Bert’s November Dividend Income Summary

Thanksgiving is behind us and we are quickly racing towards Christmas and Hanukkah.  It has truly been a pleasure watching my wife experience the holidays for the first time with our daughter.  I wish I could describe the feeling more, but all I know is that I am loving every second of the experience.  With another month behind us, it is time to once again review the results and see how our dividend income stacks up against last year.  Let’s dive into our November dividend income summary.

Dividend Investing is amazing for so many reasons.  As we continue to build a growing, passive income stream by investing in undervalued dividend growth stocks identified by our dividend stock screener, it is always important to track your progress and make sure you are achieving your goals.  Seeing the progress makes the income feel real.  And eventually, one day, it will help you reach the coveted financial freedom.

See –  Our Dividend Stock Screener

See – Our Dividend Income Summaries

For the last five years, we have logged out dividend income results.  The totals are summarized  on our dividend income page.  You can see first hand the results that each dividend stock purchase, dividend increases, and each reinvested dividend has had.  We continue to fuel the FI/RE one purchase, one increase, and one DRIP at a time.   So that is why I am always so excited to type up my monthly dividend income summary.  To review the results and hold myself accountable.  With that in mind, here is my October dividend income summary.

See – Our Dividend Stock Portfolios to view my individual holdings

Bert’s November Dividend Income Summary

In November, my wife and I earned $506.19 in dividend income! That is a 24.46% increase compared to last November.  The following chart details the individual dividends received:

Here are some thoughts and highlights from the month above:

  • A huge drive of the increase were investments in ABBV and additional investments in AT&T and CVS last year.   It is now starting to hit me just how much capital I was able to add last year.
  • We added Delta to my wife’s portfolio in October.  Luckily, the purchase was made before the ex-dividend date and she was able to capture the DAL dividend this quarter!
  • We continue receiving monthly dividends from our idle cash in our Fidelity brokerage accounts.  That has been the most pleasant surprise resulting from our brokerage trade (not considering free trades, of course :))
  • I had to highlight this as an HCP shareholder.  But the company changed their name from HCP Inc. to Healthpeak Properties.  Their new ticker is PEAK.  I’m not sure what the name change will do in the long run.  In the end, I’d rather the company focus on ways to increase their dividend once again.
  • We had a slight decrease due to a timing difference in the WRK dividend.  Last year it paid in November, this year it pays in December.

Bert’s November Dividend Stock Portfolio Update

After announcing that our portfolio crossed a major investing milestone last month, I am trying to continue pushing forward in my quest towards financial freedom.  Mr. Market is making this task very difficult for us, however, due to the steady increases in stock prices.  But in November, I was able to make some incremental stock purchases and receive a handful of dividend increases.  In this section, I will summarize the dividend increases received from both.

Read: Milestone Achieved – Crossing $10,000 in Projected Dividend Income

On the stock purchase front, I was able to take advantage of free trades and make several small purchases during the month.  Stock purchases and 401(k) investments added $128.49 in dividend income this month.  The following table summarizes the stock purchases and discloses the additional dividend income received from each position.

The largest purchase was Occidental Petroleum (OXY).   We all know the story there.  Like so many other dividend growth investors, I purchased shares of OXY prior to the acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum.  The high purchase price and additional debt has caused the price of the company to fall significantly from previous highs.   My initial purchase of OXY was only 34 shares.  Overall, it was not that large of a holding in my portfolio.  Staring a large unrealized loss in the face, I decided to purchase an additional 15 shares and reduce my investment’s cost basis.  Now, I am comfortable with my 49 shares of the company and the dividend that investment is producing.

See: Bert’s Dividend Stock Portfolio

The other purchases were smaller in nature.  I laugh at the 1 share purchase of Pfizer.  I had just enough cash in my Roth IRA to buy 1 share of the company.  Thanks to free trades, I was able to make that happen.  There is one new holding in our portfolio now: Smuckers (SJM).  Every time the company’s stock price falls near $100 per share or lower, I start to contemplate initiating a position.  After their last earnings release, the company’s price fell in the $104 – $105 per share range.  To me, that was close enough to initiate a position since the metrics were right.  I’ll discuss this more in a detailed purchase post.  But I’m happy that I was able to add and I look forward to continuing building my position in the company.

Next, onto dividend increases.  November was an eventful month for dividend increases.  Not just for my stock portfolio, but for the many companies that decided to announce a dividend increase!  Looks like we are heading into 2020 with a full head of steam.   The table below shows the dividend increases I received.  In total, dividend increases added $27.09 in dividend increases to my forward dividend income.

The largest of the dividend increases was obviously ABBV.  We were all happy to receive a 10% increase, especially after their acquisition announcement this year.   But there were several surprises I was not anticipating.  I was very excited when Lanny informed me via text that First Energy increased their dividend.  Then, it was made even better by the announcement from two of my community bank holdings.  The dividend increases may not seem like a lot  But I did not have to even lift a finger to see my annual income increase $27.  How sweet is that?

Read –  7 Expected Dividend Increases in December

Summary

While my dividend growth rate slowed compared to previous months, I couldn’t be happier to receive over $500 in dividends this month.  It sometimes is hard to remember, but dividend growth investing is a long journey.  If we craved instant results, we would not be a dividend growth investor.  We would be reading charts and chasing those large short-term gains.   The results are real as evidenced by the fact that Lanny’s portfolio has crossed $500,000.  Seeing results like that, especially from that Italian guy, gives me all the motivation I need to continue pushing forward.  December is quickly coming to an end.  But that doesn’t mean we should stop pushing forward and working our tails off to crush those goals we set for ourselves.  Hopefully you will be pushing with us.

