April has come and gone. That means it’s time for the dividend income report of the month. Despite the fact that the busy season is upon me, I still try to ensure that I update my readers on my progress towards achieving financial independence through dividend investing. It’s going to be a long journey to get to that point. But, I plan on doing everything I can to ensure I reach my destination. If that means getting inspired by a motivational quote of the month, so be it. If that means taking the time out of my busy schedule to update my blog, then no problem. Whatever it takes. In many respects, April was a good month. But to see how good it was, let’s dig deeper.
Dividend Income
In April, I received a total of $31.47 in dividends broken down as follows:
| APRIL 2018 | ||||
| NO. | STOCK | NAME | SHARES | DIVIDENDS |
| 1 | CSCO | Cisco | 32.7607 | $10.81 |
| 2 | KO | Coca Cola | 34.7081 | $12.97 |
| 3 | O | Realty Income | 36.2131 | $7.69 |
| 103.6819 | $31.47 | |||
Definitely smaller than the past couple of months and so I’m going to say this was an off month. However, $31.47 is still very respectable. I remember that when I just started this blog, my annual projected dividends was $30.13. So, I’ve come a long way. Now, I’m consistently making more per month than I was projected to make in a year when I started. It’s still not much, but it’s definitely growing exponentially in the right direction.
This is the first time I am able to do an annual comparison as indicated below:
It’s kind of hard to see so here is the raw data:
| MONTH | 2017 | 2018 | Rate Change |
| April | $0.41 | $31.47 | 7576% |
As you can see, I had a 7576% increase in dividends over last year. I had to triple check the math. Although that’s great, I’m sure it’s only downhill from here. But, I’m going to enjoy this quadruple-digit increase as long as it lasts!
Finally, the Dividend Tracker has been updated accordingly.
Forward Annual Dividends
At the time of this writing, my forward annual dividends is $903.71. What’s interesting is that just a month ago, my forward annual dividends was $802.46. That is a 13% increase in just one month. I wish I could keep that up going forward, but it’s not every day I get a tax refund.
I’m inching closer to that 4-digit mark!
I added two new stocks in April: McDonalds and Kimberly Clark. Kimberly Clark pays dividends in April. Unfortunately, I didn’t purchase the stock prior to the ex-dividend date and so I have to wait until they pay dividends again for me to benefit. Of course, I will still be contributing to my dividend portfolio, including into these two stocks.
Conclusion
Although I had quiet month in terms of dividends earned, my forward annual dividends reflected the boost to my stock portfolio that I got from the tax refund. I’m so glad that I can finally make annual comparisons which will help me determine how well I’m improving. Patience and consistency are keys to success with Dividend Growth Investing and I plan to be very successful.
How was April for you? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
“Definitely smaller than the past couple of months and so I’m going to say this was an off month.” – does it make sense to think of it that way? I ask because you kind of know what your dividends will be each month and unless you structure it so that you get roughly equal payments throughout the year, it’ll vary. And there’s not much you can do about it once you’ve locked into the shares, so it’s only “off” in that it’s not as large… not because you did something (or someone else did something) that caused it.
Jim Wang recently posted…How much should I spend on an engagement ring?
Hey Jim. That’s what I meant. “off” month in that it was not quite as large. Regarding the structure of my dividend payments, I have no structure per say. I just check how much dividends I got at the beginning of the month.
It’s gonna depend on the company and when they pay the dividend. Though you could structure it to divide roughly equal payments throughout the year like Jim said, it would kinda take the fun out of these monthly reports. Cool blog, btw.
When did you get in for Cisco? I got in Feb 2016– it was very cheap at the time and has been pumping out dividends and soaring in price ever since. Really nothing like buying undervalued tech stocks these days (though hard to find especially this year).
Hey Andrew. Glad you like the blog. I got Cisco around October 2017. That was definitely when I first got my dividend income from CSCO. I generally don’t keep extra cash laying around, but I can see how it can be beneficial especially when you think the market is undervalued. Don’t be a stranger Andrew.
