Benefits of Setting Lofty Goals

We all establish goals for next year around this time, through the mid-point in January, typically.  We are motivated, passionate and ready to blaze trails.  I LOVE IT!  I love the energy that a new year brings and the motivation that you get when you start thinking of everything you want to accomplish.  It’s lifting, refreshing and it’s new.  However, it’s also hard!  Of course, goals would not be goals if they were easy to attain.  Hard work is what it’s all about.  At the end of every year, I realize something new about my goals from that year, each time.  I am thankful as hell that I set my goals higher than ever, such as what I did for 2017.  I want to dive in the benefits of setting lofty goals and the impact the goal setting has on more than just yourself.

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Expected Dividend Increases in January 2018

After a strong end to 2017 it is time to usher in a new calendar year and a new set of goals.   Whether you are racing to update our investment portfolios one final time in 2017 or too busy smiling as you update your dividend income summary for the amazing December dividend and capital gains distribution you received from your mutual fund holdings, there are a lot of great things to be excited about.  One topic that always brings joy to the two of us…dividend increases.  So each month, we try to summarize the companies that are expected to increase their dividend in the coming month.  We are tracking this statistic like hawks, so we thought we would share our research with all of you.  This isn’t an all-inclusive list, so please share any dividend increases you received last month or are expected to receive in the coming month with us in the comment section.  Now, it is time to dive into the next edition of our monthly series.  Here are the companies that we are expecting dividend increase from in January!

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November Dividend Income From YOU the Bloggers!

The dividend growth community continues to produce CRAZY results.  In October, the community received over $18,000 in dividend income.  Incredible results!    One of our favorite activities each month is brewing a fresh pot of coffee, firing up our laptops, and reading the dividend income summaries posted by all of you in the dividend investing community.  There is nothing more motivating  than reading about your successes, watching you push yourselves, and grow as investors and people in your relentless pursuit of financial freedom!  So each month, we try to aggregate as many of the journies as possible in one article so all of you can leave this article as motivated as we are.  Now, it is time for the November edition of our dividend income summary of all of YOU the bloggers.

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Lanny’s Recent Stock Purchase – HCP, Inc. (HCP)

Wow… I can’t believe I still remember how to buy stock!  It has been almost 2 months since my last stock purchase, when I purchased shares in AT&T (T) and Hormel (HRL) back in October.  Can I say that it feels good to be back?  I couldn’t help but sit on the sidelines, as during that two month period, the S&P 500 index has increased well over 4%+ during that time period.  My dividend stock portfolio has been bolstering record-highs and finding opportunities out there has been difficult, to say the least.  The stock I purchased has not moved in that two month span, and when dating back to three months ago, is actually down 10%.  On December 21st, I purchased 58 shares into HCP, Inc. (HCP) and let’s dive in to see why!

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Bert’s December Dividend Stock Watch List

I cannot believe I am about to say this, but here it goes.  For the FINAL time in 2017, I am going to take a deep dive and prepare a watch list full of dividend stocks that are on my radar because they are potentially undervalued.  This market is as expensive as ever and the S&P 500 continues to soar to new highs.  So finding great dividend stocks that are currently trading at a discount was definitely a challenge.   However, I was able to find three stocks that have caught my attention.  Let’s dive in and take a look at the final 2017 edition of my dividend stock watch list!

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A Huge Adjustment to our Student Loans Payment Plan

Debt has been on my mind a lot recently.  Even more so now that we own a house and I am watching a monthly mortgage payment fly away at the beginning of every month.   I became so frustrated with the monthly outflows, that I finally vented and challenged myself to start paying down debt as soon as possible.  While I had already established my plan to pay down our student debt in 6 quarters at the time of the frustration, I knew that I wanted to continue to pay down our private student loans as fast as possible.  But of course, things change over time and our situation has changed FOR THE BETTER!  It is now time to take a hard look at our student loans pay down plan and make a few adjustments based on our changing situation.

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Bills to Review Annually

Money is a precious resource that buys time, other necessities and freedom.  On a day off from work, I decided to continue the fight for the money that I earn.  I have traded my time to earn funds and it’s time to make each dollar that I am making go further than before.  We have had a few topics on this before, but today I wanted to list out the order of my operations, as I work to make my money go further.  I do have one question.  Are you willing to fight for your money?

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