Monday, March 30, 2020
Monday, March 23, 2020
Recent Buy and Dividend Increase: Realty Income
I wasn't planning on making any stock purchases for a while. I had my sights set on other things for the nonce, but nooo. The market had to start beckoning with all of these buying opportunities. So, fine, I'll ride the roller coaster down the big drop.
I pulled the trigger on a purchase and added another share of Realty Income (O) to my portfolio. As a result of that contemptible COVID-19 outbreak, the company's stock has dropped substantially (along with...just about every other's). I'm actually surprised. With all of the talk about how people are going to need reliable monthly income to get them over the rough patch, you'd think that investors would be flocking TO the company, not cashing in the stocks. It works to my advantage, I suppose, but it's still bizarre.
Not bizarre, however, is the recent announcement of a dividend increase. It's tiny, as usual. I believe it's $0.2225 to $0.223. Between that and DRIP, the dividend is projected to increase a penny and this purchase adds about $0.95 to my annual forward income. Nothing drastic, but it does add a little nudge to that monthly dividend snowball.
The total was about $45 as far as the purchase goes, so yeah, it's a freaking steal at this point.
"Buy" by Got Credit is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
I pulled the trigger on a purchase and added another share of Realty Income (O) to my portfolio. As a result of that contemptible COVID-19 outbreak, the company's stock has dropped substantially (along with...just about every other's). I'm actually surprised. With all of the talk about how people are going to need reliable monthly income to get them over the rough patch, you'd think that investors would be flocking TO the company, not cashing in the stocks. It works to my advantage, I suppose, but it's still bizarre.
Not bizarre, however, is the recent announcement of a dividend increase. It's tiny, as usual. I believe it's $0.2225 to $0.223. Between that and DRIP, the dividend is projected to increase a penny and this purchase adds about $0.95 to my annual forward income. Nothing drastic, but it does add a little nudge to that monthly dividend snowball.
The total was about $45 as far as the purchase goes, so yeah, it's a freaking steal at this point.
"Buy" by Got Credit is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
Sunday, March 22, 2020
'Let's Get It Right' - I'm Back
Or, he's back. Because he's not me. He's him. I'm me...And you're you. Glad we got that cleared up
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Crisis on Earth-Prime (retcon)
As if the debt clock and the global goals weren't uphill battle enough, now we have a pandemic that is slapping the global economy silly. From the looks of it, the craziness is just beginning. So, the question is, how the fluffernutter sandwich do we fight all of this? Well, as it so happens, I have a plan of sorts.
Now, let's get the prerequisite boilerplate stuff out of the way first. As far as Corona is concerned,wash your hands; I've seen this said time and time again to be the best way to prevent catching and spreading the disease. It makes you wonder why we're having such a hard time dealing with it, but there you go. Also, don't touch your face, wear a mask, and self-isolate as much as possible. Oh, one more thing, and I'm surprised this doesn't get brought up more frequently, but don't eat bats.
With all that out of the way, we come to the main attraction. As it turns out there are steps you can take to combat the threats that loom over the horizon. Think of them like Dave Ramsey's baby steps, but you don't have to do them in any particular order and they operate on a much bigger scale.
1. Greatergood
I found out about this site some time in 2008 and I've been going every day since. You click buttons and, as a result, fund all sorts of great causes through ad revenue. You can feed hungry people, support veterans, provide books to help kids learn to read, fund medical research and mammograms, preserve the rain forest, and help animals. While you could just fund the cause of your choice, I think it's best to go across the board and hit all of them.
*Even better, in response to the pandemic, you can now click up to four times a day. The caveat is that it allows clicks once every four hours. I get the logic, but the odds of going 4 for 4 is slim. Depending on your schedule 2 to 3 a day is much more likely. Still, it does allow for people to up the contributions.*
Similarly, freekibble and freetheocean are also great sites to frequent. The prior may not have the same obvious impact, but providing resources to animal shelters is a great thing to do in its own right.
