Dividend Income Update - April & May 2017

Welcome to my dividend income update for April & May 2017.


April 2017 Dividends 

• FFIC -- $9.12
• M -- $5.78
• GE -- $3.36
• CSCO -- $15.66
• MDT -- $8.60
• WPC -- $15.92

Total dividends received during the month of April 2017 = $58.44 


May 2017 Dividends 

• T -- $41.41
• AAPL -- $25.44
• ABBV -- $11.52
• HCP -- $12.95
• ETP -- $19.80
• PG -- $13.79
• KMI -- $8.75
• OHI -- $28.35
• VFIAX -- $0.00

Total dividends received during the month of May 2017 = $162.01 

The dividends are lesser compared to the previous months since I sold off my portfolio at Loyal3 and used the proceeds to pay off my car loan.

Total dividends earned in Year 2017 so far equals $669.78


Thanks for reading!

Loyal3 proceeds towards Car Loan

Hi Y'all,

Its been awhile since I posted and although I do have a few posts in draft, its been awhile!!

I have been working hard, running hard and spending quality time with the family. My soon to turn 2 year old son demands both, time and energy.

Its taken me time to analyze and process the closing down operations of Loyal3. 

I used to move money to Loyal3 every week and from Aug 2015 - April 2017, was able to save a considerable amount every paycheck. I could buy stocks for free. I will miss, Loyal3!!

Summary: (8/25/2015 --> 4/19/2017)

• Total deposits to Loyal3 = $14,000
• Total dividends earned = $319.89
• Final withdrawal from Loyal3 = $15,497.65
• On closure, I stand to lose yearly dividends = $355.73 

Portfolio (prior closure)

• 1.0711 shares of GOOGL 
• 1.0581 shares of Amazon (AMZN)
• 1.1472 shares of BRK.B
• 27.8412 shares of Coca Cola (KO)
• 5.0912 shares of Facebook (FB)
• 5.9709 shares of Intel Inc (INTC)
• 2.4881 shares of Hasbro Inc (HAS)
• 15.5117 shares of Macy Inc (M)
• 8.1666 shares of McDonald's Corp (MCD)
• 28.7124 shares of Microsoft (MSFT)
• 21.9707 shares of Nike (NKE)
• 14.6220 shares of Pepsi (PEP)
• 18.2285 shares of Starbucks Inc (SBUX)
• 18.9164 shares of Target (TGT)
• 28.0733 shares of UniLever (UL)
• 16.6199 shares of Wal-Mart (WMT)

I decided to sell all stock ($15, 497.65) and use the proceeds to pay off my Car loan of $11,682.99

I purchased a 2015 Acura MDX in the Fall of 2014 and took on a 4 year car loan with monthly payments of $691.67. My loan would be completed by October 2018. I was desperate to pay off the car and improve my cash flow and hence used a big chunk of closure money towards paying off the loan.

So, I am sad that Loyal3 is history cause this enabled me to save regularly and buy stocks for free. I am happy, was able to pay off the car loan thereby improving my cash flow.

This has also reduced my 12 month dividends by $355.73

We have been looking at buying a house and my current rent spend (approx. $1200) and the money that does not go towards a car payment ($691) can maybe go towards a mortgage payment. We will see how that works out!!

Until next time..

Quarterly Review Q1 2017

Welcome to my 1st quarterly review report of Year 2017 that summarizes actions I've taken during the January - March months. 

Quarterly reports would provide details such as Portfolio worth, dividend re-investment decisions and also review of progress made towards yearly goals.


Stock Portfolio: 

I've updated my Portfolio for your perusal.
The Retirement accounts = 401K and the Roth IRA = $24, 851.28
The Taxable accounts = $45, 060.15

This quarter, I've invested $500 in Loyal3, $3,564 in 401K, transferred $250 in my Scottrade Taxable account and re-invested dividends across all accounts.

