Weekend Reading – February 13, 2015

happyweekendBoy, I tell you it’s nice to be able to run errands around on an early Friday afternoon.

The only way I could have hit the town to take care of multiple personal matters on a weekday afternoon back when I was working more than 50 hours per week in the auto industry was to call in sick. Or it would have been a holiday…meaning everywhere of importance was probably closed as well.

Anyway, I had to go to the local Social Security office here in Sarasota to get a code to activate my account online. It’s interesting to log on and track historical earnings as well as estimated benefits. Of course, there’ll probably be a number of donuts (zeros) for applicable annual income down the road, so I’m sure my benefits will correspondingly decline. But I’d rather be free to live my life on my terms rather than be handcuffed to benefits that may be reduced due to funding issues anyhow.

One of these days I want to put an article together highlighting my lifetime earnings, which are shockingly low. Just further proof you don’t need to make a lot of money to achieve financial independence.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend! Any exciting, but frugal plans?

I usually take Claudia out to celebrate, but this year I’m going to be putting my newly-acquired cooking skills (I’m being liberal with the word “skills”) to the test by whipping up something good (again, liberal) to eat. Wish me luck.

It’s been a while since I’ve put a good list of reading material together, which makes this as good a time as any. I read constantly. I really don’t know how I have so much time to write, to be honest. But I generally share just a tiny fraction of what I’ve read recently for the sake of brevity. However, there are some particularly interesting articles below, so make sure to check them out.

In the meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend. Have fun, be safe, and make the most of every minute!

Want to drive like a billionaire? Here’s how
Not an in-depth article, but here’s your chance to buy Warren Buffett’s Cadillac, autographed and all! I’ll pass since I’d probably have to liquidate my entire portfolio – and then some – to afford it, but picking up the keys from Buffett himself is obviously the highlight.

7 Things I’ve Learned in 7 Years of Blogging
J$ has some serious bragging rights here. Not many blogs survive seven years. It’s incredibly difficult to keep writing inspirational and quality content for years on end, as I can attest to firsthand. I’ve only been at it for four years, but even that seems like a lifetime. Looking forward to another seven years from J.

These 18 Stocks Go Ex-Dividend Next Week
We’ve got some high-quality dividend growth stocks going ex-dividend next week. I highlighted one in particular that’s in full recovery mode right now after the CEO recently departed. Could be a solid value play, but I’m on the sidelines for now.

Dividend Update – November 2014
JC’s back. Great to hear that things are going about as well as they can and he’s still working hard over there. Keep his young son in your thoughts.

Recent Buy
Roadmap2Retire purchased shares in a very interesting biotechnology company. I looked at this stock a while ago and passed due to my concerns over pipelines and patent cliffs, but that decision was to my own detriment. Can’t win them all, but I think I’ll take another look here.

Dividend Income Update – January 2015
Tawcan had an excellent month for dividend income. I’m doing my best to catch up!

This Stock Just Increased its Dividend for the 40th Consecutive Year
I discussed a stock that just recently raised its dividend for the 40th consecutive year. This stock is high up on my watch list. Quality across the board and its business model is very solid. A lot to like here.

Here’s how a janitor amassed an $8m fortune
These stories pop up here and there, yet they never fail to impress or surprise me. However, you’ll notice a recurring theme where the person lived frugally and invested in high-quality stocks. Reminds me of someone. There was one quote, from the gentleman’s attorney, in particular that struck me and further reminded me of someone:

He only invested in what he knew and what paid dividends. That was important to him.

7 Companies We’d Buy and Hold for the Next 20 Years
I see a few names I’m familiar with, including my favorite stock for this year.

People Buying Coca-Cola At $41 Today
Tim discusses The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and its potential future prospects. As always, you have to focus on the long term. The odds of people not buying something from Coke’s huge portfolio of nonalcoholic beverages when looking out over the next decade or two is highly unlikely.

January 2015 Income and Expenses
My Dividend Pipeline makes more in one month than I make in one quarter. So if you’re looking for a different approach to financial independence, check it out! Of course, it might not be easy to replicate an income of $12,000 per month, which is why I advocate marching toward financial independence with a modest salary, which is easy to come by for most of us.

This Blog Post Is Not Safe For Work (NSFW)
Retire Before Dad shares his frustration with working for “the man” and his plans for eventually getting out. His current job provides him the path of least resistance, which makes a lot of sense. I always thought my job in the auto industry was also the path of least resistance, but I was fortunate enough to turn my passion for writing and inspiring into a career. I don’t regret that transition for even a second. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. That said, not all of us have passions that are easy to monetize and so a lot of times a high-paying job is the best path to financial independence. However, I’d also venture a guess that many people are a lot more free than they think they are and hobbies are probably easier to monetize than you give them credit for.

