I look forward to these updates each and every month.  It’s exciting to watch my dividends grow and to track the progress I’m making.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  It feels like both November and Thanksgiving just flew by.  I’ve noticed lots of lights and Christmas trees already going up where I live.  We’re now into the last month, December, which is one of my favorite times of year.   Not only am I looking forward to the Christmas holidays but December is also one of my highest dividend paying months.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ( $14,391.27):

$2150 of TGT
$2050 of RDS.B
$750 of MO
$700 of TEVA
$600 of V
$400 of MDT
$250 of J NJ
$250 of WFC
85 shares of KMI ($2950.27)
100 shares of SO @ ($4291)

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
None

Options Trades:

November was quiet from an options standpoint.  My only options transaction was the assignment of a SO put that I sold previously.  My total profit for the year so far is still $4149.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $364.23 in dividends for the month.  This is a little better than last month but lower than August due to a large dividend from VOD.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $4740.72.  I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected forward 12-month dividend income has increased to $8644.11 from $8002.20, an increase of 8% in one month.  You can find my all of my monthly dividend information from the Dividends page.

Goals:

My last achievable goal will be met this month.  That goal is to have $5000 in dividend income for the year.  I only need about $260 and am projecting over $1000 for the month.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

I mentioned the possibility of buying a commercial space for my business.  Well I now have an offer on a place and am moving forward with the purchase.  The building is a “shell” so the entire inside has to be finished out.  This could take until March of next year to finish.  I’ll post more details of that soon.  This will obviously push back another rental purchase. 

My solar system is finally installed!  I’m just waiting for a couple of final inspections and I’ll be live on the grid.  I’m excited to start producing some cheap alternative energy. 

All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label.

Net Worth:

My goal was to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I achieved this goal in October and am now at $512k.  This is an increase of $45k Since last month.  A lot of this was due to my income and bonuses but the markets also helped this number out.  My revised goal is $525k by the end of the year which I think is still achievable.

I posted a 500K Net Worth Milestone titled, I’m Half a Millionaire!

Looking Ahead:

December is one of my best paying months.  I’m expecting close to $1200 in dividend income for December which will break through the $5k in dividend income that I set for a goal this year.

My revised forward income goal of $8500 has been met however I am expecting TWGP to quit paying its dividend which would be a big hit.  If this happens, I will need to add  $304.96 in additional income to make my $8500 target.  I’ll need to add $8700 of new capital at 3.5% interest to do this.  I’m currently averaging $9656/month in contributions so It should be close.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!  I don’t know about you but my treats came in the form of dividend income.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ( $11,398.38 NET):

$3250 of TGT
$1500 of BP
$1000 of PM
$1000 of V
$750 of RDS.B
$500 of MO
$500 of KO
274 shares of TWGP ($2011.16)
27 shares of NVS @ ($1971)

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
243 TWGP @ $4.46

I’m taking a big loss on this one.  At least I’ll be able to write off the losses on my tax return to recoup some of the money.  I’m probably steering clear of insurance companies all together after this.

Options Trades:

I sold puts in TEVA, CAT and KO.  I closed or had expired puts in INTC, TEVA, BBL, TGH and BBVA.  I earned an options profit this month of $941.  My total profit for the year so far is $4149.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $317.70 in dividends for the month.  This is well below last month’s total that broke $1000.  This was expected though since the majority of my payers are on the Mar/Jun/Sept/Dec schedule.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $4376.49 and I’m still slightly ahead of my options income. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-month dividend income has increased to $8002.20 from $7754.07, an increase of 3.2% ($248.13) in one month.  You can find my all of my monthly dividend information from the Dividends page.

Goals:

I completed my goal of hitting $450k net worth, that post is here.  I have now completed all but 2 of my goals for the year.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

I’m actually looking at buying a commercial space to move my business into.  I’ll post some details of that if it happens.  Otherwise, I plan to save up some cash to make a possible rental purchase early next year.

We’ve had a lot of rain here in central Texas so it has delayed the installation of my solar system.  I expect the install to start in one week and it will be on the grid by December.

All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label

Net Worth:

My goal was to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I achieved this goal in October and am now at $467k.  This is an increase of $19k Since last month.  I am now shooting for $525k by the end of the year but will need cooperation from the markets.

Looking Ahead:

November is my lowest paying month of the year and I don’t expect to even break $300.  However December will be my highest and will make up for it.  I only need another $624 in dividends for the rest of the year to meet my goal of $5k in dividend income.  I will break this goal in December.

Since I’ve already met my forward income goal of $6500, I’m now shooting for $8500.  In order to reach this new goal, I will need to contribute another $14,222 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.50%.  I’m currently averaging $9183/month in contributions so I think I’ll make this new goal.  The hardest part may be replacing TWGP’s income, they are yielding 18% at these prices and I can see them cutting their dividend for December.

