Lanny’s November Dividend Income Summary

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  Not only does that mean that the Holiday season has started up, but it also means that November has wound down, with one more month left to go in 2016.  The dividends are officially in and I’d like to share, compare and go over the results!  Let me put my rake away, from the last fall of leaves, and bring out my November dividend income for the month.

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Pay Down the Mortgage or Invest: Part II – Rising Interest Rates

Now that the year of 2016 is wrapping up and we are only around 4-5 weeks away until we ring in the new year, I have been deeply thinking about my extra-mortgage payment paydown strategy.  Mortgage interest rates have been sky rocketing since the election, another element to showcase the rollercoaster ride that we are truly on.  This has caused me to potentially make a tweak or two to my strategy that I have had in play for the last few years.  Let’s see what I mean!

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My Plan to Pay Off Our Student Loans

Student Loans….a topic that almost everyone can relate to and almost every person in the personal finance community curse.  We’ve all read the reports and the numbers are staggering:  total student loans are over $1 trillion dollars here in the US and the average graduate is leaving school with an average of $37,712 (Source: Student Loan Hero).  My goal today is to discuss my family’s student loan situation, some of the tough discussions we had before incurring the student loans, and then to cap it off, my plan to pay off our debt as early as possible.

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Lanny’s November Dividend Stock Watch List

Okay, so if Bert wants to roll out an article on his stocks that he’s watching, then I am going to have to waive my hands in there and say, “Hey – I am looking at stocks too”!  Therefore, I will present my stocks that have been under my keen eye for the last few weeks, especially post-the-election.  Come and check out the dividend stocks on my watch list!

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Bert’s November Dividend Stock Watch List

Lanny said it best, the post election stock market has been crazy.  A lot of industries that have been trading at a discount, financials and REITs for example, have soared while other stocks that have traded at highs over the years are approaching buy-able levels again.    Recently, I was able to knock out one of my 2016 investing goals by crossing $3,250 in projected dividend income; now, I have another goal in sight….investing at least $20,000 in “New Capital” into the market.   I’m ready to keep the pedal to the metal and take advantage of some more opportunities that Mr. Market has presented us.  Time to check out my November Dividend Stock Watch List!

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Thinning Down on a Bare Bones Budget

Lately I have been thinking of my income and expense, seeing what goes in and what goes out.  I couldn’t help but start to think that there are two ways to increase your financial moat to reach financial freedom in a shorter fashion.  Those two options are increasing your income and reducing your expense.  Without speaking on behalf of increasing your income, what if you already had a bare bones budget in your mind?  Are there ways of thinning down still?  Are there hidden pockets that one can slim down on?  Let’s see what I’m talking about.

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One Downside of a Roth IRA

I’m starting with a disclaimer here.  We could debate for hours the pros and cons of a Roth IRA; Heck, Lanny has written about both sides of the Roth vs. Traditional argument already…first about maximizing your Roth IRA contributions for 10 years and then writing about his plan to use a Traditional IRA going forward during the summer.  What am I proving here?  There is not a one size fits all approach and using a Roth or a Traditional account may (and should) change as your financial situation changes.   This last week I experienced one of the downsides of a Roth IRA and I wanted to share it with all of you.

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