Dividend Income Update – June 2014

rising-dividendsAnother month has passed by, and it’s time for me to post an article on my favorite subject: dividend income. The reason why I love to post articles on dividend income is because it’s pure numbers. It’s hard to argue the success of long-term dividend growth investing when you can slowly and surely see dividend income rise over time and get closer to covering one’s expenses.

June was just a monster month for dividend income. I feel so incredibly blessed that the me of more than four years ago took it upon himself to change his future, because the me of today is certainly benefiting from that vision. Hard work goes a Β long way. Sprinkle in some luck and you can truly change your reality.

I hope these monthly dividend income reports provide inspiration for any investors out there that are just starting out. It’s easy to see these payments rising month after month and it shows that it’s possible to one day pay for monthlyΒ expensesΒ with dividends, which would provide an investor opportunities and freedom to pursue other interests than full-time work. Without further ado:

June 2014 Dividend Income UpdateΒ 

  • ConocoPhillips (COP) – $37.95
  • Aflac Incorporated (AFL) – $37.00
  • Phillips 66 (PSX) – $13.50
  • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) – $18.24
  • Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) – $31.50
  • Southside Bancshares, Inc. (SBSI) – $14.70
  • Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) – $25.80
  • International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) – $11.00
  • Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – $70.00
  • Chevron Corporation (CVX) – $42.80
  • Lorillard Inc. (LO) – $30.75
  • Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) – $37.80
  • Target Corporation (TGT) – $30.10
  • Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) – $13.80
  • Harris Corporation (HRS) – $16.80
  • Avista Corp. (AVA) – $17.46
  • American Realty Cap. Prop. Inc. (ARCP) – $14.17
  • McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) – $48.60
  • Realty Income Corp. (O) – $12.77
  • BP Plc (BP) – $46.80
  • Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDS.B) – $23.50
  • Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) – $53.95
  • PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) – $50.44

Total dividends received during the month of June: $699.43

ThatΒ was almost the second time I’ve exceeded $700 in dividend income for a month, but I missed the mark by a little more than 50 cents. Oh, so close!

But what a month! This kind of dividend income can make a serious dent in one’s expenses, even before financial independence is reached. As I’ve previously written about, dividend income doesn’t necessarily have to be untouchable. Although it’s obviously more desirable to continue reinvesting the dividend income, $700 could right now pay for all of my monthly costs related to: rent, cell phone, food, fuel, and health insurance. Bam! That’s a significant portion of my bills right there. And that’s the power of dividend income, folks. The tangibility makesΒ the progressΒ real,Β which is wonderful because bills are also very real.

This month’s performance was a 26.4% improvement over the dividend income I received in June 2013. I love that kind of YOY change, but I also know the gains in percentage terms will continue to fall as my income rises. A good problem to have, of course.

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I was able to cover a full 47% of my personal expenses this past month via dividend income alone. That’s simply phenomenal. I know that I can’t reach that kind of expense coverage every month, asΒ June was a big month for dividend income and I was also extremely diligent in watching expenses this past month. But these kinds of numbers show this strategy is real and it is indeed very possible to become financially independent via dividend income. Once your expenses are covered for you with no further work on your part, your time is your own and you can live your life however you want. You can retire off to a life of leisure, volunteer your time, build something, or start a second career. Or you can just continue doing what you’re already doing. It really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you have a choice. You’re not forced into doing anything that you don’t really want to do.

Looking forward, July is usually one of my weakest months of dividend income. I expect to receive less than half of what I received this month, but that’s fine. It’s just another step on the compounding journey to financial independence.

One of my goals for 2014 is to receive $5,200 in dividend income for the year. Now that six months are behind us, I can see where I’m at as we cross the midway point of the year. I’ve received $2,802.52 in dividend income for the year through six months. That means even with no further investments I should exceed my goal, but I’m now looking to see just how much I can crush this thing. As an aside, I’ve now received more in dividend income through the past six months than what I received in all of 2012. I’ve completed 53.9% of my goal, so let’s see how far above 100% I stand when December closes out. I’m anxious to continue making investments in high-quality dividend growth stocks as valuations and allocations make sense.

I’ll update my dividend income page to reflect June’s dividends.

Full Disclosure: Long all aforementioned securities.

How was June for you? Did you knock it out of the park?Β 

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: sscreation’s/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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119 Comments

  1. Its inspiring to see and encourages a new comer like myself to think long term. Does the date of the dividend being received affect your decision to purchase? (TO try to make dividend income stable month to month)

  2. Great month Jason! The year on year improvements keep on impressing me. I hope that in one year I will be able to show growth numbers like that! With the year midpoint behind us it seems you are doing more than on your way of exceeding your goals. And that while you had some drastic changes in your private life. A great accomplishment indeed!

