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48I stopped smoking almost two years ago - and shortly afterwards bought shares in Imperial Brands. For a few months now, I've also been running a savings plan $IMB (+2.58%)which I use to get my "smoky" money back: I invest one symbolic euro per day.
While others continue to smoke, I benefit threefold - on the one hand through the cost savings and on the other through the increase in value/dividends from Imperial Brands.
In addition, my health thanks me.
A Delaware judge on Monday ordered ITG Brands to pay rival cigarette maker Reynolds American $251.5 million in connection with a tobacco settlement in Florida after ITG acquired four cigarette brands from Reynolds a decade ago.
Vice Chancellor Lori Will of the Delaware Chancery Court rejected ITG's argument that the $251.5 million demanded by Reynolds should be reduced by the money Reynolds saved because ITG did not participate in the Florida settlement.
Reynolds is a unit of British American Tobacco $BATS (+0.98%) while ITG is a unit of the British company Imperial Brands $IMB (+2.58%) is. ITG has announced that it will appeal.
The case arose when Reynolds sold the Kool, Maverick, Salem and Winston brands to ITG in June 2015 so that Reynolds could get regulatory approval for its $25.8 billion purchase of smaller rival Lorillard.
Prior to the sale, Reynolds had made annual payments to Florida for many years as part of a settlement to cover tobacco-related health costs after the state accused cigarette makers of misrepresenting the addictive potential and health risks of smoking.
After the sale was finalized, however, Reynolds stopped making payments based on sales of the four brands it no longer owned.
Florida then sued Reynolds and ITG and obtained a judgment requiring Reynolds to make payments until ITG joined the settlement.
Reynolds paid Florida 251.5 million dollars for the four brands from 2015 to 2023.
Will determined in October 2022 that ITG is obligated to repay Reynolds, raising the question of the amount to be paid.
In his ruling Monday, Will said it would be "perverse" to reduce ITG's liability by the estimated $112.8 million in "profit adjustment" payments that Reynolds saved because ITG did not join the Florida settlement.
"Reducing Reynolds' damages as if ITG had joined the Florida settlement would prevent ITG from ever doing so," Will wrote.
ITG is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Reynolds is based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In a statement, ITG said it disagreed with Will's findings on liability and damages and continues to stand by its arguments "as we seek reversal."
Reynolds and its attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company's trademarks include Camel, Newport and Pall Mall.
And another step forward in the monthly cash flow, that was except for $IMB (+2.58%) my last position, which was not yet fully completed in terms of purchase volume. So I'm done with the existing stocks for the time being. The average expected monthly gross dividend for the current portfolio without bonds and ETFs is now around €2,150. Now the second part of my investment plan begins: over the course of the year, I will initially invest a further 500k in cash in a wide range of investments from bonus certificates, corporate bonds, ETFs, commodities and a few selected shares from various sectors that are not yet weighted or only slightly weighted. The aim is to achieve moderate growth and the main focus is on an unexcited income strategy. Boring for many here, I weiß🤷♀️😉, but I've decided that I want to have sufficient monthly income when I turn 61 without having to go back to work. But I also need a bit of change to "gamble". I have treated myself to professional support for this major task within the framework of private banking and, in the course of expanding my portfolio, I take the liberty of presenting one or two securities with limited, but nevertheless attractive, returns for those here in the forum who are not quite so risk-averse.
In the current issue, "Der Aktionär" recommends these dividend stocks.
For a peaceful night's sleep (conservative):
Top dividend with medium risk can be seen in:
Dividends with a yield kick are located in these shares:
Source: Der Aktionär, Issue 08.2025
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is backing away from its previously proposed tobacco product standard to ban menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes on public health grounds. The FDA argued that menthol increases the appeal of cigarettes, especially to younger audiences. The proposed ban was intended to reduce experimentation and use among youth while improving the health of current menthol cigarette smokers by encouraging smoking cessation.
The withdrawal of this proposal is seen as a positive for tobacco companies who would have faced the loss of a significant market share. In the United States, there are over 18.5 million smokers aged 12 and older who use menthol cigarettes.
The FDA action aimed to address the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the country and reduce tobacco-related deaths and illnesses associated with menthol cigarette use. The agency also hoped to improve health equity by reducing tobacco-related health disparities.
With the proposal now off the table, tobacco companies are likely to be able to continue selling menthol cigarettes without the threat of an imminent ban. This is reflected in the positive share price performance. The market reaction indicates investor relief as a significant regulatory risk for these companies has been removed.
The news is particularly relevant for British American Tobacco $BATS (+0.98%)which, along with its industry peers $MO (+2.22%)
$PM (+2.36%)
$IMB (+2.58%) may now be able to avoid the financial impact that a menthol ban would have had on sales and market share.
I find myself looking for Income Stocks to add to my medium term portfolio (5-15years).
Income investing in 2025 calls for a careful balance of high yields and sustainable payouts. I'm using the investment screens of Investors' Chronicle, a UK investment publication owned by The Financial Times.
What do you think of these picks?
