Newsflash: Sharebuilder Acquired by ING Direct

I just received a notification email that my online brokerage Sharebuilder.com has been acquired by ING Direct as of November 15. It will be interesting to see what emerges as Sharebuilder and ING Direct merge systems. My hope of hopes is that Sharebuilder will either retain its already low trading fees or reduce them further. I'm sure one can also expect a slew of new and innovative products and services as a result of this merger. That being said, however, it is important to remember the basics of regular saving and investing as a foundation for sound personal finance. Developing these habits in general is far more important than the particular broker one uses for his/her Roth IRA or 401(k).

Dividend Update for Week of 11/19/07

Here is an account of my cumulative dividend payments to date. Nice and healthy increases this time around!


Roth IRA Dividends:

iShares Russell 2000 Index ETF (IWM):

03/29/07: ($0.64)
07/05/07: ($0.86)
10/01/07: ($1.58)

S&P 500 Index "Spiders" ETF (SPY):

04/30/07: ($1.27)
07/31/07: ($1.62)
10/31/07: ($3.22)

PowerShares High Yield Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY):

04/30/07: ($1.11)
05/31/07: ($1.38)
06/29/07: ($1.39)
07/31/07: ($1.82)
08/31/07: ($1.82)
09/31/07: ($2.29)
10/31/07: ($2.25)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.47)
03/21/07: ($0.53)
04/23/07: ($0.64)
05/21/07: ($0.26)
07/23/07: ($0.36)
08/21/07: ($0.37)
09/21/07: ($0.26)
10/22/07: ($0.12)


Taxable Account Dividends:

Advantage Energy Income Fund (AAV):

03/19/07: ($0.87)
04/18/07: ($0.91)
05/17/07: ($0.94)
06/19/07: ($0.99)
07/19/07: ($1.01)
08/17/07: ($0.99)
09/19/07: ($1.05)
11/19/07: ($1.12)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.35)
03/21/07: ($1.55)
04/23/07: ($3.25)
05/21/07: ($4.62)
06/21/07: ($2.68)

Retirement Account Progress

It's been a while since I posted my retirement account progress, so here's a quick status update on the balances of my various investment accounts:

• University DCP: $1078.34
• University 403(b): $882.35
• Roth IRA: $2792.62
• Taxable Account: $107.43
  

• Grand Total: $4860.74

Not too shabby, I'd say, for just having become an investor in January of 2007. Looking at this total, it is easy to see the power of regular saving and investing. At the beginning of this calendar year I had nothing to my name except my meager checking account balance, and now I am well on my way of reaching my investment goal of $1.3 Million by the time I hit retirement. Keep in mind that the above total only includes my own personal retirement savings and does not take into account my wife's 401(k) balances. The real total is quite a bit higher, but I like to keep my estimates modest; that way I will be pleasantly surprised, when retirement rolls around, exactly how well off we will be.