Recent Buy: GNC

You want to talk about a stock that is down and not yet out? Let's talk about the newest addition to the dividend scythe - GNC. GNC if you don't know is a supplement store that is primarily based in the US. While it has taken a massive hit in the last couple years, the stock is not yet done for. The stores themselves are profitable, the brands they carry work (first hand experience), and they have a customer base that won't be filled by online shopping until the kinks of online shopping can be worked out.

For the typical body builder, online is the way to buy supplements. Unfortunately, bodybuilders are also huge procrastinators. That means when it comes time to buy, they usually find themselves trucking down the neighborhood GNC and buying a quick fix to get them to their next online order. While this isn't primary, it does serve a much needed purpose. I myself have been caught in this same trap and I'm not even a body builder! That being said, there are numerous other types of customers that they market to. Specifically, I'm talking about those who are overweight who are looking for an entrance into the world of supplements with the help of a friendly shop keeper.

While their recent past shows continuous decline in sales, the stores just got a much needed change. An internum CEO has been assigned that turned around Petsmart and I have every bit of confidence that he can do the same thing with GNC. Most notably, a full revamp of their stores has just been completed with a 24 closure of all stores. Even though it's a bet, I'll take the bet while I cash in the heavy dividend payment.

Bring. It. On!

Dividend Income: November

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. With the arrival of December comes the monthly honor and duty of counting up the dividends received over the past month and recapping the movement that got us here. That being said, overall, the month was a pretty decent month in relation to others. Here's a quick recap of our payers.

• AT&T - T - $14.88
• YUM Brands - YUM - $3.57
• Abbvie - ABBV - $5.70
• STAG Industrial - STAG - $1.74
• Total: $25.89
• Total Dividends for 2016: $269.08

I know it doesn't look like much in the grand scheme of the portfolio but it looks like a lot to me because it shows the building block style of investing. Only a year ago I was looking at less than $100 total dividends for the entire year (it was actually only barely over $50. That means that this year alone has already completely shattered last year's results. If I can continue that trend, the additional investment income that dividends provide start to become a snowball that rolls itself. 

With kids on the horizon, it's important for me and my wife to put away as much as possible right now so it's locked in during the months/years that it will be even harder to find the additional income to invest. Although we have yet to be successful in having kids, it's an almost certainty in the near future and I would be an idiot to not prepare ahead of time for that life adjustment. Anyway, that's all I've got for today. 

Recent Buy: Verizon

I've added another great company to the Dividend Scythe! This time around, I've chosen to add Verizon to the portfolio. What attracted me to this company was the seemingly overzealous and breeding type of business that Verizon runs. One has to respect a company that thrives to be the best, even if it means having to charge customers a premium to do so. In addition, I can't over look how many people I know who have the service and have no other complaints that aren't related to the price that is attached to their service. That's saying a lot in the world we live in today. It's a fine product that they market - both telephony and internet services.

Although Verizon has been going through some changes inside their enterprise, functionally they are still the same great company that has taken off through the years. This should therefore solidify them into the future and make it another great company to hold in the portfolio. It was basically as no-brainer to add Verizon alongside the already well performing, AT&T inside the Dividend Scythe. Now let's look at the final compilation of the purchase.

Purchased: 25 shares of VZ @ $49.07/share

Total purchase: $1,236.74

Annual dividend added to the Scythe: $57.75

New Projected Annual Dividend Income: $505.37

And with that, the Scythe has officially passed the $500 mark for annual income. All I have to do is keep the train rolling. Thanks for reading, everyone. 

Dividends Overtime

After making my monthly update post for October's dividends, I realized that I hadn't posted an update showing the dividends received over time in quite awhile. That being said, I've compiled an updated graph and it's quite exciting to look at!

As sad as it is to put into perspective how small the dividend payments were in 2015, it's an increasingly obvious boost to the confidence that 2016 has been a much better year for dividends over time. All in all, it means I'm heading in the right direction. As long as I keep grabbing up companies and not being afraid of what the market may hold tomorrow, the trend should continue.

Dividend Income: October

Moving on to November means that it's time to tally the dividends received in October. It also means that we'll very likely be seeing a huge shift either up or down as the next President of the USA is elected in this next month. Whether that means good things or bad things is up to the votes. Regardless, I can't let myself get clouded with wondering. 

Whether it moves prices up or down, I need to keep the dividend train moving forward. That's why I grabbed up Coca Cola (KO) when I did. It's a huge company that regardless of the election should find a place to land. I'm just hoping that my strategy moving towards the election holds up. Let's calculate the income for the month of October. 

Dividends:

RAI: $14.26

RCL: $5.28

STAG: $1.74

GE: $5.75

Total October Dividends: $27.03

2016 Total Dividends: $243.19

Recent Buy: Coca Cola Co.

October has been a very slow month for my blog. Not just slow, but deathly so. I want to make sure you all know however that rest assured, I am still here and stocks are still bouncing their way into the dividend scythe. Work has just gotten to the point where it takes all of my energy and leaves me with very little that I am able to pour into much else when it's all done with for the day.

That being said, I have added another great company to the dividend scythe. This month's grab is a new position in Coca Cola Co. (KO). I have been wanting to open a position in Coca Cola for a very long time but I had a few other companies that I wanted to grab first while the price came off the high that it was sitting at for the last few months. Now that it has positioned itself much lower, it was ripe for the picking. It's a household name that would be very tough to dethrone. Even though Pepsi Co. (PEP) is in my opinion, a better holding, I had to work with what was timed right for purchase.

Here is a summary of the purchase:

Purchased 23 shares of KO @ $42.71/share

Total Purchase: $992.53

Additional Dividends Produced: $32.20

New Projected Total Annual Dividend Income: $447.62

Dividend Income: September

Money, money, money, it's time to count the money! With the end of the month of September comes the chance to count the dividends that have been issued. That being said, September was an awesome month for historical dividend income! Let's count them up:

WFC - $8.36

LB - $4.80

WMT - $8

EMR - $7.60

STAG - $1.74

GME - $7.40

ARII - $6.80

Total: $44.70

Current 2016 Earnings: $216.16

Total 2015 Earnings: $62.25

I think that the most motivating thing about dividend growth investing is seeing the difference between the yearly earnings. So far in 2016, we have completely destroyed the earnings that were taken back in 2015. Because there is such a mental aspect to investing, it's so important to keep track monthly. One or two slips can make it seem like you're not gaining speed. If you feel like you're not gaining speed, you just get more and more discouraged. 

Thankfully, I'm good at keeping track of nearly everything in my life. Watching my investment income is no different than anything else in my daily life. Keep track and you will be rewarded. Let's just keep the train moving forward and on track.