Year-end shopping doesn’t need to be limited to Christmas gifts. You can also buy a slightly healthier financial future by diverting your savings to the right stocks. And new stocks don’t have to mean more work keeping track of their performance.
With the right buy-and-forget stocks, you can achieve decent gains without exerting additional effort in managing your portfolio. They can also be smart purchases from a retirement-planning perspective.
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A railway stock
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX: CP) is the only continent-wide single-line railway network. It’s one of the two Canadian giants and a North American railway sector leader. However, this isn’t the company’s only “edge.” Its massive railway network is strategically robust, connecting over 30 ports in three countries and over 30 auto facilities.
The railway transports several necessary items in bulk, both domestically and internationally. About 20% of its freight revenue comes from grain transportation in bulk and another 20% from energy, chemical, and plastic products.
While the pace has slowed, Canadian Pacific is still a promising growth stock. It grew by about 64% in the last five years, so it’s technically on its way to double its investors’ capital in less than a decade. It’s also a well-established Aristocrat but with a small yield.
A utility stock
Utility stocks are usually preferred for their combination of safety and dividends, but Hydro One (TSX: H) adds growth to the mix as well. The stock currently offers a yield of about 2.7% and has returned roughly 77% to its investors via capital appreciation in the last five years. This rate may double your capital in fewer than seven years.
As for safety, Hydro One has a healthy electrical utility business concentrated in Ontario. However, this lack of geographical diversity is an advantage. Hydro One mainly caters to the rural areas in the province, which requires an extensive transmission and distribution network. However, there is no significant competition and a consistent consumer base, augmenting the business model stability advantage.
An insurance stock
Intact Financial (TSX: IFC) is one of the largest Property and Casualty insurance companies in North America and the largest in Canada. Through a few strategic acquisitions, the company also has a firm footing in Ireland, and the international business comes with its own set of growth opportunities, especially considering the saturated local market.
Intact Financial also offers a healthy return potential and a strong combination of dividends and capital appreciation, though it leans more towards the latter. It has risen by about 98% in the last five years, and the momentum is still quite strong.
The dividend yield has naturally shrunk thanks to its rapid growth, but it’s still decent enough at about 1.8%. The dividend history is impressive, as the company has grown its payouts for about 18 consecutive years.
Foolish takeaway
While all three companies pay dividends and are well-established Aristocrats, their primary attraction is their growth potential. They are also safe and resilient, partly because of their business model and the leadership status in the respective markets.
Whether you stash them in your Registered Retirement Savings Plan or Tax-Free Savings Account, this makes them promise long-term retirement holdings.
