Recently, I was asked by Matt Alden, the man behind Dividend Monk, to take part in an interview for his investment newsletter. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! The interview focuses on my journey to financial independence before 40 years old, the methods and strategies I use, frugality as leverage and some stocks that I currently find attractive.
Matt publishes some of the most detailed and useful analyses on dividend growth stocks available anywhere. The fact that he publishes these reports free for his readers is fantastic, and they are a resource that I use often personally.
If you’d like to read the interview, please take a look below!
If you haven’t already, please take this time to sign up for Matt’s monthly newsletter. It’s completely free, and contains special content he does not publish on his blog. He usually publishes information on his newsletter focusing on current market trends, macroeconomic news, interviews (he recently interviewed Chuck Carnevale and David Van Knapp) and specific dividend growth stock ideas.
Thanks so much for the opportunity, Matt!
Thanks for reading.
Congratulations! You’re getting interviewed by everyone now. USA Today/CNBC, Dividend Monk, Mr. Money Mustache. Did I miss any? Hopefully you’ll encourage some more people to give dividend growth investing a try, whether they’re shooting for early retirement or not.
MFIJ,
Thanks so much! I appreciate it. I’m blessed and very lucky to be a part of a great community like this, and it does feel great to give back and hopefully inspire many others out there.
“Did I miss any?”
Actually, yes. I was recently interviewed by The Today Show. I’m not sure if they’re going to air it or not, so I’ve been quiet about it. We’ll see how it turns out, if they do decide to air it. They actually flew to my home/work and did a 3 hour interview.
Again, I just hope I can get the word out about FI/ER and dividend growth investing. In the end, if I can affect just one person and radically change their life for the better then I consider my job done.
Best wishes.
DM,
You’re becoming a celebrity. Bet you didn’t think that’d happen when you started the blog.
I got the newsletter yesterday and was excited to see an interview with you. Great interview. I really like how you laid out your investment strategy. It is exactly like mine but the way you describe the kinds of companies you like to invest in was really really good. I also liked your stock picks. One I own, one I am interested in owning and the other I haven’t looked much into but will now!
Good luck as you continue down your journey to reach financial independence!
This is one of the better interviews I’ve had the pleasure to read. The whole story is there in a genuine and humble way, and leaves the reader feeling like it can be done.
Thanks for doing the interview Mantra. I agree with Jeremy’s comment that it’s very genuine and leaves the reader feeling like it can be done, which is why I aimed for this particular interview.
The stock picks were good too. They’re certainly some riskier ones, but they’ve maintained reasonable valuations while many others have not. I’ve been meaning to do an analysis on Wells Fargo and actually almost did it twice, but until recently the yield was low and the company itself will be a particularly time-consuming analysis to do correctly, so I put it off. But I think it’s time to publish one on that company, and the strong mention of it in the newsletter has prompted me to place it on a higher priority to be properly analyzed.
Dan Mac,
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the interview. Matt made the entire process really seamless, and the opportunity to reach out to a new audience is wonderful.
I’m glad the picks provided you a potential new investment. Enjoy the research! 🙂
Good luck to you too! You’re off to a great start.
Best wishes.
Jeremy,
I appreciate it! Really glad you enjoyed it.
My story is definitely a humble one. But, that’s really the point. If I can do it, anyone can. I’m nobody special, and that’s the truth. I’m just here to inspire others to find their inner greatness.
Have fun on the road!
Best regards.
Matt,
Thanks so much for offering me the opportunity. I’m glad it came out well! It’s really a wonderful vote of confidence to be on a very high quality newsletter like yours.
I agree with you on the picks. Not the bluest of blue chips there, but that’s because a lot of those are already pretty pricey. I aimed for some picks with a little value left in them, even in this market, if you’re willing to take on a little extra risk. WFC was one of the safest stocks around before the recession, and an argument could be made they are now better than ever. KMI has some high quality assets, and the ongoing natural gas build-out will ensure future success. I’d argue AFL is probably the riskiest of them all.
I really look forward to your analysis on WFC. It’s difficult to fully analyze a large bank like that, if not impossible. I’ve been honest about that on my blog – that I honestly cannot fully analyze this company, and am relying a bit on their reputation, underlying assets, quality of management and the investors behind the name. There are some intangibles there.
Thanks again for the opportunity. Much appreciated!!
Pursuit,
Haha! I don’t know about that.
If I’m becoming a popular name because people are inspired by my journey and persistence, than I’d say the blog is doing its job. I’m just doing what I feel is best for my financial future, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.
Keep up the great work on your end too!
Take care.
I just finished reading the interview, it was great! You continue to do the community a great service by being so open about your journey and sharing your experiences. It’s an awesome thing to see your passive income and popularity increase in tandem!
Spoonman,
Thanks for the kind words and support. They are very much appreciated!!
I’m also glad just to give back to the community. When I first started a few years ago I knew nothing about all of this. If it wasn’t for the good nature in people that came before me sharing their knowledge I’d have nothing.
Humanity can be wonderful, and that’s never clearer than in education.
I look forward to continuing following your journey to financial independence. It looks like you’re going to be beat me there, so please let me know how it looks from the other side. 🙂
Best wishes!