Dividend Re-investments: 

Purchased 2 shares of WPC @61.599 in my ROTH IRA on 3/30.
Purchased 4 shares of GE @29.6369 in my Scottrade Taxable on 3/28.
Dividends re-invested in Loyal3 and 401K account as well.


Dividend increases during Q1:

OHI raised quarterly dividend from $0.61 to $0.62 on Jan 12th
HAS raised quarterly dividend from $0.51 to $0.57 on Feb 6th

3M raised quarterly dividend from $1.11 to $1.175 on Feb 7th

CSCO raised quarterly dividend from $0.26 to $0.29 on Feb 15th

ABX raised quarterly dividend from $0.02 to $0.03 on Feb 15th

PEP raised quarterly dividend from $0.7525 to $0.805 on Feb 15th

KO raised quarterly dividend from $0.35 to $0.37 on Feb 16th

WMT raised quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.51 on Feb 21st

FFIC raised quarterly dividend from $0.17 to $0.18 on Mar 1st

WPC raised quarterly dividend from $0.99 to $0.995 on Mar 16th

INTC raised quarterly dividend from $0.26 to $0.2725 on Mar 23rd

The above dividend increases helped bump my yearly dividends by $22.42


Review of Goal 2017:

Family Goals - 
1. Cook a meal once a month  FAIL

   I've cooked only a single meal, instead of the intended 3 meals. 

2. Date night once a month PASS
    I've taken time off and spent quality time with my dear wife. Once a month is less but its better than not having anything at all. 

3. Spend time with my kids PASS

    Our 18 month old is a handful and my wife needs some time off from the kids. When back from work, she runs the errands or takes the 9 year old out for gymnastics and I spend time with the 18 month old. 

4. Buy a house In-progress
    We're barely begun looking at homes in the area. The Lord willing, we'd buy this year. I would need to sell stock to raise the initial payments.  

Finance Goals -  
1. Contribute $18,000 towards the 401K PASS
    I've made contributions of $3,564 in Q1 towards the 401K. My mode of investing is via the Vanguard 500 Index Admiral (VFIAX) that has a quarterly distribution.

2. Earn $2,500 in dividends and $3K (over 12 month period) In-progress
     In Q1, earned a total of $449.33 and my stock portfolio will pay $1810.1 in dividends over the next 12 months.
I've invested $500 in Loyal3 and $3,564 in the 401K but have not made any purchases in the Roth or other taxable accounts. This goal may not materialize if I have to sell stock to accomplish buying of a house.

3. Invest $5,500 in Roth IRAs FAIL
I've invested $600 in my Roth IRA this quarter. Haven't opened an account for the wife as yet.

4. Contribute and Invest HSA dollars FAIL
    No contributions this quarter.

 5. Contribute $2K in taxable accounts - Loyal3, Scottrade and TD Ameritrade PASS
    Invested $500 in Loyal3 and $250 in Scottrade

6. 529 plans FAIL
    Yet to open accounts.

Fitness Goals - 
1. Run 400 miles thru' the year PASS
    I've run a total of 104 miles this quarter and am confident will run in excess of 400 miles in 2017. 

2. Ban on Cola consumption PASS
    I've been pretty successful. Reduced consumption by 90%.

3. Run a Half marathon In-progress
    I've got the mini scheduled on 28th April. Will share more details next quarter. 

Spiritual Goals - 
1. Read Bible daily FAIL
    Need to make this a priority :(

2. Pray w/ family once a week PASS
   We're been successful doing the worship/bible read once a week.


Career Goals - 
1. Add a certification FAIL
    Yet to begin training.

2. Obtain a job in OH, or NC, or Texas FAIL
   Not sure whether this would happen this year. 

I'll need to evaluate the 2017 goals and may need to strike a few if we plan on buying a home. Having this list does help me stay focused and accomplish more than I would have if I had no goals.

Thank you for reading! Please do let me know whether you're had time to take stock of progress made during the 1st Quarter.

Dividend Income Update - March 2017

Welcome to my dividend income update for March 2017.

Each month I post dividends received to keep track of earned passive income. Opening a new position or adding to an existing position on a regular basis causes increases in income on a monthly or quarterly basis.

