Welcome to the June update of Plan 5 Picks. Decent progress this month; both Plan 5 Monthly and Quarterly exceeded the market. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for May:

Plan 5 Monthly: May 2015 Results

Four out of five picks gained, but the 13.3% loss by Sierra Wireless erased much of the effect of the others’ gains. Still, the overall gain of 2.47% was easily enough to beat the S&P 500’s 0.96% growth.

There is only one substitutions in this month’s new set of picks, with Interactive Brokers Group taking the place of Sierra Wireless. With this change, Plan 5 Monthly and Quarterly are in the unusual position of sharing exactly the same sets of five picks. Here are the June Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: June 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: May 2015 Progress

The current Plan 5 Quarterly period is still just getting started, but so far it’s heading in the right direction. Its 6.1% gain handily beat out the S&P 500’s 0.96%, with all 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 June with another update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

It’s been a healthy month for the market, and the same goes for Plan 5. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in April:

Plan 5 Monthly: April 2015 Results

Each of the month’s picks other than WisdomTree Investments saw a gain; unfortunately WisdomTree’s loss was steep enough to drag down the average. At 2.26% growth for the month, Plan 5 Monthly still beat the S&P 500’s 0.86% gain, however.

Here’s a first – not a single new pick this month. All of last month’s picks carry over. Here’s the latest set of picks, the same as last month’s:

Plan 5 Monthly: May 2015 Picks

If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. Wait, why do we need to buy or sell anything if the new picks are the same as the old picks? It would be nice to sit back and let those trading commissions stay in our pocket. But alas, each of those picks did change value over the course of April, so in order to follow Plan 5, they will need to be rebalanced. 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: February 2015 – April 2015 Results

It was off to a strong start back in February, but then some lower-than-expected quarterly earnings resulted in Boston Beer’s value plummeting. Sierra Wireless also lost some during this period. The other three picks had a strong showing, however, and brought the total gain for Plan 5 Quarterly to 5.77%, modestly outperforming the S&P 500’s 4.45% gain.

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

Plan 5 Quarterly: May 2015 Picks

There are two new picks for this period, with Interactive Brokers Group and Valeant Pharmaceuticals replacing Boston Beer and Sierra Wireless.

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 May with the latest picks.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the April update of Plan 5 Picks. Progress has been steady over the past month. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for March:

Plan 5 Monthly: March 2015 Results

Three of this month’s five picks saw a gain, just enough to offset losses by LinkedIn and Sierra Wireless. The small overall gain of 1.09% was still enough to beat the S&P 500’s 1.77% loss.

There is only one substitution this month, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals replacing LinkedIn. Here are the April Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: April 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: March 2015 Progress Report

Plan 5 Monthly did quite well this month. WisdomTree Investments and XPO Logistics both grew by more than 20%, which more than made up for the significant losses by Boston Beer Co. and Sierra Wireless. So far Plan 5 Monthly is growing 6.98% during the current period, well ahead of the S&P 500’s 3.57%.

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 April with the next update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the March update of Plan 5 Picks. The market has done well over the past month, and Plan 5 Monthly has done a bit better. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for February:

Plan 5 Monthly: February 2015 Results

All five picks gained, with BJ’s Restaurants leading the pack this month. The overall gain for Plan 5 Monthly of 7.84% has a healthy edge over the S&P 500’s gain of 5.4%.

There are two substitutions in this month’s new set of picks, with newcomers LinkedIn and XPO Logistics replacing BJ’s Restaurants and Under Armor. Here are the December Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: March 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: February 2015 Progress Report

The current Plan 5 Quarterly period is just staring out, but so far it’s heading in the right direction. It did fall short of the S&P 500’s gains however, rising 4.01% versus the S&P’s 5.4%. The culprit holding it back was Boston Beer Co., which saw a sharp drop this past month.

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

The market went down this month, and as sometimes happens, Plan 5 amplified that effect. While Plan 5 monthly lost quite a bit over the past month, Plan 5 Quarterly saw a big gain over the 3-month period that’s just ended. It only kept half of the gains it was showing a month ago, however. Let’s look at the results, starting with how Plan 5 Monthly performed in January:

Plan 5 Monthly: January 2015 Results

Four out of five picks fell last month, with Sierra Wireless leading the charge by losing almost one quarter of its value. Apple was the lone bright light, with its 5.18% gain.

There are three substitutions this month. We’re replacing Apple, CarMax and Robert Half International with Ulta Salon, Under Armour and WisdomTree Investments. Here are the latest picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: February 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: November 2014 – January 2015 Results

Four out of five of November’s picks rose over the past quarter. Sierra Wireless showed the most impressive gains, though it looked a lot better before dropping over the past month. Still, an 8.35% gain over 3 months isn’t bad at all, and a big improvement over the S&P 500’s 1.15% loss over the same period.

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

Plan 5 Quarterly: August 2014 Picks

Only Sierra Wireless and Ulta Salon carry over from last quarter.