2. Charity Miles
Similar to the above, this app "sponsors" your physical activity (jogging, biking, or even walking). Companies put money towards a charity of your choice based on how much activity you do. Back in the day it was $0.25 for every mile walked or jogged and $0.10 for every mile biked. They've moved to a more nebulous system, which is vexing, but it does still achieve the desired result of funding all sorts of great organizations. I use it myself, and try to get a walk in whenever my schedule allows.
Like with Greater Good, you can fund pretty much anything: fighting poverty or hunger, health, education, the environment. Not only is it empowering in the sense that it makes an impact, but it also encourages personal fitness, which has benefits of its own.
Both of these tools not only fund things, but also shift the burden off the government's shoulders. It facilitates cuts (which are needed as you'll see below) while also still getting done the things that people want to see get done.
3. Make every Patreon greater than Spoony's
Right now, the big push to deal with the looming economic downturn is to cut everybody a monthly check for $2,000; emergency universal basic income, they call it. Well, this basically mostly does that. The difference is that, rather than wait for the government to do it, you just do it.
There is one other perk, though, and I think it's one that the more liberally inclined readers are going to like. Whereas the traditional UBI is yet another government money sink, this is a tax revenue generator. That's right, that's taxable income on the recipient's end, so as a result, more capital will be pumped into the government coffers. It's a much more efficient method than what is often proposed.
Now, you might be asking what a "Spoony" is. Well, he was an internet reviewer back in the day, fairly popular one at that. He launched a Patreon of his own a few years ago that hit $5,000/month. Now, at the time, one couldn't begrudge him that, as he had put quite a bit of effort into his content and had built a sizable fan base as a result. The thing is, he just stopped. He hasn't really done much of anything in about five years. Despite this, he still gets funding from extremely devoted fans. It isn't nearly as much as it was (rightly so), only about $350/month give or take depending on the day, but it's still pay. Given the circumstance, I can't think of a better economic baseline indicator.
True, it isn't the $1,000 that is often cited as the standard amount for basic income, but it is a stepping stone that will deal with a lot of the oncoming problems and, in addition, will help address the government's fiscal woes in the process.
*Now, once this is done, you could take it a step further and fully fund every Patreon (and GoFundMe too, why not?) How do you fully fund a Patreon? That's easy, push it to the highest milestone and keep it there in perpetuity. Yes, this means that Spoony's Patreon would shoot back up to the $5K/month movie milestone, but fine, whatever.
4. Forever Donor (and friends)
This is a fairly new website setup by the Wallet Squirrel guys. It's a pretty brilliant concept. Rather than just donate directly to a charity, you use the site to put money into an interest-bearing account. Every three months, the organization(s) of your choice gets a portion of the interest as a contribution. Why only a portion? It's so that the principle can grow, which means that the power of compounding is put to use in a philanthropic fashion. Even if you just left it alone, the cause(s) would get more funding over time. As they say, it's like your own little mini-foundation. I haven't set up my account yet, but I very much intend to, as it is really cool.
Now, this won't exactly deal with the Coronavirus fiasco. This one is more of a long-term tool, slowly strengthening social safety nets and laying the groundwork for a better future.
*Sadly, the site had to be taken down. Apparently, it hadn't gotten enough momentum. I'm not sure what needs to be done to get the site back up and running, but it should definitely be made a priority, as this was too big a game changer to just let drop like this. Of course, once the site is back up, we have to make sure enough "foundations" are established that the site can stay up and the power of compounding can be put to full use. It would be pointless to get the site back only to have the same thing happen again.
I did come up with some other tools to use. Initially, I was going to suggest them as substitutes to fill in while the site was in limbo, but then it hit me, why not just keep using them even when the site were to come back?
For example, AmazonSmile is a great way to raise money for charities. With everybody cooped up at home, the online retailer has seen a surge of business. Why not strengthen social safety nets (at no extra cost to you, no less) at the same time?
