Warren Buffet, in his annual letter, said that when he retires, he will just buy the S&P 500. This is not bad to hold in a taxable account, because this will compound and does not pay a dividend (so no taxes on that). He likes Berkshire, but won't be that different from owning the broad U.S. market.
Last week, the FOMC had an update of the dot plots (where the FOMC feels interest rates are going). A few Fed members believe the Fed won't cut any more rates this year, but the consensus remains of 2 cuts. For 2026: a few who predicted more cuts next year now feel there will be fewer, worried about inflation, stickier because of tariffs. Higher for longer. The average rate on US treasuries will rise from 3.36% now to 3.5%-3.7% to fund all that debt that Trump's bill will create when it is eventually signed in July.
Last Friday they reported a strong quarter, which pushed the stock to new highs. Was already 19% for the year before Friday. It beat same-store sales, driven by Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse. EPS also beat, and full-year forecast was solid. They announced share buybacks and raise the dividend to 2.7%. Average weekly deliveries nearly doubled the last 2 weeks of the quarter, thanks to a new program. But fine-dining sales declined. They plan expansion in places like Canada.
They reported last month: a modest revenue beat though product sales were -25% YOY due to lower average selling prices in the security industry; but subscribers were up 51% YOY and subs enjoy higher margins which helped achieve record free cash flow. EPS also beat. Average revenue per user was up 15% YOY. Was no waker demand during the first 4 weeks of the tariff war. Earnings expected to grow 55% this year, but sells at only 27x PE vs. peers at lower PE but also much slower growth. It's run up a lot, so buy only a little now.
These split shares company give you some leverage. The total return over 20 years has been 8% vs. the TSX which has done no better. Has some good dividends here, but is volatile--when the market goes bad, this really goes bad.