Hey everyone! This week has been another wild week in the market. Some stocks were hitting ultimately highs again and some were hitting lows. Whichever the direction Mr. Market takes, I wanted to take time to write a post about the crossing of a major plateau if you will – the $100,000 portfolio value mark. This journey has been bittersweet as I take time to reflect that number and will share with you my thoughts…
Mr. Market continues to hit all time highs, with the S&P landing at 1962.87 as of market close on June 20th, 2014. Year to date the market is up 6.2%, which is nothing to scoff at. For us dividend-value investors, this pushes price to earnings ratios to higher levels and some-what retracts the undervalued companies out there. This isn’t a bad thing, but causes us to fine-tune our glasses to look even further for a value purchase. Given the huge upswing, I did purchase Target (TGT) this past week, as it was down almost 10% on the year and the company announced a heft 21% dividend hike, a dividend increase that has gone for 42 years now. There are value purchases out there, but one must be keen on it and be disciplined in the research.
Given that the market is at the all-time high and that I made a recent infusion into Target at $2,750 total – my portfolio has crossed one plateau that is on investor’s minds – the $100,000 mark. I am 26 years and 3 months old and I can officially say that my portfolio is worth over $100,000. There was an article on DailyFinance.com in 2012 that showed only 8% between the ages of 25-32 had over $100,000 saved/invested. It’s nice knowing that I at least fit into that small range, but I still feel there is more room to grow/more room to push me to bigger levels.
The significance of the $100,000 means more to me than just the number. It’s a number that my father had never had and a level that my mother doesn’t have. My mom is 7 years away from reaching the age of being allowed to receive distributions, I’ve tried hard managing her portfolio, and have actually performed well for her (invested total capital of approx. $22K and turned that into almost $34K), but she lacks infusing any additional capital. My mother is twice my age with less than half of what I have in terms of portfolio value. It kills/burdens me to think like that. That is a reason why I push myself so hard, because I know how hard everything is for her and how hard my life seemed to be when I was growing up. I love you mom and will continue to think of new ways to make your life easier.
My portfolio value, as of June 20th, 2014 is at $103,917. I crossed the plateau by $3.9K, and would cross the $100K mark without the TGT purchase via market appreciation alone this week. Value truly does nothing for me, just means my yields are lower and stock prices are higher – I actually want the portfolio to go down, so that I can purchase more stock at better prices or so that my dividends re-invest at lower prices. Does this high value stop me from purchasing stocks? No, of course not. Bert and I continue to research and find the diamonds in the rough and make the capital infusions necessary to add more dividend income to our portfolio. Bert recently purchased AT&T and HCP a couple of weeks ago, I purchased AT&T as well, with Health Care REITs and Target within the last 4 weeks alone.
The portfolio crossing has knocked one goal off my list, but this could change due to a drop in the market, so I will always be on the update with this goal. However, I still am ever more pumped to continue to be strapped with fresh capital to infuse my portfolio and enhance the dividend income amount! We can do it everyone, WE CAN DO IT. Continue to push yourselves to new lengths, new boundaries and when people are bouncing out – YOU BOUNCE IN. When people tell you to sell – you look the other way. Stay disciplined, stay motivated and stay focused on your goals, as Bert and I also try to do the same. This is a community effort to break the mold, let’s keep it that way, as we wouldn’t want it any other way. Thank you all again in celebrating this milestone with me! I know I will take a deep breath for a second as I drink my coffee this morning, which only cost me roughly $0.37 ; ), and think about the path traveled to get here. Cheers to all your weekends and please comment on your thoughts below!
-Lanny
Congratulations on the achievement! I understand the feeling in terms of what you mention with your mother and hope you succeed in finding ways to make her (and your) life easier.
To both you and Bert: Nice pick with AT&T. I bought in awhile ago at slightly over 35 and am currently dripping the dividends to build a larger dividend from the stock in the long term.
All the Best to you both!
Joe,
Thank you for stopping on by! I appreciate the congrats, it’s been a journey and the reflection of this time has pumped motivation through my veins – and thank you for understanding the situation with my mother, always am thinking of her and doing what I can to help.
AT&T was a nice pick up – slow growth in the dividend area, but have consistently increased and paid and have a strong yield. Dripping those dividends into more shares that continue to pay dividends – it’s clockwork for us dividend investors! Loving it.
Thanks again and hope you have a nice weekend!
Lanny,
Congratulations!
I still remember crossing $100k. I felt so elated. Although the number is technically meaningless to our goals to live off of our passive income, it’s psychologically significant.
