February Dividend Income

Before I start this post, I just wanted to state it is hard for me to get excited about finances the last few days.  There is so much tension and tragedy around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the point where it is depressing seeing it unfold.  I know there are fellow international bloggers whose sites I visit regularly and their country borders or is near a border with Russia of which I cannot imagine how they feel as Russia is saber rattling to those countries like Sweden, Finland, and others.   I have said my peace and will keep the Ukrainian people in my prayers.  Now onto the monthly post…

After 35 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, my countdown to financial independence is in sight. Each month is a step closer and let’s look at how this past month is getting me there.

For the month of February I made $3,006.83; an increase of 5.96% versus this time last year.

In February I received 20 dividend raises which is a new record for me as the most raises ever in a single month. 

On the home front we are still dealing with health issues with extended family members.  My oldest daughter was just notified her company is closing and her last day will be the end May.  She is taking the news as best as she can, but my fear is with only 2 years of experience she may struggle to find a job.   

The end of February is my annual review at work which went fairly well as I received a 4% raise which will kick in around mid March.  I will most likely be redirecting some of that to future savings but not too much as 4% did not even cover inflation.

Let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
2/1/22	CM	CANADIAN IMP BK COMM	$292.04
2/1/22	GIS	GENERAL MILLS INC	$94.89
2/1/22	T	AT&T INC	$624.04
2/1/22	VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC	$100.77
2/4/22	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.45
2/4/22	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$16.57
2/7/22	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$19.26
2/7/22	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$39.59
2/14/22	APD	AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC	$34.17
2/15/22	ABBV	ABBVIE INC COM	$215.15
2/15/22	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
2/15/22	HAS	HASBRO INC	$40.33
2/15/22	IBCP	INDEPENDENT BK CORP MICH	$43.26
2/15/22	OHI	OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS INC	$722.72
2/15/22	PG	PROCTER AND GAMBLE CO	$114.15
2/17/22	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
2/23/22	ARTNA	ARTESIAN RES CORP	$202.33
2/25/22	ODC	OIL DRI CORP OF AMERICA	$28.20
2/25/22	WSM	WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC	$12.87
2/28/22	SBRA	SABRA HEALTH CARE REIT INC	$86.75
2/28/22	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$72.04

January Dividend Income

After 35 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, my countdown to financial independence is in sight. Each month is a step closer and let’s look at how this past month is getting me there.

For the month of January I made $3,699.22; an increase of 19.41% versus this time last year. January was a pretty cold month with lots of snow but this increase kept me pretty warm :).   Markets were crazy but my portfolio held up well most likely due to investors rotating into value and/or dividend paying stocks.

In January I received 5 dividend raise announcements from Chevron (CVX), Fastenal (FAST), GATX Corp (GATX), Independent Bank Corp (IBCP), and Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB) which all together add $30.79 to my annual forward dividend.

On the home front we are still dealing with health issues with extended family members, but some of the craziness has settled down.  My job on the other hand has been a bit more demanding but it may just be people all energized for a new year. As much as I have enjoyed my career, I am noticing the closer I get to FI the less patience I’m having with the job and co-workers. Guess we can call this the FI effect (lol)!  Let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
1/3/22	AGR	AVANGRID	$23.71
1/3/22	PPL	PPL CORP	$490.05
1/3/22	WMT	WALMART INC	$14.48
1/4/22	GRMN	GARMIN LTD	$67.89
1/4/22	KMB	KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP	$16.63
1/6/22	IRM	IRON MOUNTAIN INC	$497.17
1/6/22	TU	TELUS CORPORATION	$56.52
1/7/22	MRK	MERCK &CO. INC	$148.57
1/7/22	PEP	PEPSICO INC	$56.05
1/13/22	MPW	MEDICAL PROPERTIES TRUST INC	$185.17
1/14/22	APTS	PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITIES INC	$82.97
1/14/22	AQN	ALGONQUIN PWR UTILS CORP	$244.27
1/14/22	KBAL	KIMBALL INTERNATIONAL INC	$2.43
1/14/22	LEG	LEGGETT &PLATT INC	$105.19
1/14/22	PKG	PACKAGING CORP OF AMERICA	$4.00
1/14/22	WPC	WP CAREY INC	$575.25
1/18/22	CPT	CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST	$12.73
1/18/22	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
1/18/22	GSK	GLAXOSMITHKLINE ADR	$172.74
1/20/22	BCE	BCE INC	$175.73
1/20/22	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
1/24/22	AMNF	ARMANINO FOODS DISTINCTION INC	$39.05
1/28/22	OGE	OGE ENERGY CORP	$141.09
1/31/22	BGS	B&G FOODS INC	$269.11
1/31/22	BNS	BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA	$29.01
1/31/22	NUSI	ETF SER SOLUTIONS NATIONWIDE NASDQ	$13.20
1/31/22	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$42.96

December Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, my countdown to financial independence is in sight. Each month is a step closer and let’s look at how this past month is getting me there.

For the month of December I made $5,351.51; an increase of 23.74% versus this time last year. A large portion of this jump was from Newtek Business Services (NEWT) which was able to payout a massive dividend because of all the PPP loan originations.  Now that PPP loans are a thing of the past the dividends from NEWT will decline making Dec 2022 a tough month next year for year over year gains.

In December I received 7 dividend raise announcements from Amgen (AMGN), Broadcom (AVGO), CBIC (CM), Enbridge (ENB), Pfizer (PFE), W.P. Carey (WPC) and Waste Management (WM). I love this time of year as it signals the beginning of steady dividend raises that usually come in from December through March for the bulk of my portfolio.

On the home front we are dealing with some health issues with extended family members, which is a bit draining on me and the wife. There is a tale for expenses in this experience, but I will wait until after the crisis’s have been resolved before I share the story. Let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
12/1/21	ALE	ALLETE INC COM NEW	$131.73
12/1/21	PNW	PINNACLE WEST CAPITAL CORP COM NPV	$115.50
12/1/21	PSX	PHILLIPS 66 COM	$26.74
12/1/21	SJM	SMUCKER J M CO COM NEW	$16.69
12/2/21	CMI	CUMMINS INC	$40.46
12/3/21	ENB	ENBRIDGE INC COM ISIN #CA29250N1050 SED	$236.07
12/3/21	UL	UNILEVER PLC SPON ADR NEW	$36.17
12/6/21	PFE	PFIZER INC	$229.56
12/6/21	SO	SOUTHERN CO	$66.79
12/7/21	JNJ	JOHNSON &JOHNSON COM USD1.00	$184.29
12/8/21	AMGN	AMGEN INC	$8.74
12/8/21	UPS	UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC	$227.88
12/9/21	DFS	DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES	$12.95
12/9/21	MSFT	MICROSOFT CORP	$67.57
12/9/21	VLO	VALERO ENERGY CORP COM	$35.28
12/10/21	CVX	CHEVRON CORP NEW COM	$22.61
12/10/21	IBM	INTERNATIONAL BUS MACH CORP COM USD0.20	$150.10
12/10/21	WBA	WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC	$65.41
12/13/21	MMM	3M CO	$57.77
12/15/21	AVA	AVISTA CORP	$139.18
12/15/21	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES SBI USD0.01	$77.71
12/15/21	FAF	FIRST AMERICAN FINANCIAL CORP COM USD0.	$163.33
12/15/21	NWL	NEWELL BRANDS INC COM	$25.56
12/16/21	DUK	DUKE ENERGY CORP NEW COM NEW ISIN #US26	$66.14
12/16/21	OGN	ORGANON &CO COMMON STOCK	$5.60
12/16/21	PRU	PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC	$487.72
12/16/21	QCOM	QUALCOMM INC	$160.93
12/17/21	BHB	BAR HARBOR BANKSHARES	$49.09
12/17/21	BP	BP PLC SPONSORED ADR	$8.59
12/17/21	KHC	KRAFT HEINZ CO COM	$9.49
12/17/21	R	RYDER SYSTEM INC	$54.57
12/17/21	WM	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC	$41.50
12/20/21	CMP	COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL INC	$28.65
12/22/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$36.26
12/22/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$87.58
12/23/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP COM	$155.54
12/27/21	LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP COM USD1.00	$25.43
12/28/21	NUSI	ETF SER SOLUTIONS NATIONWIDE NASDQ	$12.79
12/29/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$40.98
12/29/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$31.08
12/30/21	ARCC	ARES CAPITAL CORP COM	$502.58
12/30/21	CTO	CTO RLTY GROWTH INC NEW COM	$56.13
12/30/21	NEWT	NEWTEK BUSINESS SVCS CORP COM NEW	$868.27
12/30/21	TROW	PRICE T ROWE GROUPS COM USD0.20	$16.96
12/31/21	AVGO	BROADCOM INC COM	$8.32
12/31/21	BEP	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE PARTNERS PARTNERSH	$266.34
12/31/21	BEPC	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE CORP CLASS A SUBOR	$66.52
12/31/21	GATX	GATX CORP COM STK USD0.625	$53.15
12/31/21	WEYS	WEYCO GROUP INC	$25.63
12/31/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$47.58

November Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, my countdown to financial independence is in sight. Each month is a step closer and let’s take a look at how this past month is getting me there.

For the month of November I made $3,235.39; an increase of 39.76% versus this time last year. As a note some dividend growth can be deceiving and that is what I have. For November I had two large payouts from CM & BGS that normally fall in the October time so my number was inflated.  Discounting these two payouts my YoY growth would be 16.6% which is well above my 12.5% target.

In November I received 4 dividend raise announcements from Telus (TU), Pinnacle West Capital (PNW), Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), and Merck (MRK). I also received my first dividend cut for the year from Compass Mineral as they decided to redirect cash flow from dividends to R&D and Capex for their lithium discovery.

On the home front my oldest daughter moved from our auto insurance policy and onto her own plan. This reduced my expenses which allowed me to increase my 401K savings rate by 1% and I increased my weekly M1 finance contribution by $10.  All this resulted in my savings rate growing from 24.9% to 26.2%.

Let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
11/1/21	BGS	B&G FOODS INC	$264.82
11/1/21	CM	CANADIAN IMP BK COMM	$271.20
11/1/21	GIS	GENERAL MILLS INC	$94.11
11/1/21	T	AT&T INC	$624.04
11/1/21	VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC	$97.67
11/4/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.47
11/4/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.35
11/5/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$17.31
11/5/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$47.76
11/8/21	APD	AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC	$34.00
11/15/21	ABBV	ABBVIE INC	$196.18
11/15/21	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
11/15/21	HAS	HASBRO INC	$38.70
11/15/21	IBCP	INDEPENDENT BK CORP MICH	$41.30
11/15/21	OHI	OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS INC	$722.72
11/15/21	PG	PROCTER AND GAMBLE CO	$113.48
11/18/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
11/19/21	ARTNA	ARTESIAN RES CORP	$201.09
11/23/21	FAST	FASTENAL	$11.47
11/26/21	ODC	OIL DRI CORP OF AMERICA	$22.09
11/26/21	WSM	WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC	$12.87
11/30/21	NUSI	ETF SER SOLUTIONS NATIONWIDE RSK	$13.31
11/30/21	SBRA	SABRA HEALTH CARE REIT INC	$86.36
11/30/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$61.84

October Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, my countdown to financial independence is in sight. Each month is a step closer and lets take a look at how this past month is getting me there.

For the month of October I made $3,310.23; a decrease of -5.96% versus this time last year. Not every month is going to be positive and this is one of those times. I had two payments that opted to pay me in November instead of October. On the bright side, November’s payout will get a nice bump.

In October I received two dividend raise announcements from Phillips 66 (PSX) at 2% and AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) at 9%. I was expecting a third raise from Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) but they moved their quarterly meeting to early November and anticipate the announcement then.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9% but there may be a change coming.  My oldest daughter’s car died and she had to buy a replacement. Since her old car was in my name I was paying the taxes and insurance but the new car is in her name and she got her own insurance. This is going to free up some money and the bulk of it I will redirect to my investing accounts. Hopefully next month my savings rate will go up.

