See my investment portfolio growth and how my assets did in the month of December 2016. With my first full month behind me with my index fund investing, I’ve already seen some promising gains. I understanding full well that these investments are long term. I won’t fret if they take a tumble, but it’s nice to see a gain when you first get started. For a description of my assets, see a detailed explanation of My Portfolio.
Overall
| Asset | December 2016 | January 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| TFSA Index Funds | $12,097 | $12,823.47 |
| RRSP Mutual Fund | $1,688 | $1,741.85 |
| High Interest TFSA | $6,619.79 | $7,122.38 |
| Chequing account | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Home Equity | $25,229.74 | $25,567.01 |
| Car | $9,110 | $9,353 |
| Pension | $44,153 | $44,153 |
| Total | $100,800.53 | $102,760.71 |
TFSA Index Funds
December 2016 was good to my 3 stock index funds, while my Canadian bond index saw a drop. I bought $499.99 worth of funds spread out over 3 of the funds to get as close to my 23%/23%/23%/31% target portfolio as I could (TD EasyWeb mutual funds require a minimum buy of $100, which means I can’t hit my target exactly). Since my Bond Index fund did the worst this month, I ended up buying more of it compared to the others. The dividend payouts were the true stars, gaining $135, which I always reinvest. My monthly rate of return for December 2016 was 1.87% [(January 2017 value – Amount bought)/December 2016 value].
| Asset | Dec '16 value | Amount bought | Dividend paid | Jan '17 value | Dec '16 return* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD Canadian Index Fund | $2,855.49 | $0 | $65.18 | $2,942.29 | $86.80 |
| TD U.S. Index Fund | $2,782.44 | $103.43 | $52.33 | $2,945.72 | $59.85 |
| TD International Index Fund | $2,734.87 | $135.86 | $12.13 | $2,964.66 | $93.93 |
| TD Canadian Bond Index Fund | $3,724.58 | $260.70 | $5.38 | $3,970.80 | -$14.48 |
| Total | $12,097.38 | $499.99 | $135.02 | $12,823.47 | $226.10 |
*Return calculated by subtracting the previous month value and amount bought from the current month value.
RRSP Mutual Fund
Due to repaying my Home Buyers Plan, and focusing on growing my TFSA over my RRSP, I’ve continued to leave my RRSP in my actively managed TD Comfort Balanced Portfolio. My goal for the next few months is to determine a new strategy for this investment. In December, this fund performed slightly behind my index fund portfolio, with a monthly return of 1.71%
| Asset | Dec '16 value | Amount bought | Dividend paid | Jan '17 value | Dec '16 return* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD Comfort Balanced Portfolio | $1,688 | $25 | $16.82 | $1,741.85 | $28.85 |
*Return calculated by subtracting the previous month value and amount bought from the current month value.
High Interest TFSA
I continue to add money to my High Interest account as my a vehicle for my short term savings. The monthly return is pretty pitiful, as expected.
| Asset | Dec '16 value | Amount added | Interest received | Jan '17 value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD High Interest Savings Account* | $6,619.79 | $500 | $2.59 | $7,122.38 |
* 0.45% interest rate
Chequing account
The savings I keep in my chequing account stays steady at $2,000, which waives my $3.95 monthly account fee. See why I decide to invest $2,000 to waive this fee.
Home Value
Equity in my home continues to rise a little bit every month. The estimated equity value below makes a few assumptions:
- The value of my property has remained the same (unlikely)
- Does not include fees and costs associated with selling
| Condo value | Initial mortgage | Dec '16 mortgage left | Jan '17 mortgage left | Jan '17 equity | Dec '16 equity increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $183,000 | $175,015 | $157,770.26 | $157,432.99 | $25,567.01 | $337.27 |
Car value
My car value seemed to rise based on average selling prices based on Canadian Black Book‘s value estimate. I don’t see my car as an investment, but since it has value as an asset, I include it.
Pension
Pension updates are only sent to me once a year, so the value looks the same (even though it’s not). Both me and my employer continue to add monthly to this pension program.