    Keep up the great work,

    Best,

    DW

  3. DH,

    Thanks so much. It was a pretty solid month, overall.

    And congrats to you too on a fantastic month. Looks like things are firing on all cylinders for you. πŸ™‚

    Best wishes!

  4. Shmuel,

    I’m glad you find some inspiration from this. That’s exactly why I share! πŸ™‚

    The dividend pay date doesn’t factor at all into my decision to buy or not buy equity in a company. And that’s probably why you see lumpy dividend payments for me, with the last month in every quarter being much larger. That doesn’t concern me, however, because I’m pretty good at budgeting. If I’m financially independent and receiving big dividends in the last month of every quarter then I’ll just save the excess income for the other two months when income is a little lighter.

    Best regards.

  5. DW,

    Thanks, bud. I’m so happy that I’m just plowing forward even without the day job. I’ll be releasing my budget for June over the coming days and it turned out really great. Although, I did have one last check from the day job. So we’ll have to wait until July to see how things really look. πŸ™‚

    Congrats on a great time in Barcelona and a great month of dividend income on your side of things!

    Cheers.

  6. Another successfully boring month. You have saved you money long enough to accumulate to a great portfolio you have today. Very inspiring to watch these updates. Keep up the awesome work.

  7. You need to buy/add to more stocks that pay dividends next (this) month to even out your inflow. It will be easier to budget later.

  8. I love it when you post right before I go to lunch so I can read while I eat.

    I can’t wait to get started with this. I was going to invest everything outside of the 401k, which is matched, in an Index Fund. But this makes so much more sense to me. And I’m definitely going to set annual goals and track totals by month like you do. What a great way to stay motivated and correct yourself if you start to go off course.

  9. DV,

    Boring is beautiful. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for the support. Really appreciate it. A lot of hard work when into this, so I’m really proud.

    Congrats on a great month for yourself. Your snowball is moving along nicely!

    Best regards.

  10. Dave,

    Actually, that isn’t something that really concerns me. I think it all depends on how good at budgeting you are. If you spend money as soon as it hits your account then you’d want to have a fairly tight spread between the months. However, I’m pretty good at budgeting. So a dividend surplus in June would just leave extra capital on the table which would spill over into July and August, when income is a bit lower. However, I also think this spread will tighten over time as I fill out the portfolio and even out some positions. We’ll see.

    Cheers!

  11. SR,

    Glad the post was timely for you! πŸ™‚

    Index investing is a fine, fine strategy as well. And I view that as the best strategy for the majority of people. However, if you’re interested in investing, like following businesses, enjoy reading annual reports and financial statements, and can take the time to follow through on this strategy, then I view dividend growth investing as superior. Index investing invariably features a sell-off strategy, which I view much like cutting the branch you’re sitting on. I’d rather keep the tree intact and live off the fruit.

    Best of luck either way!

    Best wishes.

  12. DFG,

    That’s exactly it. This income was built over the course of years. It takes time, but consistency goes a long way. You can look back at my dividend income reports during 2011 and see when I was making $30/month. And that was after almost an entire year of investing. But the exponential aspect of compounding eventually show up and things start to look pretty good. πŸ™‚

    Keep it up. You’ll get there. It just takes patience, persistence, and perseverance. And consistency goes a long way as well.

    Best regards.

  13. Definitely interested and have been for quite some time. I have about 15 companies in my IRA.

    For about 15 years I have belonged to an investment club. Each month two of the members do a presentation comparing 3 companies that are in the same business. The presentation includes the Value Line Reports as well as charting that we do with software the club has. Then they finish up by telling us which company they recommend, if any. The club stays fully invested at all times. Some times we buy something new and some times we add to an existing holding. Even though we want to make money, our first goal is to educate the members. It’s really exciting when a member who knew nothing about investing when they joined the club has learned enough that they feel comfortable opening their own investment account.

    It’s a great way to learn about different companies. We also assign one of our holdings to each member to follow and report on each month. A lot of the members have learned about companies that they have then invested in personally. We meet one evening a month and I really enjoy it.

  14. Great job! You’re just a few % points away from 50%. That’s just awesome. I think you’ll definitely reach $700/month in September. Several companies will raise their dividend and you’ll blow past that 50 cents. πŸ™‚ Have a great Independent Day weekend.

  15. The end results are good! But whether you focus on dividends, capital appreciation, or both doesn’t matter to me. Someone else said it it best, using the apple tree as an example; the fruit can be considered the dividend while the tree growth (lumber) is the capital appreciation. Not enough dividends? Cut off a branch of the tree.

    I just don’t understand the fixation on apples (dividends) while ignoring the tree (capital appreciation). The farmer makes money both ways…by selling fruit and firewood.

