November 2016 Dividend Update

Throughout the last couple months I have not made a ton of trades. My work retirement has received contributions from my paycheck which I do not track here because they are all in mutual funds. Over the last few weeks I have bought more Disney and initiated a 10 share position in Yum! Brands (YUM) for $60.84/share. I am also about to start an MBA program in January even though it will be difficult because I still owe money from my recent undergraduate degree. Anyway, here are my dividends for November 2016.

October 2016 Dividend Update

October is over and the temperatures are starting to cool down significantly in Michigan. The fall season is here and the leaves are changing colors. It is not that bad if it wasn't followed by another winter of bitter cold weather. Anyway we are less than two months away from 2017 and it is time to log in my dividend income for October.

Recent Buy

On 10/25/2016 I purchased 1.6154 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $92.22. This continues to be my largest holding and with the current depresses price I continue to accumulate shares. I am planning on increasing the amount I invest in Disney per month soon. I see long term value in making it a large position.

Guest Post- Where to find money to invest in dividend payers

You spend hours, or even days looking for the perfect stock pick, you decided that you need to have it. But you don't have the funds, you expected to have them but life got in the way.

So what do you do? Well, you first realize you missed an opportunity, but you don't just leave it at that. You decide to never let it happen again.

So how do you get extra money? There are two ways of thoughts of this the “save mores” and the “make mores”. Let's take a look at both and see which one you can do.

“Save Mores”

We all have the basic necessities of life, of which we don't all agree on. For instance, I have wanted to go to a one car family for years now. However my wife feels we need two cars, though we could probably make it work for the sake of my marriage we have two cars.

Coffee

Once you decide for yourself what the necessities of life are, then you cut everything else. One of the first things that people can cut out is their morning coffee. I'm not suggesting giving up coffee, just that you make it at home instead of getting an expensive single drink on your way to work. Paying even a few dollars a day can add up to hundreds throughout the year.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are an amazing thing, with them we, read blog posts, do our banking, or look at cat videos. They can also be very expensive things to have, especially if you have a large family each with their own phone. 

If cutting your phone off altogether isn't an option, then you can call your current plan and see if they can offer any type of discount? If you mostly search the web at home do you really need to have all that data? Where I live there are tons of WiFi hotspots all over the place to the point where I almost never use my own data.

If you have cut your current plan down as low as it will go and this bill is still to much, consider a prepaid plan such as cricket, republic wireless, or Google Fi. All of which use the same service you are currently using for a fraction of the price, and even allow you to keep your same number.

Cable

The internet has made entertainment easier than ever. Many things are available for little to no charge. Take television for instance. For many years the idea was that you had to have a cable package including hundreds of channels even if you ever really only watched 2. Now though with the introduction of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime you can watch almost any show, or movie.

This comes with it's own problems where now you have the ability to watch years worth of shows, in a matter of days if you commit to it. This will take from away from much more important thinks like studying dividend investing.

“Earn Mores”

How many times have you said “if I just made a little more each month then I would be fine”. Truth is we all have. Is it possible to make more? Here's three ways how

Ask For A Raise

The first and easiest thing you can do to increase your income is to ask your boss for a raise. Now if you just started with a company, or you don't have the best work history with your current company, don't expect to get it. Instead spend 6 months going above and beyond what you are required to do and then ask for the raise.

Look For Another Job

It's sad but true that sometimes you just can't make more where you are. And, many times you can negotiate your salary a lot better when first getting a job then you can when you have been there for a while. This is the reason that many people get angry at their job. 

New people come in making the same or even more than people who have been there for years. Is this practice fair? I'll leave that for you to decide, but it is the case so lets use it to our advantage.

Start looking, apply to places you know make more, and ask for more on interviews. If you are currently making $15 an hour ask for $16 or even $20. You are worth more than you are currently making, that's true whether your making minimum wage or a multi-million dollar salary.

Side Hustle

Grow a business, drive for uber, have a garage sale, just do something besides your day job and make money. I personally have done all of those things and am still doing them and many more.

With today’s technology you can run a business that grows well you sleep. Yes you do have to do a lot of work and preparation but if done right it will feel amazing.

Why Not Do Both

While I see points for both of the camps save and earn, I think we should all be doing both. I don't get my morning cup of coffee from Starbucks anymore because I don't need it. But I have traveled more in the last year than the previous 15 years of my life so I am still spending that money. 