You can also buy Newman's Own products. They make a variety of food products. Said products are high quality and 100% of the money goes to charity.
Another option is to donate to Humanity Forward. After Andrew Yang suspended his Presidential campaign, he launched a non-profit focused on achieving the same goals he had planned to achieve as President. Like his campaign, it's largely focused on universal basic income. It's actually been doing pretty well so far and has managed to provide that income floor to hundreds of people.
5. Pay the Debt
There's a lot of clamoring for the government to fund things. The thing is, they have no money. They've been hemorrhaging it for some time. We've got $2,000,000,000,000+ annual deficits, $26,000,000,000,000+ in debt, and over $150,000,000,000,000 in unfunded liabilities. People get vexed by the "how are we going to pay for it?" question, but it's perfectly valid.
For all the "raise my taxes" talk, this is actually better. It's proactive, and it gives you the most bang for your buck. If enough people contribute, the amount the country pays in interest will slowly decrease over time. That, in turn, will free up more capital that can be put to use elsewhere. It'll take some doing, as the numbers increase at a rapid clip, but if a large enough number of people do it perpetually over time, it could be a real game changer.
Now, granted, this site focuses on U.S debt. Other countries have their own fiscal woes. I don't know if they have their own fundraising sites that act in a similar capacity, but if they do, feel free to leave links in the comments. I'm all for expanding the scope to be as all-encompassing as possible.
6. Buy lottery tickets.
I'm not telling you this because your chances of winning are good. I mean, you COULD win, but you probably won't. I add this because I've seen it often cited as a tax. Again, going back to those who view taxes as the ultimate solution to any problem and lament the fact that they aren't paying more, here you go. Regardless of whether you win, you still fund schools, roads, healthcare, and other initiatives. Granted, it's on the state and local level as opposed to federal, but it's still something. In any event, they have their own debt clocks that also need combating. Thus, it still fits I'm actually kind of surprised that those on the left haven't tried to put this more positive spin on lotto tickets, but that's neither here nor there. Do other countries have lotteries? I would assume so, if so, feel free to do the same. Every bit counts.
So, there it is. I think it covers all the bases and attacks things on multiple fronts. There's a lot to deal with and it's all pretty large in scope. What we're up against is bigger than anything we've faced, that's why it's going to take all of us. We've got the tools, now we just need to show the talent.
Now, let's get the prerequisite boilerplate stuff out of the way first. As far as Corona is concerned,wash your hands; I've seen this said time and time again to be the best way to prevent catching and spreading the disease. It makes you wonder why we're having such a hard time dealing with it, but there you go. Also, don't touch your face, wear a mask, and self-isolate as much as possible. Oh, one more thing, and I'm surprised this doesn't get brought up more frequently, but don't eat bats.
With all that out of the way, we come to the main attraction. As it turns out there are steps you can take to combat the threats that loom over the horizon. Think of them like Dave Ramsey's baby steps, but you don't have to do them in any particular order and they operate on a much bigger scale.
1. Greatergood
I found out about this site some time in 2008 and I've been going every day since. You click buttons and, as a result, fund all sorts of great causes through ad revenue. You can feed hungry people, support veterans, provide books to help kids learn to read, fund medical research and mammograms, preserve the rain forest, and help animals. While you could just fund the cause of your choice, I think it's best to go across the board and hit all of them.
*Even better, in response to the pandemic, you can now click up to four times a day. The caveat is that it allows clicks once every four hours. I get the logic, but the odds of going 4 for 4 is slim. Depending on your schedule 2 to 3 a day is much more likely. Still, it does allow for people to up the contributions.*
Similarly, freekibble and freetheocean are also great sites to frequent. The prior may not have the same obvious impact, but providing resources to animal shelters is a great thing to do in its own right.