  16. Great month! Posts like these make me realise I really need to start looking at buying stocks…. I don’t know why I’m so reluctant to take the leap!

  17. Hi Jason,

    Congrats on the excellent month! If $700 dividends is almost half your expenses your income/expense for June should be awesome! I haven’t finalized my June yet because I just noticed I was missing some interest and my new AMEX credit card reward gave me the $250 signup bonus in June (rather than waiting for a billing cycle like I am used to), so after getting those items in I should be hitting over 50% again this month! I expect July to be an awesome month as I will finally be getting my escrow-over-withholding check.

    -Kipp

  18. Thanks for the stats. I love stats and seeing % progress year to year and month to month. Was wondering what u use for making graphs? Love seeing that micro 2014 chart, wouldnt mind seeing u include a yearly chart as well in the future since the upward trajectory is very nice to see!.

    Overall great gains year after year! Hope u hit 10k dividends a month soon enough after your book tour πŸ˜‰

    Good Day and grind On!

  19. Nice work, Jason. I was just thinking the same thing as Joe. One little div increase and you’re above $700 for the month ending each calendar quarter. I love the 3,6,9,12 dividends :-).

    Not too long ago, my DW and I surpassed the $500/month mark. Now we are edging up on our next goal of $600. Milestones are what keeps me going at it. I just keep thinking about which bills will be covered by dividend income as time goes on, freeing us to spend our pension income on more important things, like pizza.

    Keep up the good work.

  20. Terrific Jason. I can’t see how you can miss your end of year target. Well done.
    I guess that if yesterday you had beaten us in the World Cup soccer game you’re live would really be perfect :-). Great game though and super effort by Tim. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for that.
    Cheers.

  21. Wow!! $700 is pure passive income, just 0.57 cents missing to hit $700. So glad to see it can cover 47% of your monthly expenses.

    For dividend investors, June is one of the best months. I received record high dividends (my own record :d) last month which is around $411.

    Cheers,

  22. An other great month Jason! You should look into some emerging market plays which pay dividends in July. For example I’m getting quite a nice pot from China Mobile and emerging markets dividend ETF..

    Thanks for sharing!

  23. SR,

    An investment club sounds really neat. I suppose that’s kind of what we have in this little DGI community that’s been built up over the last four or five years. It’s been wonderful to see it really grow out of basically nothing.

    And it’s definitely not all about the money. It’s about educating, motivating, inspiring, sharing, and learning. I can spend weeks just reading and learning before actually pulling the trigger on anything. And sometimes it’s the shopping that’s more fun than the actual buying anyway. πŸ™‚

    Really great that you’re a part of something like that!

    Best wishes.

  24. Great job Jason! Well over half way to your dividends received goal is awesome. I’m behind my target but hopefully if I can get some capital invested I can reach it by the end of the year. $700 truly is amazing and the best part is that for every June from here on out you’ll have all of those same expenses covered. Keep up the good work!

  25. Joe,

    Thanks! Appreciate the support and encouragement. πŸ™‚

    I suspect September will definitely cross $700 as I also have a semi-annual payer in there. Exciting stuff!

    Keep up the great work over there. Excited to see how the rest of the year plays out for you and your family.

    Best wishes.

  26. Maverick,

    Well, not quite.

    The fruit is reliable. You know how much fruit is coming months before it blossoms. It doesn’t vary much, and typically slowly rises.

    Capital gains oscillate wildly. Try cutting off branches when the tree is shrinking 10%, 20%, or more during a major correction or bear market. Even when the market comes back you’ll be left with a much smaller tree from which to both grow fruit and new branches.

    I’d rather leave the tree to continue growing and just pluck the fruit. But to each their own.

    Best regards.

  27. Nicola,

    It’s tough to make that leap to the unknown. I understand how you feel. It was hard for me when I first started. But then I started to look around at successful people in the world. And you know what? I couldn’t find one of them that got to where they were at by stuffing cash under the mattress.

    You’ll make the leap when you’re ready. πŸ™‚

    Cheers.

  28. Kipp,

    The income/expense report for June is really exciting stuff. I’m excited to publish it here in the coming days. It’s all ready to go. It’s one of my best budgets in a long time now. πŸ™‚

    Congrats on exceeding 50%! That’s fantastic. I view the 50% mark as the crossover into “extreme” territory, which puts you on a trajectory for financial independence in somewhere around 12 years or so. Keep up the great work!

    Best regards.

  29. A-G,

    Well, I tried to do a yearly chart, but the numbers didn’t come out very well. I used a yearly chart for my Freedom Fund update and that came out nicely. But the chart looked funky when I tried to include previous years. I could probably include multiple bars next to each other, but then it gets messy.

