WHAT TO GET YOURSELF FOR CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is the season of giving and while I enjoy giving gifts to family and friends, I've always included myself on the gift list.  I used to buy myself gold jewelry at Christmas every year, a little trinket to wear as a reward for all the hard work I'd put in all year long.  But now the jewelry sits in a box and is rarely thought of or worn.  It's just more stuff I have laying around that I paid way too much for and has very little resale or sentimental value.

So this year I decided to give myself something I can enjoy for years to come.  I'm going to put half my Christmas bonus to work, buying shares of SPLV and NCV for my Roth IRA.  It's the gift that truly keeps on giving, since both pay monthly dividends.  This will add another 24 dividend payments per year, bringing my total to 336 starting in January 2017.  Now that's a Christmas gift I can get excited about!

While this might seem a bit selfish or self centered, I know that the better off I am financially, the more generous I become with others.  The less I have to work to earn a living, the more time and money I have to give to others.