WWow! This month will mark my 1 full year of tracking dividend income and post it on this blog. Dividend income is my all time favorite subject. The reason why I love to publish articles updating my dividend income is because it’s pure numbers. It’s hard to argue the success of long-term dividend growth investing when you can slowly and surely see dividend income rise over time, getting closer to covering one’s expenses.
Way to go out of 2018 with a BANG! 3 of 12 months with dividend income surpassing the $600 mark.
12/30/2015GS – GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP 123015 10 $6.50
12/30/2015TROW – T ROWE PRICE GROUP I 123015 10 $5.20
12/30/2015UNP – UNION PACIFIC CORP 123015 20 $11.00
12/28/2015PFG – PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP 122815 10 $3.80
12/24/2015BAC – BANK OF AMERICA CORP 122415 5,688 $284.40
12/21/2015D – DOMINION RES INC VA NEW 122015 100 $64.75
12/15/2015DOV – DOVER CORP COMMON 121515 10 $4.20
12/10/2015IBM – INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORP 121015 5 $6.50
12/10/2015NSC – NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP 121015 14 $8.26
12/4/2015TGH – TEXTAINER GRP HLDGS LTD 120415 20 $4.80
12/1/2015CMI – CUMMINS INC 120115 10 $9.75
12/1/2015F – FORD MOTOR COMPANY 120115 73 $10.95
12/1/2015WFC – WELLS FARGO COMPANY 120115 530 $198.75
December Dividend: $642.13
2015 Dividends:
- Jan 2018: $0
- February Dividend: $107.67
- March Dividend: $658.55
- April Dividend: $38.44
- May Dividend: $163.30
- June Dividend: $577.63
- July Dividend: $55.74
- August Dividend: $180.72
- September Dividend: $618.66
- October Dividend: $125.23
- November Dividend: $245.15
- December Dividend: $642.13
- Total: $3413.22
This month is noticeably higher than the $618.66 in dividends I received in September 2018. While $642.13 doesn’t look like much, but it’s a 3.66% increase over the quarter. You know, if I can double it two more times, that would be a living wage somewhere in the Midwest, or even in small town on the East Coast. The market has recovered by 10%, it will be hard to find great deals as the month of August and September, but I won’t let that stand in my progress.
I was able to cover just over 47.7% of my expenses (check out how I kept my lifestyle from inflating) this past month through the power of dividends. It’s really great to know that I was able to cover 47% of my monthly expenditures without lifting a finger. I don’t have to get up at 4am to be at work somewhere to earn that amount. It’s completely passive income.
The progress of dividend growth investing is real and tangible. The market can decide to mark up or mark down the value of a company day by day, but the dividends will still roll into my brokerage account just like usual. Dividends are reliable just like my expenses, and that’s one of the reasons I plan to use this strategy as my secondary income generator through early retirement. I either use dividend income to continue to reinvest to offset old age expenses or if one day I’m tired of managing property, dividend income will serve as my main source of income. It’s funny when my income is now come from 12 businesses rather than just relying on one company (my job). My job which there is always a risk of getting fired or layoff at anytime, but with pay checks coming from 13 different sources, even if I don’t receive pay from 1 or 2, I’m still largely unaffected. That’s the beauty of dividend investing strategy.
With the year of 2018 behind us, I have achieved one of my goals to generate $3,000 in dividends during the year. I’ve now received a total of $3413.22 in dividends for the year of 2015. That’s 113.77% over the set goal.
I’ll add December into my dividend page to reflect the changes.
How’s your December dividend income?
Holy Moly
Another bang month for you there in terms of dividends. No wonder you were talking about taking a break and winding down 🙂
Are you gearing up for even something bigger in 2019 with regards to your dividend and rental income?
I’m about 1 year 4 months from pulling the trigger, I’d like to have $50k in cash as emergency fund, and to weather the storm in case there is a big ticket item for my rental property. Winding down could be a good thing. 🙂
I’d like to have a monthly dividend average of $500/month, at the yield of 4%, I’d need to invest at lease $50k
I have about $28k in cash right now, but coming up with another $72k in 1 year 4 months is no small task.
I’d also try to vigorously tracking down my spending. That probably consume a lot of my time, so winding down might be necessary. 🙂
Wow Vivianne! A great month and a fantastic year.