    I use RJ Quickcharts plugin for WordPress. I fiddled around with a bunch of different plugins yesterday trying to find the right chart software. I probably spent like three or four hours on it. Maybe even more. Crazy how time consuming some of this stuff is. But it’s a nice little addition. A reader was asking about charts yesterday so I felt it prudent to oblige.

    Man, I’d love to put a book together. I’ve got some really great ideas for a unique book…something that really isn’t out there yet. But it’s just a matter of finding the time to put the words together. We’ll see. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best wishes.

  30. Steve,

    I’m with you. The last month of every quarter is a lot of fun. If every month could be so successful. πŸ™‚

    Wow, congrats on $500/month. That’s really fantastic. That’s one of those really cool milestones where you realize you’re $500 richer every single month before you even get started. And the income will only rise over time. I’m not too far away from that milestone myself. Slow and steady…

    And speaking of pizza, I think I might celebrate that $500/month with a good pepperoni pie. Mmmmmmm! πŸ™‚

    Cheers.

  31. Jos,

    I actually didn’t watch the game, but I hear the US team gave it a really good go. I hear they’ll be favored to go even further the next time around.

    Thanks for stopping by. I hope the second half of the year treats us both very well!

    Take care.

  32. FJ,

    It was a great month. I’m really, really proud to see this kind of income hitting the account.

    Congrats to you for hitting your own record over there! That’s awesome. $411 in passive income is some pretty serious money. That’s a lot more than I received just last month. Keep it up!!

    Best wishes.

  33. I did knock it out of the park for me in June. $195 in dividend income, a record for me. That’s an 86% increase for me over June of 2013. Of course I wasn’t actively pursuing dividend income a year ago, but it sure is fun to see the tangible rewards that this approach to investing produces. I started focusing on dividend investing thanks in part to reading about you. And I really like seeing the actual cash accrue in my account rather than just watching the capital appreciation (or depreciation) of non-dividend stocks yo-yo around from month to month.

  34. Leveraged DGI,

    I don’t actually invest in any ETFs, but I may take another look at China Mobile. I don’t believe it’s a typical dividend growth stock, but could be a nice way to invest in the growth of China. I personally have been hesitant to invest in China directly because of transparency issues. I prefer to invest in multinationals based in the US that have some exposure there.

    Cheers!

  35. JC,

    You’ve got it, my friend. This is income that will only rise over time, and should continue to do so for the rest of my life. What a feeling! πŸ™‚

    I know you’ve been hesitant to invest fresh capital due to valuations, and I can’t blame you. I know you’ve got plenty of cash on the sidelines, so you could make a good run at your goal if the market gives you an opportunity. Best of luck with the second half of the year.

    Best wishes.

  36. BCS,

    Very nice! Congrats on YOY increase. I agree that the tangibility of this strategy provides the motivation to keep building. Success begets success. πŸ™‚

    And I’m with you on capital gains. A yo-yo makes me dizzy. Cash makes me happy.

    Cheers!

  37. Mantra,

    AWESOME. $700 essentially in dividend income and covering 47% of your expenses = so solid. This is becoming very real. You had $553 in June last year. You just earned essentially $147 more or 26.5% more than prior year. I doubt your expenses are increasing at that rate. This time next year – if using that 26.5% = you should be geared/close to hitting the $900 mark, if not = maybe even higher. I think/am hopefully you’ll cross $1k one of these months in 2014, it’ll be for sure in 2015 though. Your YTD is about $2.8K which probably help fulfill 2 purchases of $1.4K a piece easily for you this year as well – that’s also something to smile and be pumped about – buying more stocks that pay more dividends that increase them, hopefully, on an annual basis. Congrats DM, digging it!

    -Lanny

  38. Lanny,

    Thanks so much for the very kind words. I really appreciate the support.

    It’s been such an amazing journey. It’s one thing to map out your future and plot numbers on a graph, and it’s quite another to actually hit those milestones and see the progress happening in real-time. I’m all smiles! πŸ™‚

    I don’t know if it will be quite that fast for me to hit $1k in one month. It’ll depend a lot on what kind of yield I’m going after. Some of my recent purchases have been lower on the yield curve, and so that slows down that income progress a bit. V and IBM are even lower on that curve, so we’ll see. But I’m excited for that day. It’s something I’m really, really looking forward to. I remember when I first started out and I would read about investors hitting $1k in one month and I thought that was just incredible. And I thought if they can do it, then so can I. And so I set out to do so.

    But it is amazing to think about the dividend income buying more stocks. That income was indeed two nice-sized equity purchases. And I’ll get two more before the year is over. That’s four months of stock purchases before I even get started. That’s like a four-month head start! πŸ™‚

    Congrats to you and Bert on a very successful June as well! You guys are doing very well over there.

    Best wishes!

  39. I just hope I can maintain over 40% once we have a kid! Once that life change is “in motion” so to speak is probably when I will attempt to start a blog. Trying to branch out more and visit some on your blog roll and there are just so many!