I also have started a business selling on Amazon, drive for lyft and uber, and own my own blog. I'm earning as much as I can, working some very long days and nights to make my dreams come true.

Conclusion

So let's go back to our original story. This time it's a few months later, we have followed the tips we learned here. We cut costs at home and saved more at the same time we increased our income living a  nice pile of cash.

We do our research and find a nice dividend yield we want to invest in, and this time we have the money. The opportunity came and we were able to follow through. We now have another income stream for as long as we leave that money there which will grow and allow us to grow our snowball and ultimately lead to financial independence. All of this because we made just a few changes in our life.

Tyler Philbrook is a freelance writer who blogs at IamTheFutureMe.com. He has written for DiseaseCalledDebt.com, and DearDebt.com. He writes about debt, side hustles, financial books, and frugal living, all well realizing that we are all the future version of ourselves. You can contact him on twitter at @Tjphilbrook

Recent Buy

On 10/06/2016 I averaged down significantly on shares of The Buckle (BKE) from my original entry point. I purchased another 45 shares at $21.68/share The sales have been sliding month after month, but the dividend appears safe with room to grow. The company also has a track record of 9 out of 10 years of paying out a special dividend in January. I bought on time for the October payment and will likely get a nice January boost to my dividend income as a result as well.

Photo Source:http://webpages.uidaho.edu/PTTE111-claa2396/

September 2016 Dividend Update

September is usually the biggest month for dividend investors in the third quarter. Many of the well known and widely held stocks typically pay out their dividends March, June, September, and December. Here is a quick update of what I received last month.

Recent Buy

On 09/28/2016 I purchased 32 shares of Delta Airlines Inc. (DAL) for $39.35. This is not a high yielding stock , but a rapidly growing dividend. They recently raised the dividend 50% from $0.135 to $0.2025. The company also recently started paying a dividend only since September of 2013 and consistently has increased it every year. I believe safe and efficient traveling is necessary and Delta provides that for many of their customers. There is also a rewards credit card exclusively with American Express (AXP) The annual fee is a bit of a turnoff to some, but the card also offers some excellent Skymiles benefits.

Disclosure: Long DAL (also have an Amex Skymiles card and account)

Photo Source:http://news.delta.com/boeing-757-200

Recent Buy

On 09/23/2016 I purchased 1.6022 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $92.98/share. The price keeps getting cheaper and I get happier to own more of this world famous company. The ESPN worries are getting far overblown I believe. Disney management is smart enough to figure out how to monetize their multiple business units. The CEO succession is a bigger concern I feel, but people who sell in panic are usually the first to regret that move. I am not worried at all about owning a large and growing position in The Walt Disney Company.

Photo Source: http://www.adgully.com/image/2010-08-The-Walt-Disney-Company.jpg

August 2016 Dividend Update

August has been over for 10 days already and it is time to update my dividend income received.

Deere & Company (DE) $7.18
Pimco High Income Fund (PHK) $1.88
Wheeler REIT (WHLR) $3.01
Gladstone Capital Corporation (GLAD) $3.98
Solar SR Capital Ltd. (SUNS) $1.58
Bluerock Residential Growth REIT (BRG) $1.04
Whitestone REIT (WSR) $8.56
Horizon Technology Finance Corporation (HRZN) $1.65
Independence Realty Trust (IRT) $1.47
Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) $1.27
Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) $2.03
Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI) $6.34
Procter&Gamble (PG) $5.80
Realty Income Corporation (O) $24..26
Stag Industrial Inc. (STAG) $1.39
Voya Global Equity Dividend & Premium Opportunity Fund (IGD) $2.61
Enerplus Corporation (ERF) $0.62
Student Transportation Inc. (STB) $1.76
Prospect Capital Corporation (PSEC) $42.42
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $5.67
Eaton Corporation (ETN) $4.10
Gamco Global Gold Natural Resources & Income Fund (GGN) $8.58
Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO) $0.67
Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund (EDF) $5.58
Cornerstone Strategic Value Fund (CLM) $8.08
Fifth Street Finance Corporation (FSC) $7.44
Gladstone Capital Corporation (GLAD) $4.01
LTC Properties Inc. (LTC) $6.30
Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG) $3.51
Wheeler REIT (WHLR) $3.04

August 2016 Dividend Income:$175.83

Photo Source:http://seekingalpha.com/article/3773626-10-undervalued-dividend-champions-2016-greedy-others-fearful

Recent Buy

On August 23, 2016 I purchased 1.5391 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $96.79/share. This brings my total shares in Disney to over 100 for the first time ever. I continue to believe this is a good long term holding to add to. My monthly contribution to Disney remains unchanged.

