Summary: - Bank Of America reported strong Q4 2018 results that beat top- and bottom-line estimates. Additionally, the bank's results for full-year 2018 were significantly better than for the prior fiscal year. - I believe that the investment thesis for Bank Of America is not only still intact, but that it has actually gotten stronger over the last four quarters. - Bank Of America is my largest holding and I plan to stay long the stock. Bank of America ($BAC) reported Q4 2018 results that were well-received by the market, as shown by the fact that the stock finished the trading day ~7% higher. BAC shares are now higher by approximately 20% so far in 2019, but the stock is still underperformi

Summary: - General Electric and Wabtec modified their asset merger agreement. - I believe that both companies should be viewed a winners under the new agreement, but it is a different story for GE shareholders. - I plan to stay long both General Electric and Wabtec, and I look forward to reading your thoughts about the new deal. On January 25, 2019, General Electric ($GE) disclosed that it modified the terms of the asset merger agreement with Westinghouse Air Brake Tech. (WAB), or Wabtec. After this news hit the wire, GE shares were up almost 4.5% but WAB shareholders were not as lucky (WAB shares finished the trading day down slightly over 3.5%). Shareholders of both companies will be mater

Summary: - Disney is restructuring its business, so management recently released recasted its financial results for the last three fiscal years. - The company is losing money in the streaming business, but I view this as a necessary evil. - I am long Disney, and I recently added to my position. Walt Disney ($DIS) stock has not performed well lately, the shares have still outperformed the broader market over the last year. Investors have been concerned about Disney's future, and rightfully so, as the company tries to position itself in a changing media environment. It was recently reported that Disney is "losing over $1 billion in streaming", which is a topic that the bears are running with.

Summary: - Citigroup reported strong Q4 and full-year 2018 results that were well-received by the market. - The company is well-positioned for 2019 and beyond, as management still anticipates for the bank to achieve its 2020 financial targets. - I am long this large financial institution and I plan to keep banking on Citigroup. Citigroup ($C) recently reported strong Q4 and full-year 2018 results that were well-received by the market (the stock finished the trading day up ~4%). Looking back, however, C shares have significantly underperformed the broader market over the last year. Citigroup appears to be an attractive long-term investment at today's price because, in my opinion, this bank is

Summary: - Honeywell's stock has underperformed the broader market over the last year, but I believe that HON shares are a great long-term buy at today's price. - Additionally, the recent spinoffs have the potential to be a major catalyst for Honeywell's stock over the next 12-18 months. - I am long Honeywell, and I have plans to grow my position in 2019. Honeywell ($HON) is a core holding in the R.I.P. portfolio, and the stock has performed well over the last 3 plus years. More recently, however, HON shares have underperformed the broader market by over 6 percentage points. The recent underperformance for HON shares has created a long-term buying opportunity because, in my opinion, this ind

Summary: - Synchrony Financial's stock has underperformed the broader market over the last year. - The company is operating in a challenging business environment, but I believe that the risks are baked into the stock. - I am long Synchrony Financial and I plan to stay long the stock. Synchrony Financial's ($SYF) stock is down big over the last year, as SYF shares are now approaching levels not seen since the mid-2014 IPO. More recently, Synchrony's stock has been under pressure due to the loss of a major customer, Walmart (WMT), but I believe there are reasons to stay long SYF shares, even in today's "challenging" environment. Read more here.

Summary: - Verizon pre-announced strong subscriber numbers for the period ended December 31, 2018, and the stock popped ~3%. - Verizon should be viewed as an income play (with some growth prospects as a kicker - e.g. 5G) that has a supportable dividend and great dividend growth prospects. - I am long Verizon and plan to get longer in the months/quarters ahead. On January 8, 2019, Verizon's ($VZ) stock jumped by almost 3% after management reported strong subscriber numbers for the most recent quarter. This pre-announcement is extremely encouraging news for this large telecom as it heads into a new year. In today's market, I believe that Verizon is just the type of company that investors shoul

Summary - It is being reported that Apollo is working on a deal to buy GE's jet leasing business (GECAS) for $40 billion. - I will dig into the numbers and provide my thoughts on the proposed "deal". - I am long General Electric and I plan to stay long the stock. General Electric's ($GE) stock has been a major disappointment over the last two years, as GE shares are down by approximately 73% over the same period of time when the S&P 500 (SPY) is up 24% (yes, that is 97 percentage points). I recently described why I thought that the GE Healthcare IPO was meaningful news but, in my opinion, investors should be really excited about the fact that GE will be able to dispose of its jet leasing bus

Summary: - This real-money portfolio was first introduced to the Seeking Alpha community in December 2015. - The portfolio significantly underperformed its benchmark in 2018, with several factors being significant contributors, but I believe that the portfolio is positioned to benefit from several major trends. - The financial holdings were a major drag to the portfolio's full-year 2018 performance but, looking out, the large financial institutions are well-positioned for the next few years. The Retire In Peace portfolio, or R.I.P. portfolio, was first introduced to the Seeking Alpha ("SA") community in December 2015 and I have published quarterly articles that captured the activity and perf