DECEMBER 2015 KICKS OFF WITH 5 DIVIDEND PAYMENTS!

Started the month off right with 5 dividend payments on the first day of December!  It's a great start to what will be the all time record month for dividend income and total number of payments.  I'm expecting another 18 payments this month for a record monthly total of 23 dividends!  That in itself is pretty exciting, but it will also be the record month for dividend income since I started rebuilding my investment portfolio 3 years ago.  This follows on the heels of a new record for earnings set just last month, which beat out the month of July.

Still have some Christmas shopping to finish, doing pretty good about staying in budget.  Not going for any big gifts, but wanted to give a little more than last year.  Certainly helps to have the extra income from my investments.  Have also seen a more stable income from work this year since finding a new job last March.  The benefits are much better but the total income is about the same.  I expect that to improve in 2016.  Still not sure about a Christmas bonus, but if I don't get one I'm still better off than my old job.  At least now I get holiday pay.

I'm excited to see how the rest of the month unfolds.  I don't keep track of days dividends are paid, so it's always a nice little surprise when I sign in to my account to see I've collected more money.  I do kind of have an idea when most stocks pay, just not specific days.  The way my investments are set up, I receive the bulk of payments at the beginning and end of the month, with some extra payments in the middle of the month.  This should work out pretty well when I retire and start taking cash dividend payments to use for living expenses.  For now I reinvest everything.  Should I actually get a Christmas bonus, my Christmas gift to myself is to invest half my bonus in purchasing more stock.  After all, a dividend stock is the gift that keeps on giving.