March 2017 Dividends -

Total dividends received during the month of March 2017 = $201.03. Yay!! This is the first time I've crossed $200 in a month.

My 401K quarterly dividend has grown from $15.77 (09/2016) to $49.33 (in 12/2016) to $59.85 this month. As I continue to have 18% taken off my weekly checks, I will soon cross $100 per quarter before this year is over.

This has been an approximately 210%+ increase as compared to March 2016 (Dividends = $64.28) and approx. 28% increase as compared to December 2016.  

Total dividends earned in Year 2017 so far equals $449.33


Thanks for reading!

Loyal3 Purchases - 1/18, 3/01 and 3/22

As per my strategy of investing periodically this post highlights purchases made on 1/18, 3/01 and 3/22.

1/18:
Target Corp. (TGT) - 2.6015 shares @$67.27 ($175). Yield = 3.56%

$175 of new capital invested and adding $6.24 to my annual dividend income.

3/01:
Target Corp. (TGT) - 2.5849 shares @$58.03 ($150). Yield = 4.13%

$150 of new capital invested and adding $6.20 to my annual dividend income.


3/22:
CoCa-Cola Co (KO) - 1.7668 shares @$42.45 ($75). Yield = 3.48%

Nike Inc (NKE) - 1.8373 shares @$54.43 ($100). Yield = 1.32%

Intel Corp (INTC) - 2.1295 shares @$35.22 ($75). Yield = 3.09%

$250 of new capital invested and adding $6.25 to my annual dividend income.

Dividend Income Update - February 2017

Welcome to my dividend income update for February 2017.

Each month I post dividends received to keep track of earned passive income. Opening a new position or adding to an existing position on a regular basis causes increases in income on a monthly or quarterly basis.

February 2017 Dividends -  

Total dividends received during the month of Feb 2017 = $157.98

This is my first dividend from OHI after making purchases of the stock on 
28th December 2016.

HCP pays dividends in May, August, November and March and hence there is no dividend in February. 

This has been an approximately 35% increase as compared to February 2016 (Dividends = $117.2) and approx. 18% decrease as compared to November 2016.  

Total dividends earned in Year 2017 so far equals $248.30

Thanks for reading!

Dividend Income Update - January 2017

Welcome to my first dividend income update for Year 2017. 

Each month I post dividends received to keep track of earned passive income. Opening a new position or adding to an existing position on a regular basis causes increases in income on a monthly or quarterly basis.

January 2017 Dividends -  

General Electric (GE) - $3.36
Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) - $14.04
W.P. Carey (WPC) - $15.84
Macy's Inc (M) - $11.58
Nike Inc (NKE) - $3.62
Disney (DIS) - $15.60
Flushing Financial Corporation (FFIC) - $8.56
Wal Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) - $7.97
PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) - $9.75

Total dividends received during the month of January 2017 = $90.32

This has been an approximately 55.8% increase as compared to January 2016 (Dividends = $57.96)  

Thanks for reading!

2017 Goals

Hi All.

We are 3 weeks into the New year and I've spent a considerable amount of time going back and forth with my goals for the year. 
I'd like to outline goals on all fronts - family, finance, fitness, spiritual and career. I do plan on reviewing them on a quarterly basis.


Family Goals - 
1. Cook a meal once a month
This would definitely help my spouse. The day of choice would be Saturdays.

2. Date night once a month
This would make a total of 12 date nights in 2017. Not bad!! My wife would love the alone time. 

3. Spend time with my kids

4. Buy a house
This goal is tied to a favorable job change & relocation. We would be looking at houses ranging from $250K - $350K. If we do buy a house, my finance goals of investment would drastically alter. 


Finance Goals -  
1. Contribute $18,000 towards the 401K
I plan on contributing 18% - 20% of my weekly check towards the 401K. My mode of investing is via the Vanguard 500 Index Admiral (VFIAX) that has a quarterly distribution.