2. Charity Miles
Similar to the above, this app "sponsors" your physical activity (jogging, biking, or even walking). Companies put money towards a charity of your choice based on how much activity you do. Back in the day it was $0.25 for every mile walked or jogged and $0.10 for every mile biked. They've moved to a more nebulous system, which is vexing, but it does still achieve the desired result of funding all sorts of great organizations. I use it myself, and try to get a walk in whenever my schedule allows.
Like with Greater Good, you can fund pretty much anything: fighting poverty or hunger, health, education, the environment. Not only is it empowering in the sense that it makes an impact, but it also encourages personal fitness, which has benefits of its own.
Both of these tools not only fund things, but also shift the burden off the government's shoulders. It facilitates cuts (which are needed as you'll see below) while also still getting done the things that people want to see get done.
3. Make every Patreon greater than Spoony's
Right now, the big push to deal with the looming economic downturn is to cut everybody a monthly check for $2,000; emergency universal basic income, they call it. Well, this basically mostly does that. The difference is that, rather than wait for the government to do it, you just do it.
There is one other perk, though, and I think it's one that the more liberally inclined readers are going to like. Whereas the traditional UBI is yet another government money sink, this is a tax revenue generator. That's right, that's taxable income on the recipient's end, so as a result, more capital will be pumped into the government coffers. It's a much more efficient method than what is often proposed.
Now, you might be asking what a "Spoony" is. Well, he was an internet reviewer back in the day, fairly popular one at that. He launched a Patreon of his own a few years ago that hit $5,000/month. Now, at the time, one couldn't begrudge him that, as he had put quite a bit of effort into his content and had built a sizable fan base as a result. The thing is, he just stopped. He hasn't really done much of anything in about five years. Despite this, he still gets funding from extremely devoted fans. It isn't nearly as much as it was (rightly so), only about $350/month give or take depending on the day, but it's still pay. Given the circumstance, I can't think of a better economic baseline indicator.
True, it isn't the $1,000 that is often cited as the standard amount for basic income, but it is a stepping stone that will deal with a lot of the oncoming problems and, in addition, will help address the government's fiscal woes in the process.
*Now, once this is done, you could take it a step further and fully fund every Patreon (and GoFundMe too, why not?) How do you fully fund a Patreon? That's easy, push it to the highest milestone and keep it there in perpetuity. Yes, this means that Spoony's Patreon would shoot back up to the $5K/month movie milestone, but fine, whatever.
4. Forever Donor (and friends)
This is a fairly new website setup by the Wallet Squirrel guys. It's a pretty brilliant concept. Rather than just donate directly to a charity, you use the site to put money into an interest-bearing account. Every three months, the organization(s) of your choice gets a portion of the interest as a contribution. Why only a portion? It's so that the principle can grow, which means that the power of compounding is put to use in a philanthropic fashion. Even if you just left it alone, the cause(s) would get more funding over time. As they say, it's like your own little mini-foundation. I haven't set up my account yet, but I very much intend to, as it is really cool.
Now, this won't exactly deal with the Coronavirus fiasco. This one is more of a long-term tool, slowly strengthening social safety nets and laying the groundwork for a better future.
*Sadly, the site had to be taken down. Apparently, it hadn't gotten enough momentum. I'm not sure what needs to be done to get the site back up and running, but it should definitely be made a priority, as this was too big a game changer to just let drop like this. Of course, once the site is back up, we have to make sure enough "foundations" are established that the site can stay up and the power of compounding can be put to full use. It would be pointless to get the site back only to have the same thing happen again.
I did come up with some other tools to use. Initially, I was going to suggest them as substitutes to fill in while the site was in limbo, but then it hit me, why not just keep using them even when the site were to come back?
For example, AmazonSmile is a great way to raise money for charities. With everybody cooped up at home, the online retailer has seen a surge of business. Why not strengthen social safety nets (at no extra cost to you, no less) at the same time?
You can also buy Newman's Own products. They make a variety of food products. Said products are high quality and 100% of the money goes to charity.
