Monday, December 30, 2013

DECEMBER BEST MONTH FOR DIVIDEND INCOME OF 2013!

I had expected to collect a nice chunk of cash from dividends in December, but it turns out it beat my expectations!  Dividend income for the month was double the highest month of 2013!  What's even more exciting, in 2014 I'll have two big dividend months.  The months of July and December 2014 will have dividend payments of 15 and 16 dividends.  There are also 2 months when I'll receive 13 dividend payments.  So 2014 is already looking like a good year for boosting monthly cash flow.  The greatest thing is, with re-invested dividends, the monthly cash flow increases every single month.  It's like getting a pay raise only you don't have to do anything special to earn it.  This is exactly why I love dividend investing!

With December coming to a close, I've been gearing up for tax time.  Since I had no stock sales or special situation stocks in 2013, this will be my easiest tax season in quite a few years.  It should be quick and simple to fill out my tax return this year and I'm expecting a little cash back which I plan to use for paying some bills and adding to my investments.  

March will be the beginning of the outdoor flea market season and I'm planning on setting up a booth a couple of Saturdays per month.  May go every Saturday if I can find good resale merchandise.  I plan to use that cash for eliminating what little debt I have left.  The light is at the end of the tunnel, just have to hang on a little longer.  Once all my debt is history, I'll be diverting all the cash I've been using to pay down debt toward building my investments.  So I'm excited about reducing debt as rapidly as possible.  I'll be looking for a part time job after the first of the year to work help reach that goal.

Here is wishing everyone a very happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

SANTA RALLY?

Along with the best month of dividend income for 2013, I enjoyed about a 5% jump in the value of my investments this past week.  Whether this qualifies as a "Santa Rally" or not, it sure rallied my spirits to think I'll be starting 2014 much better off investment wise than in January of 2013.

This will be the first year I've been off New Year's Eve and New Year's Day for several years, so I intend to celebrate the occasion.  Don't intend to get too wild, just a nice mixed drink or two when the ball drops at midnight and a traditional New Year's Day dinner.  Not really sure if the cornbread, cabbage, black eyed peas and ham will bring me luck in the new year, but since they're all foods I like, I figure it couldn't hurt.

There's a line in the book "The Richest Man in Babylon" which says, "The goddess of good luck favors the man of action."  With that in mind, I'll be working my investment plan and actively searching for extra work to boost my income and investments for the year ahead.  Instead of waiting for good luck to befall me, I intend to create my own luck.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

REASONS TO BE THANKFUL FOR 2013

I have to admit I've been kind of down in the dumps for the past few months.  It seems as though I've just had a run of bad luck in 2013.  To get over all the negativity, I decided I should concentrate on reasons I have to be thankful for 2013.

Here are some of the things I've come up with.  My investment portfolio has more than quadrupled since the beginning of the year and I've rebuilt my dividend stock mix.  Met or exceeded all of my investment goals for the year.  My health has improved dramatically.  My cholesterol levels are way down and I've lost over 60 lbs., not to mention I've stuck with my exercise and diet regimen and actually have learned to enjoy it.  Stress levels at work are down and I've been picking up more hours.  I've been able to almost pay off the last two medical bills from my last hospitalization.  Was able to find a decent and affordable apartment in an acceptable neighborhood.  So overall, things are not going so bad.  

Still looking forward to good things in 2014, but I've now realized that we all have good things to be thankful for each and every year.  

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

PURCHASED MORE SHARES OF CORNING GLASS

I decided to invest my cash for December in additional shares of Corning Glass (GLW), since it has been such a great performer from my initial purchase.  I realize that this may not boost dividend income as rapidly as I'd like, but I'm also shooting for some growth and I think GLW has room to increase in value as well as potential dividend increases.  We'll have to see how that pans out.

I've been really busy moving for the first part of December, which doesn't leave me much room for participating in the holiday season.  As it always is with moving, money is tight this month and if past experience is any indicator, it's likely to remain so for about the next 3 or 4 months.  The cold weather hasn't helped.  My utility bills are so high I'm thinking Ameren can afford to build another nuclear plant from the money I've been paying them lately.

On a brighter note, I've already received 9 dividend payments for the month of December which I continue to reinvest.  I do have some reservations about reinvesting dividends while the market is at such lofty highs, but I'm sticking to the plan for now.  There's always the possibility that I may decide to take the cash, should the market reach what I consider unsustainable highs.  In that case I'd switch to cash payments and concentrate on building a cash reserve to take advantage of any fallback in the stock market.  

Hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable holiday season so far!