Wow, that’s a killer increase over last year!!!
brian @ singledadmoney recently posted…Net Worth Update – APR 2018 $22,113 (+$1,785)
Hahahaha thanks Brian.
Nice income on low month 🙂 Im thinking to add CSCO just for their first quarter month dividends to fill the gap 😀 Keep it up you are in the right direction 🙂
p2035 recently posted…Guess what… !
Thanks P2035. I think CSCO is a great company. But I’m like you, I could use some more companies for months like these.
Nice job. I was paid by all those companies as well in April. I had an off month too and didn’t collect as much as I wanted. But look at those growth numbers! That is awesome man. Keep that going forward into the rest of the year.
Thanks Daze. Looking forward to seeing how you did in April.
DP, Good luck in crossing the $1k mark. It won’t be long now. Like you, April is a bit of a slow month for dividend payments in my accounts. Tom
Tom @ Dividends Diversify recently posted…The New Millionaires | Income & Net Worth | Part 4
Thanks Tom. Looking forward to crossing that mark as well.
Great month DP! 7576%!!! Holy Cow! Good job! Glad to see we both own O as well! Can you taste the 1K mark in forward dividend income? You are getting there!!! Keep up the great work! 😀
My Dividend Dynasty recently posted…April 2018 Dividend Income
MDD I’m really hoping it will happen in the next two months. Then, I’ll be trying to figure out what my next milestone will be. Thanks for the encouragement.
Awesome yoy improvement! You may not have another month with that high of a yoy percentage, but you will be surprised by how much you will continue to improve yoy. I thought I’d be slowing down by now, but the numbers are still great! Dividend growth investing really snowballs! Just wait until you hit 1k in annual dividend income!
Best of luck!
-Millennial Dividends
Thanks Cameron. Can’t wait myself and I completely agree with your post.
DP –
Keep doing what you’re doing, the future you is going to be very happy you did.
-Lanny
Dividend Diplomats recently posted…Expected Dividend Increases in May 2018
Thanks Lanny. One day at a time.
7000% that’s crazy mate! congrats! And I used to think my 1000% was awesome 🙂 Well done DP. Keep the momentum going.
dividendgeek recently posted…The Best Day of the Week to Buy Index Funds
Thanks Geek! 1000% is still awesome.
Hi DP,
That’s not that bad for an “off” month! I like your holdings and was also paid by CSCO and O.
By the way, I can see that you managed to add some charts to your monthly posts – really nice addition!
-BI
BrokeInvestor recently posted…April 2018 Summary
Thanks BI. I’m still trying to figure out the chart thing so hopefully it will get better in future posts.
M-M-M-MONSTER increase!!!! Congratulations my friend on a massive increase and closing in on that illustrious 1k threshold. I’m sure you’ll be there in no time.
My month was also great, second yoy comparison and highest dividend received ever. So pretty stoked about that! 😉
Mr. Robot recently posted…April 2018 Dividend Report
Awesome Mr. Robot, for us both. I’ll check out your Div Report soon!
Cool, as always I appreciate your comments 🙂
Mr. Robot recently posted…April 2018 Dividend Report
Not such an off month considering that massive YoY growth, DP! Well done. Keep making those periodic investments and keep that portfolio growth going.
Engineering Dividends recently posted…Monthly Dividend Income (Apr. 2018)
Thanks ED and that’s the plan.
DP,
Nice report. Keep sharing your journey. I look at it as a marathon with an end game.
Cheers
Dividend Pursuit
Yea, it can be long DP, but it’s definitely worth it.
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Keep up what you are doing. It will continue to grow. Keep it up.
Doug recently posted…Sell UVE and 2018 buy #6 T
That’s the plan Doug. I’m hoping that I can increase the contributions I make to my portfolio so it grows faster. We will see.
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