Bert’s March Dividend Income Summary

The first quarter has come and gone, just like that.  It seems like yesterday we were lining up our 2017 goals articles with wide-eyed optimism about what 2017 is going to bring for each one of us.    As with the end of each month, we each take our time summarizing our dividend income income from the month to check our progress and see the fruits of our labor/hard work.  Time to check out how my results from March.  Here is my March Dividend Income summary!

dividend income

March Dividend Income Summary

In March, we earned $726.00 in dividend income.  This represents a 123.50% increase compared to March 2016!  Now, to be fair, my wife was a major contributor to our increase during the year.  I thought it would only be fair to show the increase in my individual portfolio to provide a true apples to apples comparison to last year.  Still, without my wife’s additional income, I posted a 54.03% increase compared to March 2016!  Our detailed listing of dividend income received can be viewed in the chart below:

This month, 26 companies and a handful of mutual funds paid us a dividend.  Just incredible.  Here are some of the highlights/items from our month!

  • Target provided a huge jolt to my year over year income figures.  Not only was this a new position compared to last year, but I was able to capitalize on the company’s current valuations and re-invest my dividend at a fairly low price.  There could be more next year as Target continues to find a place on my watch list.  If it continues to fall, I may not be able to resist.
  • Last month, I wrote about how our income, and so many others were out there, we negatively impacted by HCP switching the month in which they paid their dividend.  Well, in March the tables were turned.  HCP alone provided $47 in additional income to our combined portfolio for the month.
  • Last summer, I significantly increased my 401k contribution based on one of Lanny’s tax saving strategies.  The impact of executing this strategy for nearly a year are starting to pay off, and my position in VINIX is growing at a very rapid pace.  Now, the quarterly income figures are starting to follow. This year, my income from VINIX increased to $42 from $8.  And guess what, that figure is going to continue to grow as well as I continue to over $250 to 401k twice per month.  It is crazy to me how quickly the automated investing is starting to add up.  Maybe it is time to increase my allocation more.

  • Speaking of retirement accounts, the mutual funds in my wife’s retirement account provided us with a HUGE contribution during March.  Man this is getting me very excited for December’s dividend and capital gain distribution!
  • I’ll continue to say it, but Realty Income was one of my favorite stock purchases and I love receiving a monthly dividend check from the company.  It was interesting to see that Realty Income was one of the lowest earners in my portfolio, and I think that is a good thing.  Part of my strategy recently has been to build larger positions and increase the amount of income I receive from each company.  That was the reasoning I purchased additional shares in PG and T.Rowe Price earlier in the year and it is the main reason I included Realty Income in my final watch list from March.   Because of my additional purchase of T.Rowe, my income from the company increased 51% compared to the same time last year.  I would LOVE to double my position in Realty for this reason.

Summary

Once again, I couldn’t be happier with the results.  Like so many others out there, as evidenced in our monthly dividend income summary articles from the dividend community, the results of our hard work are really starting to pay off.   But here is the best part.  March is over and now there is so much to look forward to in April.  We wrote about companies that are expected to increase their dividend in April.  Guess what, the two of us own at least half the companies on this list.  So we will have some excellent increases to report in May and June when we receive the benefit.   All of this will be done without lifting a finger.   Despite the fact I didn’t purchase a stock in March, I leave the month as motivated as ever to keep on pushing, keep on scraping, and focusing on the fact that every dollar counts here in our pursuit of early retirement!

How did you perform this March?  Did you receive dividends from any new companies this month compared to last year?   Did your mutual funds provide you with any surprises during the month?  What companies are on your watch list and where are you looking to allocate your money in April?

-Bert

47 thoughts on “Bert’s March Dividend Income Summary

  1. What a great month for you guys! I’ve been investing in VTSAX for the last 2 years and my 1st quarter dividend just paid out in March and it was around $750. Of course I just reinvested it so that it can continue to compound!