Well, this summer has flown by and football season has begun.  It’s also time again for another monthly update.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ( $8,387.02 NET):

$2000 of BP
$1100 of JNJ 
$900 of MDT
$500 of MO
$500 of PM
$500 of PEP
$500 of KO
123 share of TWGP @ $16.24/share ($1997.52)
70 shares of OHI @ $30/share ($2100)
50 shares of SO $43.65/share ($2182.50)

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
I sold 250 shares of PAAS @ $13.572/share.  I used the proceeds to purchase more Southern Company (SO).

Options Trades:

I sold puts in DOW and TWGP.  I closed or had expired puts in KO, CSX, and TWGP.  I earned only $21 in profits due to me rolling a put forward in TWGP losing $350.  With recent weakness and accounting issues I reduced my risk on that put.  My total for the year so far is $3136.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $539.35 in dividends for the month.  August was a much larger month than May mainly because of a large dividend from VOD.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $2999.69. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-month dividend income has increased to $7200.71 from $6727.91, an increase of 7.0% ($472.80) in one month.  I made a milestone post about receiving $600/month now in dividends.

Goals:

I have completed all but 3 of my goals.  The next goal I will hit will be $450k net worth hopefull sometime this month or early next month.  I’m well on my way to meeting all of my goals except the refinance of my primary residence.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

I had been looking into possibly buying a third rental property.  I instead decided to pay down the condo unit to eliminate PMI.  I posted about that here.  This should be completed in September and I’ll once again be looking into another rental property.

I was deciding whether or not I was going to buy a solar system and made some comparisons here.  I’ve also decided already which system I’m buying.  I’ll post the results of the system that I picked soon.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label

Net Worth:

My goal is to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I started January at $334k and I’m currently at $432k.  This is an increase of $22k Since last month.  I only need another $18K to meet my goal.

Looking Ahead:

August should be a great month for dividends. My estimates are to break $1000 for the first time ever!  I still need about $2000 in dividends for the rest of the year to meet my goal of $5k in dividend income.

My options income should get passed up this month by dividend income.

Since I’ve already met my forward income goal of $6500, I’m now shooting for $8500.  In order to reach this new goal, I will need to contribute another $37142 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.50%.  I’m currently averaging about $8500/month in contributions so this new goal may prove difficult..

I’m getting all preparations for my solar installation.  Most likely it won’t be completed until the end of October but I will post updates.

Well, it’s time again for another monthly update.  Man, this summer is just flying by!

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ($9,300) :

$1550 of BBL
$2700 of BP
$500 of TD
$1500 of KO
$400 of PM
300 shares of BBVA @ $9/share
56 shares of TGH @ $35.59/share

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
I sold 28 shares of NSC @ $73.00/share after a smaller than expected dividend raise.  I used the proceeds to buy more TGH.

Options Trades:

I sold puts in BBL and PAAS.  I closed or had expired puts in COP, BBL, and PAAS.  I was assigned Puts in BBVA.  I earned $401 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a yearly total so far of $3115.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $225.93 in dividends for the month.  July is typically one of my slower months since I don’t have a lot of payers.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $2460.34. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-month dividend income has increased to $6727.91 from $6164.53, an increase of 9.1% in one month.

Goals:

I completed 3 more goals this month!  I hit my options goal of 3k, my portfolio goal of 180k and my forward dividend income of $6500.  I have now met five of my goals so far this year.  I’m well on my way to meeting all of my goals except the refinance of my primary residence.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

The condo rental was re-leased for $100/month more.  I am currently looking into a 3rd rental property. This purchase is competing with a couple other investment ideas.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label here.

Net Worth:

My goal is to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I started January at $334k and I’m currently at $410.5k.  This is an increase of $27k Since last month.  I need to average about 8k per month in order to hit this goal so I think this will be achievable.

Looking Ahead:

July wasn’t a big dividend month due to not having a lot of payers in the month.  August should be better with my estimate to be around $550.  I still need about $2300 in dividends for the rest of the year to meet my goal of $5k in dividend income.

My options income continues to outpace my dividend income and has pulled further ahead after this month.  I still believe my dividend income will catch up especially after September which will be a big month for me.
Since I’ve already met my forward income goal of $6500, I’m now shooting for $8500.  In order to reach this new goal, I will need to contribute another $47280 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.75%.  I’m currently averaging over $8600/month in contributions so this goal is achievable but may prove difficult.

I’m also getting quotes on a solar system to see what ROI I could get from the system.  That purchase is competing against a possible third rental property or to start paying down the condo rental.  I will keep posting updates.

