Hey,
July is over, and it’ll be time for gingerbread again soon. Not much has happened on the investment front. At least that’s something—after all, not much else has been going on these past few months. Well, at least not when it comes to stock investments. Instead, I’ve been investing in a solar power system.
But let’s take a look at the performance first, as usual.
📈 Performance:
S&P 500: -1.24%
MSCI World: -1.01%
DAX: +2.53%
Dividend portfolio: +3.35%
My top and bottom performers in July were (Top 3/Bottom 3):
🟢 ($CTAS (+0.11%) ) Cintas +20.64%
🟢 ($MSFT (+0.46%) ) Microsoft +19.27%
🟢 ($2318 (-0.21%) ) Ping An 17.37%
🔴 ($CSCO (-0.39%) ) Cisco -4.95%
🔴 ($LLY (-1.56%) ) Eli Lilly -5.15%
🔴 ($HD (+0.49%) ) Home Depot -6.11%
Dividends:
July 2026: €191.06
July 2025: €66.91
Change: +192.55%
This increase is primarily due to the fact that PingAn paid its dividend in July this year. Last year, it paid it in June.
Sales:
🟥 None
Purchases:
🟩 ($TSCO (-0.14%) ) Tractor Supply (~€400)
Savings plans:
($CTAS (+0.11%) ) Cintas (€50)
($MSFT (+0.46%) ) Microsoft (€25)
What else has been going on?
The main topic of discussion was, of course, still the solar panel system. A lot has been sorted out in the meantime, though not everything yet. What I do know now is that the pump broke down. It was replaced, and then I was at least able to take a warm shower again using the heating element. However, the next day the heating element stopped working as well. It was probably due to a valve that was also defective. The exhaust fan was broken, too. I then contacted the manufacturer’s customer service, and they’ve already been here. They replaced the changeover valve. Funnily enough, they did it as a gesture of goodwill, since the broken part was an older model and such parts are simply replaced when they fail. After that, it turned out that the exhaust fan was broken. This wasn’t new information to me, but it was to the technician. It’s a good thing I explained everything in great detail when scheduling the appointment and also mentioned that the fan was broken. Now a new appointment has been scheduled for mid-August. Interestingly, according to the estimate, the fan will also be replaced free of charge. For whatever reason.
I’m not sure yet whether I think that’s a good or bad thing. After all, it’ll naturally be difficult to explain to the solar company—as a gesture of goodwill—that they’re to blame for the whole situation. Well, at least they won’t send me a new bill until everything’s sorted out. Very accommodating.
Let’s see if everything gets sorted out by the appointment in August. Maybe more problems will crop up after the fan is replaced. But we won’t know for sure until the fan is actually replaced. At least I’ve had hot water again since the first appointment. Even though it’s summer, cold showers are really a pain.
Toward the end of the month, the next cost estimate arrived. The cat went to the vet and has broken teeth (FORL). The surgery, including a heart ultrasound and all that jazz, is expected to cost €1,500. Give or take… depending on how many teeth are actually affected. They’re estimating six teeth here. The appointment is set for October. We’ll see—maybe by then all his teeth will be broken anyway, in which case we can skip the surgery, since he won’t be in any pain anymore. We’ll see.
🥅 Goals for 2026:
I’m trying to reach €85,000 in my dividend portfolio this year. I’m currently at around €80,122, so at least in theory, it’s still possible. That said, the market’s performance has definitely helped here. Right now, I still have about €1,300 left to invest, and the dividends will be added to that. I’m expecting about €746 in net dividends this year (according to getquin). That means the goal is still within reach.
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