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The Seed has been Planted - Printable Version

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RE: The Seed has been Planted - jdhansen - 02-04-2017

6 Month into this new adventure and I figured I need to keep myself honest with an update

Portfolio has grown from its humble start to the following:

Here is the Current Portfolio:
T          6 shares
ORI      20 shares
KO        5 shares
WFC     2 shares
TGT      1 share
FLO      10 shares
OHI      13.27 shares
MO       10 shares

Learned a few lessons along the way,  bought OHI at its peak and it was a sobering experience watching it drop,  however on the positive side, it dropped so low that the first dividend was able to drip for a quarter of a share  Smile  Felt like a real hero when FLO jumped, almost made me think I could stock pick,  good thing KO and TGT came along to knock that thought out of my head.

Saving up to purchase a position in O,JNJ, or hopefully if TGT stays down growing the position.  Really I find myself suffering from having to many companies I want to purchase and not enough capital to buy it all at once.  Struggling to figure out how to break ties between different stocks that meet all the criteria I have set.  But I see that as a positive as it saves me from rushing a purchase and forces me to focus on the data.

Also keep trying to decide if growing what I have is the right course, versus buying into a new company.

Best part of all of this is I am enjoying it and trying to learn, and for the first time in a while, I feel like my money is finally working for me instead of me working for it


Watch list: O, JNJ, PEP, LMT, UNP, CVS


RE: The Seed has been Planted - crimsonghost747 - 02-04-2017

Nice progress.
Having options is always a good thing, though I can certainly relate to the whole "which should I buy now". Usually I solve that by buying a bit of both but I can see how that might not be a possibility for everyone. For the month of february, my monthly contribution will be split between 6 companies. (all of which I already have a position in) Usually I split it in 2-3 different ones but now I figured that a more balanced approach is in order since I don't see any screaming buys and this will also help to balance the portfolio a little more.

There is no easy way to decide the increase an existing position or buy a new company thing. You are in no hurry to increase the amount of holdings significantly though, most people aim for 20 companies or so and it usually takes them years and years to get there. Keep in mind that if you like to follow your investments, then at some point too many companies will be too much to keep an eye on.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - ChadR - 02-06-2017

The problem of having too many companies you want to purchase and not enough cash doesn't go away. I had that problem starting out and I still suffer from that problem. I figure I'll still be suffering from it once my portfolio hits 7 figures. It's something all of us suffer from. And great start to your portfolio.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - jdhansen - 07-14-2017

Time for the one year update. 

I started my Dividend Growth Adventure with 2 Shares of T and a projected $1.92 a year in annual Dividend Income.  

Now it has grown to the following with a projected Annual Income of $262 and we meet our investment goal of $400 a month and are aiming to increase this amount in the following year with the upcoming promotion I earned this year.

[attachment=202]


Had some adventures along the way both teaching me that I suck at market timing.  Each time I place an order the stock will fall the following week.  Currently trying to figure out a way to market this amazing ability. Its a good thing I'm in for the long hall.  

Most important lesson is I learned that I can watch a stock (TGT) drop from its high to its current level and not have panic attacks about the loss.  I did end up selling it to help me purchase more shares of CSCO, which  I feel much better about than the current state of retail.  I still see value in TGT but I am going to add it to the watch list for now while I work on learning more about the retail sector.

I appreciate all the feedback members of the site have provided as well as the discussions and links to further information.  I may not have quite the same size portfolio, but you all have been an inspiration is seeing what DGI can help me achieve for the future.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - EricL - 07-14-2017

Looks like you are off to a great start JD, nice work!


RE: The Seed has been Planted - crimsonghost747 - 07-14-2017

A very promising start. Be careful with the balancing though, I know it's just the beginning and the weight of a single stock can change dramatically with just one buy, but you've got about 60% of your portfolio in two REITs. I like REITs too but too much is too much. Weird share amounts so I'm guessing you've got a DRIP on them, so I'd suggest throwing your new cash to other types of investments for a while to keep the balance.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - jdhansen - 07-15-2017

(07-14-2017, 09:04 PM)crimsonghost747 Wrote: A very promising start. Be careful with the balancing though, I know it's just the beginning and the weight of a single stock can change dramatically with just one buy, but you've got about 60% of your portfolio in two REITs. I like REITs too but too much is too much. Weird share amounts so I'm guessing you've got a DRIP on them, so I'd suggest throwing your new cash to other types of investments for a while to keep the balance.


You are correct sir,  I wanted to open some positions on the REITs,  and did so in my IRA by accumulating my monthly amounts until I could purchase a large amount to minimize the $7.00 commission that Vanguard charges me.  I'm letting them DRIP for now as the only other items in the IRA are the Index funds I hold to keep my wife sane while I started this DGI plan.

Future investments will be in my taxable Robinhood account with the zero commissions where I can make smaller purchases at a time while avoiding the commission hits.  I have quite the buy list at this time to continue spreading my diversity, Thanks for the advice.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - jdhansen - 02-03-2019

Well, 2018 was a rough year with lots of ups and downs, many medical bills and other expenses to deal with.  Also was finally able to pull all the families funds together and have a complete picture of  what we have.  So after a year and a half, I can finally update how the seed has been germinating.

Pulling everything together, and our seed has grown into the following:
  • 20 Shares T
  • 20 Shares ORI
  • 6   Shares KO
  • 2   Shares D
  • 10 Shares FLO
  • 34 Shares MO
  • 10 Shares CSCO
  • 10 Shares HRL
  • 1   Share HSY
  • 8   Shares F
  • 43.566 Shares OHI
  • 35.904 Shares O
  • 197.345 Shares VTSAX
  • 96.823 Shares VEU
  • 14.638 Shares BND
  • 13.595 Shares VNQ

Our projected Annual dividend has grown to $904 a year, if I'm calculating the Vanguard items correctly.  The Vanguard funds are from a my job moving from Nationwide to Vanguard for our 457 plan.  Not sure if I should convert them into stocks, or move them over to one of the dividend growth options that Vanguard offers.  Maybe I will just keep them and have new money go toward better dividend options.  Suggestions always welcome.