  40. Great month and great list of stocks. I don’t have several stocks from the list above, but looking forward to owning them sometime in the near future. $700/month is wonderful and like you mentioned, it is a considerable sum of money.

    Congrats once again.

  41. Hi,
    Have been investing for only about two years and now staring to stockpile dividend stocks. I recently stumbled upon your blog and really enjoy it. First of all, congrats on a great month! I was just wondering about something and would like your take on it. Based on your comment on being able to cover expenses now if you wanted to, I assume you simply purchase these equities in your individual account. I currently have that along with a rollover IRA and Roth IRA. My question: Do you see value in putting any of your purchases into a Roth IRA to avoid paying taxes on your gains/dividends? I think that is a good option for me and assume the only reason you do not is that you want access to this by age 40? Thanks!!

  42. I’m sure the US team has the potential to go further next time. I already look forward to that.

    Also looking forward to your next buy πŸ™‚
    Thanks Jason.

  43. Kipp,

    I can imagine having a child will change your entire life, financially and otherwise. Very exciting. πŸ™‚

    And it would definitely be great if you started up a blog. I love following other journeys and seeing other investors set and exceed goals. It’s just a great community.

    Cheers!

  44. DGJ,

    Thanks so much!

    And it looks like you’re doing really well with all of your goals for this year as well. Your dividend income is fantastic, and you’re really killing it with capital invested. πŸ™‚

    Keep it up!

    Best regards.

  45. Dustin,

    Glad you’ve been investing for a little while now and you’re starting to reap the rewards now! πŸ™‚

    As far as your question goes, I wrote about this a little while ago:

    https://www.dividendmantra.com/2013/08/why-i-hold-100-of-my-equity-investments/

    I wish you the best of luck with your continued success! And I hope you continue to find value in the blog here. I try to cover unique topics all the time while also showing the progress toward the ultimate goal of financial independence.

    Keep going!

    Best wishes.

  46. AFFJ,

    It was a great month. I’m really, really happy. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for the support. I truly appreciate it. It’s been a great year for many of us, and I hope 2014 continues to share the kindness for us all.

    Cheers!

  47. I’m quite satisfied with my portfolio in 2014. Just looked on my brokerage, and some purchases during the year make the math fuzzy, but it’s just a hair over 11% total return (today’s balance) over the (beginning balance + purchases). The S&P, Naddaq ,and Dow are up less than that, so it looks like I’m generating some serious alpha!

    My stock portfolio is mostly high yield, but have been diversifying into more traditional blue chip and even some growth names over the past 12 months. AAPL, INTC, and BP have been big winners over the past year for me.

    Keep up the hard work! You are an inspiration.

  48. Eat the fruit and replant the seeds! We investors are greedy… in a good way. πŸ™‚

  49. Dear Jason Congrats, your year over year percentage gains are always amazing. I wish. Could match! I was 2,625 this year vs 2,165 last year which is I guess close to a 20 percent increase. Slow and steady I guess. Ths i s about 60-65 percent of expenses. I don’t spend a lot but live in DC where rents are absurd. Nest from Baku Azerbaijan where I am on a business trip. DD

  50. Wow, almost $700! Thats awesome! Junes actually one of my lighter months at the moment due to no quarterly payouts, just my monthlies. So only got about $18.20, but its a start!
    You’re really starting to pump out some major cash from your portfolio!

  51. DM,

    Great stuff! Almost 50% expense coverage is amazing. As far a book goes, I think you already have enough material on your blog. Organize 100 or so of your blog posts and you are good to go. I’ll be watching for it on Amazon.

    MDP

  52. I’m truly inspired Jason, you have motivated me to get serious and create my own portfolio. I read your reasoning on owning so many companies, makes lots of sense to keep risk low. Well right now I am in all cash……sold my BAC today and made some nice profits……..I’m going through some trials right now, so it’s difficult to get my head and heart focused enough to get started purchasing and holding div/stocks. Also the market is freakin me out……..not wanting to purchase stocks at such high prices……..Thanks for sharing your personal goals and successes…….you have created a wonderful forum for sharing……. congrats!

  53. Ravi,

    Sounds like you’re doing really solid there! πŸ™‚

    BP has been a big winner for me. Interestingly enough, BP was funded with some of the capital from an INTC sale. And INTC has also done really well this year. I wish I would have waited to sell INTC, but I honestly didn’t see it going on that huge run after being bound to a range for so long. Oh, well.

    Appreciate all the support! Thanks for stopping by.

    Best wishes.

  54. DD,

    Man, I’ll trade you my % gains for your $ gains any day of the week! πŸ™‚

    Slow and steady is definitely the name of the game. This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but we will eventually become wealthy.

