About
Poetic Portoflios
In poetry, each word must be chosen carefully. The rhythm of the word is important; its meaning is important; its connotation is important. To build an entire poem, however, the words must work well together. Artists often say that in art, there are no accidents.
Constructing a portfolio is similar to writing a poem. Each company is as important as the word. It must have the right characteristics, the right financials, the right value. Then it must be considered as part of a portfolio. They all must work together.
Poetic Portfolios approaches investing as a business enterprise, as suggested by Ben Graham. This website will follow holdings and watch list stocks, providing analysis and spotting opportunities. Each portfolio has a defined purpose that can serve as a case study for investors in certain circumstances. Each stock within a portfolio also serves a purpose, often beyond that of just total returns. Reviews of these portfolios will look at the portfolio as a whole and how individual investments work within them.
Currently, Poetic Portfolios has one active portfolio. The Against the Sky Portfolio is a more conservatively constructed portfolio of one nearing retirement. Assume there are mutual fund investments and pension income to supplement this portfolio. With that in mind, the portfolio aims to produce income and growth in the near term, converting to primarily an income portfolio over the course of 10 years. The title of the portfolio comes from the T. S. Eliot poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Since inception, the portfolio is beating the market as you can see on the performance page.
About the Author
I have worked in the field of commercial real estate finance for thirteen years. I have worked for an asset management company, insurance companies, and banking institutions. I view this as my circle of competence, resulting in investments in REITs, insurance companies, as well as finance and banking institutions.
I have been investing in stocks and mutual funds for fifteen years. Writing about investments requires additional investing discipline that has led to greater returns. I have written as a member of the Motley Fool Community Analyst Team and published over 40 articles at Seeking Alpha.
My Motley Fool CAPS porfolio can be found here.
