The Practical Investing Portfolio
Columnist Kathy Kristof put her real money into the market so she could help you be a better investor.

Kiplinger’s columnist and author of Investing 101 Kathy Kristof took approximately $200,000 of her own money and divided it into two pieces — $10,000 going into Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF (symbol VTI), and the rest going into individual stocks that she selected.
Kristof has ended her active management of the portfolio. In the table below, you can review the portfolio’s performance over its 7.5 year run.
Name | Ticker | PurchaseValue | SharesHeld | CurrentPrice | CurrentValue | TotalReturn |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ares Capital | ARCC | $10,037.68 | 1290.392 | $17.16 | $22,143.13 | 120.6% |
Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance | ARI | 10,018.75 | 1261.090 | 17.90 | 22,573.51 | 125.3% |
Apple Inc. | AAPL | 16,076.73 | 364.134 | 170.42 | 62,055.72 | 286.0% |
Boeing | BA | 26,682.23 | 82.387 | 417.97 | 34,435.29 | 29.1% |
Corning Inc. | GLW | 10,003.92 | 856.012 | 34.51 | 29,540.97 | 195.3% |
Costco | COST | 10,953.60 | 60.634 | 216.47 | 13,125.44 | 19.8% |
General Motors | GM | 15,719.00 | 625.391 | 39.09 | 24,446.53 | 55.5% |
Gilead Sciences Inc. | GILD | 13,621.50 | 162.988 | 67.59 | 11,016.36 | -19.1% |
Intel Corp. | INTC | 9,996.30 | 545.679 | 51.66 | 28,189.78 | 182.0% |
Invitation Homes | SFR | 3,114.72 | 190.000 | 23.52 | 4,468.80 | 43.5% |
KKR Financial Holdings | KKR | 9,997.63 | 962.430 | 23.53 | 22,645.98 | 126.5% |
Knowles Corp.* | KN | 1,698.00 | 83.000 | 16.15 | 1,340.45 | -21.1% |
Lazard Ltd. A | LAZ | 10,174.03 | 243.325 | 36.73 | 8,937.33 | -12.2% |
Seagate Technology Plc. | STX | 16,304.81 | 757.557 | 45.71 | 34,627.93 | 112.4% |
Spirit Airlines | SAVE | 1,158.68 | 83.000 | 61.67 | 5,118.61 | 341.8% |
Starwood Property Trust | STWD | 6,887.43 | 837.987 | 21.82 | 18,284.88 | 165.5% |
Target Corp. | TGT | 10,021.39 | 243.142 | 72.84 | 17,710.46 | 76.7% |
Taylor Morrison Home Corp | TMHC | 11,903.00 | 1223.000 | 18.11 | 22,148.53 | 86.1% |
Cash | Row 18 - Cell 1 | Row 18 - Cell 2 | Row 18 - Cell 3 | Row 18 - Cell 4 | 9,799.93 | Row 18 - Cell 6 |
Portfolio Total | Row 19 - Cell 1 | $189,998.00 | 9872.148 | Row 19 - Cell 4 | $392,609.63 | 106.6% |
Vanguard Total U.S. Market ETF | VTI | $10,863.00 | 187.741 | 142.74 | $26,798.15 | 146.7% |
Stock prices are as of February 15, 2019. *Received through a spinoff.

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