December 2017 Net Worth

All figures are generated from Mint.com. Despite having the lowest income total from my day in six years, I still saw a $17,000 increase in my net worth. Most of the gains came from my 401K and house. 

I know eventually the market will drop and these monthly gains will go away, until then it's nice seeing the upward trajectory!


Assets

Checking --- $11,999
Savings/Investments --- $376,545
Lending Club --- $6,911
HSA --- $2,555
IRA --- $9,713
401K --- $348,740
2014 Jeep Wrangler --- $24,258
House --- $133,545

Liabilities

$0

Net Worth

$914,266


YTD Totals

May 2017 --- $835,009
July 2017 --- $851,904 

Aug 2017 --- $860,072
Sept 2017 --- $869,374

Oct 2017 --- $887,033
Nov 2017 --- $897,145

Dec 2017 --- $914,266


There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO

November 2017 Dividend Summary

Here are the dividends I received in my taxable account.

• HCP --- $37.00

These are the first dividends I've received since July. Can't wait to get the totals back up to more respectable levels...I've been here before and can build it back up so no worries! 

Recent Buy --- OHI

Today I initiated a position in OHI.

• OHI:  200 shares @ $28.25 --- Yield 9.20%

Total capital invested is $5656.95 and will add $520.00 to my yearly dividends.

Forward dividends are $1135.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buys --- T & KMB

Today I added to my T position and initiated a position in KMB.

• T:  50 shares @ $33.54 --- Yield  5.84%

• KMB:  20 shares @ $111.71 --- Yield  3.47%

Total capital invested is $3924.97 and the combined yield is 4.47%. These purchases will add $175.45 to my yearly dividends.

My T share count is now 150 shares.

Forward dividends are $615.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- T

Today I initiated a position in T.

• T:  100 shares @ $35.26 --- Yield  5.56%

Total capital invested is $3,532.83 and will add $196 to my yearly dividends.

Forward dividends are $440.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

October 2017 Net Worth

All figures are generated from Mint.com. Another really solid $18k gain. I'm getting really close to reaching escape velocity. For the first time in three months my home value actually increased about $1,000. I had record high income in September so that along with a surging market really boosted my net worth.

Starting this month my income will be a lot lower which is fine, but my net worth will be more influenced by the market from this point forward.

Also my combined checking, savings, and Lending Club accounts surpassed $410k this month which is what I plan to use to fund my retirement prior to using my 401k and later SSI. 


Assets

Checking --- $12,968
Savings/Investments --- $388,356
Lending Club --- $8,645
HSA --- $2,718
IRA --- $9,487
401K --- $335,601
House --- $129,258

Liabilities

$0

Net Worth

$887,033


YTD Totals

May 2017 --- $835,009
July 2017 --- $851,904 

Aug 2017 --- $860,072
Sept 2017 --- $869,374

Oct 2017 --- $887,033



There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO!

Recent Buy --- GE

Today I initiated a position in GE.

• GE:  100 shares @ $22.98 --- Yield  4.18%

Total capital invested is $2304.45 and this purchase will add $96.00 to my yearly dividends.

Forward dividends are $244.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Position eliminated --- Old pay $220k - New pay $120k

In recent months I have mentioned that there have been some major changes in my job situation. The owner passed away earlier this year and the new owner has made management shakeups at the top here at work over the past four months. This is typically what happens with new ownership. No hard feelings at all!!

While I have come to work each day and have been repeatedly told that I will "always" have a job here, inside I knew that something would happen fairly soon. I have worked here 23 years and was optimistic that I could make it through this year. That appears to be the case and likely I can stay for many years if I choose to.

Many people have been fired, reassigned, demoted, or put into impossible work environments and it reminds me of the "Who Moved My Cheese" book from the early 2000s. Things like this happens across all industry classes throughout cities large and small all across the country.

This is the purpose of having FU money. When a change occurs, we aren't saying "This isn't fair, I wan't things to go back to the way they were". When changes occurs, reverse is never an option even if it makes complete sense. The train keeps rolling forward with or without us. Understanding this fact early on will spare you a lot of brain damage.

Today I received my washout commission check from September and grinned as I saw the total commissions for the month...

$21,608 (All time high)

Starting this month my base pay will be $120,000 which is still a lot of money. In fact, I may make quite a bit more. Who knows?

Another change will be no longer getting off work at 6:00 every night. Two or three nights a week I will have to work a late shift until 9:00pm. Now the good news is I don't have to come in until 11:30am on those days.

Making $17-20k per month and getting off at 6 each night is almost impossible to give up. Who the hell in their right mind would quit a job like that?? That has been a big problem for me during the past 4 years. I have made and saved a shit load of money, but I would be viewed as a complete idiot if I voluntarily left this type of job.

So the position that I had was eliminated completely with no replacement. I went back to my previous position within the company. This is good news in that I don't have to fear some paranoid, sadistic, ballbuster who hates the idea of me still be around to possibly undermine him. I wouldn't anyway as this is not my style.

So while the idea of leaving a $200k plus position sounds ludicrous, the idea of $120k with shitty hours doesn't. Especially since I have ton of FU money and am essentially FI.

I am typing this at work right now and am feeling a great sense of relief and have a strange peace within me right now!!

This has been a great day and am looking forward to next step which will be complete separation from the traditional work force. Early next year is the plan!! This job change has been the catalyst I have needed to transition into FI completely

Stay tuned!!

Recent Buy --- HCP

Today I initiated a position in HCP

• HCP:  100 shares @ $27.70 --- Yield  5.34%

Total capital invested is $2,776.45 and will add $148.00 to my yearly dividends. 

Usually buying HCP below $30 is a pretty good investment idea and hope this continues to be the case.  Back in June I liquidate my entire portfolio due to extreme uncertainty with my job. Since then things have stabilized and my cash balance is sitting at just over $400,000. I'll likely keep my cash at that level and will invest anything over $400,000.

Forward dividends are $148.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

September 2017 Net Worth

All figures are generated from Mint.com. Another really solid $9k gain. I'm getting really close to reaching escape velocity. The only account that continues to go down is my house. The value fell from $129,000 to $128,000. The three month home value has now fallen about $9,000 from $136,000 to $129,000. 

Hurricane Harvey kicked the shit out of us down here in Houston last month, but fortunately I live north of the city and was spared any flood damage. My business was closed for 5 days however, so it is tough sledding for a lot of my coworkers. Some lost everything while most knew someone who was affected by the record flooding.

Since my company sells products that were wiped out during the floods, business is at record levels this month and the boom should continue to throughout the remainder of 2017. That's some welcome news!

Also since my combined checking, savings, and Lending Club accounts surpassed $400k this month, I will start investing in dividend stocks again very soon. $400k in cash is the number that renders me FI. :)


Assets

Checking --- $18,063
Savings --- $373,455
Lending Club --- $8,728
HSA --- $2,728
Brokerage --- $0
IRA --- $9,382
401K --- $328,434
House --- $128,584

Liabilities

$0

Net Worth

$869,374


YTD Totals

May 2017 --- $835,009
July 2017 --- $851,904 

Aug 2017 --- $860,072
Sept 2017 --- $869,374

There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO!

August 2017 Net Worth

All figures are generated from Mint.com. It's good to see an $8,000 monthly gain. I'm getting really close to reaching escape velocity. The only account that appears to have gone down is my house. The value fell from $131,000 to $129,000. The two month home value has fallen about $7,000 from $136,000 to $129,000. 

The job front is still a bit shaky, but I'm holding on. It does feel good to have enough FU money not to worry about things. Many others are continuing to sweat their asses off worrying. In fact, we closed one department about three weeks ago and laid off 8 workers. Crazy times indeed!


Assets

Checking --- $11,501
Savings --- $373,441
Lending Club --- $9,618
HSA --- $2577
Brokerage --- $0
IRA --- $9,252
401K --- $323,898
House --- $129,785

Liabilities

$0

Net Worth

$860,072


YTD Totals

May 2017 --- $835,009
July 2017 --- $851,904 
Aug 2017 --- $860,072

There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO!

July 2017 Dividend Summary

Here are the dividends received in my taxable account last month.

• KO --- $97.79
• GE --- $60.91
• M --- $57.00
• KMB --- $39.24
• MO --- $21.72
• VAIB --- $16.25
• NKE --- $7.22

Total dividends received are $300.13

Despite selling all my stocks in the middle of June, I had a few that had already went ex-dividend. Not too shabby.

I'm sitting on a pile of cash while the work situation becomes more clear. So far I have survived a ton of management changes and continue to do well. I'll probably wait a few more months and at that point I will most likely be totally FI just living off the cash saved. Knowing me I most likely will start investing again!

