Notes From All Over -- Part 6, July 11, 2019

Disclaimer: This is not an investment site. It's a MESS.

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There Is A God

All my investing life I avoided OXY like the plague. Then, one day, don't ask, I put a huge amount of money into OXY. For the dividend.

"Huge amount of money" -- Congressional finance statements: "more than $50; less than $5 million."

One day later OXY announces it's in a bidding war with CVX for Anadarko.

OXY drops $10 on a $60-stock. Wow. In the vernacular: OXY tanked.

The really, really bad news? One of my siblings listened to my investing advice. Apparently she did not get the memo.

I am still thrilled with my decision to buy OXY -- although I wish I had waited two days -- but I've been dreading any further news. I assumed OXY might have to cut their dividend.

This is where the Warren Buffett connection comes in handy. Wow. There is a god: Warren Buffett.

Warren likes dividends, as long as he's not paying them.

If OXY were to cut their dividend, the price would fall further.

Today:

OXY declared an increase of the company’s regular quarterly dividend to $0.79 per share. On an annual basis, the dividend is $3.16 per share at the new rate, compared to the previous annual rate of $3.12 per share. 

The $0.79 per share quarterly dividend will be payable on October 15, 2019, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 10, 2019.

Based on all I have read about Vicki Hollub I had confidence she would look out for me (and all mom-and-pop retail investors) although I was still worried about the board. And what do you know?

I am 1,000% convinced that Ms Vicki and Mr Warren discussed this before making the decision. 

Tiptoeing through the tulips with Ms Vicki. What a great country.

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Widespread Drought

At least that was the threat with global warming: Earth would be another Venus.

Last night with one of the heaviest rainfalls in recent memory (like about two months) here in north Texas, I asked my wife if the US had broken any rainfall records this year; of course she did not know; it was rhetorical and a way to remind myself to take a look.

A reader must have read my mind: according to ABC, the same network that predicted that Hillary would defeat Trump, the United States broke a 125-year rainfall record overnight.

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 Trivialities Of Modern Life ...
... and why I love Texas

I've been dreading renewing my driver's license.

I received a reminder via snail mail from Texas.gov about a month ago that I needed to renew my license (of which I was already painfully aware). I did not open the envelope; I just dreaded the reminder that I would have to drive clear across town, stand in line to sign in, then wait for several hours only to be told I was missing some piece of paper and would have to come back some other day.

Wow, what a surprise: the letter/reminder said I could renew:

• online
• by phone
• by mail

Are you kidding? A phone call? My wife suggested just doing it online.

Less than three minutes later I have my temporary renewal and (no doubt) that I will get the permanent license in about five days.

I assume it's this easy in every one of the 57 US states, but wow, I was blown away by how easy it was to renew.

$32 to renew.

Because I also have "motorcycle" printed on the license, it cost $33.

I was so blown away, I donated to three state-sponsored funds:

• organ donation (as well as agreeing to be an organ grinder donor)
• veterans' assistance
• sexual assault collection kits ("rape kits")

Wow, I'm still blown away.

I'm retired with nothing to do. I don't have time to drive across town, stand in line ...

By the way, is it just me or does it seem somewhat pathetic that the state needs the equivalence of a "bake sale" to pay for "rape kits"?

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Citizenship vs Residency

For the record.

Don't take this out of context. There have to be some "restrictions" and / or caveats.

Occasional-Cortex and/or her ilk have changed the conversation. President Obama removed the "citizenship" question on the census form (even though Texas asks that question when I renewed my driver's license after having such a state driver's license for 50 years with no moving violations - knock on wood).

But I digress.

Occasional-Cortex and/or her ilk have changed the conversation. President Obama removed the "citizenship" question and now the courts won't allow President Trump to put the question back on the form.

Again, don't take this out of context, and with some caveats/restrictions, I fully support automatic citizenship for anyone who has resided in the United States for five years.