    Thanks for stopping by from halfway across the world. Enjoy the trip!

    Cheers.

  55. Congratulations, $700 is a lot of beef! We’re talking about a significant amount of money that can cover a lot of your needs. This is the sort of cash that can create freedom. I hope people that are starting out will find this very inspirational.

    June was also a good month for me, seeing all those dividend payments in my brokerage account is incredibly encouraging and empowering. Very soon we’ll be using our dividends to pay for our expenses, that will be a sweet day!

  56. Dividend Wisp,

    Hey, $18.20 is the start to something really beautiful. What I have now was built on $0. And you can go back to some of my dividend income reports from early 2011 and see $30 or $40. So the progress does indeed manifest itself if you stick with it. πŸ™‚

    The great thing is that your expenses are very low, so it won’t take much dividend income to put you in a great spot!

    Take care.

  57. IP,

    Thanks so much. The past four years have been incredibly amazing. I’m just so incredibly grateful that I started down this journey. πŸ™‚

    Congrats to you on a great June as well. Looks like you recently crossed over $70k. Nice job!!

    Best regards.

  58. MDP,

    Thanks, bud. I really appreciate the support. I’d love to do a book. I tell you, though, it wouldn’t just be a compilation of blog posts. It would be something totally new and unique. I’m excited about putting the idea to paper, but I’d have to just do a little at a time over the course of maybe a year or so. We’ll see!

    Great job over there with the recent purchases. Your $100 increase in dividend income per week is really amazing. I hope I can match that on a monthly scale. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best wishes.

  59. late bloomer,

    So glad you have found some value here in the community. I think the shared knowledge here is really what’s so great. I try to share what I know, but my level of knowledge is really small compared to what this community knows as a collective. So I’m always learning, which is great! πŸ™‚

    Good luck with putting that capital to use. The pickings are a bit slim, but the shopping experience itself is half the fun.

    Cheers!

  60. Spoonman,

    Your freedom is just around the corner now. Really exciting stuff! Can’t wait to see how it goes for you. It’ll be interesting to see how you feel about what you find on the other side. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s everything it’s cracked up to be and more…at least for me. Of course, you have to be running to something and not from something. Otherwise, your personal problems will simply follow along for the ride.

    Best wishes!

  61. Enhorabuena Jason ! You tech us all a great lesson on DG Investing. Thanks for your good work.

  62. Hi Jason, I always enjoys your posts. I applaud your courage and conviction in your move back home. And yes great dividend month! Keep ’em coming.

  63. Dear Dividend Mantra,
    I would like to say “THANK YOU” with capital letters to you for your blog and articles. Thanks to your inspirational blog, I’m now covering 33% of my expenses from dividends on a yearly basis.

    Before I found your blog, my relationship with money was pretty much the same as for the most of all people. Going to work, earning my paycheck, spent it all during the month, going to work and so it kept on month after month.

    Now me and my family have adopted your ideas and we are now living a much better (frugal) life where we spend time with each other instead of buying stuff that no one really wanted. The bank account is also happy due to this and our goal is to cover 100% of our expenses within 5-7 years from now.

    So, …once again…THANKS and keep up the good work.

    //Christer – Long time reader from Sweden

  64. Living At Home,

    Thanks! Man, I can’t wait to hit $1,000 in dividend income for a month. That’ll be a milestone surely worth celebrating. πŸ™‚

    You’re doing great over there as well. That’s a great looking portfolio!

    Best wishes.

  65. PIM,

    Thanks! I appreciate the support. πŸ™‚

    It’s a foregone conclusion, so now I’m just going to see how much I can smash that goal. Time to crush it!

    Hope everything is going just as well for you this year. Thanks for stopping by!

    Cheers.

  66. Aspenhawk,

    Thank you for your support. I’m here to learn just as much as I am to inspire, so I thank all of you readers! πŸ™‚

    Hope all is well on your side of the pond.

    Cheers!

  67. Paul Azevedo,

    Thank you. It was a big, bold move, but it’s really working out great thus far. I love seeing my family without having to travel for seven or eight hours between airports and layovers. That completely sucked.

    I miss my former partner, but we’re still talking. We still love each other, and there’s even a chance things will work out in the future on that side of things as well.

    Appreciate the support. Everything is coming together so nicely. I’m incredibly lucky!

    I hope your journey is proving to be even more fruitful than mine.

    Best regards!

  68. Christer,

    Wow, that’s a fantastic story there! 33% of your expenses is fantastic. I’m so glad you’ve adopted the principles I speak of here and it’s changed your life for the better. I’m so, so glad to hear that. Being only 5-7 years away from financial independence is phenomenal. I hope to join you around that same time frame. I just can’t think of anything I’d rather own than my time. How exciting, right??

