Friday, May 29, 2015

TOTAL NUMBER OF DIVIDEND PAYMENTS DROP, DIVIDEND INCOME UP 20%!

With EGAS changing from monthly to quarterly dividend payments, the total number of dividends I'll collect has dropped from 192 to 184.  Since the dividend was not cut, it will only have a small effect on total income related to compounding from frequency of payments.  So it's pretty much a non issue.

Overall portfolio value is still up for the month.  Total dividend income is down in 2015 when compared to the month of May 2014.  However, total dividend income for the year is up a little over 20% when compared to 2014.  As expected, I'm not seeing the huge gains in monthly cash flow that I experienced all last year.  Income has leveled off to more sustainable amounts.  

Still expect to see a slump in the markets starting in June or July, but I could be wrong.  No matter how it actually goes, I'll either see an increase in portfolio value from a higher stock market or I'll be able to purchase more stock at lower prices.  It's kind of a win win scenario for me, so I'm pretty excited about the prospects.

Monday, May 18, 2015

PORTFOLIO VALUE UP FOR THE FIRST HALF OF MAY!

I've seen some nice gains in the value of my portfolio for the first half of May.  I'm doubting the trend will continue, since I'm expecting to see the usual summer slump in June or July as people get busy with vacations and summer activities.  Don't put much stock in jobs report.  Seems like they pull those numbers out of the air and things aren't improving like they'd have you believe.  It's true that I started a better job, although the hourly pay is lower than my previous job.  The number of hours I get to work on the new job and the job conditions make it a much better job, but it's still low pay and not 40 hours a week.  So I'm not convinced the Obama administration has been very effective in their economic efforts.  The bright side of any slump in the market is that I'm buying not selling shares.  So a slump in the market means I can buy more shares for less money.

Collected oil royalties from ROYT last week.  Their price has fluctuated with the erratic behavior in the oil markets, but I believe it will be a good investment in the long run.  In the mean time, it's nice to collect the dividends every month, even if it's not a big money dividend.  Small amounts on a monthly basis can really add up over time.  Reinvesting it all for now to build up additional shares while the price is so low.  It's possible that they could eventually go under, but I don't think it's likely.  This has been a speculative investment from the get go, so I didn't invest any money I couldn't afford to lose.  Don't really think I'm in danger of losing much and if things go the way I think they will, I could make a nice tidy profit.

May is a 13 dividend month for me, so it's one of the lower income months.  Really looking forward to the 18 dividends coming in June.  Twice a year, my portfolio generates 20 dividend payments per month.  The rest of the year it's 13, 17, 18.  Even at 13 dividends per month, that's an average of one dividend every 2.39 days!  Just think if you got paid from your job that often.  With 192 dividend payments per year, I actually average a dividend payment every 1.9 days!  So with reinvested dividends, I get paid every 1.9 days and the dividends go up every time I get paid.  

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

PORTFOLIO VALUE UP FOR THE BEGINNING OF MAY!

The month of May kicked off with four great dividend payments and a nice increase in the value of my portfolio overall.  I was hoping for prices to stay low so my reinvested dividends could purchase more shares, but you can't knock paper gains either.  It's pretty encouraging to see the value of your investments rise along with increasing monthly dividends.  A double dose of gains.

Should have a couple of good paychecks coming up too.  This past weekend I worked 3 double shifts for a total of 37 hours in 3 days.  Have quite a few hours on the upcoming schedule as well, so I'm looking forward to a boost in earned income.  Also have some projects in the works to make a little extra cash, so it's possible I'll be investing in additional shares of some of my current holdings.  With such a great start at the beginning of the month, I'm looking forward to what the rest of the month holds in store.