How I lost $250,000 with Centaur Litigation.
I came upon this story just recently. Very, very unfortunate, especially considering this gentleman was anticipating living off of his life savings in a foreign country. Advanced investors would probably see a scam like this coming from a mile away, but these stories are all too common. One should always stick to what they can understand and do their due diligence. Furthermore, diversification is a must to mitigate risk. I admire his positive attitude, though. I guess one can only be positive and move on after something like that. Otherwise, it’ll just destroy you. We’re far more than our money. Sounds like he’ll be okay with teaching over in Chiang Mai as well, due to the cost of living being so low over there.

In Search of Perfect Beach Towns: Sámara, Costa Rica
Imagine traveling the world, financially independent. If that sounds interesting, Kate’s travels will probably interest you. She’s currently in beautiful Costa Rica. Makes me think how cool it’d be to take Dividend Mantra global!

Full Disclosure: Long KO.

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: gubgib/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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48 Comments

  1. DM,

    Nice round of articles. Loving the fact ADM, again, posted a nice dividend increase and happy to see PM getting some love amongst the FIers!

    I need some sleep for tomorrow’s work day (love being a CPA… wait.. haha). So I’m hitting the hay – but great selection of reads.

    -Lanny

  2. DM,
    Thanks for including me in your recommended reading. Funny, I just got my SS earnings report in the mail yesterday.

    A question related to my post, I’ve been wondering how did your auto dealership coworkers view your blog and media attention when you were still working there? Any resentment that you had a strong desire to leave them and that you shared that desire to the online world? I don’t remember reading about that specifically here before.

    Enjoy the weekend!
    -RBD

  3. Dividend Mantra,

    I liked the video about the janitor. One thing I noticed was than one of the women seems to talk about interest the companies pay . Why do they have people on these videos that don’t even know that companies pay out dividends and not interest.

  4. Thanks for the mention Jason really appreciate that.

    I came across the janitor story just today and I was amazed. I love the part where he invested in dividend stocks and just let the power of compounding take its course. Just to show you that frugal and investing well will do good things for you in the long run.

    Love the article on 7 companies to buy and hold for 20 years. Some interesting thoughts by the analysts.

    Have a good weekend, good luck with the cooking. If you’re looking for an easy to make meal, give this a try: http://www.threemorebites.com/valentines-day-dinner/ It’s super easy but sure looks fancy on the dinner table. Light a candle or two and you’re golden! 😀

  5. Yep for V-Day I got my bf a Bonsai tree, my bf got me a bouquet of flowers from Walgreens, a box of Rocher chocolates, we belong to the rewards program at Walgreens so they took $5 off his total. I was able to score a gift certificate to this affordable little Crepe restaurant.

    You’ll do fine cooking dinner because if you follow a recipe then it’s all about reading and following directions. I’m no Martha Stewart but I manage to make easy meals from recipes all the time. I also loved that janitor story too. I hope it inspires the next generation that the American Dream is still alive and well.

  6. RBD,

    That’s a good question there regarding the situation at work. It never really caused any positive or negative benefits, interestingly enough. I did have a ton of support from a few local clients who happened to see me on TV. But co-workers were rather nonchalant about the whole thing. It almost never came up. Even while the camera crew was there from Today, technicians were more concerned about jobs and estimates. Just the way that business is.

    However, it’s funny you ask that because I had to visit my old job today for the first time since I left. I never received my W-2 so I had visit the accounting department to get a copy. I felt like a celebrity around there. Everyone was asking me how I was doing and a few people read the blog and were mentioning how awesome it was that I was doing what I’m doing. So that was really nice. But that’s really the extent of it. Just my experience.

    Best regards!

  7. Tawcan,

    No problem at all!

    That’s an interesting meal there. I have something somewhat similar in mind, though sans oysters. I can’t stand oysters, which is good since they’re not particularly cheap. For instance, I love sushi, but it sucks sometimes because it’s so expensive. One of those things I’m always willing to pay up for, however. I always tell people that if I were a billionaire, sushi is one thing I’d definitely splurge on regularly.

    Edit: I notice a similar blog theme and photography there…

    Cheers!

  8. Debbie M,

    Thanks for wishing me luck. We’ll see how it goes. I’m usually good in my sous chef role, though this will be the first time I’ll be taking on the executive chef role. 🙂

    Have a great weekend!

    Best wishes.

