly: January 2015 Results

Every pick went down this month, with the overall loss of -9.77% being a good bit worse than the S&P 500’s change of -5.07%. As is typical, market losses are exaggerated by Plan 5.

Three new picks this month, with NVidia, Netflix and Sina being replaced by Casey’s General Stores, Facebook, and Google. Here’s the latest set of picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: February 2016 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. An easy way to do that is to use the online Balance Calculator. If you’re new to Plan 5 or would like to read more about rebalancing a Plan 5 portfolio, check out this comprehensive guide to the process.

If you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it will also be time to rebalance your portfolio this month. But first let’s take a look at how Plan 5 Quarterly has performed with its last set of picks over the past three months.

Plan 5 Quarterly: November 2015 – January 2016 Results

Plan 5 Quarterly also lost some ground over the past three months, though its -7.25% loss was not dramatically worse than the S&P 500’s -6.75% loss. Four of the five picks went down, with two of them losing over 15% of their value. Only Activision Blizzard showed a small gain.

Here’s the new set of Plan 5 Quarterly picks:

Plan 5 Quarterly: February 2016 Picks

There are three replacements for the new quarter, as Netflix, Pegasystems and Xoom are being substituted by Casey’s General Stores, Facebook and Google.

Again, followers of Plan 5 Quarterly will want to rebalance your portfolios. The online Balance Calculator and the step-by-step guide are useful resources for helping with this.

Finally, here’s a look at overall Plan 5 performance so far, since its inception:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of February with the latest picks.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the January update of Plan 5 Picks. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for December:

Plan 5 Monthly: December 2015 Results

Two of this month’s picks showed a modest gain, but that was more than balanced out by the others, most especially Netflix’s 8.11% drop, and Pegasystems’ 7.16% slide. The overall loss of 3.61% was further than the S&P 500’s 1.87% loss.

There are two substitutions this month, with Nuance Communications and Pegasystems being replaced by NVIDIA and SINA. Here are the January 2016 Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: January 2016 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here. Or, even easier, you can try out the Balance Calculator tool that will do the math for you.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how the current picks are doing two months in. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: November-December 2015 Progress Report

Plan 5 Quarterly is so far doing pretty well this quarter, with its 4.93% gain easily beating the S&P 500’s 1.77% loss. Four out of five picks have showed a gain so far. Xoom, which completed its purchase by PayPal in November, locked in its small 0.32% gain by finishing at a value of $25 per share. We’re not done yet though; there’s one more month to go until the current Plan 5 Quarterly period will be over, and it will be time for a new set of picks.

Finally, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of January with the next update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the December update of Plan 5 Picks. Good progress this month, as both Plan 5 Monthly and Quarterly exceeded the market and recouped some of their recent losses. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for November:

Plan 5 Monthly: November 2015 Results

Four out of five picks gained, two in the double digits, and the only one to fall, Xoom, lost only 0.04%. The overall gain of 8.06% was more than enough to beat the S&P 500’s loss of 0.02%.

There are two substitutions in this month’s new set of picks, with Nuance Communications Pegasystems taking the place of NVidia and Xoom. Here are the December Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: December 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how last month’s new picks are doing. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: November 2015 Progress

The current Plan 5 Quarterly period is still just getting started, but so far it’s heading in the right direction. Its 6.99% gain doesn’t quite match Plan 5 Monthly’s gain over the same period, but it nonetheless handily beat the S&P 500’s 0.02% loss, with four out of five picks having risen over the past month.

Lastly, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

I’ll be back at the end of the year with another update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the November update of Plan 5 Picks. The market recouped a lot of its recent losses over the past month, and Plan 5 has had both ups and downs. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in October:

Plan 5 Monthly: October 2015 Results

Very good results this month, with the highest growth coming from Amazon (22.49%), and the greatest loss being only Under Armor’s -2.01%. The overall results of 7.36% are great, though not quite enough to match the S&P 500’s outstanding growth of 8.32% during the same period.

Only one new pick this month, with Under Armor being replaced by graphics chip manufacturer NVidia. Here’s the latest set of picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: November 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. An easy way to do that is to use the online Balance Calculator. If you’re new to Plan 5 or would like to read more about rebalancing a Plan 5 portfolio, check out this comprehensive guide to the process.

If you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it will also be time to rebalance your portfolio this month. But first let’s take a look at how Plan 5 Quarterly has performed with its last set of picks over the past three months.

Plan 5 Quarterly: August 2015 – October 2015 Results

While Plan 5 Quarterly did show a small gain over the past month, it’s been a punishing quarter overall. It’s lost 15.04%, a result that’s dominated by Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ collapse of -63.64%, as well as poor performance by WisdomTree Investments. These results are significantly worse than the S&P 500’s -1.19% loss over the same period.

Here’s the new set of Plan 5 Quarterly picks:

Plan 5 Quarterly: November 2015 Picks

Only two replacements for the new quarter, with the poorest performers Valeant Pharmaceuticals and WisdomTree Investments being substituted by Activision Blizzard and Pegasystems, both software companies.

Again, followers of Plan 5 Quarterly will want to rebalance your portfolios. The online Balance Calculator and the step-by-step guide are useful resources for helping with this.

Finally, here’s a look at overall Plan 5 performance so far, since its inception:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of November with the latest picks.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the October update of Plan 5 Picks. Yet another downward slide for the market this month, which was exaggerated by Plan 5. Let’s take it as further practice in emotional detachment. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for June:

Plan 5 Monthly: September 2015 Results

Two of this month’s picks showed a modest gain, but that was more than balanced out by the others, most especially Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ 21.53% drop. The overall loss of 6.58% was further than the S&P 500’s 2.64% loss.