What do you think? Do you own some Disney stock? Visit the parks or take a cruise this year?


Photo Source: http://www.adgully.com/image/2010-08-The-Walt-Disney-Company.jpg

July 2016 Dividend Update

We are already through July and into the first week of August 2016 and it is another chance to update the monthly accumulation of dividends. I am also happy to see that I crossed over 100K pageviews since starting this little dividend blog.

Recent Buys

On July 13, 2016 I initiated a position of 3 shares in Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) for $48.70/share

On July 26, 2016 I purchased 1.5232 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $97.80

Photo Sources:http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2015/02/27/valero-energy-partners-buys-two-subsidiaries-in.html
http://www.adgully.com/image/2010-08-The-Walt-Disney-Company.jpg

June 2016 Dividend Update

June was a busy and exciting month for me with the graduation. The warmer weather lately is so much better than the cold winters here that seem to last longer every year. June is one of those bigger months in dividends for many people. We are halfway through 2016 already? Time is moving along quickly and that is reason enough to put every effort into our investments to reach our goals. Before too many years pass by and we don't get to enjoy our hard work and use the money on traveling and good experiences. There are some great bloggers who realize that our time is limited and we should look out for our own future and making the most out of it.

I've graduated!

Recent Buy

Scheduled for June 24, 2016 I purchased 1.5061 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) at $98.91. The ESPN noise continues to dominate Disney and keep the price down under $100. Add in the other issues of the tragic alligator problem and the portion of the Brexit drop we had today it has stayed in the red. It is my hope that it stays down for a bit longer so I can buy more!

Photo Source:http://businessbearing.com/company-update-the-walt-disney-company-nysedis-disneys-captain-america-comes-to-rescue-company-from-espns-shrinking-subs/

May 2016 Dividend Update

Hello everyone! We have made it to June and within 2 weeks of me finishing school. One last group project to complete and present (Don't we love group work?) I am here on campus working on my portion of it later towards the due date than I would have liked. This seems to happen a lot when busy people are thrown into a group and have to make it work. While I have been busy working a full time job and taking courses my strategy also has not changed at all. I have not lost any belief in an income strategy being a very attractive and realistic way to fund a retirement lifestyle. It does not matter how old you are when it comes to dividends. There is not a dividend officer at work that checks on your account to make sure you don't make too much money for their liking. If there is enough regular passive income after all your expenses and you don't feel like working anymore then you can choose to say goodbye to the early morning alarm clock. You can keep working if it is not an issue for you and you enjoy it, but if it is stressful, long, and grueling hours that steal away from your health, family, and happiness you can choose to say goodbye whenever you want. I would have more to say, but am saving it for a more focused article sometime in the near future.

So, instead let's see how the dividend world treated me in May!

Two recent buys

On 05/24/2016 I purchased 1.5193 shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $98.05/share.

On June 2, 2016 I purchased 20 shares of Flowers Foods Company (FLO) for $18.67/share.

Photo Sources:http://www.flowersfoods.com/
                        http://www.trendzulu.com/2015/07/01/the-walt-disney-company-dis-has-decided-to-merge-two-of-its-units-to-effectively-cater-to-the-tech-savvy-consumer-preferences-these-days/

April 2016 Dividend Update

Here we are in May, where the weather should start to begin warming up. The summer months should bring about more enjoyment as we are able to do more outdoor activities and sports and actually enjoy being outside. April has end and here I am tallying up my dividend income with about 6 weeks left until my graduation. I hope everyone had a great month in April and look forward to reading your reports and plans for the summer.

Recent Buy

On 04/25/2016 I purchased 1.4422 shares of Walt Disney Company (DIS) for $103.29/share. The stock has been on a run for the last few weeks. The company has a lot of successful movie launches already this year and upcoming for the next few years. The market has rightfully ignored the CEO successor situation, but I won't be surprised if it does come into play if Bob Iger does not extend soon.

March 2016 Dividend Update

We are into April, but you would not know it is going to get warmer soon if you were here in Michigan. Meanwhile as I have been focused on my investments and sidetracked from time to time by both work and school the dividends kept on coming in strong. I finished March with my first time receiving over $300 in a month. I am also very near completion of my degree with only one more course left to complete. I plan on attending my graduation in mid June. I finally can see the end of the undergrad degree coming to a close.