2. Earn $2,500 in dividends and $3K (over 12 month period)

• In 2016, I accumulated $1,176.60 via dividends and my dividend stock portfolio would pay $1,661.42 in dividends over a 12 month period.
• In 2017, as per fair calculations of dividend re-investment, dividend growth and dividends on 401k, Roth IRA, Loyal3 investments, I will target earning $2,500 via dividends and approx. $3,000 in dividends over a 12 month period. 

3. Invest $5,500 in Roth IRAs
I invested the max amount last year and plan to do so this year as well. I need to open a ROTH IRA for my spouse this year. 

4. Contribute and Invest HSA dollars
I have an HSA account and added $1K last year. 
This year I plan to contribute $3K and also invest the money.

5. Contribute $2K in taxable brokerage accounts - Loyal3, Scottrade and TD Ameritrade accounts

6. 529 plans
Plan to invest $3K and $1K in 529s for my 2 kids. 
I do not have any money in 529s as yet.


Fitness Goals - 
1. Run 400 miles thru' the year
I ran 400 miles in 2016. This goal challenged me last year and will definitely push me this year as well. 

2. Ban on Cola consumption
This one is going to test on many levels. My consumption in 2016 was a 32oz, once a week at work and a can of cola on the week-ends. This year I plan to substitute the cola with orange juice.

3. Run a Half marathon 
I've never run a half marathon before. In 2015 and 2016, I've run a 5K, 10K and a 10 miler. This year, lets say I'll run the half under 2 hours 30 minutes.


Spiritual Goals - 
1. Read Bible daily
This one is tough!! I would be happy if I can spend 15 minutes every day reading from the Word.

2. Pray w/ family once a week
This normally takes 30 minutes - opening prayer, 2-3 songs, read a chapter and close with prayer.


Career Goals - 
1. Add a certification
I do plan on adding another certification. Being in IT, its important to constantly learn and add to skills.

2. Obtain a job in OH, or NC, or Texas
I am not entirely sure as yet but these states are probable candidates. We would love to buy a house in one of the above. 


A total of 17 goals that encompass every area of my life! Which one do you think would be the easiest to accomplish and which would be the toughest. 

The goals that I've set would most certainly push me to greater heights and it would be fun to review the progress made quarterly.

Thank you for reading! 

Review 2016 Goals

It's goal review time and I am already a couple of weeks late ! We were vacationing in Las Vegas and Phoenix, AZ from 23rd December - 4th January and had a good fun time with friends. 
I would like to review my goals and the progress made in 2016. 


2016 Goals -

The following were my 2016 goals:

1. Contribute towards a 401K for the first time
2. To earn $1200 through dividends 
3. Increase projected annual dividend income to $1500. 
4. Contribute fully towards a ROTH IRA
5. Run 500 miles through the year.

My foray in the US stock markets began in October 2014 and my blogging commenced in February 2015 and hence I am continually improving in the setting of finance goals. Let's delve further in the actuals!

1. Contribute towards a 401K for the first time: I did post about my first time 401k in December '16. Better late than never!! Starting mid June '16, I had 15% deducted and towards early November until year-end I had bumped my contribution from 15% to 18%. My total contribution for Year 2016 was $8,181. Its a start and may not be much for a soon-to-be 39 year old but I do plan on maxing out my 401K in 2017. All of my holdings are in the index fund VFIAX which has expense ratio = 0.05%. Conclusion: Goal accomplished.
2. To earn $1200 through dividends: I've been keeping track of this goal on my 'Dividend Income' page. My dividend growth portfolio earned dividends $1,176.60 thereby narrowly missing the goal. Conclusion: Goal failed!!.
3. Increase projected annual dividend income to $1500: My portfolio's in my taxable accounts, ROTH IRA and 401K will pay $1,661.42 in dividends over the next 12 months. Conclusion: Goal accomplished.
4. Contribute fully towards a ROTH IRA: I did contribute monthly from April - December, maxing out my Roth IRA. Purchased some T, OHI, MDT and HAIN. Conclusion: Goal accomplished.
5. Run 500 miles through the year: This isn't a finance goal. However I do like staying fit and hence the goal. In 2015, my fitness goal was to run the Louisville Triple Crown - a series of 5K, 10K and 10 mile in the Feb-March time frame. Once completed, I wasn't a regular runner. So in 2016, in addition to running the Triple crown, my goal was to run 500 miles thru' the year. I ran a total of 400 miles in 2016. I'm happy that this goal helped keeping me active thru the year. Conclusion: Goal failed!!.

Conclusion - 

I am happy at the progress made in 2016 - commenced contributing to the 401k; maxed out the Roth IRA and had a 100+ % increase in dividends earned in 2016 ($1,176.60) vs 2015 (earned $553.41)

I invested a total of $25, 081 in 2016.

• 401K = $8,181
• Roth IRA = $5,500
• Loyal3 = $9,000
• TD Ameritrade Taxable Account = $300
• Scottrade Taxable Account = $1,000
• HSA = $1,000
• Robinhood = $100

Look out for my next post - Goals for 2017 where I will attempt at setting goals that will push me even more.

Thank you for reading! 

Recent Buy - MDT and OHI

I purchased 20 shares of Medtronic PLC (MDT: NYSE) on 12/21/16 for $71.4664/share. This purchase is for my ROTH IRA. 

This purchase diversifies my holdings in the Healthcare sector. I already own positions in JNJ and AbbVie Inc. The recent drop in MDT provided an opportunity to buy a few shares. I would also snap up the next dividend payable on Jan 13 since the ex-dividend was 12/21 i.e. my purchase date. 

Dividend Yield = 2.40%
Annual Payout = $1.72 
Payout Ratio = 37.6%
Dividend Growth = 39 years
52 Week High = 7/15/2016| 89.27
% Off 52 Week High = -19.94%
Beta (5 Yr) = 1.0
Payable = $0.43 - QRTR
Transaction fees = $7.00 

This purchase adds $34.40 to my annual dividend income, based on the current $0.43 quarterly dividend.


I purchased 45 shares of Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (OHI: NYSE) on 12/28/16 for $30.3864/share. This purchase is for my ROTH IRA. 

This purchase diversifies my holdings in the Financial/REIT sector. I already own positions in W.P. Carey Inc and HCP. The recent drop in OHI provided an opportunity to buy a few shares.  

Dividend Yield = 8.02%
Annual Payout = $2.44 
Payout Ratio = 73.7%
Dividend Growth = 7 years
52 Week High = 9/07/2016| 38.09
% Off 52 Week High = -20.22%
Beta (5 Yr) = 0.5
Payable = $0.61 - QRTR
Transaction fees = $7.00 

This purchase adds $109.80 to my annual dividend income, based on the current $0.61 quarterly dividend.

My dividend stock portfolio will pay $1542.21 in dividends over the next 12 months.

Next steps:  (coming soon)

• Update my portfolio page 
• Review 2016 goals
• Goals for 2017

Dividend Income Update - December 2016

Welcome to my dividend income update for December 2016. 

Each month I post dividends received to keep track of earned passive income. Opening a new position or adding to an existing position on a regular basis causes increases in income on a monthly or quarterly basis.

December 2016 Dividends -  

Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) - $7.60
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - $8.00
Emerson Electric Co (EMR) - $13.44
3M (MMM) - $13.32
Unilever (UL) - $7.76
Target (TGT) - $8.24
Microsoft (MSFT) - $11.20
Kroger (KR) - $4.20
Boeing Co. (BA) - $10.90
McDonald's Corp (MCD) - $7.68
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) - $9.13
Barrick Gold (ABX) - $1.00
Starbucks Corp (SBUX) - $4.56
Intel (INTC) - $0.71
401K - VFIAX - $49.33

Total dividends received during the month of December 2016 = $157.07
My dividend income in December 2015 was $56.72 and only $7.50 in December 2014.

Total dividend income received in 2016 = $1,176.60

Thanks for reading!