There are three substitutions this month, with only Amazon.com and Netflix remaining from last time. The newcomers are Activision Blizzard, Under Armor, and Xoom. Here are the October Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: October 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here. Or, even easier, you can try out the Balance Calculator tool that will do the math for you.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how the current picks are doing two months in. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: August-September 2015 Progress Report

Plan 5 Quarterly is suffering from two very poor performers so far in this period: Valeant Pharmaceuticals has lost 30.75%, while WisdomTree Investments lost a full 35.48%. None of the other picks have fared very well either, resulting in an overall loss of 16.13% so far, versus the S&P 500’s 8.77% loss. We’re not done yet though; there’s one more month to go until the current Plan 5 Quarterly period will be over, and it will be time for a new set of picks.

Finally, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of October with the next update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and just feel the disappointment and anxious jitters wash over you. Repeat until they’ve become just a strange abstract feeling, like a new pair of shoes. Then let them go, relax, and remember the plan.

This was a rough month for the market, with the S&P 500 losing some 10% of its value at one point, before regaining a fraction of that. But these things happen — it’s been an unusually long time since the last “correction” of this scale. As is typical of Plan 5, it’s more volatile than the market as a whole, and just as it often exaggerates the market’s gains, it will sometimes amplify its losses. That’s what happened this time around. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for August:

Plan 5 Monthly: August 2015 Results

Plan 5 Monthly was hit particularly hard, seeing the biggest loss in a single month since its inception, 13.42%, versus the S&P 500’s 6.29% loss. Four out of five picks lost value, with the worst being Criteo and WisdomTree Investements, which each lost at least a quarter of their value. Only one pick, Netflix, saw a gain, and it was very small.

Still, there are only two substitutions this month, with Post Holdings and Xoom replacing those two biggest losers, Criteo and WisdomTree. Here are the September Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: September 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how last month’s new picks are doing. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: August 2015 Progress Report

Because Xoom had a much better month than Criteo, Plan 5 Quarterly didn’t fall as far as Plan 5 Monthly. Its 7.96% loss is only moderately worse than the market’s 6.29% loss.

Lastly, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

I’ll be back at the end of September with another update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the August update of Plan 5 Picks. The market has seen its ups and downs over the past month, but Plan 5 has mostly good news for us this time around. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in July:

Plan 5 Monthly: July 2015 Results

Three of July’s five picks went down, with II-IV losing 11.37%. Fortunately this was more than offset by gains from WisdomTree Investments and Valeant Pharmaceuticals. At 1.78% growth for the month, Plan 5 Monthly exactly matched the performance of the S&P 500.

Three of August’s picks are new – each of July’s losers are being replaced. This is the debut appearance in Plan 5 for Amazon.com and Criteo, while Netflix is making a return to the list. Here’s the latest set of picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: August 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. An easy way to do that is to use the online Balance Calculator. If you’re new to Plan 5 or would like to read more about rebalancing a Plan 5 portfolio, check out this comprehensive guide to the process.

If you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it will also be time to rebalance your portfolio this month. But first let’s take a look at how Plan 5 Quarterly has performed with its last set of picks over the past three months.

Plan 5 Quarterly: May 2015 – July 2015 Results

Stellar results for this round of Plan 5 Quarterly. WisdomTree Investments led the pack with a gain of 32.24%, followed by several other strong performers. The only loss comes from XPO Logistics, at -11.06%. The total gain for Plan 5 Quarterly from May through July has been 13.6%, far outpacing the S&P 500’s 0.79% growth.

Here’s the new set of Plan 5 Quarterly picks:

Plan 5 Quarterly: August 2015 Picks

As with Plan 5 Monthly, there are three new picks for this period of Plan 5 Quarterly, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals and WisdomTree Investments staying on the list while Amazon.com, Netflix and money transfer provider Xoom take the remaining three spots.

Again, followers of Plan 5 Quarterly will want to rebalance your portfolios. The online Balance Calculator and the step-by-step guide are useful resources for helping with this.

Finally, here’s a look at overall Plan 5 performance so far, since its inception:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of August with the latest picks.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the July update of Plan 5 Picks. After rising fairly steadily over the course of June, the market faltered in the past few days because of the situation in Greece. While the market is overall down a bit for the month, Plan 5 has seen a small gain. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for June:

Plan 5 Monthly: June 2015 Results

Three of this month’s five picks saw a gain, just enough to offset losses by Valeant Pharmaceuticals and XPO Logistics. The small overall gain of 0.54% was still enough to beat the S&P 500’s 2.16% loss.

There are two substitutions this month, with II-VI (pronounced “two six”, this company produces lasers and other electronic components) and Post Holdings (which produces foods) replacing Ulta Salon and XPO Logistics. Here are the July Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: July 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, you’ll want to rebalance your portfolio at this point. You can find a refresher on how to do that right here. Or, even easier, you can try out the Balance Calculator tool that will do the math for you.

If instead you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it’s not time to make any trades this month, but let’s take a look at how the current picks are doing two months in. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: June 2015 Progress Report

Plan 5 Quarterly fared as well as Plan 5 Monthly over the past month (all five of their picks matched), slightly improving its overall results for the current period to 7.29%. This is well ahead of the S&P 500’s -1.16% over the same two months. We have one more month to go until the current Plan 5 Quarterly period will be over, and it will be time for a new set of picks.

Finally, here’s a look at Plan 5’s overall progress from the beginning:

That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of July with the next update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier