Bert’s May Dividend Income Summary

My crazy month has finally come to an end.  We entered the month in the middle of an intense housing search and left with an accepted offer.  Still can’t believe we are going to be first time homeowners!  My wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary Memorial Day Weekend as well.  The beauty of it all is that while all the noise of my personal life is rolling along, my dividend stocks are quietly doing their work in the background.  This is one of my favorite articles to write each month, where I review my monthly dividend income total, compare the results to the earlier period, and check my progress as I embark on this journey of financial freedom.   Now it is time to dive into detail.  Check out my May dividend income summary!

dividend income

 May Dividend Income Summary

This month, our family received $275.54 in dividend income, representing a 61.90% increase compared to May 2016.   I mentioned last year that my wife and I were combining our finances and that I was going to start reporting our dividend income totals together.  So to provide a true apples to apples comparison, I backed out the dividend income attributed to her portfolio.  Even without the income from the stocks she owns, I posted a 14.41% year over year increase.  I’m very happy with the results and the table below provides a detailed breakdown of the dividends we received this May.

Here are some of the highlights from our dividend income totals:

  • My wife was a MAJOR contributor to our success this month.  She received dividends from four companies this month.  While we share many of the investments, she received two dividends from companies that I do not own: Starbucks and Caterpillar.  Starbucks is a company we have discussed a lot on this website, and I would love to further add to our position one day in the future.
  • Loving, loving the increased dividend we received from Procter & Gamble (PG) this year.  Couldn’t be happier that I decided to add to my position in January and capture four increased dividends during the year.
  • It seems like every month I am discussing this in my monthly dividend income summary, but we received a nice bump from the fact that HCP paid their dividend in the second quarter of the month again in Q2.  Which is strange considering the company paid their dividend in March, the third month of the quarter, in Q1.  While the change is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, I continue to be amazed by the number of companies that are changing the month that they are paying their dividend.   I wonder which company will do it next!
  • I received my first ever dividend check from CVS Pharmacy, the most recent individual stock I purchased in 2017.  Excited to receive a check from the preferred pharmacy of our household and look forward to many more in the future!

summary

A pretty clean and quick dividend summary this month.  There wasn’t a lot of activity going on, and I didn’t add any individual stocks to my portfolio.  But my wife and I are all smiles here as we are very satisfied with the progress we notched compared to last year.   Seeing a double-digit dividend increase just fuels my fire and has me even more excited and motivated to keep pushing forward.  While I am going to see my cash flow reduced once we close on this house, one of my biggest fears of being a homeowner, we will continue investing as much as possible so we can continue to see our passive income stream grow.   Remember all, this is my favorite way to end, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR COUNTS in this journey towards F.I.R.E!

How did you perform in May?  Did you CRUSH it?  What new stocks did you receive a dividend from in May?  Did you receive any dividend increases during the month?

-Bert

 

48 thoughts on “Bert’s May Dividend Income Summary

    • Wow – that’s so kind of you seedling. I love this community because we all inspire each other. Like you, each bloggers journey and progress motivates me to keep on going, keep on fighting, and doing whatever I can to keep increasing my cash flow. Thanks for stopping by!

      Bert

  1. Two incomes is awesome! Especially, when you both are like minded and doing the samething. I wouldn’t be surprise to see a 5 figure income pretty soon.

    Cheers!

    • Thanks Vivianne. As they say, two incomes are better than one haha You’re right, I’m lucky to have a like minded wife that is on board with building our income and doing what we can to retire early. Man I hope you are right about the five figure income!

      Bert

  2. With or without your combined income you put up solid results in both cases. Seeing a tear over year increase in dividend income is always a welcome event. Congrats on continuing to build up your dividends while celebrating your one year anniversary. Like life, it goes fast. I’m sure you can’t believe you are married one year. Thanks for sharing these great results.

    • Agreed, I would be happy with the results if it were 1% increase. Not as happy of course, but I would still be pretty darn excited. Thanks for the wishes and congrats about the anniversary. It is crazy to me how fast time flies. Seeing time speed buy only further motivates me to quit the rat race here and focus on spending time with my wife and family. Thanks for the inspiration this evening.

      Bert

  3. Solid results as always BERT, PG and CZNC are always huge for you. Some new stocks I got dividends from this month were PAYX and a high yield bond fund in my 401(k) that pays monthly. Only at $11 because as you know public accounting has MANY restrictions on the stocks we own so this month will always be lousy for me. Keep it up man looking forward to next month.

    • Thank you very much Stefan. You aren’t kidding, CZNC is the BEAST of my portfolio haha Love the investment in PAYX and they have created a business that has some pretty darn high switching costs. That’s a bummer that public accounting has been so restrictive, I guess I am fortunate here that my restrictions aren’t as bad as yours. That’s probably the most I should say about it haha Keep on pumping up that 401k and taking advantage of the investment opportunities that you can with the restrictions.

      Bert

  4. Huge month financially and otherwise for you! Congrats on all of your milestones this past month. Funny, I never noticed until just now, I can tell you work in accounting by the way you format your spread sheets. Example, putting the current year in the left or inner most column instead of on the outside like how most people read. But anyway, great month for dividends, especially being a combined portfolio with your wife. 60% increase is awesome. Keep up the great work! Cheers!

    • Thanks Daze! Yeah, looking back, I cannot believe all the stuff that went down in May. Just insane how fast things can change and how quickly a plan can erode. But the beauty of it is that you can react on your feet and start the newest, most exciting chapter of your life that much sooner.

      That is funny haha That’s how I read filings for my clients and work. Didn’t even realize that wasn’t the norm. In fact, it drives me insane when the current period numbers are one the right haha

      Bert

  5. That’s a huge jump YoY and even after adjusting for your wife’s dividends a 14% increase is still a solid number. Looks like y’all have a good shot a crossing another round number milestone come August or November of this year which is always fun to see.

    • Thanks JC! Hopefully you are right here about the looming milestones. Nothing would make me happier, but that may be difficult with this looming house purchase. But who the heck knows, right?

      Bert

  6. Heck Yes on that P&G increase! I own some too and I’m so glad I do. Congrats to you and your wife on another month well done. ????????

    • You’re absolutely right Doug…every dollar does count here. For all of us, not just me. I love working through everyones dividend income summaries and seeing the great results that are being posted around the community.

      Bert

  7. First off, congrats on the substantial increase In dividend income. You guys are a team so why not add the household dividend income togather. Secondly, congrats in being homeowners! I have been a homeowner for four years now and I love every second of it. I was blessed with an amazing opportunity and I can tell you guys that you will love every minute of it.

    • Thanks Diligent – Much appreciated. I cannot wait to be a homeowner and finally get this process going. I’ll be leaning on you and some others in the community for some awesome DIY projects and ways to save costs as homeowners. You have me very excited for the process to begin.

      Bert

  8. That’s some serious change! Congratulations on getting over $200 this month. Looks like you could partially subsidize your living expenses at this point, but for more growth its always better to reinvest.

    I actually received a lot of dividend income in May as well, ~$80. However, that was a good month. My average is around $30 a month.

    • Akash,

      Very true, we are getting to the point now where some of our months could cover a sizable portion of our living expenses. Particularly March, June, Sept. and Dec.! Congrats on the great month and over doubling your typical month. That’s impressive and the good news is that you are going to continue smashing this record each and every month. Keep up the great work and keep on hustling.

      Bert

  9. Great progress! That growth rate is amazing as well. We also own Starbucks, of which I hope they continue to grow their dividend like last year. And is a company I would want to own more of as well.

    Maybe we should start a group poll or bet on which company will shift their payment month again. Notice that a lot of companies do that as well.

    • Thanks Divnomics! Love being a fellow shareholder of SBUX. Great company, great product, and a place that has people always coming back. I love your idea about the bet haha My pick is HCP of Kraft and their ever changing dividend.

      Take care,

      Bert

  10. Congrats on having another good month. Also, congrats on being a first time home buyer. That was me a year ago. I agree with you in that it’s an awesome feeling knowing that though you’re busy with life, your dividend portfolio is quietly working for you behind the scenes.

    • Indeed there are a lot of common stocks. Seems like we are on the same wavelength here! Can’t wait to cross another milestone ($300) hopefully soon. Nothing is cooler than crossing a new threshold like that.

      Bert

  11. Hey Bert!

    I’m glad you picked up your wife’s Starbucks dividend. I do recall you guys talking a lot about it on your site, I’m starting to think Starbucks is the new cigarettes (and they said sitting was the new smoking). People just gotta get their caffeine fix, and now that they’re coming out with “gourmet” coffees, Starbucks will only get better.

    Awesome month!
    -Andrew

    • Andrew,

      There is something in the air at Starbucks stores, that’s for sure haha It is insane to me how many people are walking around with their SBUX cups around. IS it the cheapest? Heck no. Is it the best quality? Heck no. But there is something about the brand that people cannot get enough of! One of those amazing things.

      Bert

  12. Congrats on the anniversary! It literally seems like yesterday you were getting ready for the big day, I’m sure you both feel the same way. Of course congrats on the month too, lumping your accounts together is exciting and paints a full picture of your financial status and future together. Pretty cool you are both into the strategy!

    • Stacker,

      It is freaking crazy how fast time flies. Seriously. It is why I don’t want to spend any more time taking things for granted and trying to spend as much of my time doing the stuff I want to versus what I should do or what an employer ships me off to another city to do.

      I’m very fortunate that my wife trusts me as much as she does to manage our finances. I couldn’t do this or be on this journey without her, that’s for sure.

      Take care,

      Bert

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