stilllifephotographer/DigitalVision via Getty Images My Investing Philosophy I look for companies that have a long history of raising their respective dividends consistently, year after year, at a rate that is faster than my expected long-term rate of inflation (2.5%). I also like a yield that is at least double the yield of the S&P 500 ( SPY ) Index (about 1.2% currently). I search for companies ...
stilllifephotographer/DigitalVision via Getty Images My Investing Philosophy I look for companies that have a long history of raising their respective dividends consistently, year after year, at a rate that is faster than my expected long-term rate of inflation (2.5%). I also like a yield that is at least double the yield of the S&P 500 ( SPY ) Index (about 1.2% currently). I search for companies that are out of favor, trading at a discount to what I believe to be the fair market value based upon historical average valuation multiples. Finally, I look for companies that have weathered multiple recessions and have developed competitive advantages. Utilities tend to operate as monopolies, so the competitive advantage is built in for H2O America ( HTO ). This company meets my other requirements, so let’s dive in. Company Background I wrote about HTO when it was still called SJW Group , only a few weeks before the name change. I decided to write an update because the stock dropped recently after its Q1 earnings report, which I will address a little later. I wanted to assure investors who may have bought the stock after my first article that the company is still on track to provide average annual double-digit returns over the next five years. H2O America operations include the purchase, storage, purification, distribution, and retail sale of water to a total of about 390 connections in California, Connecticut, Maine, and Texas. The company prides itself on maintaining affordable rates for its customers, keeping rates below 1% of the MHI (median household income) for each area it serves, which I believe is noteworthy. HTO Customer Affordability (HTO Q1 Presentation) One thing that the Quadvest acquisition will do is help HTO diversify its portfolio of water assets as measured by connections. HTO Diversifying Connections (HTO Q1 Presentation) Reducing its reliance on one state (California, in this case) will create a better balance of operations while committing more capit...
This isn't your parents' Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) anymore. On Dec. 31, longtime billionaire boss Warren Buffett officially retired as CEO and passed the baton to Greg Abel, who's been with Berkshire for more than a quarter century. Under the Oracle of Omaha's watch, Berkshire Hathaway transformed into a trillion-dollar business, with the company's Class A shares (BRKA) rallying...
This isn't your parents' Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) anymore. On Dec. 31, longtime billionaire boss Warren Buffett officially retired as CEO and passed the baton to Greg Abel, who's been with Berkshire for more than a quarter century. Under the Oracle of Omaha's watch, Berkshire Hathaway transformed into a trillion-dollar business, with the company's Class A shares (BRKA) rallying almost 6,100,000%! Buffett spearheaded the acquisition of roughly five dozen companies and oversaw a greater-than $300 billion investment portfolio. Warren Buffett retired as Berkshire's CEO on Dec. 31, 2025. Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
(Nyege Nyege Tapes) Reinvigorating the South African mapanta subgenre, producer Serokolo 7 blends folk vocal melodies with seething 180bpm rhythms, creating a barrage of sound South Africa pulses with electronic music. From the slow-bubbling feel of amapiano to the frenetic pace of Durban’s gqom, Soweto’s marimba-heavy shangaan electro and the sample-heavy 90s house of kwaito, each region seemingl...
(Nyege Nyege Tapes) Reinvigorating the South African mapanta subgenre, producer Serokolo 7 blends folk vocal melodies with seething 180bpm rhythms, creating a barrage of sound South Africa pulses with electronic music. From the slow-bubbling feel of amapiano to the frenetic pace of Durban’s gqom, Soweto’s marimba-heavy shangaan electro and the sample-heavy 90s house of kwaito, each region seemingly lays claim to its own sound. The latest subgenre to reach international ears is mapanta. Originating in villages of the Marota people in Limpopo, this intensely fast and highly compressed music was originally an adrenaline shot for the early hours of 1980s wedding parties. It faded at the turn of the century, but mapanta has recently been updated by 27-year-old self-taught producer and sound system operator Serokolo 7. On his debut album, Serokolo presents a masterclass in mapanta’s rural celebratory sound. Splicing together samples of animal howls with hammering marimba rhythm, scatter-gun electronic percussion and snatches of vocals, the initial impression is of relentless cacophony. Opener Naba Ba Papedi sets the tone, its folk vocal melodies blended with a cranked-up drum’n’bass beat that fizzes without reaching a cathartic crescendo or drop. That sense of seething tension continues on the breakbeat cymbal splashes and chopped vocals of Zoro and the glittering video-game melodics of Dinaka. Continue reading...
Drivers seem undeterred by high fuel prices and gloomy weather forecasts, while engineering works spell delays for railway passengers Drivers have been told to expect the UK’s busiest May bank holiday traffic in years, despite high fuel prices and the looming end of the sunny spell threatening to dampen the long weekend. More than 19m leisure trips by car were expected over the long weekend from F...
Drivers seem undeterred by high fuel prices and gloomy weather forecasts, while engineering works spell delays for railway passengers Drivers have been told to expect the UK’s busiest May bank holiday traffic in years, despite high fuel prices and the looming end of the sunny spell threatening to dampen the long weekend. More than 19m leisure trips by car were expected over the long weekend from Friday to Monday, according to research by the RAC motoring organisation – the most since 2016. Engineering works are also likely to disrupt rail journeys this weekend. Continue reading...
The King charmed Americans – including the president – while artfully asserting his views on climate and executive power In the end, it was a royal triumph, as King Charles and Queen Camilla managed to avoid all the mines in their path (the strait of Hormuz is not the only place where they exist), and deftly repair the “special relationship”. For another few weeks, anyway. There were plenty of rea...
The King charmed Americans – including the president – while artfully asserting his views on climate and executive power In the end, it was a royal triumph, as King Charles and Queen Camilla managed to avoid all the mines in their path (the strait of Hormuz is not the only place where they exist), and deftly repair the “special relationship”. For another few weeks, anyway. There were plenty of reasons to be anxious, on both sides of the Atlantic, before the king’s visit to Washington and New York. It is no secret that Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran has alienated Great Britain, and all of the Nato allies, who were not consulted in advance of the decision and have since been browbeaten for what Trump perceives as insufficient fealty . Ted Widmer is a former presidential speechwriter, and the author of a forthcoming book in June, The Living Declaration: A Biography of America’s Founding Text (Library of America) Continue reading...