Endless Liabilities of Owning a Car Part 3 – $250 Edition

Posted on December 9, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

Throughout the life of our blog, Lanny and I have searched and slashed our way to save as much as possible to invest in the market NOW. Even though we have tried to identify ways to save through battling with our phone/internet provider (nice job Lanny!), tried to make our football season more enjoyable at a cheaper price (Can a football season be enjoyable as a Browns fan?), or just finding random savings “life hacks,” there is one expense that we have flagged as a major liability…I mean…money pit… our cars. A car is a necessary evil in the Midwest that does nothing but lose value and cost you money. Sadly I am writing this article, so that must mean something happened to my car. Let’s see how my car took a little extra money out of my savings account this month.

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Why I’m Considering Cutting the Cord & Dropping Cable

Posted on November 7, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

Lanny inspired me this week to call my cable provider, AT&T, and see if I could reduce my current monthly bill of about $110/month. I know this is extremely expensive and the bill is almost split evenly between internet and TV. However, unlike his success story of helping his family reduce their bill, I left my phone conversation frustrated and craving some better alternatives. Darn you AT&T, why must you pay me such a great dividend! I figured I would document some of the research I have been performing all morning as I search the internet for better solutions.

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Bert’s Recent Buy – EMR…too

Posted on September 22, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

Yesterday was a very fun day for me as I quickly went from a passive trader who was standing to the sideline in a matter of minutes. My purchase on Friday shared a lot of parallels with a situation from a month or two ago, which resulted in learning a valuable investing about always having a watch list prepared. The best part…the result was different and I couldn’t be happier. See why I purchased Emerson Electric (EMR) yesterday.

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Top 5 Benefits for Dividend Investors in a Stock Market Downturn

Posted on September 7, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

The last one month has seen the stock price of the S&P 500 decline by more than 8%, and 8.22% to be exact (as of Labor Day weekend)! There are many things working AGAINST the market at this point in time – China, Oil prices, Canada officially in recession, as well as many other global crises occurring. However, and most importantly – I feel that consumer sentiment is also moving against the market, as the Michigan survey has indicated a downslide from July 2015 to August 2015. What does this stock market downturn mean for Dividend Investors? One Word. Opportunity. Continue reading →

Investing Lesson Learned: Always Have a Watch List Prepared

Posted on August 25, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

This week, I learned a valuable investing lesson that caused me to miss a great opportunity in the market. Luckily, this lesson did not result in a realized loss like lessons in the past, so I can’t complain too much. However, I did miss a golden opportunity to capitalize on Mr. Market taking a crazy turn (even more so than a few months ago). What lesson did I learn and how will I apply it going forward?

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Crushing $6,000 in Projected Dividend Income

Posted on August 19, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

I am very glad I have set a realistic, attainable goal this year and am churning my way to it. I remember last year, I was sprinting past my 2014 goals early and often, but this year definitely is different. This year is harder, this year is more strategic, this year takes much more effort than usual. My goal by the end of the year is to have a projected $6,750 in forward-looking dividend income, and well – this month has allowed me to reach closer to the goal, but to also cross a milestone along the path. This month events and activities have allowed me to Crush through $6,000 in projected dividend income!
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Ending a Short Chapter in My Career

Posted on July 27, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

This Sunday, I woke, poured my morning cup (or two or three) of coffee and turned on the television. I began flipping through the channels to see what I could watch before I fired up my laptop to begin blogging. I stumbled across a classic, Office Space, and had to watch the rest of the movie. It is one of those movies I have to watch to the finish line, regardless of whether I started watching at the beginning, middle or the end. Even though I have watched the movie time and time again, there was something different about watching it this weekend.