FIRST QUARTER DIVIDEND INCOME UP A STAGGERING 90% OVER 2015!

Just collected the end of the month dividends for March 2016 and did a monthly and quarterly comparison with 2015.  Am very pleased to report that dividend income is up 66% for the month of March 2016 when compared to March 2015.  However, I was blown away to discover that first quarter earnings for 2016 were up over 90% when compared to the first quarter of last year!  My goal for this year is to increase dividend income 50% over last year.  At this point, I'm thinking I may have set my target too low.  That's O.K. though, I do want to set attainable goals and stick with my investment plan.  So far it's been working quite well, even in the choppy markets we've experienced since the first of the year.

I sat down earlier this week and reviewed my portfolio.  I came up with an ambitious 3 year stock purchase plan that will not only boost dividend income significantly, but I believe it will put me in a better position to boost capital gains as well.  Since the plan calls for buying shares in bigger lots, it will also help keep commission costs down.  While I do plan to purchase more shares of some of my stock and bond funds, this plan is directed more towards boosting my stakes in individual stocks.  I'm pretty excited about the whole thing.  I think it's a good move forward and will greatly enhance my investment portfolio.  The first stock purchases under this new plan go through next Tuesday.