    • Thanks MBC! Holy smokes that is a massive dividend from VTSAX. Gets me excited about growing that position. We hold it in our HSA account where you can invest all funds over $1,000. So every time I get a contribution each paycheck my position in them keeps on growing and growing. It is awesome!

      Bert

  2. Quite a few new names paying for March and a lot of increase too. Well done on your stock selection! Pretty impressive increase in dividend income for March 2017. Deep bow to you Sir Bert ????

  3. That is great progress from last year! And $700 isn’t chump change. Our average monthly expenses are $2500, so $700 would replace a good chunk. Keep up the great work!

    • Tall….with some companies you may never get the “good entry point”. If you like the company go ahead and get some as you most likely will add to it many times over the coming years. A small nibble here and there want matter too much…but never buying it will.
      Ps. We bought some MMM in late February and I could care less if price goes up or down from here…I will add more along the way and plan on holding a company like MMM for decades.
      Just my thoughts when I first read your comment, –Chad

    • Thanks Tall Investing! I bough MMM in the $130s-$140s and I am so happy I was able to jump on the company at this price target. It hasn’t fallen since I bought shares. But trust me, like you, if it hits a nice entry point, I will be ALL OVER that stock. Lets cross our fingers for a nice pullback!

      Bert

  4. What a great month! That snowball is going even faster with the extra contributions from your wife and combined portfolio. HCP and TGT played a big part in my March dividends too. And I would love to open a new position with O as they have been on my watch list for a long while now. I currently don’t have any monthly dividend earners. Too bad the price seems to have been continuing to go up as of late. But awesome YoY% increase. Keep up the solid work!

    • Thanks Daze! Having a constant, monthly dividend payer is really nice. I enjoy updating my spreadsheet with their name in the middle of each month. There are others out there too, so there are plenty of places to look. What was your YOY increase? How much extra did you receive from TGT this year?

      Bert

  5. What a great month Bert.
    It’s cool to see a husband and wife team killing it like this. Teach me your secret to get the wife on board, mine is very frugal but doesn’t see the point in DGI- at least not to the extent that I do.
    I recently bought a dab of O as well. I like the fact that it has fallen out of favour and I can pick some up on the cheap.

    • I would LOVE to add to my position in O. Hopefully they keep falling out of favor and then I can follow your lead. The only secret I have is trust. My wife has full trust in me that I am going to do the right thing with our finances, so I am lucky that she allows me to continue to dividend growth invest. But I don’t take advantage of it and make sure we are still saving for our others goals, such as eventually buying a house and paying off her student loans. She gets excited when I tell her some of the figures though, which helps build her trust even more with me! I’ll be happy to talk to your wife and give her the sales pitch too!

      Bert

    • Thanks Gremlin! Oh trust me, I give my wife a ton of credit. Without her, a lot of this would not even be possible. But I can’t give her too many victories, or else she will hold them all over my head 🙂

      Bert

  6. That’s an awesome growth y/y even when you exclude the wife’s income. I do agree that monthly contributions via the paycheck are a great way to make sure investing gets done and you never see the money so you don’t miss it.

    • Thanks TITM! I was very nervous when I removed her income and was afraid the growth rate would be minimal. But I couldn’t believe my individual growth rate was as high as it was! Love that last sentence and am 100% onboard with that philosophy!

      Bert

  7. Bert,
    A 123.5% increase from last year is sweet!!!
    I made a dramatic change to my portfolio this month. I added new positions to my portfolio to include Proctor and Gamble, AT&T, 3M Company, and Abbvie. I’ve also significantly increased my monthly contribution to purchasing shares of stocks, starting in April. However, Realty Income is still one of my favorite stocks because it pays a monthly dividend. My plan is to initially own enough shares of Realty Income so that the monthly dividend is enough to purchase one share of the stock.

    • Thanks Data Lore! That is a freaking dramatic change, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an awesome one. Love those companies and own three of the four myself (PG, T, and MMM). Plus automated savings…ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Love the plan and I’m excited to see how your strategy plays out. You have to keep us updated with the results.