Thanks! It was indeed a fantastic year! Hopefully many more of these to come!
Cheers!
Great job Vivianne. You’re doing awesome. It’s wonderful tracking these posts monthly and it just feels great. Keep it up. You got dividend income / rental income… you’re rolling!! Straight up Investor now.
Don’t stop and keep the momentum going! We’re in this together creating Wealth! Love it!
Cheers to us my dear.
Thanks, bro!
Cheers to us!
Another fantastic month, Vivianne. Congrats on the dividend income and keep up the great work!
R2R
Thanks, bro!
Happy new year!
Cheers!
WRI,
WHOA! Monster month over there. Curious – what made you want to invest so heavily into banking/FI stocks? Just curious is all! Congratulations and excited for your 2019 – I’m thinking 4 digits for you soon on a single month!
-Lanny
1. The FED has started tightening
2. Most financial stocks are still undervalue. Bank of America and citi group are trading under book value
3. They have massive cash that they borrowed at 0% interest rate that they now can lend at a higher rate. This will continue to improve their high margin.
4. Low energy and metal price will benefit the consumers, hence there will be more spending and growing.
5. Too big to fail has some back lash, so they will have to break up at some point, I’d like to see these big banks breaking up, so I can have Bank of America and Merrill lynch as 2 separate companies. Wells Fargo will break up into Wells Fargo and Wells Trade? Jpm can separate to retail bank and investment bank? This is a long shot as election year are genuine quiet as republicans will not fix the law to make the democrat president look good.
I don’t expect to buy anymore financial stocks in 2019 unless there is a big catastrophe.
2016, I’ll gear heavily toward oil and gas companies as bankruptcy starts trickling in, just like 2008-2009 with the financial sector. I’ll pay close attention to Mr. Buffett’s team. He made beaucoup money during that time buying GS, WFC (before all hell break loose, he unloaded Suntrust at super high profit. I saw the trend when he unloaded NOV, COP and XOM, he did buy some Phillip 66, but only with small amount.)
I also read some articles where he keeps at lease 20% in cash (before the crisis, he was 30-40% cash). It’s no coincidence that he would make such move. ** I’ll make building cash as my top priority right now, before making some meaningful buys, I’ll buy 10 shares here and there, but building cash will make me feel better.
Metal sector – Carl Icahn also bought fcx. The stock has continue to decline after he bought it. The company also suspended dividend, which is disappointing, but necessary. While I probably won’t buy fcx, but I’d buy X, Dow, and DD. Invest more in industry MMM, Honeywell, EMR, etc. companies that survived several recessions and manage to continue to distribute dividend are good in on my list.
Foreign stocks is another place where I want to invest, I can’t buy European stocks, but I can buy Canadian stocks. Right now the exchange is $0.70$ vs 1$ Canadian. If the exchange come back to 0.90-1, it’s a huge premium, in the meanwhile the Canadian banks are paying average 4% in dividend. Sit back and wait. This probably won’t happen until 2020-2018.
****every 5-10 years, there would be a big market correction. 10% drop last year was recovered quickly. I’m sure there will be many more to come.
>> I was able to cover just over 47.7% of my expenses
If that is not a sign of approaching FI, I do not know what else is 🙂
Congrats big time. It seemed like you started on dividend investing just the other day to diversify from rental income and there you are sitting at 47% of expenses. Kudos! Hope you are accounting against 1.25% (or some higher %) of your expenses….just to play it safe.
One note: You say “check out how I kept my lifestyle from inflating”. Were you intending on adding a link to an article? It may help WRI fans 🙂
Happy new year!
WRI
Great dividend income for the december. and great numbers for 2018. hopethat 2019 numbers will be much higher then you expected.
Happy New Year
Sharon – Divorcedff
Hi WRI,
Looks like you had a great end of the year with your dividend income. Even surpassing your goal for 2018, congratulations! Look forward to reading more in 2019.
Best,
DB
WRI
Great dcember dividend income, and great to see that you passed the $600 mark 4 times. Hope to see that next year you will pass the 4 digit milestone in a month.
Keep the snowball rolling.
Sharon – Divorcedff
Totally awesome Vivianne. Solid December dividend income. Congrats.