Recent Buy: Target

I've added another new company to the growing portfolio of stocks in the Dividend Scythe! Reaping and reaping and reaping! I'm really happy with this new addition because I was raised in a "Target Household". By that I mean that my mother was and still is obsessed with Target or as we love to call it, "Tarjay".

I've had my eye on the stock for a very long time and it was about time that it made it's way in. What I really like about Target is that they are a progressive company that has shown a consistently impressive track record of paying dividends and simply operating at a surplus. Those are two of the most important things that can be had in a company when I'm looking for one to add to the books. If a company continues to bring in more business or make more money off of existing business while still staying in a positive light, that company is a great buy in my book.

Let's review the final purchase:

Purchased 15 shares @ 68.38/share

Total Purchase: $1,035.76

Total Additional Annual Dividend: $36

New Total Project Annual Dividends: $415.42

All and all, I'm very happy with this purchase. The price was as close to the 52 week low that it has gotten in a little while during times where I've had the chance to invest in it. It will help the Dividend Scythe reap that much more which will in turn propel the new acquisitions that much further. 

I'll Start Saving Tomorrow

It's a statement that I feel that a lot of us hear quite often from those in our company. I'll start saving tomorrow. It's easy to say, isn't it? And it sounds good! If only it were true.

What is the difference between us and them though? Why were some of us actually successful when we put our saving ahead of our over indulgences? It's a tough question to answer but I've been thinking about it a lot lately because in the recent past I have been approached by a much larger handful of people than normal that have asked me how I have been doing it.

For me, the answer is simple. Living at a deficit is what creates wealth. It's been proven time and time again by those who stay wealthy. The way that I myself create this deficit for my wife and I is that anytime we are about to buy something, I ask both of us,

"will we actually use this or will this be used once and then forgotten?"

One would think that it would be easy to overcome this statement. After all, you can justify just about anything if given enough time to think about something. The very act however seems to bring out a purpose for not buying. This is the purpose that I am forever grateful for. Where buying gives the purpose of gaining something new, the act of asking whether or not you should seems to give a greater outlook.

I ask myself again then, how am I any different than so many others who have asked for my help but ultimately failed to apply it? Is it a change of mindset brought on by the consumerism that has been bred in them their entire life? Or is it something different that I just can't seem to see? The fact of the matter is that it seems to work for me. Then why should it not work for others? 

I then pose this question to my readers; why is it that others find it so incredibly hard to live at a deficit? Do people internally just not want to retire? Are they running away from their mortality? Can they really not stop themselves from over indulging? Why do you think this is the case? 

Dividend Income: August

The best time of the month has finally come. It's time to compile all the dividends received and see just how much is sitting at the bottom of the passive income coin jar. Although this month was not the most extravagant that the blog has ever seen, it wasn't exactly dead either. Let's see what we brought in this month:

Dividend Income: August

STAG - STAG Industrial - $1.74

ABBV - Abbvie - $5.70

YUM - Yum Brands - $3.22

Total: $10.66

Total Dividends in 2016: $171.66

Total Dividends in 2015: $62.25

Increase YOY at Present: $109.41

Alright, so it's not the most that we've ever seen the Dividend Scythe pick up but it's still moving us forward on our way. Like I remind myself every month, it's the sum of the smaller parts that make up the great whole in the end. It's best not to lose sight of that.

That being said, I wanted to make sure to include the difference in this month's tally from the prior year to show just how far the portfolio has come from the year prior. This serves as a good indicator of whether or not we're heading in the right direction and I'm happy to say that it confirms good things. There is at this time a difference of $109.41 over the entire last year's passive income (and we've still got a few months to go!). Even though the $10.66 of income this month may seem small, it is a small piece of a much larger puzzle that is being put together.

Moving forward this month I really want to hone in on a good high yielding dividend stock. I know that there aren't many out there that have solid numbers but the portfolio has reached a point where it can take some chances to further fuel the ship into outer space. If you've got any ideas of where one might find this fuel, please leave your comment in the section below.