Another month has come and gone so it’s time to report my investment activities.  I have earned $2234.41 in dividends and $2794 in options income so far in 2013.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ($13,000) :

$1042 of TD
$1350 of CAT
$2200 of RDS.B
$3500 of BBL
$1500 of BP
100 shares of DOW

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
none

Options Trades:

I sold puts in BBVA.  I closed or had expired puts in MO and KMI.  I earned $250 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a yearly total so far of $2794.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $805.19 in dividends for the month which is a new record.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $2234.41. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-month dividend income has increased to $6164.53 from $5561.78, an increase of 10.8% in one month.   I had a larger amount of purchases than usual which explains the huge increase.

Goals:

I’ve already met two of my goals so far this year.  I’m well on my way to meeting most of my goals except the refinance of my primary residence.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

The condo rental just leased after only 1 week on the market.  I am waiting on final signatures and will make a separate post about it once it’s finalized.  I was able to get the $100 increase as planned.  As for the refinance of my primary, interest rates have been climbing and it doesn’t make sense right now.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label here.

Net Worth:

My goal is to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I started January at $334k and I’m currently at $383.5k.  Since last month I’ve had a positive net  increase of 11.5k.  I need to average 11k per month in order to hit this goal.

Looking Ahead:

June was a big dividend month due to having a lot of payers in the month.  July is one of my worst and I expect to have about $140 in dividends for July.  My goal of $5000 in dividends this year is starting to look achievable due to the larger amount of purchases in June.  I need about $2800 in dividends for the second half of the year.  My second half estimate is currently over $3k without even buying more stocks so I should make the goal.

My options income is ahead of my dividend income but I’m starting to catch up.  I still expect my dividend income to catch up and eventually pass my options income in the fourth quarter.

I’ve set some aggressive goals for my dividend growth.  In order to meet my goal of $6500 of forward dividends then I will need to contribute another $9584.86 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.5%.  I’m currently averaging over $8500/month in contributions so this goal should be fairly easy to hit.  I will shoot for $8k now in forward dividends and see what happens.

Well another month has come and gone so it’s time to report my investment activities.  I have earned $1429.22 in dividends and $2544 in options income so far in 2013.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases ($6,000) :

$1000 of TD
$1000 of TEVA
$500 of WFC
$500 of APD
$500 of RDS.B
$1500 of COP
$1000 of CVX

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
none

Options Trades:

I sold puts in TEVA, BBL, and SO.  I closed or had expired puts in CAT.  I earned $287 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a yearly total so far of $2544.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $287.34 in dividends for the month.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $1429.88. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-month dividend income has increased to $5561.78 from $5295.61, an increase of 5.0% in one month.   If I can average 5% each month the rest of the year then I’ll end the year at $7825.98.

Goals:

I’ve already met two of my goals so far this year.  I’m well on my way to meeting most of my goals except the refinance of my primary residence.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

The condo rental is coming up for renewal in two months.  I hope to increase that rent by $100 also just like I recently did with the house rental.  I will be looking into a refinance of my primary residence towards the end of June if interest rates cooperate.  This was delayed a month due to filing an extension on my taxes.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label here.

Net Worth:

I just added this section to my monthly updates.  My goal is to hit a net worth of $450k by the end of the year.  I started January at $334k and I’m currently at $372k.  The slower increase was due to a larger than expected tax bill.  I plan to do a better job this year of keeping up with my expected tax liability.

Looking Ahead:

I expect to have a much better dividend month in June than in May.  My estimate is over $800 in dividends for June.  My goal of $5000 in dividends this year will be tough to make but I think I can do it.  I’m barely over $1400 with five months already gone but all of my purchases the first half of the year will be paying dividends the entire second half.

My options income is still way ahead of my dividend income.  My dividend income should catch up quite a bit in June.  I expect my dividend income to catch up and eventually pass my options income in the fourth quarter.

I’ve set some aggressive goals for my dividend growth.  In order to meet my goal of $6500 of forward dividends then I will need to contribute another $26,806 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.5%.  I’m currently averaging about $8000/month in contributions so this goal should be fairly easy to hit.  The goal of $5000 in 2013 dividends will be more difficult to achieve.

April is over and I’ve made some great progress in meeting many of my goals!  I have earned $1141.88 in dividends and $2257 in options income so far in 2013.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases (Approx. $13,900) :

150 shares of PAAS
100 shares of CSX
$1150 of CAT
$2550 of WFC
$1750 of TD
$3502 of APD
$500 of TEVA

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
none

Options Trades:

I sold puts in COP, CAT, PAAS and INTC.  I closed or had expired puts in INTC, DRI, LO, RTN and WM.  I earned $779 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a yearly total so far of $2257.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $232.57 in dividends for the month.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $1141.88. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-months of dividend income has increased to $5295.61 from $4750.25, an increase of 11.5% in one month.  I’ve broken the $5k barrier and look forward to hitting $6k or $500/mo. 