And I hear you on your parent. I’m a trailblazer in my family as well, as I’m the only one with any sizable asset base. It’s a shame, but I’m doing my best to spread the word. Best of luck on your side with that.
Thanks for sharing!
Best wishes.
Mantra,
Thank you for stopping by ~ psychologically it’s a huge moment, 6 figures, young (though I feel old and behind!) and time has worked – but passive income wise – means nothing, wish the valuable companies I/we own were half in price! Oh if I could go back to 2009…
Trailblazing is a perfect way to phrase it. I know my family sees me as the one who is confident and am living my life all figured out with no fear, which I don’t fear much but I sure as hell don’t have it all figured out, not even close. Like you, I try my best to offer advice and methods to show family members to get to the places we are at – but it is up to them to make the action.
Thanks again for stopping by. The record month of June is almost ending – great articles to come here soon. Excited to see how your month finishes up DM, have a great weekend!
-Lanny
Congrats on the huge milestone! Now the first $1 million isn’t that far away. I too recently passed the $100k mark, its a pretty good feeling.
Living at Home!
Thank you again, only a few dollars short of $1M.. haha We all will get there soon, just need the focus, determination and “creativity” to get there. I’m more excited than ever to get to the financial freedom goal and knowing the $100K mark was hit helps me know that it can happen.
Congratulations to you as well! Definitely worth a smile crossing the line. Thank you for stopping by – let’s stay after the goal!
Congrats on the milestone. I know its just a number but it really does mean something in a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully it will make you even more focused in your goals as you tackled this huge one!
What I like to do when I reach a goal is treat myself. Something u normally wouldnt do. Like a $100 steak and lobster meal, or a spa treatment or if you are a burly guy go and get one of those old timey straight razor shaves and hot towel treatment.
Good Day and Grind on to 500k now! That an order!
Asset Grinder!
Thanks again for stopping by. I appreciate the congrats – I’m just trying to catch up to your large milestone, little by little right? I am more focused than ever, June is finishing off amazingly and I can’t wait for the 2nd half of the year.
It’s funny – I thought about doing a huge treatment to myself, but I was traveling a lot the last few weeks and though – eh, might as well pay my family a visit – so I just drove down, essentially had no dinner, watched our Indians lose on TV and slept on a couch, probably a complete opposite of celebrating? Maybe today I will, as I’ll come back to my house and will probably want some “Lanny” time.
Thank you again for stopping by and helping with the motivation, talk to you soon!
-Lanny
Wel done! How long did it take to get there and what was the average monthly distribution?
Dutch,
I essentially started February 2009 when I was in undergrad studying accounting. Beginning 2010 – I would max out my Roth at $5.5K per month and buy stocks whenever I had the money to do so (as I was paying for my living, graduate school, etc.) – which LMT, V, PFE – were some of my very first stocks to own, which have all more than doubled in size since those purchase dates. Beginning 2011 was the rampage year, probably investing more than $10K and then 2012-current I have placed a lot of capital in there. I believe my dividend portfolio page on the headers above will show the amount invested ($73.6K at the date of this writing). The amazing return from that to close to $104K is due to appreciation and dividend reinvestment and it seems the snowball keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger… Compounding reinvestment is true, nothing to scoff at!
This year I’ve invested around $18K total and I’m only halfway through the year – yikes! Extremely fortunate to be able to invest money into stocks with my current situation. Very fortunate.
Thanks for stopping by Dutch, always a pleasure!
-Lanny
Congrats! on achieving such a milestone. Its indeed a big one in terms of a hard figure.
Anytime you touch it, is a joy to celebrate 🙂
Keep it chugging along on to $200K.
Best wishes, PIM
PIM,
Thank YOU for the congrats – means the world! I agree, touching milestones gives you that satisfaction feeling like “ah” I worked so hard for something and you actually get there, it’s quite amazing.
$200? Let’s aim for $250K, shoot for those stars, we can do it! Thanks again for stopping by, hope you’re having a great week.
-Lanny
Congrats on reaching the milestone. Onwards to the next milestone 🙂
R2R
R2R,
Digging the acronym by the way. Appreciate the stop, the help/guidance and the congrats! Let’s keep our trains, that we are building, chugging along this track – lets hope for a pullback so that we can all invest and reinvest into better valued stocks! The one thing I’ve really learned is the element of Time throughout all of this. Thanks again and cannot wait until another big milestone is reached. Hope the week has treated you well.
-Lanny
Congrats with reaching this goal.
It’s more then a number, it’s also a feeling. And it feels good
Pollie