Best of All Possible Worlds?

I was driving home late this afternoon from a business trip to Pennsylvania. I was crossing the Hudson River going east on I-84 and traffic was at a virtual standstill.  Great way to start the weekend right?  I knew it wasn't going to get better, I have been through Danbury and Waterbury at rush hour and it is never a speed limit ride.

So I decided to go home a different way. And as Robert Frost said, "It made all the difference".  I took the Teutonic Parkway and then cut east on US Highway 44.  The normal way in now traffic would have been 2 hours, my way took 2 hours and 45 minutes; but it was a sweet 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I cranked up the stereo, rolled the windows all the way down and just enjoyed a perfect early fall evening in New England.  It was a warm 81 when I left PA, but a very nice 64 degrees when I got home.  When speeding on Interstates, you sometimes forget the beauty of a country highway. Quiet towns, farm stands, Mums and Pumpkins, rolling hills... just the Best of All Possible Worlds. To punctuate that, I have embedded a you tube video by the Little Willies (a quirky group) with the song.

Regarding my portfolios, I was exactly average today.  The MFI component was the best for me and is getting so far ahead of the indices I almost have to pinch myself.

11/15/12 Stocks	Start	Current	Dividend	Pct Gain	R3K Gain
AAPL	$537.62	$467.41	$8.75	-11.4%	30.1%
ABC	$40.21	$61.65	$0.63	54.9%	30.1%
LPS	$23.89	$32.89	$0.40	39.3%	30.1%
VIAB	$49.12	$83.14	$1.15	71.6%	30.1%
WU	$12.77	$18.64	$0.50	49.9%	30.1%
Totals				40.9%	30.1%
2/1/13 Stocks	Start	Current	Dividend	Pct Gain	R3K Gain
AAPL	$450.60	$467.41	$8.75	5.7%	15.2%
GA	$6.10	$9.21	$0.42	57.9%	15.2%
STRZA	$16.06	$26.95	$0.00	67.8%	15.2%
CA	$25.07	$30.72	$0.75	25.5%	15.2%
NUS	$41.94	$92.79	$0.90	123.4%	15.2%
Totals				56.1%	15.2%
5/6/2013	Start	Current	Dividend	Pct Gain	R3K Gain
KLIC	$11.40	$11.52	$0.00	1.1%	7.5%
CYOU	$29.24	$32.96	$0.00	12.7%	7.5%
RDA	$9.74	$13.96	$0.10	44.4%	7.5%
NVDA	$13.85	$15.80	$0.15	15.1%	7.5%
CF	$183.97	$208.17	$0.80	13.6%	7.5%
Totals				17.4%	7.5%
8/15/2013	Start	Current	Dividend	Pct Gain	R3K Gain
CF	$187.26	$208.17	$0.00	11.2%	3.5%
FLR	$66.06	$72.01	$0.16	9.2%	3.5%
AGX	$15.60	$21.70	$0.00	39.1%	3.5%
KLIC	$11.29	$11.52	$0.00	2.0%	3.5%
RPXC	$15.92	$17.69	$0.00	11.1%	3.5%
Totals				14.5%	3.5%
Category/Tranche	August	November	February	May	Total
Initial Investment	25,000	25,000	25,000	25,000	100,000
Current Tranche	14.5%	40.9%	56.1%	17.4%	31.6%
Previous Tranche	14.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.5%
MFI Overall Gain	30.6%	40.9%	56.1%	17.4%	36.2%
Current Balance	32,659	35,218	39,015	29,346	136,238
R3K Current Tranche	3.5%	30.1%	15.2%	7.5%	14.1%
R3K Overall Gain	26.4%	30.1%	15.2%	7.5%	19.8%
R3K Balance	31,599	32,525	28,801	26,876	119,801
Annualized IRR					61.7%

Date	Differential
12/1/2012	-2.20%
1/1/2013	-1.78%
2/1/2013	-2.26%
3/1/2013	-2.23%
4/1/2013	-0.43%
5/1/2013	2.00%
6/1/2013	4.75%
7/1/2013	4.29%
8/1/2013	6.91%
9/1/2013	10.46%
Current	16.44%