Another option is to donate to Humanity Forward. After Andrew Yang suspended his Presidential campaign, he launched a non-profit focused on achieving the same goals he had planned to achieve as President. Like his campaign, it's largely focused on universal basic income. It's actually been doing pretty well so far and has managed to provide that income floor to hundreds of people.
5. Pay the Debt
There's a lot of clamoring for the government to fund things. The thing is, they have no money. They've been hemorrhaging it for some time. We've got $2,000,000,000,000+ annual deficits, $26,000,000,000,000+ in debt, and over $150,000,000,000,000 in unfunded liabilities. People get vexed by the "how are we going to pay for it?" question, but it's perfectly valid.
For all the "raise my taxes" talk, this is actually better. It's proactive, and it gives you the most bang for your buck. If enough people contribute, the amount the country pays in interest will slowly decrease over time. That, in turn, will free up more capital that can be put to use elsewhere. It'll take some doing, as the numbers increase at a rapid clip, but if a large enough number of people do it perpetually over time, it could be a real game changer.
Now, granted, this site focuses on U.S debt. Other countries have their own fiscal woes. I don't know if they have their own fundraising sites that act in a similar capacity, but if they do, feel free to leave links in the comments. I'm all for expanding the scope to be as all-encompassing as possible.
6. Buy lottery tickets.
I'm not telling you this because your chances of winning are good. I mean, you COULD win, but you probably won't. I add this because I've seen it often cited as a tax. Again, going back to those who view taxes as the ultimate solution to any problem and lament the fact that they aren't paying more, here you go. Regardless of whether you win, you still fund schools, roads, healthcare, and other initiatives. Granted, it's on the state and local level as opposed to federal, but it's still something. In any event, they have their own debt clocks that also need combating. Thus, it still fits I'm actually kind of surprised that those on the left haven't tried to put this more positive spin on lotto tickets, but that's neither here nor there. Do other countries have lotteries? I would assume so, if so, feel free to do the same. Every bit counts.
7. Stock banking
OK, some of these cost money and if you're short on income, it makes things tougher. As such, let's move back to something that doesn't cost you anything out of pocket, stock banking. What is this? It's a life hack that I came across via the "Yang Gang", who used it as a way to raise money for Andrew Yang back when he was vying for the Democratic nomination.
How it works is that you use a RobinHood referral link (like, say, this one) to get a free share of stock. Then you and/or the person who's link you used sell their respective shares and donate them to a thing. This effectively makes Wall Street foot the bill to help achieve whatever goal you're most passionate about.
So, there it is. I think it covers all the bases and attacks things on multiple fronts. There's a lot to deal with and it's all pretty large in scope. What we're up against is bigger than anything we've faced, that's why it's going to take all of us. We've got the tools, now we just need to show the talent.
Monday, March 9, 2020
'Star Trek Beyond' Movie Review
You can read my review of the film here.
Pros
- The cast. Even after three entries, it's still amazing just how good everybody is in their respective roles.
- Keeps the same "fun" factor (big action and the humor, for example) that worked well in the first two entries, while also giving us a plot that feels more like classic "Trek".
- Manages to juggle multiple sub-plots rather effectively
- The "Sabotage" sequence. Some might roll their eyes at it. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
- Jayla's a great original character. She's smart, pleasant, helpful, has a fleshed out back story, and can hold her own in a fight. Nothing to complain about there. Hopefully, if there is a fourth, they can bring her into the fold once more.
Cons
- The run time did feel a bit too drawn out. A little more streamlining would have been beneficial in my opinion.
- The villain is largely flat up until the final act. The fact that they, more or less, wasted Idris Elba only makes it that much worse.
Overall
It has some faults, but ultimately, this was another entertaining as hell entry in the franchise. Even the hardcore fans who didn't care for the two preceding movies might enjoy this, as it feels the most like the "Trek" that they grew up watching.
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
Pros
- The cast. Even after three entries, it's still amazing just how good everybody is in their respective roles.