      Bert

  8. That’s some great stuff Bert. Up over $700 and a huge increase whether you include your wife’s dividends or not. That’s awesome stuff.

  9. With or without your combined dividend income you put up really, really great year over year numbers. You already know it’s not magic. Just good old fashioned quality stock picking, patience, consistency, reinvestment, fresh capital, etc. and results likes these are achieved. After reading this report, posting my results, seeing how others are doing I feel extra pumped this month. Perhaps it’s the end of quarter high we are all feeling but I’m just very positive with what we are all doing, our online community and the openness, help and sharing we all do. Of course, that’s all despite the fact that market negativity persists as the financial heads continue to talk doom and gloom, values are expensive, good yield harder to find, etc. DOW 30K or DOW 10K. I’m in it not matter what!!!!

    • Thank you Divhut. Much appreciated! I’m getting PUMPED reading your comment here. LETS FREAKING GO DIVHUT! Lets crush this journey, keep on pushing, and keep on moving our way towards financial freedom!!!

      Bert

  10. You aren’t kidding with how fast the first quarter went by. Really quite incredible. Congrats on a great month! It’s great you found a partner so in tune with your financial values and goals, I imagine that will make the journey more fun and faster moving!

    • Time is flying way too fast Stacker. we need to sit down and make sure we enjoy life as it flies by before we regret missing everything that flashes before our eyes. I would hate this journey if my wife weren’t there every step of the way. Wouldn’t be nearly as much fun and you are right, I am very very fortunate. Take care!

      Bert

  11. That’s a fantastic increase Bert, good job! You and your wife working together to invest is a wonderful thing to be doing..
    We actually had a great month last month, a big increase for us ????
    Mr DDU

  12. Doubling your passive income surely gives a great feeling. Congrats with the YoY growth
    My month won’t match yours, this time ???? but maybe next month I will,..we will see..wink wink
    Keep on increasing those numbers !!

    • It is an amazing feeling Cake, that is for sure! We aren’t competing against each other. All that matters is that we are doing the right things, pushing the ball forward, and getting closer and closer to financial freedom!

      Bert

  13. Fantastic Bert…. That is a serious chunk of cash coming in. You have been desiplined and at this awhile and to then find a sweet young lady to join in on your journey just has to feel incredible. My wife is also on board with my craziness and she just wants to know when she is able to quite work..haha. We hit a new record this month with $177.92 in divs for March, which just feels really great. I just find it amazing that all of these people in this thread are on track to have a fantastic future that not many people will get to experience. Congrats again buddy!
    Chad –

    • hahaha it sounds like our wives have a similar mindset about it. We’re lucky to have two supportive wives that put up with us haha Congrats on the amazing record here. It is the first of many and the best part is that you will continue to set new records as you invest more!

      Bert

  14. Nice work guys, That’s a great month. Like you im trying to own a bigger position in the companies I already own. I would love to continue adding to extendicare but might of missed my chance on the dip last week. Id not look at upcoming ex dividends and buy one before it comes due!
    keep it up

    • Thank you very much! I love having massive positions in company that pay a strong dividend. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of other dips to buy on. Now you know your entry point and will be ready to attach when you see it again!

      Bert

  15. More than $700 would pay for many people’s housing expenses. Once you can knock that out with passive income, it doesn’t take much to start knocking off the smaller bills, especially when compounding starts to kick in.

  16. Congrats Bert on a triple digit growth, holy-2… 🙂 Great job, you are really kicking the tires and snow ball appears to start rolling with a great speed. Keep up the good work.

    • haha thanks R2R. Much appreciated here. The snowball isdefinitely starting to pick up steam here and the benefits of dividend investing are really starting flex its muscles (how many cliches can I throw in this response). I appreciate your comment and motivation. I’ll catch you one of these days!

      Bert

    • Thanks Graham! It is insane to see that growth rate when you put the numbers down on paper. I love seeing the numbers of all of us in the community too. We are all motivating and helping each other reach their goals!

      Bert

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