July 2017 Net Worth

All figures are generated from Mint.com. As you can I picked up almost $17,000 over the last couple of months. The only account that appears to have gone down is my house. The value fell from $138k to $131,000. Not sure why, but doesn't really matter.

It's good to see these numbers increasing. As I mentioned in my Dividend Post, there have been a lot of changes going on at work and not for the better. I have held on to my current position so far, however between the management changes and a subsequent fall off in business that may change quickly. It's good to have a huge safety net!!


Assets

Checking --- $14564
Savings --- $363277
Lending Club --- $9576
HSA --- $2294
Brokerage --- $0
IRA --- $9206
401K --- $321775
House --- $131212

Liabilities

$0

Net Worth

$851,904


YTD Totals

May 2017 --- $835,009
July 2017 --- $851,904   

There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO!

June 2017 Dividend Summary

Here are the dividends I received from last month.

• PFE --- $123.70
• XOM --- $112.67
• RDS-b --- $103.40
• BP --- $101.43
• MAT --- $76.57
• TGT --- $72.92
• WFC --- $65.88
• GM --- $63.35
• VFC --- $61.37
• SO --- $53.73
• JNJ --- $45.50
• TROW --- $43.52
• GILD --- $43.10
• QCOM --- $41.85
• UL --- $38.04
• MSFT --- $32.58
• NEA --- $16.63
• MET --- $16.12
• EMR --- $14.64

Total dividend income in my taxable account  $1127.00.

That was a great month!! 

Now for the other news...

Things at work have become very complicated and with new upper management changes are happening almost daily. Most likely I will be demoted and half my salary cut in half. That's option isn't anything to cry about as I still would be making six figures.

The other two options are I am fired or I choose not to work in an unbearable work environment. Because of these new circumstances, I decided to liquidate my entire portfolio. I now have about $400,000 sitting in cash. I also still have about $320,000 sitting in my 401k which is invested 65/35 in S&P 500 and Vanguard bonds.

Since I am 46 right now, I may actually be financially independent. I will see how thing play out over the coming months and will make a decision about whether or not I get back into the market and how much I will invest. 

Stay tuned!!

May 2017 Dividend Summary

• HCP --- $115.68
• OHI --- $101.80
• VZ --- $58.74
• BMY --- $29.36
• ABT --- $26.99
• ABBV --- $25.60
• PG --- $20.85
• NEA --- $16.55
• AAPL --- $15.98
• GIS --- $14.40

Total income received in my taxable account is $425.95.

Another pretty solid "off" month in my opinion. REITs accounted for over half of the income so I need to continue trying balance things out. I should receive much higher totals from VZ, GIS, and T in the next quarter which will be nice.

May was a pretty good month of capital additions as well and I am now sitting on just over $9600 in forward dividends.



YOU CAN'T REACH THE TOP AIMING FOR THE MIDDLE

Recent Buy --- OHI

Today I added to my OHI position.

• OHI:  50 shares @ $31.53 --- Yield  7.99%

Total capital invested is $1583.43 and will add $126.00 to my yearly dividends. The yield is pretty high right now and hopefully dividend will be safe. I don't want to get too heavy into REITs, but the bargains are scarce right now. If oil prices drop back down again I'll pick up a few shares of BP and Shell. 

Forward dividends are $9600.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- GWW

Today I initiated a position in GWW.

• GWW:  10 shares @ $174.96 --- Yield  2.92%

Total capital invested is $1756.50 and will add $51.50 to my yearly dividends.

GWW has taken a beaten in recent months falling almost $100 a share. Like M, KSS, TGT, and many other retailers, Amazon has been looking over their shoulder. It's tough in retail right now. Amazon can't sell everything to everyone, can it??

At close to 3% the yield is appealing and should be easily covered going forward. I'll likely add more shares around the $150 range if it falls that far.

Forward dividends are $9450.00

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Final Sharebuilder photo --- PFE

Today I brought my PFE share count over 400.

• PFE:  50 shares @ $32.58 --- Yield  3.93%

Total capital invested is $1636.20 and will add $64 to my yearly dividends.

As noted this will be my last photographed purchase. Technically this photo is an account photo, but it's the last photo nonetheless.

I'm been made aware on numerous occasions during the past year and a half that there are different apps, screenshot techniques, etc that are infinitely better than sticking a fucking camera phone in front of the screen and downloading it via my phone (which believe it or not rarely works on the first attempt). Yet, I continue to take my photo purchases and post my buys....NO MORE!!

