This week, I got a helpful reminder from Carter the investing Cat on Blossom:

To quote the wise investing feline: "Take a look at an aggressive growth or momentum fund. Find their holdings and start doing your research on those companies. The funds’ managers and analysts have already done most of the work for you. Just cherry pick their selections."

Immediately, I thought of an ETF on my watchlist that I love the idea behind, but probably would never buy: the VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (VFLO).

VFLO is an ETF that buys shares in solid companies that are selling for cheap prices and are expected to make a lot of cash and grow in the future.

Like I said, it's a great concept, but I'm not sure I'd ever invest in this directly. However, using Carter's suggestion, we can peek at the top ten holdings:

This doesn't make any of these automatic investments, but it gives us insight into some positions that likely have strong cash flow, are selling for less than they're worth, and have good chances to grow in the future.

Merck (MRK) is a name that jumps out, but their blockbuster drug Keytruda's patent is set to expire in 2028, potentially opening the door for generic or biosimilar versions.

With pharma companies like Merck, you'd want to dig into their drug pipeline to see what's coming next after their big money-makers lose patent protection.

To check out the full VFLO product page, click HERE.

Another great-performing ETF is the Capital Group Dividend Value ETF (CGDV), which we mentioned in the last newsletter.

CGDV seeks to produce consistent income that exceeds the average yield of the S&P 500 by focusing on companies that pay dividends or have the potential to pay dividends.

CGDV has even outperformed the beloved SCHD over the last 3 years by a whopping 62% on a total return basis!

Keep in mind that with any ETF we should know it's expense ratio as well. SCHD is currently 0.06% vs CGDV at 0.33%.

It looks like a fantastic ETF on its own, but check out the top ten stocks driving its performance:

Not a lot of surprises here and most look "expensive", so I went to the funds holdings page and went to the end for an idea and found one:

Mondelez International (MDLZ), which is a global snack food giant and owns many well-known names like Oreo cookies, Cadbury chocolates, CLIF bars, and Sour Patch Kids.

The last example we'll look at is one that our friend ChatGPT came up with when I asked it this: "I'm an investor with many years ahead and am looking for an ETF that has big growth potential. Can you give me one?"

It recommended Cathie Wood's ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) because it invests in innovative, high-growth companies with the potential for big long-term returns if you're willing to handle short-term ups and downs.

I wouldn't rush to buy any of these after they've all had massive run-ups. Remember, if everyone's already piling into these holdings, you might be buying at the peak with the crowd.

But with 41 holdings, some at the bottom may be worth adding to a watchlist, especially if the market tanks. Check out the complete ARK ETF holdings HERE.

Again, this doesn't make any of these stocks automatic, slam-dunk investments, but it can give us leads on stocks that are flying under the radar and fit a specific criteria we're looking for.

Hit reply and let me know which of these, if any, you're invested in. I'll respond to every reply!

Disclaimer: This is not investment advice, just one person's opinion that may be incorrect. Do your own research before making any investment decisions.

😁THANK YOU to all who responded to the last newsletter!!

Check out the portfolio on Blossom, the podcast, or see what’s cooking on YouTube.

And now, here is this week's portfolio activity...

Dividends Received This Week ~$452.64

Ares Capital (ARCC) | $199.20
Direxion Semi 3X Bull ETF (SOXL) | $0.68
Nike (NKE) | $42.00
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) | $43.83
Schwab Intl. Dividend ETF (SCHY) | $10.81
Schwab U.S. Dividend ETF (SCHD) | $156.12

Dividends Received Year to Date (Schwab Only)~

$3,144.79

Stocks Sold (AVERAGE)

25 Nexstar Media (NXST) | $181.00

Stocks Bought (AVERAGE)

6 Schwab International Dividend ETF (SCHY) | $27.35
1 Zoetis (ZTS) | $159.00

Notable Ex-Dividends This Week + SSD Score

7/7 McCormick & Company (MKC), 2.40% | 80S
7/8 Main Street Capital (MAIN), 5.01% | 62S
7/9 Mastercard (MA), 0.53% | 99VS
7/10 General Mills (GIS), 4.59% | 90VS
7/10 Verizon (VZ), 6.22% | 70S

🎙️Podcast of the week🎙️

Zeke Ashton on Buffett, the...

Jul 3 · The Acquirers Podcast

63:09

Enjoyed the Acquirers Podcast Buffett talk and their guest, Zeke Ashton, makes an interesting point about why he's buying United Health (UNH).

🎦If you missed it, check out 🤯DIVIDEND RECORD! $879 + Big Portfolio Changes!

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