- Keeps the same "fun" factor (big action and the humor, for example) that worked well in the first two entries, while also giving us a plot that feels more like classic "Trek".
- Manages to juggle multiple sub-plots rather effectively
- The "Sabotage" sequence. Some might roll their eyes at it. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
- Jayla's a great original character. She's smart, pleasant, helpful, has a fleshed out back story, and can hold her own in a fight. Nothing to complain about there. Hopefully, if there is a fourth, they can bring her into the fold once more.
Cons
- The run time did feel a bit too drawn out. A little more streamlining would have been beneficial in my opinion.
- The villain is largely flat up until the final act. The fact that they, more or less, wasted Idris Elba only makes it that much worse.
Overall
It has some faults, but ultimately, this was another entertaining as hell entry in the franchise. Even the hardcore fans who didn't care for the two preceding movies might enjoy this, as it feels the most like the "Trek" that they grew up watching.
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Saturday, February 29, 2020
February 2020 Dividend Income: My Corona
Better than wine, flowers, or chocolates; February gave the sweet gift of dividends. This being a mid-quarter month means that it was quite a big haul for me. As such, let's get right to it and start logging the numbers.
AT&T (T): $1.11 Up $0.04 from last quarter due to DRIP and a dividend increase and up $0.09 from last year.
Sprague Resources (SRLP): $8.16 Up $0.30 from last quarter due to DRIP. Year over year increase was $4.71 due to DRIP and shares bought.
AGNC: $0.17 Same as last month and last quarter.
Diversified Healthcare Trust (DHC); This used to be Senior Housing, but they went through some big overhaul and name change. In any event, the dividend clocked in at $0.16, which is the same as last quarter but down YoY due to share sales after a dividend cut.
Five Star Senior Living (FVE): $0.33 I...I don't own stock in this company. I don't know where this came from. I assume it's tied to the above re-tool, but it doesn't show up anywhere in my portfolio or on the projected earnings page. Oh, it gets weirder. If you look the company up, they aren't a dividend payer. There's no yield or ex-dividend date, it's all just lines indicating no payout. It makes no sense, even though it did make me some cents.
Omega Healthcare (OHI): $2.19 Up $0.03 from last quarter from DRIP and a dividend increase. YoY increase was $0.17
Realty Income (O): $0.73 Up $0.02 from last month due to DRIP and a dividend increase.
Best Buy (BBY): $3.50. This will be the last "wrong" month, as I now set this to reinvest, it should also allow for a bit of growth going forward. I am going to miss the checks, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.
Hormel (HRL): $0.71 Up $0.28 from last quarter and up $0.29 from last year. This is due to DRIP, a dividend increase, and a purchase.
Tanger Factory Outlets (SKT): $1.48 Up $0.03 from last quarter due to DRIP
Kinder Morgan (KMI): $1.02 Up a penny from last quarter due to DRIP.
Paychex (PAYX): $1.29 Up a penny
Arconic (ARNC): $0.02 Same as before.
Westrock (WRK): $1.42 Up a penny from their last payment
Publix (non 401K): $0.30 same as last quarter.
Speaking of the 401K, Publix did also add $1.47 to that account. That's a $0.26 increase from last quarter.
Another fund threw in $0.64, which is up $0.12 from last quarter.
The non-401K dividends clocked in at $22.59, which is only a slight increase from November. Throwing in the 401K, though, brings it to $24.70. Why, yes, that is another record month.
This month wasn't too active on the buying front. Just an AT&T purchase that I had written about a few days ago. With the market in a tailspin, deploying more capital would have been nice, but oh well. DRIP is still in effect and the 401K is still funded so even though I'm not making any major moves, I'm still getting some benefit from that whole kerfluffle.
It's not fun watching the account value drop the way it is, but one of the perks to being a small time newbie investor is the fact that even though my portfolio has taken some hits, the losses haven't been huge. The fact that my portfolio is more dividend based also helps take some of the sting out. It makes riding it out a bit easier.