    You’ve changed your life for the better, and now your money is working for you. I’d rather have my money work for me than me work for my money! πŸ™‚

    Congrats on all of your success. And THANK YOU for the support and very kind words.

    Wishing you continued success!!

    Best wishes.

  69. What about cheap index ETFs that do pay dividends (for the majority of the people)? I myself am mixing the two strategies, though I’ve just started so I can’t really evaluate yet. Seems to be working, but in this market everything works.

  70. Hi DM,

    Nice to see your June update. I see that many companies pay a dividend in June so you also got yourself a wonderful month.

    It’s truly amazing to look at how drastic are the increases from year-to-year. Sure, we start slowly, but looking at how fast it grows is amazing. This sentence sums it all up for me “I’ve now received more in dividend income through the past six months than what I received in all of 2012”.

    Well done,

    Wishes of a wonderful July!
    Dividend Venture

  71. Hi Jason, Congrats on your achievement! I have a question though, should a foreign investor buy high quality companies in America or in his own country(Even though they are not as high caliber as Coca Cola etc)? Because if I buy US equities, I am subjected to a 30% withholding tax and this will take a longer time growing my dividends. Whereas from where I am from(Singapore), we do not have any capital gains tax as well as dividend tax, but the quality of companies cannot match that of the US.

  72. I will definitely be visiting here more often. Thanks and continued success!

  73. My eyes bulged out when i saw the 250$ come in this month. The part about this strategy that i like the most is that the income is irregardless of the price of the stocks. If the values dipped 50% tomorrow and stayed that way for 5 years I wouldn’t bat an eyelash.

    I showed this to one of my family members and his response was “Holy crap, that’s my car payment! You never have to have one of those again!”. I’m like, even better, i paid the car off. This guy makes a little less than i do but he lives paycheck to paycheck. He thinks im Mr. Money Bags because i make another 10k than he does when infact i’ve just controlled my spending for 10 years and it’s starting to pay off.

  74. Jason, your blog has helped change my mindset quite a bit on investing. While we’re sticking with our index approach, we’re pulling the trigger on some investment properties to mirror the income-based approach that you’re gaining with dividend stocks.

    Have a great fourth and thanks for these updates. $700 a month is pretty awesome!

  75. Tom,

    I’ve often said that ETFs or index funds are generally the best way to go for most people. They’re low-cost, easy, and require very little time or knowledge to own and keep. That being said, if I were to go that route I’d probably just have most of my assets in a S&P 500 fund and be done with it.

    However, I still believe dividend growth investing is a superior strategy for those so inclined.

    Best regards.

  76. Dividend Venture,

    The last month of every quarter is always a lot of fun simply because a large portion of the portfolio pays out. I’m not sure why so many big companies pay out during the last month like that, but it’s fine with me. Something to look forward to. πŸ™‚

    And I love posting these updates because I think they’re really inspirational. The proof is in the numbers here. This strategy works, and you can slowly see the dividend income rising against expenses. You just have to work hard and stick with it.

    Congrats again on your June progress!

    Take care.

  77. Jerome,

    I’m not real familiar with Singapore tax laws, but I’d be leery about investing in anything that came with an additional 30% tax. However, every system has inherent advantages and disadvantages. I would look into what’s taxed efficiently over there and what should work for your goals and go with that. I’ve heard of some countries that tax foreign index funds differently than individual stocks, so maybe you might want to look into something like that?

    In the meanwhile, I would focus mostly on local companies if we’re talking a true 30% spread.

    Best of luck!

    Cheers.

  78. Zol,

    People too often confuse income and wealth. A high income does not mean one is wealthy or successful. But we live in a status-driven society, so people see a BMW in the driveway of a McMansion and assume success. It’s a shame that true wealth (a sizable asset base working for you and low/no debt) isn’t seen for what it is by more people. In the meanwhile, I’ll continue spreading the word. πŸ™‚

    Keep up the great work!

    Best regards.

  79. DB40,

    Glad to hear you’re building up the passive income a bit. It’s all about the income your investments can provide. πŸ™‚

    Best of luck with the rentals. I’ve never wanted to get into that business, but I understand it can be quite lucrative if done correctly.

    Cheers!

  80. I made about 30% of my YTD dividends in June. June’s dividends also accounted for just over 2% of my monthly budget. Slow and steady progress!

  81. walletengineers,

    That’s fantastic! Slow and steady is definitely the way to go. This strategy won’t get you rich quick, but you’ll eventually become wealthy if you work hard and stay consistent.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best wishes.

  82. Jason,

    Great looking month here. I love seeing so many different companies paying all at once, the freedom fund is so well diversified. I’m glad to read things are going well with the family and I’m excited to hear about you slowly chipping away at a book. I’m looking forward to your next purchase to get this monthly income even higher. Thanks for sharing!