$SSE (+1.32%): Topping the large-cap screen, SSE offers steady dividend growth after its 2023 reset. While dividend cuts are usually a red flag, this one was strategic—supporting a £20 billion capital expenditure plan to upgrade infrastructure and boost renewable energy capacity. However, with a new CEO search underway, investors should watch for shifts in capital policies. SSE’s commitment to its payout growth remains a positive indicator, despite the management uncertainty.
$IMB (+2.58%): Tobacco companies like Imperial Brands continue to attract income-focused investors, thanks to their robust cash flows. IMB has offset declining smoker numbers with higher pricing and market share gains. While it’s a structurally declining industry with limited growth potential, the company’s consistent dividend policy and undervaluation make it a defensive choice for high-yield seekers.
$SHEL (+2.13%)
and $BP. (+3.68%)
: Energy majors remain prominent in dividend screens. Shell stands out for its stable cash returns via buybacks and dividends, outperforming BP, which has scaled back its buyback program amid strategic questions. These stocks are well-suited for investors seeking energy exposure alongside income.
What do you think to these picks?
#Dividends #Investing2025
It was an honor for me (over 40% plus). Slowly but surely I am reducing tobacco from my portfolio as an individual position. I still have $MO (+2.22%)
$BATS (+0.98%) and $IMB (+2.58%)
Week in review 12.10.
All-time highs for S&P 500, Dow Jones, Air Products & Chemicals, American Express, Arista Networks, Bank of New York Mellon, BlackRock, Caterpillar, CAVA, Fiserv, GE Vernova, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley, Motorola Solutions, Piper Sandler, Royal Caribbean, Uber, Unum
52-week highs for Carnival, Commerzbank, GE Aerospace, Hilton Worldwide, MicroStrategy, Norwegian Cruise, Palantir, Ralph Lauren, Robinhood Markets, Sea Ltd. , Shake Shack, Tangier, Teledyne
Tesla Cybercab / Robotaxi planned from 2026 for under 30,000$. In addition, an autonomous bus with 20 seats was presented, share falls -8.1%, market is disappointed, -19% 1-year performance
Nvidia partner Hon Hai increases capacity to meet "crazy" AI demand, Nvidia shares +8.3% this week, +176% 1-year performance
AMD unveils MI325X AI accelerator to compete with Nvidia's H200, customers include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Dell, Oracle, Meta, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Supermicro, Lenovo and Databricks, AMD launches EPYC 5th Gen Datacenter CPU to compete with Intel's Xeon, AMD currently has 34% market share in Datacenter CPUs, MI350 coming in 2025 to compete with Nvidia's Blackwell, AMD stock drops -4%, apparently sell the news event, +45% 1-year performance
92% of desktop processor sales at major German online retailer Mindfactory were from AMD last week, Intel only at 8% share and -36% 1-year performance
TSMC with good quarterly figures, share price rises slightly, +97% 1-year performance
JPMorgan with good quarterly figures, share +5.1%, +48% 1-year performance
Wells Fargo with good quarterly figures, share +6.5%, +49% 1-year performance
PepsiCo and Samsung with poor quarterly figures, shares fall slightly
Amazon Pharmacy announces same-day delivery of prescription drugs in 20 more US states and expands its service to almost half of the states in 2025, +43% % 1-year performance
Jefferies says Apple's hopes for an AI phone are overdone and high expectations are premature, Hold rating, +26% 1-year performance
The situation is similar at Microsoft after Oppenheimer downgraded its rating from "Outperform" to "Perform", it was the second such downgrade by analysts in recent weeks, AI sales are overestimated and shares have underperformed since July due to "AI fatigue", plus losses at OpenAI, +26% 1-year performance
Two Google scientists from the subsidiary DeepMind receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, they developed the AI model "AlphaFold2", which can be used to predict the structures of all 200 million known proteins, the AI is used in 190 countries, for example in the clarification of antibiotic resistance or the use of enzymes to break down plastics, Alphabet shareholders like this, +12% 1-year performance
Inperial Brands increases dividend, now pays out quarterly and buys back shares, share price rises 5%, +36% 1-year performance
FTX - customers will soon get their balances paid out after the crypto exchange went bankrupt in 2022 and the management was imprisoned
Shortseller Hindenburg Research with allegations of fraud and safety concerns for children at gaming service Roblox, share price falls -6%, even -70% since November 2021
After two very positive weeks, China stocks fall like a flash in the pan as the market expected more stimulus from the Chinese dictator. Dictator, Hang Seng with worst day since the 2008 financial crisis, this week
China strengthens real estate sector and signals more spending ahead, Finance Minister announces measures to support real estate sector today and government would now have more room to borrow and increase deficit, China also announces issuance of special government bonds today to bolster capitalization of its largest state-owned banks, Printer is coming
Fitch downgrades France's credit rating to negative due to higher deficits, government debt expected to rise to 118.5% of GDP by 2028
FTSE Russell: Greek equities on track for upgrade to developed markets, FTSE Russell to provide update as part of March 2025 review, Greek equity index up 53% since start of 2023
Porsche sells 7% fewer cars due to China slump by -29%, -5% North America but +7% Germany & Europe, -21% % 1-year performance
Deutsche Telekom increases dividend and launches share buyback program for € 2 bn, highest share price in 23 years, +33% 1-year performance
Commerzbank reaches highest share price since the euro crisis in 2011, +61% 1-year performance
Bayer with new lawsuit in the USA over PCBs, share price -7%, -41% 1-year performance
German industrial order intake fell unexpectedly sharply by 5.8% in August compared to the previous month
E.on CEO expects energy prices to rise in the long term thanks to higher taxes & levies and the world's stupidest energy policy
The Ampel expects the economy to shrink for the second year in a row, revising its GDP forecast for 2024 from +0.3% to -0.2%, only the second consecutive year of shrinking GDP since the fall of communism in 1990
After the pension insurance, the German long-term care insurance is also bankrupt, as recipients of citizens' benefits are not paying in and society is ageing, Lauterbach therefore wants to increase the monthly contribution for long-term care for all workers, so soon less net from gross again
" If you want to read a review like this every week, leave a like and subscribe.