Enough of me droning on, let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
10/1/21	AGR	AVANGRID	$23.51
10/29/21	AMNF	ARMANINO FOODS DISTINCTION INC	$39.05
10/15/21	APTS	PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITIES INC	$82.97
10/15/21	AQN	ALGONQUIN PWR UTILS CORP	$232.62
10/19/21	BCE	BCE INC	$170.08
10/6/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$13.92
10/29/21	BNS	BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA COM	$26.59
10/18/21	CPT	CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST	$12.73
10/15/21	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
10/11/21	GSK	GLAXOSMITHKLINE	$170.72
10/7/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$18.02
10/6/21	IRM	IRON MOUNTAIN INC	$495.46
10/15/21	KBAL	KIMBALL INTERNATIONAL INC	$2.41
10/4/21	KMB	KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP	$16.49
10/15/21	LEG	LEGGETT &PLATT INC	$83.30
10/14/21	MPW	MEDICAL PROPERTIES TRUST INC	$184.51
10/7/21	MRK	MERCK &CO. INC	$137.08
10/25/21	NUSI	NATIONWIDE RISK-MANAGED INCOME ETF	$12.74
10/29/21	OGE	OGE ENERGY CORP	$139.42
10/7/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$51.71
10/1/21	PPL	PPL CORP	$489.49
10/21/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
10/5/21	TU	TELUS CORPORATION	$54.15
10/6/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.91
10/15/21	WPC	WP CAREY INC	$572.04
10/29/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$32.06

September Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, in good times and bad, I have decided to share my monthly dividend income to show what regular saving and investing can accomplish.

For the month of September I made $5,192.28; an increase of 38.31% versus this time last year. This marks the first time I have ever crossed the $5K so an awesome month on this front for sure.

In September I received four dividend raise announcements from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Artesian Resources (ARTNA), Lockheed Martin (LMT), and OGE Energy (OGE).  Of the four only the OGE raise was unexpected as I had forecasted a 3% raise, but they issued a 1.7% raise which was disappointing but a raise none the less.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9%.  I have no pics or adventures for the month. September is tough month as we sadly say goodbye to summer and its warm days, the swimming pool gets covered and winterized and of course the day becomes that much shorter as the sun sets so quickly.  The trees around my house are mostly green with a touch yellow, orange, or red on their edges, a sign that peak autumn foliage is just a few weeks away.

Enough of me droning on about the passing of another summer let’s see the things we all love to see…charts and dividend payouts:

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
9/1/21	ALE	ALLETE INC	$128.41
9/1/21	PSX	PHILLIPS 66	$25.84
9/1/21	SJM	SMUCKER J M CO	$10.45
9/2/21	CMI	CUMMINS INC	$40.46
9/2/21	DFS	DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES	$12.95
9/2/21	VLO	VALERO ENERGY CORP	$35.28
9/3/21	ENB	ENBRIDGE INC	$236.19
9/7/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.47
9/7/21	JNJ	JOHNSON &JOHNSON	$184.18
9/7/21	PFE	PFIZER INC	$227.64
9/7/21	SO	SOUTHERN CO	$66.14
9/7/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.63
9/7/21	WMT	WALMART INC	$14.48
9/8/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$17.07
9/8/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$52.60
9/9/21	MSFT	MICROSOFT CORP	$61.03
9/9/21	UPS	UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC	$227.87
9/10/21	CVX	CHEVRON CORP	$22.61
9/10/21	IBM	INTERNATIONAL BUS MACH CORP	$148.35
9/10/21	UL	UNILEVER PLC	$14.84
9/10/21	WBA	WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC	$58.88
9/13/21	MMM	3M	$57.77
9/13/21	OGN	ORGANON &CO	$5.60
9/15/21	AVA	AVISTA CORP	$135.62
9/15/21	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
9/15/21	FAF	FIRST AMERICAN FINANCIAL CORP	$163.33
9/15/21	NWL	NEWELL BRANDS INC	$25.56
9/16/21	DUK	DUKE ENERGY CORP NEW COM NEW ISIN #US26	$65.51
9/16/21	PRU	PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC	$482.40
9/16/21	VTRS	VIATRIS INC	$7.75
9/17/21	BHB	BAR HARBOR BANKSHARES	$48.64
9/17/21	R	RYDER SYSTEM INC	$54.57
9/17/21	WM	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC	$41.50
9/20/21	CMP	COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL INC	$137.52
9/23/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
9/23/21	QCOM	QUALCOMM INC	$160.93
9/24/21	BP	BP PLC	$8.59
9/24/21	KHC	KRAFT HEINZ CO	$9.39
9/24/21	LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP	$18.27
9/27/21	NUSI	ETF SER SOLUTIONS NATIONWIDE RSK	$12.77
9/29/21	BEP	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE PARTNERS	$266.34
9/29/21	BEPC	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE CORP	$66.52
9/29/21	TROW	PRICE T ROWE GROUPS	$16.88
9/30/21	ARCC	ARES CAPITAL CORP	$502.58
9/30/21	AVGO	BROADCOM INC	$7.25
9/30/21	CTO	CTO RLTY GROWTH INC	$55.10
9/30/21	GATX	GATX CORP	$53.15
9/30/21	GRMN	GARMIN	$67.89
9/30/21	NEWT	NEWTEK BUSINESS SVCS CORP	$744.23
9/30/21	PEP	PEPSICO INC	$55.66
9/30/21	WEYS	WEYCO GROUP INC	$25.38
9/30/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$46.96

August Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, in good times and bad, I have decided to share my monthly dividend income to show what regular saving and investing can accomplish.

For the month of August I made $2,641.65; an increase of 25.12% versus this time last year. This is well above my required 12.5% and hopefully it continues in the months ahead.

In August I received two large dividend raise announcements from First American Financial (FAF) 10.86% and Williams-Sonoma (WSM) 20%.  The WSM raise was particularly sweet because they already issued a double digit raise back in March.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9%.  Our backyard movie nights ran into a snag when a critter that looks like the one below decided to crash the party.  Wish I had a video of 4 adults running in the dark to get away from the skunk with a movie playing on the background.

We also took some time out to visit the mansions in Newport Rhode Island.  This was my first time touring a mansion and I was floored by the size and lavish finishes.  We toured the smallest of the mansions which came in at 30,000ft² complete with polished marble, massive chandeliers and 6ft fireplaces.  The most impressive thing to me was the massive veranda over-looking the ocean.

Overall, another great month for dividend raises, a few stock buys, and fun with the family.

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
8/2/21	GIS	GENERAL MILLS INC	$88.25
8/2/21	T	AT&T INC	$624.04
8/2/21	VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC	$62.92
8/5/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.46
8/5/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.83
8/6/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$17.50
8/6/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$51.97
8/9/21	APD	AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC	$33.82
8/13/21	OHI	OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS INC	$722.72
8/16/21	ABBV	ABBVIE INC	$190.12
8/16/21	EPR	EPR PROPERTIES	$77.71
8/16/21	HAS	HASBRO INC	$34.70
8/16/21	PG	PROCTER AND GAMBLE CO	$113.48
8/19/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
8/20/21	ARTNA	ARTESIAN RES CORP	$194.89
8/24/21	FAST	FASTENAL	$11.41
8/25/21	ISBC	INVESTORS BANCORP INC	$37.70
8/27/21	ODC	OIL DRI CORP OF AMERICA	$21.12
8/27/21	WSM	WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC	$10.69
8/30/21	NUSI	NATIONWIDE RISK-MANAGED INCOME ETF	$12.98
8/31/21	SBRA	SABRA HEALTHCARE REIT INC	$86.04
8/31/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$63.76

July Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving at least 10% annually in my 401K every year, in good times and bad, I have decided to share my monthly dividend income to show what regular saving and investing can accomplish.

For the month of July I made $3,949.85; an increase of 34.06% versus this time last year. Another large increase versus the previous year as my dividend payout recovers from all the dividend cuts and freezes of 2020.  I should have one more month of massive YoY increases as my major portfolio repositioning that I did last year started to kick-in last September so growth should come down some.

In July I continued to receive dividend raise announcements from Ares Capital (ARCC), Cummins (CMI), Discover (DFS), J.M Smucker (SJM), Ryder (R), and Walgreens (WBA). Meanwhile EPR Properties restored 65% of their pre-COVID dividend payout.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9% but we did splurge a bit.  We bought an Epson projector and started having backyard movie night with the family.  Our first movie was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and it was a hit.  Everyone in the family had a good time and I even relaxed sipping on a Yuenling. Our next movie night we are showing Addams Family Values which is always good for a few laughs.

The only major addition to my portfolio for the month was Enbridge as I added 101 shares.  I have always been hesitant about the energy sector but was finally convinced on pipelines. The remainder of my buys were all small picking up just a few shares here and there of GIS, SJM, UL, WBA, and of course a weekly $130 contribution to my M1 account. 

