Friday, March 30, 2018

March Review / April Preview, 2018

Personally Intrigued Gremlin here to discuss this past month and upcoming April.  Dividend wise March was a madhouse, more on that later.  March was also busy at home with almost every moment at home consumed by baby care or social gatherings in some way related to baby stuff.

Meanwhile, I am also working at saving cash all the time, in most every aspect of my life.  So far the results are pretty ordinary, but given enough time the result will be extraordinary.  Those results will be very rewarding and in spite of whatever political or economic action that may come - my path is directly forward with saving and investing.  Living in the DC area I hear a lot of theorizing of how things can go.  Most of that stuff is just noise, and I patiently disregard most of it, while personally mocking some of it.

March:

This month I made one purchase, acquiring shares of the Bank of Montreal in my taxable account.

Last month I brought in a total of $380.58 in dividends ($156.97 taxable, $82.86 Roth, and $140.75 IRA).  This is an increase from last year ($282.82 total) by 34.5%.

In terms of dividend increases, I realized* 11 raises from Amgen (AMGN), Archer-Daniel's Midland (ADM), Dominion Resources (D), Dunkin Donuts (DNKN), Eaton Corp (ETN), Union Pacific (UNP), Waste Management (WM), YUM! Corp (YUM), Prudential (PRU), 3M (MMM), and T-Rowe Price (TROW).  The increases ranged from 4% to about 20%.  I have now realized 18 raises thus far this year.

Next month I will realize five raises from the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Coca-Cola (KO), Realty Income, and Walmart.  The increases range from 0.2% to about 5.5%.

* I only count increases when realized, because until that money is delivered any statements or declarations are simply conjecture.

April:

The mortgage continues, so at least part of our 'rent' counts towards our house. Our debts currently outstrip our assets.  Outside of our house, we still have very low interest auto debt (1.9 and 1.5% for our cars).  Both my car and house are receiving slightly out-sized payments monthly.  We are effectively eliminating debt, while still building and assets.  Even on just one income

The weather has gotten nice and I have 'recovered' some bike parts that might have gone missing thanks to someone who wanted bike parts at the end of last year.  That means I will be riding my bike almost every day (I ride to my nearby commuter train station).  Between riding my bike, having work cover my train cost, and keeping food costs very low - I am saving a ton of cash despite my wife having taken the year off to spend with our son.  Once she resumes work our income will be outstanding, and our investments will benefit handsomely.

My next buy will probably be in May, but there is an outside chance it will come in April.

Next month should produce around $75 in dividends, which is a 6% YOY increase.  The first month of each quarter remains a bit of a weak link on my dividend calendar.

My portfolio page is currently up to date.

Hope everyone has a great March.
- Dividend Gremlin
- Long all stock tickers mentioned

6 comments:

  1. Gremlin,

    From a dividend perspective, great month. I love seeing that dividend growth rate and the strong results that you continue to deliver. I love reading about your savings rate and how you are able to keep your expenses pretty darn low. We've been packing our lunch lately and it has been pretty darn nice.

    Cheers,

    Bert

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bert,

      That growth rate has been strong, I plan on being overly focused on pumping up taxable monies as quickly as possible!

      - Gremlin

      Delete
  2. Solid double digit year over year gains for the month. Nice!!! What more can you ask for? Also, many of your holdings increased their dividends which will only add to your passive income stream. Looks like you are doing all the right things. Just keep at it and be happy that your wife is taking a year off to be with your baby. Too often these days you hear stories of parents going back to work out of necessity soon after a child is born. What happened to our country?!? It never used to be like that. In the 'old' days a parent was with a child for years straight. Times have changed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keith,

      Thanks for the comment. It has been very nice seeing double digit YoY gains. I agree with you about the kid. I would think some people view themselves as bad early childhood parents or afraid of the duties in some way. It is not for everyone, though biologically its kind of how our species came to be (so welcome to the circular logic of life). However, I am grateful we have been able to make this whole thing work!

      - Gremlin

      Delete
  3. Hell yea Grem! $380 bucks rolling back in the market. I like you have been focusing on the Canadian banks here recently. I need to add some financial exposure in my portfolio as well. I've been eyeing some of the names you have been talking about I just haven't pulled the trigger. Hopefully, I will scoop some up soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Money Hungry,

      Thanks for the comment. $380 is awesome, especially once you consider everyone starts this game at 0. I am a big fan of the Canadian banking system in general. There is a lot of quality out there, enjoy acquiring your slice.

      - Gremlin

      Delete