In 2014 & 2015 I just posted my weekly automatic purchases as well as regular purchases on the blog. One day someone emailed me and told me that my purchases were fictitious. The funny thing is it would be impossible for me to create accurate automatic buy prices each week as there are numerous Sharebuilder users who may make the same purchases occasionally. It would be impossible for me to predict the price to the penny each week. I guess the fictitious part of my posts were the dollar amounts. I don't know.

Stupid shit like this shouldn't bother me in the big scheme of things, but I felt it necessary for everyone else to show that I legitimately make these investments (good ones and bad) and I truly put my money where my mouth is.

So as you can see by the photo, I have just under $250,000 currently invested and plan to invest another $250,000 in the next two years. 

I have also been considering stopping my future investments in Cap One Sharebuilder and starting a second brokerage account soon.

Forward dividends are now $9400.00

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- VZ

I just made VZ one my top 4 positions.

• VZ: 100 shares @ $45.28 --- Yield  5.12%

Total capital invested is $4541.61 and will increase my yearly dividend by $232. 

VZ and T have both been falling quite a bit, but VZ is dropping much faster. Today's purchase makes VZ my fourth largest position behind PFE, XOM, and KO.  Any future telecom purchases will probably be T shares. My original intention was to reach $10,000 in forward dividends by the end of the year. I will most likely reach this goal in June. 

Forward dividends are now around $9350.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- GE

I added a few more shares to the GE position.

• GE:  53 shares @ $27.88 --- Yield  3.44%

Total capital invested is $1484.48 and will increase my dividends by $50.88.

GE below $28 looks to be a good value. If things continue to deteriorate, I'll probably at another 50 shares around the $25 which would put the yield at 3.8%.

Foward dividends are just over $9100.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- GIS

I added a few more shares to my GIS position.

• GIS:  30 shares @ $56.25 --- Yield  3.41%

Total capital invested is $1694.45 and will add $57.60 to my yearly dividends.  I was on the fence today and had a difficult time choosing between GIS, XOM, T, & VZ. I took the more defensive of the choices and now have 170 shares of GIS.

I am really loving the grind of climbing back up the passive income mountain. Kinda reminds me of the summer of 2014.....fun times for sure!!

Forward dividends are $9060.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

May 2017 Net Worth

I finally decided to put out a monthly net worth statement. Ultimately passive income is my focus, but it is nice to see the overall balance sheet. There is much more to my financial profile than the hundreds of dollars received each month. So here are the numbers as computed from Mint.com.


Assets

Checking --- $4,242
Savings --- $120,178
Lending Club --- $10,185
HSA --- $1,850
Brokerage --- $240,129
IRA --- $8,997
401K --- $311,976
House --- $137,452

Liabilities

None

Net Worth

$835,009

There is no down time when building a path that doesn't lead back to ZERO!

Recent Buy --- T

Today I initiated a position in T.

• 100 shares @ $38.58 --- Yield  5.08%

Total capital invested is $3871.70 and will add $196.00 to my yearly dividends.

I have been add more shares of VZ recently on weakness and today I decided to complement the VZ position with T.

Let the snowball DRIPing begin!

Forward dividends are now back to $9,000.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

AAPL raises dividend 10.53% --- New yield is 1.71%

Apple announced that it will be increasing its quarterly dividend from $.57 to $.63 a share. This represents a 10.53% increase and the new yield is

The ex-dividend date is May 11th and the pay date is May 18th.

Since I currently own 25.37 shares my yearly dividends will increase by $6.09.

2017 Dividend Raises/Cuts

OHI:  1.64% --- $3.20
KMB:  5.43% --- $8.03
GILD:  10.64% --- $10.49
CSCO:  11.54% --- $13.92
TROW:  5.56% --- $9.09
KO:  5.71% --- $20.96
QCOM:  7.5% --- $7.20
PG:  3.00% --- $2.43

OHI:  1.61% --- $6.46  (2nd Raise)

SO:  3.57% --- $7.41

UL:  12% --- $15.36

XOM:  2.67% --- $11.70

JNJ:  5.0% --- $8.67

TIS:  100% --- $332.90

AAPL:  10.53% --- $6.09

Total yearly dividend decrease is $201.89.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- GIS

Today I doubled my GIS position.

• GIS:  70 shares @ $55.98 --- Yield  3.43%

Total capital invested is $3932.36 and will add $134.40 to my yearly dividends.