  9. Good luck with the cooking. That’s not in my circle of competence either, so I stay away from the kitchen as much as I can. 🙂
    Thanks for the list of articles. I’m looking forward to browse through it over the weekend. I’m also reading Lowell Miller’s “The single best investment”. Great stuff…
    Enjoy your weekend.

  10. DM,

    Thanks for putting this collection together. I will be reading through them this weekend.

    That would be a great feeling heading back to where you used to work. Knowing that you don’t have to wake up early every morning anymore to grind out the work week. Not to mention having past coworkers telling you they love the blog is always great.

    Keep up the great work and have a Happy Valentines weekend!

    Mr. Captain Cash

  11. Want to drive like a billionaire here is how article was funny. I wondered what he drove and of course he is frugal and did not care what he drives. Almost 10 years old car. Yes Warren, it is time to replace your car.

  12. Thanks for the mention Jason. It’s a little bittersweet to be back. Awesome because I get to write again and focus on building up my portfolio but crappy because my son still has issues. But we’re both plowing forward!

    It certainly is nice to go and run errands during the middle of the day instead of having to deal with the crowds of working folks that flood the stores after 5. Life just slows down a bit which is great because it already goes way too fast. Enjoy your weekend!

  13. Hey so wondering how daunting your tax burden is this time of year… I’m well along my journey and feeling like taxes are killer this year.

  14. Lila,

    Sounds like you guys have a good thing going on over there. Glad to hear it! 🙂

    I’m with you on the story about the janitor. Not sure I would have stayed quite that frugal all my life as I believe money does have utility, but I sure admire his ability to execute a plan and stick with it. Just goes to show what one is capable of if they live below their means and invest regularly in quality companies paying dividends. And it also goes to show that you don’t need to make a lot of money to end up wealthy.

    Best regards!

  15. Jos,

    Haha. I hear you. I get zero enjoyment out of cooking. But I’m doing my best to be a good partner. 🙂

    I may have to reread Miller’s book at some point here. A classic. Haven’t read it in many years now.

    You enjoy your weekend as well!

    Cheers.

  16. MCC,

    Yeah, it was really surreal being back there again. It was like escaping Plato’s Cave and then going back in there after my eyes had already adjusted to the light. Almost seems like I was never there. At any rate, I’m so blessed to have worked there and to have had that opportunity to make a decent wage. But I’m very glad that I’m on the other side.

    Thanks for dropping by. Hope all is well over there!

    Best wishes.

  17. BeSmartRich,

    Yeah, he doesn’t drive super nice cars. Before the DTS, he had an old Lincoln Town Car. I guess he just needs something to get him from Point A to Point B. 🙂

    Best regards.

  18. JC,

    I can imagine that’s a very bittersweet situation to be in. Wish nothing but the best for you and the family. 🙂

    I’m very blessed to be in this situation right now. I’m just doing my best to keep it rolling for as long as I can. It’s great to slow things down a bit.

    Keep us updated!

    Best wishes.

  19. Ruzz,

    Well, taxes aren’t usually a big burden for me. However, this year is probably going to be pretty rough because I didn’t pay enough in quarterly estimated taxes last year. I should have adjusted the estimated payments upward toward the latter half of last year as I made more money, but I didn’t. So I’ll have to catch up this year. Learning as I go with this self-employment thing. 🙂

    Take care!

  20. In my weekend I’ve made a list of my top-ten holdings of my portfolio. I would like to share it with you. The stocks are mentioned as (stock)ticker, which can be used in google finance. The percentage number is the current weight of the stock in my portfolio.

    1. JNJ 10.24%
    2. RB 8.98%
    3. WFC 7.58%
    4. MCD 7.54%
    5. AMS:AH 6.39%
    6. AAPL 6.10%
    7. AMS:RDSA 5.03%
    8. BATS 4.55%
    9. MMM 4.55%
    10. AMS:ACCEL 3.96%

    The top-ten holdings make up 64.92% of my entire portfolio.

    The stocks listed here have good long term perspectives, high profit margins, solid or increasing ROE, controllable debt levels, are number 1 or 2 market leader in their business and therefore are able to pay good and higher dividends in the future!

    Happy Weekend:

  21. For valentines I usually just get her a box of chocolates that we share and then we go for a lil hike by the beach. Always good for some solid one on one time to reconnect. This year we got a prime rib roast going on and invited her single mother over so she wont be so lonely.

    Thanks for the reading list especially the janitor story!

    Good day and Grind On!

  22. I read the $8 million dollars janitor man accumulate over the year too. It’s truly inspirational as the man was living a frugal life because nobody knows how wealthy he is.

  23. FF,

    Made some crab ravioli in a vodka sauce. Served with baked French bread with olive oil and spices for dipping. Tiramisu for dessert. 🙂

    I agree that story about the janitor was fantastic. He probably lived a bit more frugally than I would with the kind of income $8 million could generate, but to each their own. It’s very inspiring, nonetheless.

    Thanks for dropping by. Hope you’re having a great weekend!

    Best regards.

  24. Bob,

    Some great holdings there. A few we have in common. MMM is one I’d love to own myself one day. I’m sure I’ll own a chunk of 3M at some point or another. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing. I’m sure those companies will do quite well for you (and me) over the long haul.

    Take care.

  25. A-G,

    That sounds like a great way to celebrate right there. It’s not about spending money or giving gifts. It’s about spending time with one another. 🙂

    Appreciate you dropping by. Hope the weather held up for you guys for the hike!

    Cheers.

  26. Vivianne,

    I’m with you. Truly inspirational. Although I wouldn’t have lived quite as frugally as he did, nor would I have worked as a janitor with the kind of income $8 million could provide me, I admire his conviction, consistency, work ethic, and foresight. And it really goes to show that you don’t need a big income to build sizable wealth/passive income. 🙂

    Best regards!

  27. Thanks for the mention. Good post. I’m glad my story is getting exposure. Like I said if just one person benefits …. it’s worth it.

    I’ll leave it by saying I wish I’d known you in 2011! Caveat Emptor.

  28. Thanks for sharing your ‘Weekend Reading’ again Jason, I was starting to miss it 🙂

    Really appreciated since as an European reader, I am not so familiar with the existence of all these different websites. All these articles grouped together ‘for your convenience’, great!

  29. Hope you and Claudia had a wonderful Valentine’s day! I think it’s so sweet that you cooked for her :). Mr. Frugalwoods made us split pea soup and homemade bread, which was marvelous and a perfect winter warmer.

    Thanks for the reading list–I’m definitely doing a lot of that this weekend since we’re now up to 7 feet of snow! I know you’re not jealous 😉

  30. Geordie,

    Thanks for stopping by.

    I admire people like yourself that take a chance and follow their dreams. I’m sorry the investment didn’t work out for you, however. But you have a great attitude about it. We’re more than our money. And you’re still in a great position to come back and exceed the you that you were before. 🙂

    Best regards.

  31. William,

    Glad you enjoyed the compilation! 🙂

    To be honest, these articles take longer for me to put together than my usual stuff. So I sometimes concentrate on the other posts a little more. But I’m happy to share.

    Appreciate the support.

    Best wishes!

  32. Mrs. FW,

    Haha. I’m not jealous, but there is something beautiful about fresh snow in the winter. 🙂

    Glad you guys had a great celebration over there. Nothing wrong with some fresh, hot soup this time of year up there. And it’s also frugaltastic. I think we spent a bit more on our crab ravioli…ended up around $25 or so after everything. Still cheaper than any restaurant out here.

    Cheers!

  33. Jason, Great set of articles. I would love to read that article about the history of your earnings. I have never made more than 55K in any job and now make significantly less. Taxes and cost of living eat a lot in New York City.

  34. Amit,

    I can imagine that $55k doesn’t go quite as far in NYC as it does here in FL, which is part of the reason why I moved here. But I also can’t make the claim that it’s as exciting down here as it is up there. 🙂

    I’ll put a post together on lifetime earnings at some point. Just further evidence you don’t need a big income to become financially independent.

    Cheers!

  35. No offense to Yahoo there, but continually investing in blue chip stocks for 65 years and that turning into $8MM (thousand thousand) does not sound surprising. Granted, he did well — My calculations put that in the 8-9% return per year assuming he never increased his $300 per month contribution. Well, but not bafflingly well or even surprisingly well.

    Maybe they were trying to highlight that anyone can become rich with the right finances? Perhaps most Americans find it hard to believe that $8 million is achievable?

    Alas, there is always the fake quote from Einstein: Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.

    Thanks,
    WE

  36. WE,

    Well, I think that’s the rub. What he did is simple, but not easy. Financial independence is like that. So is losing weight. So is a lot of stuff in life. Simple, but not easy. It’s one thing to say “Yeah, you just have to save $300 per month for 65 years.” and quite another thing to actually do it. Most people don’t come anywhere close to what this guy accomplished.

    “Perhaps most Americans find it hard to believe that $8 million is achievable?”

    I think most Americans find $8 million hard to achieve because most Americans (99%) don’t ever achieve it. And that’s what’s wonderful about this guy’s story. He never made a lot of money. And even he was able to save and regularly invest. If he can do it, so can anyone. That’s the inspiration. 🙂

    Cheers!

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