MARCH 2021 GOAL UPDATE

We are already 1/4 done with 2021.  It could not have gone faster.  In January, I posed some goals for the year.  Take a look:  2021 Goals.  

 Let's see how my goals are coming along:

FINANCIAL GOALS

1. Add $10,000 to my investment account.   DONE!  Added $12,500 to my account!
2. See my dividend income increase by 10% from 2020.  So far up 8.1% from this time last year
3. Save $8,000 for bills in 2021.  Stuff happens.  Have $100 saved so far... 
4. Fulfill my goal of buying the equivalent in shares of what I spent in 2020 at the following: Met my goals for Costco, Home Depot, Mcdonalds, Starbucks, Kroger, and  AT&T.  (the leftovers will go towards 2022)  I just need to focus on Target (TGT)

PERSONAL GOALS

1. Go to Hawaii for 10 or more days.  I need beach.  Going for 11 days in August.  Phew.  My homa away from home.  Can't wait
2. Exercise more.   Walk 10,000 steps per day.  I am now up to over 8,000 steps per day on average and going up!
3. Drop about 30 lbs.  I am at 204 lb this morning of 1/1/21.  My doctor wants me to slim down.  My pants do too.  It's made my blood pressure creep up.  At 5'7", I need to be much lighter.  The walking will help.  So will goal # 4....  Down about 10.  On pace to lose 30 by my August vacation.  Beach body baby...
4. Eat very little sugar.  I am eating much more healthy recently.  
5. Sell off more of my record collection.   I am out of room.   Still getting more.  But did sell a few box sets.
6. Make more music and release an album..   Still working on it.  Titled my latest song "Skid Mark Karen"...
7. Work on front yard garden.  BAM!   Dug it up and weeded.  Layed down bark mulch.  Planted 4 blueberries, 2 raspberries, 4 lavenders, and placed a galvanized raised bed to have a permanent green onion supply.   Looking good!  Remember, this was a JUNGLE.

Posting this is keeping it real for me.

MARCH 2021 BUYS

After some very active purchasing activity in January and February, this March was much more mellow.  

I only took the dividends I earned to purchase more shares.  No taking of profits and buying more from them.   I plan on letting what I have ride for a good while longer before snagging some equity profits and increasing dividends.

Even with the limited activity, I did make some moves I feel are solid.   

One was my return to Apple (AAPL).   I had taken hose profits a few months ago and reinvested the funds.  It was time to get back into them.

the other purchases I feel good about is more Whitehouse Finance (WHF) and it's mear 9% dividend yield.  They were a major player before the pandemic for me.  I ducked out to prevent a potential major loss, and now am diving back in.  

In summary, I invested $1,638.15 and increased my annual dividend income by $57.14.   That's a 3.49% return.  

Here's the low down.

MARCH 2021 DIVIDENDS - COMPOUNDING THE SNOWBALL

 WHAT?  We are 1/4 through 2021?   How can that be.   It honestly feels like February still.  Time is just flying.

Nope.  It's April.  Spring is in the air.  Spring is back in my step.  The trees are poppin out it's blossoms.

And I got a nice haul of dividends to talk about in March.  Let me recap what I am doing and why.

I'm funding my retirement by investing in shares of dividend growth stock.  

If I can focus my retirement funds in companies that will beat the inflation rate and increase their dividends more than the inflation rate on an annual basis, my investment will snowball to the point of replacing my work income while not having to sell any shares to survive on in retirement.  I'd be able to replace my income with the dividends I earn.

It all boils down to compounding.

So far I have gone from making $0 in 2013 to averaging $1200 per month in 7 years.  And that's with being stupid and cashing some shares out to pay for stuff.  

I now know that cashing out shares to pay any debt is foolish if my interest rate is lower than my gains in the market.  I have a debt that charges 9% annually and a car payment that is at 3%.   

Meanwhile, I earned 20% last year in the market in equity gain.  On top of tht, I average 3.17% in dividend return.  I now realize I'd rather have the debt and see my portfolio grow and snowball.

The challenge I have is funding it fast enough to retire as soon as I want to.

So March.  It came.  It zoomed by.  And I was lucky enough to earn $1640.04 from 49 payments.  And yes, this is a 10.63% increase over 2020.  BAM!

This is the biggest month of my journey and is quite the thrill.   And what did I do with it?  Yep, I reinvested every penny into more shares.  

Compounding the snowball.....

Here's the breakdown:

The big haul was BHP Group (BBL), but do keep in mind it is a semi-annual dividend, so it's pays huge, but only twice a year.   I actually prefer quarterly payments IMO.   nother one I am digging is getting over $64 from Target, one of my holy grail companies that I will try to always keep adding to.

April will be much smaller, but that's just due to the timing of the payments.     

I want to increase this by the time June comes and the same companies pay their next div.

Remember, if I can do this ANYONE CAN DO THIS.  

I am not a financial wizard.  I just study the numbers and use a stock screener and a large amount of dedication to my goal.  

U KAN DO IT.

Check ya later.