How were your results this month?   Did you set a record this November?  What stock purchases did you make?  How much income did dividend increases add to your portfolio?  Are you interested in purchasing Smuckers too?

Bert

29 thoughts on “Bert’s November Dividend Income Summary

  1. $506.19 at 25% YoY is really cool. Keep it going! I wasn’t aware WRK was one of those companies that swap around payout months haha. December is already off to a good start!

    • Divcome! WRK announced their dividend late this year, so I’m sure that drives it. Looking at their history, it seems like they are always alternating between announcing at the end of November or beginning of December.

      Bert

  2. Well Bert those are some mighty fine results. I gladly share your Abbvie raise. I still need to calculate my increase!

    November’s numbers for me were a nice improvement compared to last years. But I’m looking forward to December which will be my second €100+ month.

    • Thanks Mr. Robot, I appreciate it. Come on, what are you waiting for on that increase calculation. How many shares do you own? December is great and I’m excited to read your November income summary 🙂

      Bert

  3. Solid double digit year over year gains = awesome. I think every ABBV holder was happy with the recent increase too. No doubt that will add to many DGI piles going forward. Keep up the good work. We are ending 2019. Too fast 🙁 but happy to tally up the ’19 dividend totals!!!

  4. What’s not to like about a month with $500+ in dividends? I love to see that each row of dividends is larger compared to last year (except WRK which just changed dividend date).
    Hopefully, market will present some opportunities for us. I can see that you are still finding them even at the record levels.
    Have a nice Christmas season with your family 🙂
    BI

    • Thanks BI! It is nice to see each stock increasing, that’s for sure. I’ve made a few small purchases here and there. But there really hasn’t been that golden opportunity yet.

      Thanks. You have a nice Christmas season as well. I’ll make sure to post a picture with my daughter at some point 🙂

      Bert

  5. Another great month and your y-o-y growth rate is just impressive. Not to mention that your really juicy income month of December is coming up. No wonder you are over the moon! Keep it up!

  6. Bert,
    Excellent YOY growth. So many names that we share and that I want to add from your list. Too bad WRK pushed back and only gave 2%, oh well if they can continue to win in the future we can take a light year!
    Any thoughts on turning off DRIP now that fee free investing is the norm?
    – Gremlin

    • Gremlin. Amen about WRK. I would love if this is the “reset” year that sets the table for strong growth in the coming months. That is an interesting idea and I think it would make a great article…..hmmmmmm.

      Also – are you excited for this new Star Wars movie??

      Bert

      • Sadly I am not, with a second baby I will get no time to see it. Plus I have to be honest, #8 was a big let down for me, 7 was too. I figured ‘ok here is a chance to redo movies 1-3, where you root for the bad guys to make a come back before it all ends.’
        Rogue One on the other hand was very well done.

        • Gremlin,

          How do we have a longer conversation about this? 7 has grown on me after watching it multiple times. In hindsight, I think it does a good job setting up the trilogy and fees like the original 3. At least from a character and story development standpoint. But man did I hate 8. I wish JJ Abrams would have just done the entire trilogy. The sad part is that I couldn’t even tell you how 75% of the movie impacted the main plot of the trilogy. Although, I must say, when I watched the trailer for 9 and heard the emperor cackle, I got chills. Maybe 9 will correct what 8 messed up.

          You let me know when you want to have a longer discussion about this haha

          Bert

          • I have to laugh, because that is exactly how I felt about 8.
            I am always down to talk this nonsense! And, unpopular opinion, I thought Episode 2 and 3 were better than 7 and 8. That is saying a lot. 1-3 might not have been good movies, but at least the plot was in one direction.
            Fun fact you only ever see capital ships engage each other in #3, 6, and Rogue One (I think). And the screen time there is literally in the minutes. I wish episode 7 was just some humongous battle chronicling the fall of the Empire.
            – Gremlin

  7. Looks like a great month Bert! Over $500 and that was without your WRK dividend and you still showed nearly a 25% increase. That’s what happens when you combine saving and investing into multiple businesses. I’m tempted to pick up a bit more SJM here with the share price around $102. I think anything near $100 is pretty good and into the mid $90s would be wonderful. One month left!

    • JC,

      Thank you for the kind words. I very much appreciate it. SJM continues to look tempting. I added 3 more at $102 the other day. If it falls below $100, I’ll just continue to add and lower my cost basis. You’re right, getting to the mid $90s would be amazing.

      Bert

  8. An outstanding dividend debut by ABBV in your portfolio, Bert. Plus a raise from ABBV, too! All additions should deliver so quickly. ????
    Another quality month overall. Over $500 on nearly 25% YoY growth is terrific. Love seeing all the dividend raises and additional investments, but even more so, that new $150+ of forward dividend income that resulted from it.
    Have a wonderful Christmas season with your family!

    • Thank you ED, thank you! It is crazy to see the impact of dividend increases on your portfolio. At the end of the year, I’m going to aggregate the totals and write about it in an article. Lanny does it quarterly, but I’m really looking forward to my annual review. Have a wonderful Christmas as well!!

      Bert

  9. Great job Bert, great list and nice to see raises fuel the fire. Although WRK cost me a dividend record, I set an overall passive income record that covered 30% of my expenses last month. Those are the results that keep you hungry. Looking forward to seeing you and Lanny both shatter records next month and going out with a bang next month!
    Happy Holidays to you and your family

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