GIS continues to exhibit weakness and is now close to yielding 3.5%. After losing some income yesterday by virtue of the TIS cut, I'm glad to jump right back in and start making up the lost ground.

Forward dividends are around $8800.00

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

TIS reduces dividend 100% --- New yield is 0%

Today TIS announced that it is suspending its dividend.

Since I currently own 237.8 shares my dividends will (well you know the math 100% reduction of any number is 0) drop by $332.90.

Ouch! That is going to leave a mark...It's probably a good time from a spec point of view to buy.

Forward dividends are around $8730.00, but not for long!!

2017 Dividend Raises/Cuts

OHI:  1.64% --- $3.20
KMB:  5.43% --- $8.03
GILD:  10.64% --- $10.49
CSCO:  11.54% --- $13.92
TROW:  5.56% --- $9.09
KO:  5.71% --- $20.96
QCOM:  7.5% --- $7.20
PG:  3.00% --- $2.43

OHI:  1.61% --- $6.46  (2nd Raise)

SO:  3.57% --- $7.41

UL:  12% --- $15.36

XOM:  2.67% --- $11.70

JNJ:  5.0% --- $8.67

TIS:  100% --- $332.9

Total yearly dividend decrease is $207.98

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

April 2017 Dividend Summary

• BP --- $99.65
• KO --- $96.95
• M --- $56.28
• PM --- $52.59
• CSCO --- $48.13
• TIS --- $47.54
• TUP --- $41.27
• KMB --- $38.96
• DEO --- $34.52
• MDT --- $25.95
• GE --- $24.00
• MO --- $21.54
• NEA --- $16.48
• VIAB --- $16.18
• NKE --- $7.20

Total income received in my taxable account is $627.24.

The second quarter of 2017 started out with a a bang thanks to BP depositing its dividend in April. Last April I earned a grand total of ZERO, so I am very pleased at this year's results.

I also contributed a shit load of capital throughout this month and my forward dividends are sitting at $9,000.  This puts me close to where I was at the same time in 2014. I went on a serious tear for the remainder of that year and finished with $15,000 in forward dividends. I don't see that happening again this year, but you never know.

YOU CAN'T REACH THE TOP AIMING FOR THE MIDDLE

Limit order filled --- BBL

I just found out that yesterday I had a limit order filled with BBL.

• BBL:  60 shares @ $29.99 --- Yield  5.34%

Total capital invested is $1806.35 and will add $96 to my yearly dividends. Well I bought share a few weeks back in the $32s, so I guess a few more shares under $30 isn't unreasonable.

Forward dividends with this purchase, DRIPs, and recent raises puts me at $9000.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

JNJ raises dividend 5% --- New yield is 2.72%

Yesterday JNJ announced that it is increasing it's dividend from $.80 to $.84. This represents a 5% and pushes the yield up to 2.72%. Not as spectacular as previous years, but well above the rate of inflation.

The ex-dividend date is May 25th and the pay date is June 13th.

Since I currently own 54.17 shares, my yearly dividends will increase by $8.67.

2017 Dividend Raises

OHI:  1.64% --- $3.20
KMB:  5.43% --- $8.03
GILD:  10.64% --- $10.49
CSCO:  11.54% --- $13.92
TROW:  5.56% --- $9.09
KO:  5.71% --- $20.96
QCOM:  7.5% --- $7.20
PG:  3.00% --- $2.43

OHI:  1.61% --- $6.46  (2nd Raise)

SO:  3.57% --- $7.41

UL:  12% --- $15.36

XOM:  2.67% --- $11.70

JNJ:  5.0% --- $8.67

Total yearly dividend increase is $124.92

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

XOM raises dividend 2.67% --- New yield is 3.77%

Today XOM announced that it is increasing it's dividend from $.75 to $.77. This represents a 2.67% and pushes the yield up to 3.77%. Considering oil prices remain depressed, this is pretty good news in my opinion.

The ex-dividend date is May 10th and the pay date is June 9th.

Since I currently own 146.32 shares, my yearly dividends will increase by $11.70.

2017 Dividend Raises

OHI:  1.64% --- $3.20
KMB:  5.43% --- $8.03
GILD:  10.64% --- $10.49
CSCO:  11.54% --- $13.92
TROW:  5.56% --- $9.09
KO:  5.71% --- $20.96
QCOM:  7.5% --- $7.20
PG:  3.00% --- $2.43

OHI:  1.61% --- $6.46  (2nd Raise)

SO:  3.57% --- $7.41

UL:  12% --- $15.36

XOM:  2.67% --- $11.70

Total yearly dividend increase is $116.25

More grinding --- PG

I used the weakness today in PG to double my position.