On a somewhat related note, interest payments clocked in at $3.06, which is up a cent from last month. With my having moved more money into the IRA's, I'm wondering if I should compartmentalize the liquid interest and the retirement interest like I do with the dividends. It's something I might try out later on down the line, but it could be interesting to see.
That about wraps things up. It was a pretty big month, all things considered. Had a record broken, some solid growth, a market swan dive, and even a mysterious anomaly to add some extra flavor to the proceedings. What does the remainder of 2020 have in store? Only time will tell.
"stock dividend" by CreditDebitPro is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
AT&T (T): $1.11 Up $0.04 from last quarter due to DRIP and a dividend increase and up $0.09 from last year.
Sprague Resources (SRLP): $8.16 Up $0.30 from last quarter due to DRIP. Year over year increase was $4.71 due to DRIP and shares bought.
AGNC: $0.17 Same as last month and last quarter.
Diversified Healthcare Trust (DHC); This used to be Senior Housing, but they went through some big overhaul and name change. In any event, the dividend clocked in at $0.16, which is the same as last quarter but down YoY due to share sales after a dividend cut.
Five Star Senior Living (FVE): $0.33 I...I don't own stock in this company. I don't know where this came from. I assume it's tied to the above re-tool, but it doesn't show up anywhere in my portfolio or on the projected earnings page. Oh, it gets weirder. If you look the company up, they aren't a dividend payer. There's no yield or ex-dividend date, it's all just lines indicating no payout. It makes no sense, even though it did make me some cents.
Omega Healthcare (OHI): $2.19 Up $0.03 from last quarter from DRIP and a dividend increase. YoY increase was $0.17
Realty Income (O): $0.73 Up $0.02 from last month due to DRIP and a dividend increase.
Best Buy (BBY): $3.50. This will be the last "wrong" month, as I now set this to reinvest, it should also allow for a bit of growth going forward. I am going to miss the checks, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.
Hormel (HRL): $0.71 Up $0.28 from last quarter and up $0.29 from last year. This is due to DRIP, a dividend increase, and a purchase.
Tanger Factory Outlets (SKT): $1.48 Up $0.03 from last quarter due to DRIP
Kinder Morgan (KMI): $1.02 Up a penny from last quarter due to DRIP.
Paychex (PAYX): $1.29 Up a penny
Arconic (ARNC): $0.02 Same as before.
Westrock (WRK): $1.42 Up a penny from their last payment
Publix (non 401K): $0.30 same as last quarter.
Speaking of the 401K, Publix did also add $1.47 to that account. That's a $0.26 increase from last quarter.
Another fund threw in $0.64, which is up $0.12 from last quarter.
The non-401K dividends clocked in at $22.59, which is only a slight increase from November. Throwing in the 401K, though, brings it to $24.70. Why, yes, that is another record month.
This month wasn't too active on the buying front. Just an AT&T purchase that I had written about a few days ago. With the market in a tailspin, deploying more capital would have been nice, but oh well. DRIP is still in effect and the 401K is still funded so even though I'm not making any major moves, I'm still getting some benefit from that whole kerfluffle.
It's not fun watching the account value drop the way it is, but one of the perks to being a small time newbie investor is the fact that even though my portfolio has taken some hits, the losses haven't been huge. The fact that my portfolio is more dividend based also helps take some of the sting out. It makes riding it out a bit easier.
On a somewhat related note, interest payments clocked in at $3.06, which is up a cent from last month. With my having moved more money into the IRA's, I'm wondering if I should compartmentalize the liquid interest and the retirement interest like I do with the dividends. It's something I might try out later on down the line, but it could be interesting to see.
That about wraps things up. It was a pretty big month, all things considered. Had a record broken, some solid growth, a market swan dive, and even a mysterious anomaly to add some extra flavor to the proceedings. What does the remainder of 2020 have in store? Only time will tell.
"stock dividend" by CreditDebitPro is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Click here to become a Swagbucks member
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)