My BIGGEST Dividend Payment Ever
Dividend investing is a lot like playing a video game.
The longer you play, and the deeper you get into the game, the more experience points (XP) your character will accrue. Over time, this gain in XP will allow your character to level-up and unlock new achievements.
The same thing actually happens as an investor. The more you invest, and the longer you do it, the more you will level-up and reach new milestones in your portfolio, which is something that just happened to me.
If you read last week's newsletter, then you'll know I recently received my highest dividend payment ever for about $50 from Altria Group (MO). While this record high payment is a milestone in itself, it actually represents 3 different achievements all at once.
Source: Charles Schwab | My Altria Group (MO) dividend payment
In addition to this being my highest dividend payment ever, it's also the first time I've ever received over $50 in a single payment. I remember a couple of years ago not even making this much in a month, or in multiple months for that matter!
Being able to receive that much in a single payment today is pretty surreal, and now that I’m at a point with Altria where it’s paying me over $50 per quarter, this means that I'm now bringing in over $200 per year from this one company alone — which is the 3rd milestone, and I'll tell you more about all of this in greater detail here.
Obviously, I'm still quite a ways away from being eligible for financial independence. Nonetheless, every milestone is a small victory worth celebrating, and serves as a reminder that staying disciplined and committed to the long-term vision most definitely pays off.
Milestones like this record high payment are not just markers of success and new levels achieved; they are symbols of the power of consistency and patience — two non-negotiable traits you need to stay in the game (and get better at it) for a long period of time.
With that said, although there are periods where the journey to financial freedom feels slow-moving, you've got to keep playing the game. Just stay disciplined, keep investing, and time will take care of the rest.
Anyway, I want to hear from you. What’s been your highest dividend payment so far, and which stock did it come from? Write to me here and let me know.
And a big thank you to the 13 readers who responded to last week's newsletter. You all rock, and I really enjoyed reading about which stocks you thought would be perfect in any investor's portfolio! 🙌
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IN MY PORTFOLIO
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ICYMI
The Top 20 REITs Ranked (BEST to WORST)
While much of the market has been beaten down this last month, few stocks are taking as big of a hit as real estate investment trusts.
Many REITs are down right now and are looking like good buying opportunities, but not every single one is actually worth buying so in this video, we’ll be reviewing 20 of the most popular ones and will rank them from best to worst.
CAREFULLY CURATED
📺 The Right Way To Value Dividend Stocks - A discounted cash-flow calculation is one of the most popular and commonly used ways to find the intrinsic value of a dividend stock, but according to Russ Knopf, this is the wrong way to go about it. He shares why that is in this video, and gives you a better method for valuing stocks.
🎧 Why Low-Yield, High-Growth Stocks Matter In Retirement - While many people suggest prioritizing high-yield investments in retirement to boost income, you should question whether this approach is truly the right way to go. This episode of the Dividend Guy podcast does exactly that, and explores why you shouldn't forget about dividend growth in retirement and how it can safeguard your portfolio against inflation, preserve your wealth, and potentially generate even more income in retirement.
📚 The "Bottom Line" For Investing In Stocks - Obviously, it's impossible to predict the future, and therefore, it's impossible to know which direction stocks will go next. This uncertainty can cause investors to make rash and emotional decisions at times, and while emotions do play a role in the investing process, the "bottom line" for investing is something a bit more logical. This read-worthy article by Brad Thomas shares what that is, and gives two great examples of stocks that follow the logic.
SINCE YOU ASKED
"If I'm just starting out, in your opinion, is it better to spread my money between 8-10 diversified options or concentrate on 2-4?"
- @nickhenry1661 | YouTube
If you're at the beginning stages of your investing journey, I think the best approach would be to just invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Since an ETF is essentially just a basket of different stocks grouped together, taking this approach will create automatic diversification in your portfolio while allowing you to concentrate your contributions on a select few holdings — like SCHD, VOO, or VTI for example.
With that said, if you have your heart set on investing in individual stocks, it wouldn't hurt to add a couple of those into the mix as well. I actually cover this topic in more detail here, and share with you what I would do if I was just starting out and had to invest from scratch.
Have a question? Ask me here to see it featured in an upcoming newsletter.
DREAMING OF MORE DIVIDENDS?
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