    All my best,
    Ryan

  83. Do these guys normally pay out monthly or quarterly? Do you choose stocks based on their dividend payment date or since you have so many it just works out that way with a steady monthly income?

  84. Ryan,

    Man, I’m hoping to find a decent value this month! I was looking at V and IBM a bit, but both have shot up in just the last few days. Give a patient value investor a break. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for the support. It’s been an amazing journey thus far, and I’m incredibly grateful. Just gotta keep it up!

    You’re doing great over on your end too. Really solid work over there, especially with the capital contributions.

    Best wishes.

  85. Ken,

    Some are monthly and some are quarterly.

    O and ARCP are both monthly payers. The rest are quarterly. But I don’t ever choose a stock based on its payout date. I invest in a company based on a lot of different factors, but when it pays its dividend is never a concern. I think a diversified portfolio that’s weighted fairly evenly will naturally have a fairly smooth payout schedule, but if one is pretty good at budgeting it shouldn’t make a big difference. Besides, I was also used to wild oscillations in my monthly pay at my day job because my pay was based on sales commission.

    Cheers!

  86. Gareth,

    Thanks! It’s the result of a lot of hard work and good fortune. I’m incredibly thankful. πŸ™‚

    I hope the road to freedom is treating you well too!

    Take care.

  87. Dear Dividend,

    The progress happens quickly, my friend. You just have to stick with it. Consistency and persistence are extremely important qualities to have for a long-term strategy like this. But my progress is proof that this works, even without making a lot of money. πŸ™‚

    I wish you the best of luck on your newfound journey. And I hope you stay in touch!

    Best regards.

  88. DM,

    Nice dividend totals and a good range of solid amounts received from great businesses. Also pretty cool to see the totals in chart format monthly. Hope July and the second half of the year is starting out well for you!

  89. SWAN,

    July is definitely starting out wonderful so far. Every dividend counts! πŸ™‚

    I hope you have a great holiday weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

    Cheers.

  90. Congrats Jason! Great dividend haul for June and happy July 4th to you and your family. Look forward to seeing the dividend income for June 2015 πŸ™‚ cheers

  91. tales,

    Thanks so much. It was an awesome month. I really do love the last month of every quarter. More passive income makes me happy. πŸ™‚

    2015 should be exciting. I don’t anticipate real huge increases, but steady improvements is where it’s at.

    Have a great holiday weekend.

    Cheers!

  92. Hi Dm,

    Up to 1000$ dividend in a month.I will probably average 550EUR per month this year. In europe a lot of companies pay yearly dividends so I already received most of it . The snowball is slowly turning in an avalanche.

    Cheers

  93. Tre,

    Absolutely. I’ve provided a nice little road map over the last few years, although some of my earlier posts weren’t written as well. I hope you find some value in the posts.

    Take care.

  94. Geblin,

    550 Euros per month is fantastic! That’s certainly much more than I’ll earn this year. I’m sure that’s already bought you significant freedom.

    Turning that sucker into an avalanche is the name of the game. Look out below! πŸ™‚

    Take care.

  95. Jason, hope all is well. Haven’t posted in a while, but have been following along the last few months. Another solid month in the books. Just out of curiousity, how many shares of ARCP do you know. I ask because my monthly dividend is no where nears yours and I thought we owned the same amount of shares. I own 85 shares,

  96. Jason, I remember seeing an old post detailing how you analyze your stocks. If it’s still available can you provide a link. I’d like to read it again.

  97. Sunny,

    Thank you. And I hope all continues to be well on your end. πŸ™‚

    I actually own 170 shares of ARCP, so that’s why our income is different. I originally initiated my position with 100 shares, and then later added 70 more.

    Best wishes!

  98. “June was just a monster month for dividend income” – for me it was month with highest dividend ever πŸ™‚ for the 1st time I got more than $1,500 CAD in 1 month…. My target now is $2,000 per month

  99. gibor,

    That’s fantastic! That’s a hell of a haul right there. I’d be ecstatic with that kind of income, but it’s onward and upward! πŸ™‚

    Keep up the great work.

    Best regards!

  100. Thanks for sharing your recent dividend income. I’ll be posting mine this weekend. nice to see that for certain months of the year almost half of your living expenses are covered. That always give a comforting feeling. In time, your coverage will meet and I’m sure exceed your total living expenses. Keep up the good work.

  101. DivHut,

    Thanks!

    I agree that dividend income is indeed comforting. It’s awesome to see that passive income slowly rise against the expenses. Getting to 20% coverage, 30% coverage, and 40% coverage is just super exciting. You can actually see financial independence slowly occurring right before your eyes. Fun stuff! πŸ™‚

    Looking forward to your post!

    Cheers.

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