A nice month overall. Not a whole lot to report investing wise, my focus was more on boosting my savings rate than anything else. I purchased a digital antenna (made by GE, bought at Target) which allowed us to cancel our cable subscription. I was recently approved for a cash back credit card to stretch savings a little farther. I'm not a fan of credit cards, but getting cash back on items I have to buy anyway makes sense. Also I should receive my first payment from Google Adsense in April. I never thought this blog would actually make money, kinda cool. Little things like that add up over time the same as reinvesting dividends.
DOW: 16,458 /// S&P 500: 1,872 /// 10-YR BOND: 2.72%
New Purchases:
1) 4 shares MCD at $94.42: $12.96 annual income
2) 7 shares KO at $38.51: $8.54
3) 8 shares KMI at $31.48: $13.12
4) 6 shares BP at $46.40: $13.68
5) 10 shares GE at $25.83: $8.80
6) FRIP: 1 share KMI: $1.64
Sales:
none
Dividends Received: $554.06
ConocoPhillips (COP) $41.40
Southern Company (SO) $32.48
iShares Emer Mkt Bnd (EMB) $2.58
Chevron (CVX) $57.00
Emerson Electric (EMR) $23.65
Exxon Mobil (XOM) $10.71
Lorillard (LO) $51.67
Norfolk Southern (NSC) $30.78
Target (TGT) $21.93
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $39.60
Unilever (UL) $8.04
Southside Bancshares (SBSI) $15.00
Avista (AVA) $49.85
McDonald's (MCD) $46.17
Realty Income (O) $15.67
Realty Income Series F (O-PF) $6.76
Owens & Minor (OMI) $22.25
Pepsi (PEP) $49.94
LTC Properties (LTC) $28.58
Dividend Increases:
1) APD: $.71 to $.77 per quarter: $7.44 annual income
2) BNS: $.62 to $.64 (Canadian) per quarter: ~$5.00
3) GIS: $.38 to $.41 per quarter: $8.44
4) RTN: $.55 to $.605 per quarter: $12.56
5) O: $.1821667 to $.1824792 per month: $.24
6) WPC: $.87 to $.895 per quarter: $2.32
New Deposits:
$1,500 to taxable account, $100 to Lending Club
Lending Club Interest:
$13.00
CI,
ReplyDeleteAnother fabulous month!
Congrats on saving a little extra money with the cable cancellation. I haven't had cable in years and it hasn't bothered me at all. Of course, I'm so busy right now it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
Nice purchases there. I think GE, BP, and KMI in particular make a lot of sense here.
And another great month of dividends. $550 in dividends is some serious passive income!
Best wishes.
I rarely watch tv and we only had cable the last 6 months or so. Comcast offered a really cheap bundled rate after I declined their sales pitch many times. A digital antenna is even cheaper at $0/month :) Picked up Target's most fancy pants model for just $40...
DeleteI'll be looking to add more GE and BP in April, those are baby positions for now. I ought to gain a GE share tomorrow (FRIP) to kick it off.
Great month CI, and good to see that Lending Club income steadily climbing higher! Pretty awesome how those weekly purchases and the dividend increases really combined to drastically increase your forward 12-month dividends.
ReplyDeleteIt was a strong month for LC and I've noticed there has been a better selection of new notes lately. Looks like P2P lending is catching on!
DeleteI think April will be another nice month for dividend increases. Past that they will slow down considerably.
Great month!! that's $550 of pure passive income.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job! I personally am not a fan of credit cards, but l like to get the rewards for them =) Necessary evil unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
I feel the same way. I used to worry that the temptation would be too great or I'd forget to pay on time (late fees). I've stayed frugal (though not extreme) for quite a while now and think I'm ready for it. Also it will help my credit score in case I want to buy a house. Actually the card I chose will show my credit score every month right on the statement. Nice little perk!
DeleteYeah, I used to worry about missing a payment myself. What I do is make a payment at every paycheck. This way I always make at least one payment in the statement period. Normally I pay it off after each paycheck because I only use it for normal expenses and I like saving money more than spending it, so that keeps me from going crazy. When I make a big purchase I always have the cash (or a paycheck away), might as well get some rewards!
DeleteILG,
DeleteI'll keep that in mind. Normally I pay bills on the 1st of the month and do a brokerage deposit around the 15th. Maybe I'll switch it up a little bit to accommodate the card. Have to see!
Outstanding month CI. $550 of monthly dividend income represents real progress on the journey to FI. Congratulations!
ReplyDelete-Bryan
It was (barely) a new record, but I'll take it! June ought to be a nice improvement...
DeleteGreat month CI! Dividend increases, great purchases, and of course dividend payments! There's not a whole lot that I'm excited about at current prices so I'd gladly welcome a pullback in the markets. GE is pretty good right here and KMI, but KMI is bit higher weighting than I'd like.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough right now. I plan to continue adding GE and BP for the time being. Past that we'll have to see what opportunities pop up. Catch you later
Delete$554 in dividend income! Good stuff, CI. Congrats!!
ReplyDeleteLots of dividend increase announcements from your portfolio as well - thats always a good news :)
regards
Indeed it is. I still get excited by dividend increases to this day!
Delete$554 in dividend income and $13 in interest in lending club. That's a pretty nice month. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid to use credit cards. Think of it as delayed cash. You are just charging it now and paying it later. But in the mean time you get rewards through points, miles, or cash back.
Take it easy.
Thanks Richie. Saving a few bucks with the card will be helpful. Every little bit adds up!
DeleteGreat Month CI!
ReplyDeleteI got a little less than half of what you received in March dividends. Congrats on starting to make some money off the blog and I enjoy reading and following along with what's going on over here. Some solid dividend increases there.
I expect to see a few more raises in April, XOM and PG should announce by the end of the month come quick to mind.
I am expecting increases from CVX, XOM, PG, and SO this month. Possibly KMI & OHI. If you own any of those keep your eyes peeled...
DeleteNice income for March! I can't wait to start seeing your income from Google Adsense.
ReplyDeleteWell this is not a huge blog or anything like that, but it does make around $20 a month or so from Adsense. I blog because I enjoy it, not for the money. $20/mo isn't worth the effort, and that's after 2+ years ;)
DeleteJeez I ought to stop by your site soon. I'll add you to my following list for now. Just don't have time to keep up with others blogs for the time being... I'm out of state working long hours at the moment.
Any kids? Wife? I have thought about cutting the cable but don't think I could pull the trigger b/c of the boy and teach The Wife a new system lol
ReplyDeleteNo kids, just a girlfriend for now. I actually got the idea of getting a digital antenna from her :) Never occurred to me :) Never used an antenna before, but it works great actually!
DeleteI haven't had a cable bill in years. With Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime... you can get your tv shows without the $100/month fee. Plus there is plenty of entertainment on the net. I think you made a wise choice here. Congratz on a solid month.
ReplyDelete