Goals:

I’ve already met two of my goals so far this year.  I’m well on my way to meeting most of my goals.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

The condo rental is coming up for renewal in the next couple of months.  I hope to increase that rent by $100 also just like I recently did with the house rental.  I will be looking into a refinance of my primary residence towards the end of May if interest rates cooperate.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label here.

Looking Ahead:

I expect to have a little better dividend month in May than April.  My goal of $5000 in dividends this year will be tough to make.  I’m barely over $1000 with four months already gone so I really need to accelerate my contributions so that the second half of the year can catch me up.

My options income is still way ahead of my dividend income.  It’s almost exactly double of my dividend income.  I don’t know if I can hold this pace with options but it won’t be until the second half of the year that my dividend income has a chance to catch up.

I’ve set some aggressive goals for my dividend growth.  In order to meet my goal of $6500 of forward dividends then I will need to contribute another $34,400 to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.5%.  I’m currently averaging about $9000/month in contributions and I plan to increase that more in the second half of the year so this goal should be fairly easy to hit.  The $5000 in 2013 dividends will be a much harder goal to achieve.

The first quarter is over and the year has started with a bang!  I have earned $909.31 in dividends and $1478 in options income so far in 2013.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases:

52 shares of LO
58 shares of KMI
$1000 of CAT
$800 of WFC
$1200 of TD
$300 of PEP
$1375 of RDS.B
$1525 of TEVA

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Sells:
100 Shares of WM (called away)

Options Trades:

I sold puts in BBVA, LO and INTC.  I closed or had expired puts in INTC, BBVA and LO.  I earned $448 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a total so far of $1478.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $577.09 in dividends for the month.  This was my first time to break $500!  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $909.31. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-months of dividend income has increased to $4750.25 from $4491.40, an increase of 5.8% in one month.

Goals:

I’ve already met two of these goals so far this year.  The newest goal won’t help my dividend income but it will give me a lot of satisfaction!  I mentioned that purchase here.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

I just increased rent by $100/mo on my house rental.  That’s practically another $1200 profit in my pocket per year!  That post can be found here.  The condo rental is up next in another month.  I hope to increase that rent also.  My goal to refinance my first mortgage into a lower interest rate may not happen since rates have been increasing.  We will see how that plays out.  All of my real estate posts will be found on my real estate label here.

Looking Ahead:

I expect to have a decent dividend month in April due to a once yearly payment from NVS. My goal of $5000 in dividend this year will be tough to make.  I’m under $1000 with one quarter gone so I hope the second half of the year can catch me up.

My options income is still way ahead of my dividend income.  I already have a couple of closed puts in April for profit.  I don’t think dividend income can pass up options income until late in the year.  

I’ve set some aggressive goals for my dividend growth.  In order to meet my goal of $6500 of forward dividends then I will need to contribute another $50k to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.5%.  I’m currently averaging over $6000/month in contributions and I plan to increase that after I pay taxes so I am ahead of schedule.

The new year is off to a good start.  I have earned $332.22 in dividends and $1030 in options income so far in 2013.

Below is a summary of my activity for the month:

New Purchases:

65 shares of GIS
23 shares of LMT
$500 worth of JNJ
$950 worth of KO
$2200 worth of RDS.B
$950 worth of TEVA
$200 worth of WFC
$200 worth of TD
$1000 worth of MO

Sells:
42 HNZ (due to buyout, replaced immediately with GIS)

Posts about new purchases can all be found by following the “Buys” label here.

Options Trades:

I sold puts in KO, DRI, CAT and LO.  I closed or had expired puts in TGH, PM and SWY.  I earned $517 in profits from puts that I closed out or that expired this month giving me a total so far of $1030.  I’ve updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned $252.17 in dividends for February.  My total year-to-date dividend income is now $332.22. I’ve updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.  I’ve also switched my dividend page to Google Docs.

Forward 12-month Dividends:

My expected future 12-months of dividend income has increased to $4491.40 from $4087.47, an increase of 9.9% in one month.

Goals:

I have set some new and more aggressive goals for 2013.  I’ve already met one of these goals of paying off my second lien.  That post can be found here.  All of my goals can be found on the Goals tab.

Real Estate:

My 2nd lien is paid off saving me over $380/month.  My next real estate goal is to refinance my first mortgage into a lower interest rate and then decide if I should pay off the condo rental.

Looking Ahead:

I expect to have a big month for dividends in March.  My projections are around $700 so we shall see.  Although my options income is way ahead of my dividend income I don’t think it can keep pace all year but I will sure try!   

I’ve set some aggressive goals for my dividend growth.  In order to meet my goal of $6500 of forward dividends then I will need to contribute at least another $50k to my portfolio this year at an average yield of 3.75%.  I’m currently averaging over $1500/week in contributions so I am ahead of schedule.