Recent Purchase – Consolidated Edison

Posted on June 4, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

I recently reloaded my Sharebuilder (now Capital One Investing…I know, it will take some time getting used to) with some extra capital and was ready to make a purchase. We recently built a small watch list that had me focused on buying two stocks I already own. But man, what a difference a week can make and after some time, a new stock entered the picture for me. This is a stock Lanny and I have been watching for a while and are huge fans of the stock. Not only is it a Dividend Aristocrat, but it is one of the five stocks we consider a foundation stock for any dividend portfolio. Unfortunately my title gave the purchase away, so let’s see why I initiated a position in Consolidated Edison this week.

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Lanny’s May Dividend Income

Posted on June 2, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

As time passes, so does a month of collecting dividend income. Five wild months are already in the books and the sun is shining here in Cleveland. Talk about a rarity these days. As spring is upon us, I think, it’s time to see what the 5th month of dividend income was able to bring. Now to the results

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Lanny’s Recent Purchase – HCP

Posted on May 31, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

May has been a very fun month, to say the least! I’ve been a more active investor, I feel, and have made a few purchases actually. The market has been interesting lately, finally a little correction (as it so seems) is taking place and amazing bargain stocks are shedding their heads on the horizon, and damn – do I wish I had more cash sitting around! I made a purchase this month, come and check it out.

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Bert’s April Savings Rate Summary

Posted on May 29, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

This has been the busiest month for me, by far, since Lanny and I began the Dividend Diplomats’ Savings Challenge last year. I found myself having many new inflows and outflows this month, which can be both a good and a bad thing. The question is, with all of this new activity, was I still able to achieve a savings rate of 60% of this month?

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Expected Dividend Increases in June 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

I alluded to this fact in my article last month, but I have now officially completed a 12 month cycle in my expected dividends increases article! This has been one of our more consistent articles in our one year of blogging and I have enjoyed summarizing Dividend Aristocrats that are expected to announce dividend increases in the upcoming month. Why? Because it has introduced me to many new dividend paying stocks that I never considered before because either the yield is too low or they do not receive the same coverage as your Walmarts, PGs, JNJs, etc. So now that we completed one 12-month cycle, let’s begin a new chapter and review Dividend Aristocrats that are expected to announce a dividend increase in June 2015!

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Lanny’s April Income and Expense Summary

Posted on May 25, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

As you have come to see from us Diplomats – each month we share our savings from the income and expense we have endured during the previous month. Our goal is to achieve 60% savings rate in an ever inflationary lifestyle from advertisers, television, peers and co workers. Though it is difficult, we know the combination of being frugal, saving and investing allows us to achieve our financial freedom goals faster, by still enjoying the benefits of life itself. Was I able to hit 60% this month? Let’s check out my income and expense summary from April!

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Bert’s Recent Purchase – NSC

Posted on May 23, 2015 by DividendDiplomats

When I changed jobs recently, I received a nice pay increase and I could not wait to deploy the extra cash into the market. I figured that living off of my old salary and investing the extra capital would provide a much-needed jolt to my investing portfolio to help me reach my goal of investing $15,000 in fresh capital this year. To help automate this process, I began direct depositing $400 of my paycheck into my Capital One bank account, which means the funds are available to use in my portfolio instantly. While the $400 may seem small, a series of $400 purchases in a stock adds up quickly and you can establish a strong position in a stock before you know it. Why am I bringing all of this up? Because I was paid last week and had $400 to invest, which was perfect timing for one of the stocks I own and have been building a solid position in to continue to decrease. I think you all see where I am going with this….with my most recent purchase, I added to my growing position in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC).

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