Greedy When Fearful

Halloween is my favorite Holiday of the year. The fall air, colors, and bike rides through golden leaf sidewalks. The 31 days of watching and playing The Great Pumpkin, Garfield’s Halloween Special, Ghostbusters, Young Frankenstein, Castlevania, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, and Splatterhouse. Festivals, Halloween themed amusement parks (Frightmares at Lagoon!), buying and making costumes, etc. In the Singleton family, it’s easily the busiest month of the year as the list of fun is endless.  This year, we added a new activity to our Halloween tradition:

Buying Dead People.

Yes, we are literally buying dead people in the Singleton household for each family member every October starting …now! Roths for the adults and ESAs for the children. By doing so, our investment will double every seven years. How is this possible?

Witchcraft? Selling our soul to the Devil? Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria? No.

Graveyards. That’s right, Graveyards. You can invest in Graveyards! I had no idea. Credit for this wonderful idea goes to the most conservative and analysis driven investor I follow, James Early. He recommended it in the Motley Fool Income Investor in December 2011. I missed his first recommendation, but then I heard him recommend it again this year on Motley Fool’s daily radio Podcast, Market Foolery.

He keeps talking about this incredible idea because it pays a massive yield of almost 10%. That means the investment will double every 7 years (Rule of 72s. Take 72 and divide it by the yield. Thanks Dad!). My children will see their annual Halloween investment almost be an eight bagger by the time they reach college, through dividends alone! The power of Dividend Reinvestment (DRIP) compounding.

By owning over 300 cemeteries in 25 states, more than 90 funeral homes, with more than a total of 400 locations, StoneMor Partners (STON) has a Warren Buffett style, body-filled moat through massive land ownership (enough space for at least 260 years of bodies) and guaranteed repeat customer business. Low tech and simple. Just try to disrupt this business Amazon! 100% of people die and if StoneMor doesn’t get their money through a burial plot, tombstone, or coffin, it will on cremation. StoneMor is an MLP, which means StoneMor does not incur income taxes, and pays the vast majority of earnings to their partners (you buy a share, you become a partner) which is why their dividend is so high. Very similar to REITs which I also love. Now, because of this, special rules may apply (depending on the amount invested) when it comes to holding MLPs in an IRA or ESA. So talk to your accountant to find the latest on the rules.  Or, just buy and DRIP these shares in your regular non-tax deferred account.

Happy Halloween!

Monty