Overall a great month for dividend raises, a few stock buys, and fun with the family.

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
7/1/21	PPL	PPL CORP	$764.07
7/2/21	KMB	KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP	$12.34
7/6/21	AGR	AVANGRID INC	$23.32
7/6/21	IRM	IRON MOUNTAIN INC	$488.35
7/7/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$13.95
7/7/21	MRK	MERCK &CO. INC	$132.44
7/7/21	TROW	PRICE T ROWE GROUPS	$45.95
7/7/21	TU	TELUS CORPORATION	$54.87
7/7/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.63
7/8/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$17.97
7/8/21	MPW	MEDICAL PROPERTIES TRUST INC	$181.99
7/8/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$52.98
7/12/21	GSK	GLAXOSMITHKLINE ADR	$171.37
7/15/21	APTS	PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITIES INC	$82.97
7/15/21	AQN	ALGONQUIN PWR UTILS CORP	$232.62
7/15/21	KBAL	KIMBALL INTERNATIONAL INC	$2.39
7/15/21	LEG	LEGGETT &PLATT INC	$73.96
7/15/21	WPC	WP CAREY INC	$563.38
7/16/21	CPT	CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST	$12.73
7/19/21	BCE	BCE INC	$94.78
7/22/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
7/28/21	AMNF	ARMANINO FOODS DISTINCTION INC	$39.05
7/30/21	BGS	B&G FOODS INC	$260.65
7/30/21	BNS	BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA	$25.81
7/30/21	CM	CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE	$263.92
7/30/21	OGE	OGE ENERGY CORP	$135.27
7/31/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$31.55

June Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving 10% annually in my 401K every year, in good times and bad as well as investing in a separate brokerage account during that time period and contributing to a Roth IRA for the last 4 years. I have decided to share my monthly dividend income to show what regular saving and investing can accomplish.

For the month of June I made $4,581.27; an increase of 59.64% versus this time last year. What a difference a year makes, I remember last June was with all the dividend cuts so a massive jump compared to then was not entirely a surprise.  Two big contributors compared to last year was receiving my BEP/BEPC and NEWT payments in June instead of July and of course all those fantastic dividend raises announced earlier this year really kicked in.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9%. I did get out this month and enjoyed a meal (twice) at a restaurant and even went out to the pub one evening to enjoy some time with the boys.  It is a still a far cry from normalcy, but it felt good.  I had a vacation scheduled for the last week of June but with the sweltering heat it scuttled our plans, so we stayed home and enjoyed our pool. I still have quite a bit of vacation time so maybe August we’ll try again.

There were no violent swings in the markets but the end of July and August is the traditional vacation time for Wall Street so it will be interesting to see if we have light trading volume and volatile markets or if COVID restrictions will mute this affect. As far as a watch list, there are no screaming value plays however I did add some pipeline MLPs to my watch list.  For July my plan is to continue to just monitor 50+ stocks and buy in small allotments when an opportunity presents itself.