• PG:  30 shares @ $88.22 --- Yield  3.13%

Total capital invested is $2653.49 and will add $82.75 to my yearly dividends.

I have been using the strategy of adding to companies that are weak during big up days in my portfolio recently. It has worked pretty well recently including buys of RDS-b, TIS, VZ, GILD, and now PG. It's not really scientific, but it gives me a chance to add to some underweight positions.

Forward dividends are just under $8900.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- VZ

Today I added a few more share to my Verizon position.

• VZ:  50 shares @ $46.76 --- Yield  4.96%

Total capital invested is $2344.70 and will add $116 to my yearly dividends.

This is a relatively boring purchase, but VZ has been coming down in price for a while so I added a few more share at a solid yield. In fact, I believe VZ has a higher yield than T. I can't remember that happening before. Speaking of T, it will be releasing earnings after the market closes today. If weakness follows, I'll be looking to pick up 100 shares soon.

Forward dividends are around $8780.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Stock Sale --- TUP

Today I sold my entire TUP position.

• TUP:  61.36 shares @ $73.57 --- Yield  3.70%

Total proceeds are $4507.13 and this will reduce my yearly dividends by $166.90.

This has been a fantastic position for me and I made about $1400 in gains plus whatever dividends I received while owning the stock. Yesterday I was thinking that I might want to trim some overvalued positions and TUP at $65 seemed like a good candidate. Well when I opened my account this morning looking for opportunities to buy, I saw TUP up 12% at $73 and took that as an opportunity to sell.

I fully plan to reinvest the proceeds quickly and have no problems revisiting TUP somewhere in the $50s and in the 5% yield range.

Forward dividends are $8670.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- GILD

Added a little more to an underweight position.

• GILD:  30 shares @ $65.90 --- Yield  3.16%

Total capital invested is $1983.89 and will add $62.40 to my yearly dividends. I need to continue building this positions along with ABBV and BMY. PFE is at full weight currently.

Forward dividends are $8836.00.

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- MAT & GE

Today I doubled my MAT and GE positions.

• MAT:  100 shares @ $21.98 --- Yield  6.92%  (SPECULATIVE)
• GE: 100 shares @ $29.59 --- Yield  3.24%

Total capital invested is $5170.69 and the combined yield is 4.80%. These purchases will add $248.00 to my yearly dividends.

I took a risk with my TIS purchase earlier and am using the same line of thinking with MAT. THis is a deep value play and hopefully it pans out. Regardless of future price movements this will be my last MAT purchase until I see some concrete evidence of a turnaround.

GE on the other hand is a position that I will keep building.

Forward dividends are $8775.00

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

UL raises dividend 12% --- New yield is 3%

UL recently announced that it will increase its quarterly dividend from $.3201 euros to $.3585 euros. This represents a 12.00% increase and the new yield is around 3%. I really don't know how the currency conversions will affect my dividend, but anything above a 10% increase will be fantastic.

The ex-dividend date is May 3rd and the pay date is June 7th.

Since I currently own 100.69 shares, my yearly dividends will increase by approximately $15.36.

2017 Dividend Raises

OHI:  1.64% --- $3.20
KMB:  5.43% --- $8.03
GILD:  10.64% --- $10.49
CSCO:  11.54% --- $13.92
TROW:  5.56% --- $9.09
KO:  5.71% --- $20.96
QCOM:  7.5% --- $7.20
PG:  3.00% --- $2.43

OHI:  1.61% --- $6.46  (2nd Raise)

SO:  3.57% --- $7.41

UL:  12% --- 15.36

Total yearly dividend increase is $104.55

DEFY MEDIOCRITY

Recent Buy --- RDS-b

It's been a while since I've added to this position.

• RDS-b:  40 shares @ $53.85 --- Yield  6.98%

Total capital invested is $2160.87 and will add $150.40 to my yearly dividends.

This purchase boosts my energy position to 10% of my total portfolio weight.

My goal is to continue building existing positions, but if GWW drops down into the $170s it will be very tempting to initiate a position. I also am watching IBM as the yield is climbing up to 3.5% and a dividend raise is coming soon, which may boost it closer to 4%.

Forward dividends are $8500.00

DEFY MEDIOCRITY