Trump Trade War, 5 Years of MRTWAF Financial Update

The Trump Trade War dominated the markets this week so welcome to my Weekly Recap for May 12. Some exciting things have been happening so I thought I’d shoot out a post.

This post contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, this blog may receive a small commission for sign ups to Tangerine, EQ Bank and Questrade.

Markets Sink as Trade War Heats Up

This was a bad week for stocks as Trump ratcheted up the pressure on the Chinese to get a new trade deal. I’m surprised that the market didn’t close deep in the red on Friday after Trump raised tariffs on 200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25%.

The week before this mess broke out analysts on Bloomberg were saying that the stock market could face a “melt up” once all the investors on the sidelines jumped back in. I’m guessing all the trade drama will have them think twice about that now.

My prediction is that the Chinese are thinking for the long term and won’t bow to Trump’s off the cuff threats. This means more pain for investors.

So the stock market will sink further – maybe a lot further – before things get better. And that means buying opportunities ahead.

When panic grips the market stocks fall fast and hard – like what we saw in December. We’ve had a nice rebound since the December lows so I’ve been waiting for another opportunity to buy stocks on sale.

The only thing I’m worried about is another debt crisis. I’m eyeing the US government debt ceiling which is sure to be another circus this summer. Also, there is a report that US home sales are falling. Of course the backdrop to all of this is a late stage bull market. I think it’s increasingly likely that a recession is just around the corner.

So I think we could see some pretty nasty markets over the summer and into the Fall depending on how things go. A little cash on the sidelines is probably a smart idea to take advantage of any market correction.

April Dividend Income the Best Ever

Cheap stocks are a good thing because it means higher yields. And higher yields mean more dividend income.

Speaking of dividends, April was the best month for dividends ever, coming in at over $2,400! I’m looking to get the other months well above the $1k mark so cheaper stocks should help with this.

Where’s My Money Going

I haven’t been investing as much as I usually do. I’ve been making extra payments to lower my mortgage balance to the tune of about $10k so far this year.

With no mortgage, the sky’s the limit with what we can do with our money. We’re a long way off from having it paid off though, but every bit counts.

5 Year Blog Anniversary!

Wow it’s hard to believe that I’ve had this website for 5 years! It’s always fun to look back and see the progress that I’ve made.

Net Worth Growth

5 years went by so fast and during that time the net worth has grown by about $115,000 per year! In May of 2014 I was at $611,985 and my latest net worth report was $1,187,390! So it’s doubled over the past 5 years in spite of all of the extra expenses I had with our new home and kids etc.

I’m hoping to grow it at a much faster clip going forward now that a lot of our home renovations are done.

If you don’t already do it, I highly recommend tracking your finances to get an idea of where you’re at and what you need to do to reach your goals.

What I Use to Grow My Money

I use 2 high interest savings accounts: Tangerine and EQ Bank. I move money between the two depending on which one offers the better rate. Right now Tangerine is offering 2.75%* for the first 6 months and if you use my Orange Key (47407749S1) we’ll each get $50 when you sign up and deposit $100. After 6 months the interest rate will be 1.20%* – subject to change.