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
6/1/21	ALE	ALLETE INC	$127.25
6/1/21	PSX	PHILLIPS 66	$25.56
6/1/21	SJM	SMUCKER J M CO	$4.08
6/1/21	WMT	WALMART INC	$14.48
6/3/21	CMI	CUMMINS INC	$37.67
6/3/21	DFS	DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES	$11.40
6/4/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.36
6/4/21	PFE	PFIZER INC	$225.38
6/4/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.74
6/7/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$17.88
6/7/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$53.57
6/7/21	SO	SOUTHERN CO	$63.37
6/8/21	JNJ	JOHNSON &JOHNSON	$184.06
6/8/21	VLO	VALERO ENERGY CORP	$35.28
6/9/21	UPS	UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC	$227.86
6/10/21	CVX	CHEVRON CORP NEW	$22.61
6/10/21	IBM	INTERNATIONAL BUS MACH CORP	$146.74
6/10/21	MPX	MARINE PRODUCTS CORP	$0.01
6/10/21	MSFT	MICROSOFT CORP	$61.03
6/11/21	WBA	WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC	$45.49
6/14/21	MMM	3M CO	$57.35
6/14/21	UL	UNILEVER PLC SPON ADR	$13.05
6/15/21	AVA	AVISTA CORP	$132.44
6/15/21	FAF	FIRST AMERICAN FINANCIAL CORP	$146.29
6/15/21	NWL	NEWELL BRANDS INC COM	$25.56
6/16/21	DUK	DUKE ENERGY CORP	$63.58
6/16/21	VTRS	VIATRIS INC COM	$7.70
6/17/21	PRU	PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC	$477.16
6/17/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
6/18/21	BHB	BAR HARBOR BANKSHARES	$48.25
6/18/21	BP	BP PLC SPONSORED ADR	$8.26
6/18/21	CMP	COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL INC	$137.52
6/18/21	R	RYDER SYSTEM INC	$52.68
6/18/21	WM	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC	$41.50
6/24/21	QCOM	QUALCOMM INC	$160.93
6/25/21	KHC	KRAFT HEINZ CO	$9.30
6/25/21	LMT	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP	$5.24
6/29/21	TROW	PRICE T ROWE GROUPS	$16.54
6/30/21	ARCC	ARES CAPITAL CORP	$480.49
6/30/21	AVGO	BROADCOM INC	$7.20
6/30/21	BEP	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE PARTNERS PARTNERSH	$266.34
6/30/21	BEPC	BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE CORP CLASS A SUBOR	$66.52
6/30/21	CTO	CTO RLTY GROWTH INC	$54.08
6/30/21	GATX	GATX CORP COM STK USD0.625	$53.15
6/30/21	GRMN	GARMIN LTD	$67.89
6/30/21	NEWT	NEWTEK BUSINESS SVCS CORP	$567.26
6/30/21	PEP	PEPSICO INC	$55.25
6/30/21	WEYS	WEYCO GROUP INC	$25.11
6/30/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$45.27

May Dividend Income

After 34 years of clocking in and out of work and religiously saving 10% annually in my 401K every year, in good times and bad, I have decided to share my monthly dividend income to show what regular saving and investing can accomplish.

For the month of May I made $2,475.74; an increase of 12.16% versus this time last year. This was just a touch below my desired minimum of 12.5% growth.

On the home front my expenses have remained the same which means my savings rate has stayed steady at 24.9%. Not much really changed for me during the month of May with the exception of getting fully vaccinated for COVID.

There was no major movements in the overall stock markets other than which spin doctor did the occasional brief of if inflation is transitory or worse. But for the most parts markets must have it priced in as their were no violent swings. I did add three new positions with Broadcom (AVGO), Investors Bancorp (ISBC), and Kimberly Clark (KMB) and I consistently keep adding to my Algonquin (AQN) and Merck (MRK) positions. As far as a watch list, there are no screaming value plays that jump out at me so I’ll continue to monitor a little over 50 dividend stocks for any opportunity that arises.  Unless there is a pullback, I plan on staying with small $200 buying lots for the foreseeable future.

Date	Symbol	Company	Amount
5/3/21	GIS	GENERAL MILLS INC	$84.20
5/3/21	T	AT&T INC	$613.84
5/3/21	VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC	$57.87
5/6/21	BLV	VANGUARD BD INDEX FDS LONG TERM BOND	$14.08
5/6/21	VCLT	VANGUARD SCOTTSDALE FUNDS LONG-TERM COR	$15.09
5/7/21	HYG	ISHARES TR IBOXX HI YD ETF	$18.00
5/7/21	PFF	ISHARES TR PFD AND INCM SEC	$53.32
5/10/21	APD	AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC	$33.65
5/14/21	ABBV	ABBVIE INC	$188.00
5/17/21	HAS	HASBRO INC	$34.46
5/17/21	OHI	OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS INC	$722.72
5/17/21	PG	PROCTER AND GAMBLE CO	$113.48
5/20/21	PSEC	PROSPECT CAP CORP	$155.54
5/21/21	ARTNA	ARTESIAN RES CORP	$193.62
5/25/21	FAST	FASTENAL	$11.35
5/28/21	ODC	OIL DRI CORP OF AMERICA	$17.28
5/28/21	SBRA	SABRA HEALTH CARE REIT INC	$84.60
5/28/21	WSM	WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC	$10.69
5/28/21	M1 Finance	M1 DIVIDEND GROWTH ACCOUNT	$53.95