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:

It’s been a bumpy ride, and I don’t expect it to let up. Take it as an exercise in improving our minds’ suspension systems!

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

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the January update of Plan 5 Picks. It’s nice to be able to start the year with some results that are easy to look at. We’ll begin with the Plan 5 Monthly results for December:

Plan 5 Monthly: December 2014 Results

Sierra Wireless was the big winner this month, with the other picks not moving too far in either direction. The overall gain of 5.19% exceeded both last month’s gain, and the S&P 500’s performance this month. Not bad!

Only one substitutions this month, with Ulta Salon being replaced by CarMax. Here are the January Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: January 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 new 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: January 2015 Progress Report

Progress is looking good again this month for Plan 5 Monthly, with Sierra Wireless again leading the charge. Sierra’s amazing 72% gain over the past two months have more than made up for some moderate losses, such as Gilead Science’s 16% downturn in December. Altogether Plan 5 Monthly has gained 15.42% so far during the current period, which will be over when the markets close on January 30th.

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. The market has done well over the past month, and Plan 5 Monthly has done a bit better. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for November:

Plan 5 Monthly: November 2014 Results

Apple and BJ’s Restaurants lead the pack this month with gains of roughly 10% each, while Gilead Sciences performed worst with a 10.68% loss. The overall gain for Plan 5 Monthly of 2.6% just edges out the S&P 500’s gain of 2.42%.

There are two substitutions in this month’s new set of picks, with job recruiting firm Robert Half International and network equipment manufacturer Sierra Wireless replacing last month’s poorest performers, Gilead Sciences and WhiteWave Foods. Here are the December Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: December 2014 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 2014 Progress Report

There’s still a ways to go before this Plan 5 Quarterly period is done, but its progress is looking good up to this point, having gained nearly 10% over the course of the month. This is due to several strong performers, most notably Sierra Wireless which gained over 20% in a single day (!) and continued to climb from there.

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

Plan 5 Quarterly takes the lead again this month over Plan 5 Monthly, but the margin is slim and, looking at it from the start 16 months ago, they’ve both performed substantially better than the S&P 500. Enjoy the holidays and the rest of 2014, I’ll be back at the end of December with another update.

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

It was a bumpy ride, but the market as a whole went up over the past month, and Plan 5 did even better. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in October:

Plan 5 Monthly: October 2014 Results

Illumina led with its 17.17% rise, and none fell more than Under Armor’s -4.82%. Not bad. All told we saw a 3.84% gain for the full Plan 5 Monthly portfolio.

Quite a shakeup this month. Only two of last month’s picks, Gilead Sciences and WhiteWave Foods, carry over. The remaining slots are filled by newcomers Apple, BJ’s Restaurants and Ulta Salon, Cosmetics and Fragrances. Here’s the latest set of picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: November 2014 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 2014 – October 2014 Results

Illumina and WhiteWave showed the strongest results this period, rising 20.05% and 25.52% respectively. Their effect was mitigated a bit by Nuance’s loss of 14.66%, however. Still, the overall gain of 7.16% over the full period is a welcome relief after a few less than impressive quarters, and easily beat the S&P 500’s 4.57% gain.

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

Plan 5 Quarterly: November 2014 Picks

For the first time, there’s not a single pick carrying over from the previous period.

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. Until then…

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier

Welcome to the October update of Plan 5 Picks. A bit of a slump this month, for both Plan 5 Monthly and Quarterly. We’ll start with the Plan 5 Monthly results for September:

Plan 5 Monthly: September 2014 Results

Illumina and Tesla were the biggest losers this month, overshadowing small gains made by Under Armor and WhiteWave Foods. The overall loss of 4.79% undid last month’s gain, and underperformed the S&P 500’s 1.59% loss.

Mixed results notwithstanding, there is only one substitutions this month, with Sierra Wireless being replaced by Gilead Sciences. Here are the October Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: October 2014 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 new 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: October 2014 Progress Report

Plan 5 Monthly also lost some ground this month, but is still up 4.11% since the start of the period two months ago.

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

Welcome to the September update of Plan 5 Picks. After a few rocky months, it’s nice to see some strong positive movement this time around. Here are the Plan 5 Monthly results for August:

Plan 5 Monthly: September 2014 Results

Each of last month’s picks showed some growth, with WhiteWave and Tesla leading the pack.

This month’s set of picks doesn’t see much change from last month’s, with only Activision Blizzard being replaced by Sierra Wireless. Here are the September Plan 5 Monthly picks:

Plan 5 Monthly: September 2014 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 new 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 one month in. Here are the results so far:

Plan 5 Quarterly: September 2014 Progress Report

Plan 5 Monthly also gained some ground this month, though not quite as much.

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

We can look at this month’s gains as being the payoff for waiting through several months of poor performance. But I’d prefer to opt out of the month-by-month emotional roller coaster ride altogether, and just recognize both the ups and the downs as all simply being what comes with the territory of implementing a long term investing plan.

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

Thrive!

Mike Ferrier