Three Personal Development Goals for 2019

Posted on April 14, 2019 by DividendDiplomats

Bert here. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect over the last month or so. More than I ever have. Over the last few years, I’ve developed some habits and characteristics that I’m not that proud of. With reflection, I’ve realized how badly I’ve wanted to shake these habits because of the impact it has on me and some of the relationships I have with those close to me. But nobody is going to do it for me. Through pen and paper here on our blog, I wanted to put the pen to the figurative paper to help hold myself accountable. To do so, I’ve set three personal development goals for the year. If you have any advice for either or have done something similar, please share your story in the comment section. I would LOVE to read about it.

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Bert’s Portfolio Review – 2019

Posted on March 13, 2019 by DividendDiplomats

For the first time on this website, I thought it would be a good idea to publish a review of my investment portfolio! Lanny has been doing so each quarter and we are discussing many of these metrics on a regular basis either when together or on the phone. So I figured it would be a good time to sip on a cup of tea (notice no coffee today) and dive into some of the numbers.

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Slowing Dividend Growth in 2019 and Why It Is Not All Doom and Gloom

Posted on February 24, 2019 by DividendDiplomats

Once again, as I sip on a delicious, warm cup of coffee, I have found myself shaking my head. This time, the disappointment was at the hands of Pepsico (PEP). Their recent 3% dividend increase left a lot to be desired. It is significantly lower than last year and their 5-year average dividend growth rate. But Pepsi wasn’t the only company that has made me feel this way in 2019. We’re noticing a frustrating trend in 2019….slowing dividend growth.

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Getting Back to Basics

Posted on January 26, 2019 by DividendDiplomats

We all have been there. When time goes by and sometimes you cannot grasp everything that is happening or everything that is happening is out of your control. You begin down a spiraling path of not taking care of “the house” and end up jumping from one event/task/fire to the next, while running out of time to take care of what was needed. The last 6 months have been amazing and Lord knows how life-filled that time period was. However, I may not have been as diligent as I could have been and 2019 is about getting back to basics.

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Health Savings Account – Explaining the Account & HUGE Tax Benefits

Posted on November 23, 2018 by DividendDiplomats

This year, we have rolled out our financial education series. The goal of the series is to educate investors and individuals seeking to improve their finances, whether they are just starting out on their journey or are far along. We’ve covered topics such as “What Is A Dividend?” and “Who and What Is Vanguard?” and “What is the S&P 500?” Now, we wanted to cover a topic that can save individuals on their annual taxes, provide a savings account for health expenses, and the kicker, even provide investors with some additional dividend income. Sounds great, right? There are some catches. So let’s dive in an learn what a Health Savings Account is and some of the benefits that come along with it.

Health Savings Account

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What is the S&P 500?

Posted on November 17, 2018 by DividendDiplomats

How many times have you read somewhere or heard someone state the “S&P 500 is up or down X% today?” Or have you heard someone say that they own a mutual fund or ETF mirrors the S&P 500? Lastly, have you read one of our stock analyses where we compare a company’s price to the S&P 500 to determine if the company is undervalued? If you are a beginning investor, when asking those or similar questions to yourself, did you even stop and wonder what exactly the S&P 500 is?

This year, we have started our financial education series where we educate investors of all experience levels about various topics. We’ve covered topics such as Who and What Is Vanguard?, What is the Dividend Payout Ratio?, and What is a Dividend? In this article, we will take a deeper dive into the S&P 500, explain what the stock market index is, provide a background, and review how the S&P 500 determines which stocks are included in the index.

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What are the Differences Between Mutual Funds and ETFs?

Posted on October 25, 2018 by DividendDiplomats

This year, we launched our financial education series. The purpose was to educate investors on various aspects of dividend investing or just investing in general. Some articles have been as fundamental as “What is a Dividend?” while some articles took a deeper dive into a topic, such as “What is a REIT and How Are Dividends From a REIT Taxed?” Today’s article will take a step out of the dividend specific topic and explain the differences between mutual funds and ETFs. Both types of investments are important diversification options and are similar (but with some key differences). And of course, as you would expect, there will be a dividend twist at some point in this article! Let’s start peeling back the layers!