Personal Investment Notes

Here is a list of dividend ETFs and mutual funds in alphabetical order, according to their stock symbol.

Dividend ETFs and Funds

DVY – Dow Jones Selected Dividend Index. The investment seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Dow Jones Select Dividend index. The fund uses a representative sampling strategy to try to track the index. The index is comprised of one hundred of the highest dividend-yielding securities (excluding REITs) in the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market index, a broad-based index representative of the total market for U.S. equity securities. 0.40% expense ratio.

PEY – High Yield Dividend Achievers. The investment seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fees and expenses) of an equity index called the Dividend Achievers(TM) 50 index (the “Index” or the “Underlying Index”). 0.60% expense ratio.

PFM – Dividend Achievers. The investment seeks results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fund’s fees and expenses) of an equity index called the Broad Dividend Achievers(TM) index. The fund normally invests at least 80% of total assets in common stocks of companies that have raised their annual regular cash dividend payments for at least each of the last 10 consecutive fiscal years. 0.60% expense ratio.

PHJ – High Growth Rate Dividend Achievers. The investment seeks results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fees and expenses) of an equity index called the High Growth Rate Dividend Achievers index. 0.60% expense ratio.

SDY – S&P Dividend. The investment seeks to replicate, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats index. 0.35% expense ratio.

VYM – Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund (ETF). The fund tracks the performance of the FTSE/ High Dividend Yield index. 0.25% expense ratio.

A smattering of fixed income index funds.

Fixed Income Index Funds

AGG – Aggregate Bond Fund (ETF). Emulates the total United States investment-grade bond market as defined by the Lehman Brothers U.S. Aggregate index. 0.20% expense ratio.

BND – Vanguard Total Bond Market (ETF). Emulates Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index. 0.10% expense ratio.

CSJ – ETF. Emulates Lehman Brothers 1-3 Year U.S. Credit index. 0.20% expense ratio.

IEF – iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund (ETF). Tracks intermediate-term sector of the U.S. Treasury market. The Index measures the performance of public obligations of the U.S. Treasury that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to 7 years and less than 10 years. 0.15% expense ratio.

LQD – ETF. Tracks U.S. investment-grade corporate bond market as defined by the iBoxx $ Liquid Investment-Grade index. 0.15% expense ratio.

TIP – iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund. Tracks inflation-protected sector of the United States Treasury market as defined by the Lehman Brothers U.S. TIPS index. 0.20% expense ratio.

Gold Stocks

ABX – Barrick Gold Corp.
AEM – Agnico-Eagle Mines, Ltd.
AUY – Yamana Gold
GG – Goldcorp, Inc.
GFI – Gold Fields, Ltd.
JAG – Jaguar Mining
NEM – Newmont Mining Corp.
AU – AngloGold Ashanti, Ltd.

Gold Index Funds

GLD – Gold Trust (ETF). Tracks the price of gold bullion. 0.40% expense ratio

GDX – Gold Miners (ETF). 0.55% expense ratio

IAU – Comex Gold Trust (ETF). The Fund seeks to correspond generally to the day-to-day movement of the price of gold bullion. The objective of the Trust is for the value to reflect at any given time the price of gold owned by the Trust at that time less the expenses and liabilities of the Trust. 0.40% expense ratio.

Here is a list of nuclear power index funds:

Nuclear Power Index Funds

• NLR – Nuclear Fund (ETF). Emulates the DAXglobal Nuclear Energy Index. 0.65% expense ratio.
• NUCL – S&P Global Nuclear Index Fund (ETF). Emulates the S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index. 0.48% expense ratio.
• PKN – WNA Nuclear Energy Index (ETF). Emulates the WNA Nuclear Energy Index. 0.75% expense ratio.

External Resources

Website for WNA nuclear energy index. Explains the rational behind the index, its components, and other nuclear power related information.

A list of REIT index funds and ETFs

REIT Index Funds

VNQ – (ETF) Vanguard REIT Index. Emulates Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) US REIT Index. 0.12% expense ratio.
RWR – (ETF) Emulates Dow Jones Wilshire REIT index. 0.25% expense ratio.
IYR – (ETF) Emulates Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate index. 0.48% expense ratio.
ICF – (ETF) Emulates Cohen & Steers Realty Majors index. 0.35% expense ratio.

A list of oil and gas stocks and index funds.

Oil and Gas Index Funds

DIG – ETF that emulates Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas index. 0.95% expense ratio.

UGA – U.S. Gasoline Fund (ETF). The investment objective of the Fund is to have the changes in percentage terms of the net asset value that reflect the changes in percentage terms of the price of gasoline. 0.60% expense ratio.

NAV vs. Actual Price

The NAV is the *estimated* value of all the assets the ETF holds. NAV is priced throughout the trading day.
The actual price of the ETF is what it sells for on the stock market. The difference between NAV and actual price can vary (premium or discount). The ETFs are *supposed* to have minimal variance between NAV and actual price (unlike closed-end mutual funds).

Big discounts can occur if there is a lack of liquidity of the underlying securities.