$NVDA (-1.37%)
$AMD (-0.42%)
$TSLA (+0.51%)
$CBR
$INTC (-0.46%)
$2330
$JPM (+1.92%)
$WFC (+2.57%)
$PEP (+2.3%)
$AMZN (+0.04%)
$GOOGL (-0.95%)
$GOOGL (-0.95%)
$AAPL (+1.91%)
$MSFT (+0.27%)
$IMB (+2.58%)
$CNUA (-0.19%)
$941
$9988 (+2.67%)
$700 (+1.79%)
$1211 (-1.67%)
$P911 (+1.12%)
$PAH3 (+2.68%)
$DTE (-0.31%)
$BAYN (+1.02%)
$EOAN (+0.83%)
$PLTR (+1.72%)
$RBLX
$BLK
Reading time: approx. 6min
INTRODUCTION
A while ago, I came across an interesting thought experiment in an article: "What 5 stocks would you buy right now if you knew you had to hold them for the rest of your life and you weren't allowed to buy any other stocks?"
In the age of €1 order fees and the ability to trade shares virtually around the clock on your smartphone, this is of course not a realistic scenario, but the question was so interesting for me that I thought about which 5 shares I would buy.
I quickly decided on my 5 stocks. I currently hold all five in my portfolio. Similarities between the 5 stocks I had chosen quickly became apparent:
The current valuation level deliberately played no role at all in my decision, as these are, after all, shares that I want to hold for the rest of my life and my investment horizon is therefore at a maximum. In order to be able to benchmark my decision, I decided to set up my own securities account on Getquin and placed these shares in the securities account at €100,000 each. The shares were then entered into the securities account on May 31.
MY 5 SHARES FOR LIFE
1) Visa $V (+1.26%)
Visa is a leader in digital payments, enabling secure and fast transactions worldwide through its extensive network of payment cards and solutions. Almost everyone here has probably paid with a Visa card at least once in their life.
Business model highlights:
Highlights Key financial figures:
Biggest competition:
2) Costco $COST (+2.78%)
Anyone familiar with my previous posts will know that I am 100% convinced by Costco. Costco is a retailer from the USA, but it sets itself apart from traditional retailers with its "retail as a service" business model. In order to shop in one of Costco's numerous department stores, you first have to take out an annual subscription.
Highlights of the business model:
Highlights Key financial figures:
Largest competitor:
3) Microsoft $MSFT (+0.27%)
Similar to Visa, Microsoft probably needs no further introduction to know what an excellent company we are dealing with here. Microsoft earns its money with software subscriptions, cloud services (Azure) and gaming (Xbox), among other things. Everyone is probably familiar with the Windows operating system and the Office 365 productivity suite.
Highlights of the business model:
Highlights Key financial figures:
Largest competitors:
4) Chipotle $CMG (+0.98%)
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast food chain that specializes in the preparation of Mexican dishes. A special focus is placed on comparatively healthy and fresh ingredients.
Business model highlights:
Highlights Key financial figures:
Largest competitor:
5.) Philip Morris International $PM (+2.36%)
Philip Morris International is one of the largest tobacco companies in the world and is the spin-off of the ex-USA business of $MO. In recent years there has been a clear focus on new less harmful products such as IQOS.
Business model highlights:
Highlights Key financial figures:
Lowlights Key financial figures:
Largest competitors:
SUMMARY
At the time of entry into the portfolio, the portfolio consisted of approximately 40% information technology (Visa, Microsoft), 40% consumer staples (Costco, Chipotle) and 20% non-cyclical consumer staples (Philip Morris). All 5 stocks are formally US companies, with Philip Morris currently generating 100% of its sales outside the US. Microsoft and Visa also generate large parts of their sales internationally. However, it is also clear that with 5 stocks, we cannot expect an overly broad diversification.
Which 5 stocks would be your stocks for life and why? Feel free to write your own post with reasons under the hashtag #5stocks4life. To spice things up a bit, I would like to nominate the true ETF pope @Simpson and the dividend king @GoDividend to present your 5 Stocks 4 Life with reasons.
Stay tuned,
Your Michael Scott