Looking at building up funds for a move in to DWDP, as I see the upcoming split of the company as a opportunity for solid growth.  Every where else, just keeping the ball rolling and not letting the ups and downs get to me.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - Kerim - 02-06-2019

Nice progress! Congrats!


RE: The Seed has been Planted - ken-do-nim - 02-07-2021

(02-03-2019, 05:19 PM)jdhansen Wrote: Well, 2018 was a rough year with lots of ups and downs, many medical bills and other expenses to deal with.  Also was finally able to pull all the families funds together and have a complete picture of  what we have.  So after a year and a half, I can finally update how the seed has been germinating.

Pulling everything together, and our seed has grown into the following:
  • 20 Shares T
  • 20 Shares ORI
  • 6   Shares KO
  • 2   Shares D
  • 10 Shares FLO
  • 34 Shares MO
  • 10 Shares CSCO
  • 10 Shares HRL
  • 1   Share HSY
  • 8   Shares F
  • 43.566 Shares OHI
  • 35.904 Shares O
  • 197.345 Shares VTSAX
  • 96.823 Shares VEU
  • 14.638 Shares BND
  • 13.595 Shares VNQ

Our projected Annual dividend has grown to $904 a year, if I'm calculating the Vanguard items correctly.  The Vanguard funds are from a my job moving from Nationwide to Vanguard for our 457 plan.  Not sure if I should convert them into stocks, or move them over to one of the dividend growth options that Vanguard offers.  Maybe I will just keep them and have new money go toward better dividend options.  Suggestions always welcome.

Looking at building up funds for a move in to DWDP, as I see the upcoming split of the company as a opportunity for solid growth.  Every where else, just keeping the ball rolling and not letting the ups and downs get to me.

I'm starting to read through older threads and learn what other people are doing.  One thing I think would be really helpful is a quick note next to each equity as to why it's present in the portfolio.  Some like OHI, T, and MO are obvious because of the high yield.  But take Ford for example.  I'm really curious why he picked it up.  I realize this post is a couple years old but looking at Ford's financials, it doesn't have a dividend (and as far as I can tell, never did), and hasn't gone anywhere price-wise either in the last 5 years (unless you bought March 20th of last year).


RE: The Seed has been Planted - fenders53 - 02-07-2021

I've owned shares of F now and then through the decades. Here was my justification.

-When it is absolutely crushed it's usually good for a double or triple in a few years. This has happened a number of times. The risk/reward is there is you wait for it to get bad enough. If all your stocks double even every five years you'll retire wealthy.

-Paid a huge dividend until recently. Often 6% IIRC.

-When times are good F pays a special dividend occasionally.

-Never filed bankruptcy like every other American auto manufacturer, even when they could have.

-Top five iconic brand in American. Seems to always have some interest.


RE: The Seed has been Planted - jdhansen - 10-09-2021

(02-07-2021, 01:31 PM)ken-do-nim Wrote:
(02-03-2019, 05:19 PM)jdhansen Wrote: Well, 2018 was a rough year with lots of ups and downs, many medical bills and other expenses to deal with.  Also was finally able to pull all the families funds together and have a complete picture of  what we have.  So after a year and a half, I can finally update how the seed has been germinating.

Pulling everything together, and our seed has grown into the following:
  • 20 Shares T
  • 20 Shares ORI
  • 6   Shares KO
  • 2   Shares D
  • 10 Shares FLO
  • 34 Shares MO
  • 10 Shares CSCO
  • 10 Shares HRL
  • 1   Share HSY
  • 8   Shares F
  • 43.566 Shares OHI
  • 35.904 Shares O
  • 197.345 Shares VTSAX
  • 96.823 Shares VEU
  • 14.638 Shares BND
  • 13.595 Shares VNQ

Our projected Annual dividend has grown to $904 a year, if I'm calculating the Vanguard items correctly.  The Vanguard funds are from a my job moving from Nationwide to Vanguard for our 457 plan.  Not sure if I should convert them into stocks, or move them over to one of the dividend growth options that Vanguard offers.  Maybe I will just keep them and have new money go toward better dividend options.  Suggestions always welcome.

Looking at building up funds for a move in to DWDP, as I see the upcoming split of the company as a opportunity for solid growth.  Every where else, just keeping the ball rolling and not letting the ups and downs get to me.

I'm starting to read through older threads and learn what other people are doing.  One thing I think would be really helpful is a quick note next to each equity as to why it's present in the portfolio.  Some like OHI, T, and MO are obvious because of the high yield.  But take Ford for example.  I'm really curious why he picked it up.  I realize this post is a couple years old but looking at Ford's financials, it doesn't have a dividend (and as far as I can tell, never did), and hasn't gone anywhere price-wise either in the last 5 years (unless you bought March 20th of last year)
I most likely have the wrong mindset when it comes to what to invest in and why.  Typically I just look for companies that have long-term payment histories, PE at 20 or lower and look at the payout ratio.  I prefer dividends to be at 3% or higher.
I also view any money invested as gone so capital appreciation isn't something I really stress about.  It is nice and I hope I evaluate the stocks properly so it happens, but I'm more concerned about building a steady income stream for the future.  I do have a loss threshold where I would get out to minimize the damage.
At this stage in my learning adventure, I was just excited to be able to buy 8 shares of something, as I was only able to invest about $100 a month and F fit that bill.  However, when they stopped the dividend I sold them for a small profit and moved the money into other investments.